Strange things are happening in Japan. A calf is born with a human head that bellows, "Evil is coming!" Children are disappearing and terrifying beasts made of rusty machine parts are attacking people under the direction of a sinister mistress. At a rural shrine festival in the middle of this chaos, young Tadashi is picked to assume the role of the Kirin Rider, a mythic figure meant to claim a legendary sword guarded by the Great Goblin, who dwells in the local mountain. Proving his courage, Tadashi ventures up the mountain at last and discovers that it is the home of the Yokai, who are only visible to the young man, thanks to his new status. It turns out that the wave of villainy is not the work of the Yokai, but of a dark overlord who preys on the ghosts and goblins themselves. The Yokai enlist Tadashi to help save Japan from a demonic apocalypse.