Death Billiards

Death Billiards (Japanese: デス・ビリヤード, Desu Biriyādo) is a 2013 Japanese animated short film created and directed by Yuzuru Tachikawa and produced by Madhouse. It was part of the Young Animator Training Project's Anime Mirai 2013 initiative, designed to support young animators. The short film tells the story of an old man and a young man who find themselves in the mysterious Quindecim bar, with no memory of how they arrived. They are compelled by the bar's bartender to participate in a life-or-death game of billiards. The rules and stakes of the game are brutal, requiring the participants to play with all their might. This short film served as the precursor to the later television anime series, Death Parade. Death Billiards is praised for its unique setting, suspenseful plot, and profound exploration of human nature. It effectively establishes a mysterious afterlife and uses a billiards game to reveal the hidden past and emotions of the characters.