Kill Bill The Lost Chapter: Yuki's Revenge Recap And Ending Explained 

I don’t think anyone could have expected Quentin Tarantino to be trending this week for the oddest reasons imaginable—going off on Paul Dano in a podcast and having a “Kill Bill” spin-off titled “Kill Bill: The Lost Chapter: Yuki’s Revenge” released in a “Fortnite”-styled animated short. Originally a deleted scene that Tarantino wanted to include in the duology, “Yuki’s Revenge” is a strange crossover that tries to assimilate Tarantino’s uber-stylish, modern mythos of “Kill Bill” with the kinetic, vibrant landscape of one of the most popular game titles. The question is, does this unique concoction actually work? That depends on whether you like the kind of vibe “Fortnite” exudes and if the absence of blood/gore from a project involved with an iconic IP like “Kill Bill” is not a deal breaker for you. Not to sound highbrow or purist, but churning out a spin-off from a beloved franchise after over two decades should have a more gratifying payoff than a ten-minute-long, clunky, droll animated teaser.

Spoilers Ahead

For viewers who are not aware of the existing lore, let me provide a bit of context to simplify why Yuki Yubari is trying to hunt down Beatrix Kiddo, aka the Bride, aka the notorious assassin, Black Mamba. A former member of Bill’s Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, Beatrix decided to leave her old ways upon learning that she is pregnant with Bill’s child. Willing to turn a new page in life, Beatrix decided to marry Bill. Unfortunately, much to her horror, Bill led a deadly attack on Beatrix with his gang at their wedding rehearsal and left her for dead after shooting her in head. Upon recovering and regaining her strength, a vengeful Bride hunted down her comrades and her husband/mentor Bill. While on her quest for vengeance, Bride had killed Tokyo’s Yakuza queenpin, O-Ren Ishii, aka Cottonmouth, and her personal bodyguard, a psychotic teenage assassin named Gogo Yubari. Yuki is Gogo’s younger sister, who wants to avenge her death by killing Beatrix.  

The short begins with a revamped version of the 50s classic movie intermission jingle, “Let’s All Go to The Lobby,” perhaps acting as a reference to the spin-off’s existence as a part of Tarantino’s most iconic, enduring piece of art being reworked to fit in a new setting with “Yuki’s Revenge.” The narrative focus shifts to Yuki, a charming, manic young assassin who is seen speaking with Bill, whose face remains unseen, but the green ring and Hattori Hanzo sword are a dead giveaway about his identity. Beatrix has just killed the first target in her kill list, Cottonmouth, which means Yuki has recently lost her elder sister, Gogo. Bill directs her to Hawthorne, California, specifying the location where she can find Beatrix and take her revenge. As an homage to the memorable battle Gogo had with Beatrix, Yuki too is seen carrying a miniature meteor hammer, the weapon of choice of her elder sister.

The story is set in the “Fortnite” world, and reasonably Beatrix and Yuki are seen interacting with a host of in-universe characters: Skull Trooper, Mothmando, Chomp Sr., etc. Having an exciting time while touring across California, Yuki finally approaches Beatrix after the infamous Black Mamba has taken down another target off of her list, Vernita Green, aka Copperhead. It should be mentioned that Yuki is high on the Blues, a drug mix created by Bill, possibly a performance-enhancing version of the Shield Potion of “Fortnite,” to ensure Yuki can go all out in her battle with the Bride. A playful, mischievous Yuki is more chatty compared to her elder sister, and she tries to have Beatrix lower her defenses by engaging in small talk. Knowing what Yuki’s intentions are, Beatrix asks her to walk away, just like she requested of Gogo previously. It’s funny that despite being on a vengeful quest herself, Beatrix advises Yuki not to go down the dark path of vengeance and violence. Gleefully laughing like a maniac, Yuki attacks by unloading her UZI towards Beatrix, who tries to escape to safety. 

Yuki chases after Beatrix, who reaches a house where Mullet Marauder and Aerobic Assassin are present. Given this is the “Fortnite” world, don’t expect dismemberment or bloody injuries, as blue light and pixelated injuries match the aesthetics of this cartoonish landscape. The bride gets shot in the leg as Yuki presses on and manages to shoot Yuki to temporarily incapacitate her. Desperate and frustrated, Yuki consumes the rest of the Blues to go into a berserker mode and ends up losing control. Bride shoots Yuki several times, but the aftereffects of the drugs still keep her alive. Making a last-ditch attempt to kill the Bride, Yuki lunges at her with a knife in her hand and comes really close to delivering a deathblow. However, right at the moment her in-game death happens, Yuki, as she is immobilized, disappears in a blue pixelated ‘poof’ before getting transported away. The bride breathes a sigh of relief as the short comes to an end. 

Overall, “Yuki’s Revenge” feels more like a tease or advertisement for a bigger venture than an actual project that can stand on its own. The overall funky vibe of the game world does not complement Tarantino’s visual style, and the director’s signature is hardly present in the short. Surely Tarantino wanted to create something in the vein of Genndy Tartakovsky’s grim, brutal animated vision to manifest one of his previously unrealized ideas, unless he is really a hardcore “Fortnite” fan himself.  I am also not sure how the gamers might feel about this either; aside from a couple of cool character skins, there is nothing much the short has offered to enrich the in-game lore either. The question is, in that case, for whom was the project made to begin with? Perhaps it was aimed to be a sampler to prepare viewers for something more audaciously ambitious, like a “Godfather” crossover with “Overwatch,” perhaps?