Director Shunsuke Tada brought his background as a kendo practitioner to the choreography, treating lightsabers as traditional Japanese swords with tangible weight and lethality.
“I wanted to treat lightsabers as Japanese swords, just as George Lucas originally intended,” Tada said.
He emphasized that every sword strike needed to convey lethal intent rather than exchanging decorative contact frames.
“Because I have experience practicing kendo, I can tell when characters are just hitting swords against each other instead of actually trying to cut their opponent,” Tada said.
Kamiyama noted that the narrative intentionally portrays the protagonist with internal doubt rather than presenting her as an infallible warrior.
“I felt the Jedi Order itself had become restrictive,” Kamiyama said.
The production team framed Kara’s emotional struggles as a core component of her development into a new kind of Force wielder.
“If a Jedi doesn’t contain their own darkness, I don’t think you can portray them as truly strong,” Kamiyama said.
This character framing anchors the narrative conflict as Kara steps into her responsibilities.
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“I wanted her to embody what a new generation of Jedi should be,” Kamiyama said. Star Wars: Visions – The Ninth Jedi premieres August 5 on Disney Plus.
