It features the voices of Tomoya Nagase and Yuri Chinen, with animation direction by Megumi Endô, character design by Atsushi Morikawa, and its orchestral score composed by Naoki Satō.

The story begins during the Sengoku period[a] with a young boy named Kotaro, who escapes unknown pursuers with his dog Tobimaru, and is directed by the monk Shouan to seek help from Master Zekkai at the Mangaku Temple in the Akaike Province.

While sheltering in an abandoned temple, Kotaro encounters Nanashi, a wandering swordsman, but they are found by a search party of two Ming warriors with Akaike soldiers.

Meanwhile, Nanashi reveals a few details about his past to Kotaro; that he fought for different masters but knows nothing of his origins except that he is a shipwreck survivor with red hair, and dyes it black to enable him to blend in with the Japanese population.

When Bai-Luan learns of Lord Akaike's betrayal, the Ming capture him and use him as a human shield at the fortress containing the altar to await the prophesied time.

The next morning, Kotaro rides off on horseback carrying Tobimaru and the badly wounded and barely conscious Nanashi, talking about starting a new life together.

At Otakon 2016, Funimation announced at their panel that they picked up the rights for the movie, and that it was going to be released on a DVD and Blu-ray Disc combo pack on November 8, 2016.

Anime News Network reviewer Justin Sevakis gave the film an overall A− and labeled it as: "Breath-taking action scenes wrapped around a compelling story that actually makes sense".

[3] /Film described Sword of the Stranger as "Lone Wolf and Cub meets Rurouni Kenshin" and said it is "perfect for fans of Samurai movies, Wuxia, and animation".