Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Bullet Train Explosion!

Netflix's Shin Godzilla director Shinji Higuchi. While the film offers a fairly similar premise to the original 1975 classic, it also acts as a legacy sequel to the film, with Bullet Train Explosion creating a new world and characters while carrying on the legacy of the first film's story.

Bullet Train Explosion starts off with a bullet train full of engers, with them discovering that a bomb has been placed on the train. If the train drops below 100 km/h, the bomb will explode. The train's staff immediately alerts the authorities and the various transportation experts, leading to an effort to stop the train that spans Japan. While most of the engers are able to safely exit the train, the first evacuation plan ends before everyone can get off. Thus, a group of survivors are still on the train, with time quickly running out.

How Does The Train Get Stopped In Bullet Train Explosion?

& How Do All The Characters Survive?

As Bullet Train Explosion nears its end, a small group of survivors is still on the train. Although several crises have been averted, the engers and transportation specialists are up against a wall, as the train is nearing Tokyo. Luckily, the team comes up with one last plan. The remaining engers are told to get in the back of the train, with the conductors, drivers, and mechanics attempting to pull off a risky move. The bomb can't be detonated, but the engers can be taken away from the bomb by forcefully ripping the train in half.

As the train approaches Tokyo, the bullet train switches tracks. During this track switch, the tracks switch back, ripping the last two carts apart from the rest of the train. This derails the cart that the engers are in, but it puts space between them and the bomb. Luckily, the characters were prepared, with them gathering materials from the other carts to cushion the blow. The cart derails and hits several constructed walls of water-filled barrels, slowing it down to a stop. When the rescue team reaches the derailed cart, they find that the engers survived. Meanwhile, the earlier carts explode on another track.

What The 109 Case Is & How It Connects To 1975’s The Bullet Train

Bullet Train Explosion Is A Legacy Sequel

Throughout the Netflix thriller, the 109 case is constantly referenced, and some viewers who are new to the franchise may not understand what this is. When analyzing the bomb threat, one of the transportation officials asks someone to pull the files on the 109 case from 1975. This is clearly a reference to the original 1975 film, The Bullet Train, in which another criminal planted a bomb on a bullet train. Although there was previously no indication that this film would be connected to the original, this detail means that Bullet Train Explosion is a legacy sequel.

However, things go a bit further than that. Several new Bullet Train Explosion characters with connections to characters from the 1975 film appear. Firstly, a retired officer who was a responder to the original hostage situation appears. On top of that, the son of a character named Masaru Koga also appears. Masaru Koga was one of the main characters in the original The Bullet Train, with him being an activist who helped put a bomb on the Hikari 109. At the end of the film, Koga decides to blow himself up rather than turn himself into the police.

Who Planted The Bomb On The Bullet Train

There Was More Than One Culprit

The identity of Bullet Train Explosion's terrorist is left a mystery throughout much of the film. However, when the culprits are revealed, it is discovered that there are actually two villains. The first is Yuzuki, one of the engers who is left on the train after the first rescue effort. The young girl is revealed to be the daughter of the aforementioned police officer. As it turns out, her father's heroic story was a lie, with it being used to cover up Koga's sacrifice in order to prevent the government from looking incompetent.

The abuse that Yuzuki received from her father as well as the frustration from his lies led her to carry out the attack. However, she didn't act alone. Yuzuki came up with the idea after messaging an individual on social media, with him claiming that he can develop bombs. This man is the son of Masaru Koga, with him being involved in the scheme. Throughout the latter half of Bullet Train Explosion, there is a mystery surrounding which one of these characters was truly the mastermind. However, both of them played an integral role in the villainous plot.

Why Bullet Train Explosion’s Characters Don’t Kill Yuzuki & Defuse The Bomb

They Figured Out A Different Way

Before Bullet Train Explosion's characters make the decision to crash they train, they learn about another option. Yuzuki explains that the app she has been using to detonate the bombs is connected to a heart monitor that is inside her. According to Yuzuki, the bombs will defuse when her heart stops. This means that if one of the surviving engers is willing to kill her, they can stop the train without it exploding.

Despite this, nobody is willing to step up. Although some characters argue that killing Yuzuki is consequentially the right move, none are willing to be the one who kills her. They instead try to find a way to save everyone's life, including Yuzuki's. Because of this, she survives to the end of the film.

The Real Meaning Of Bullet Train Explosion’s Ending

It Is More Positive Than Its Predecessor

Bullet Train Explosion's ending is much more optimistic than that of the 1975 film, with it being about the power of collectivism and teamwork. All of Japan has to work together to stop the train, and as it turns out, they do it. Quick thinking and an unwillingness to sacrifice everyone works out for the characters, all of the film's main cast living to the end.

One of the most impossible tasks that is set up early in the film is raising 100 billion Japanese Yen. The terrorists require that most of this is sourced from citizens of Japan, something that the government doesn't think will happen. However, after a fundraiser is set up, the money is raised. This highlights how this collective care can work on a larger scale, ending Bullet Train Explosion on a positive note.