Film Review: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle
Director: Haruo Sotozaki
Ufotable, Aniplex, Sony Pictures Releasing
In U.S. Theaters: 09.12.2025

If I have learned anything from watching Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle (anime titles really need to learn to be shorter), it is that I am not immune to hype. Let me tell you, when Aimer started singing as the characters were falling and we see the full scale of the Infinity Castle, I was sat. They had my full attention. It’s no wonder that this movie is one of the biggest recent hits from Japan.

Something I want to mention is that the first theatrical Demon Slayer movie, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train became the highest grossing animated movie, worldwide, of 2020, a first for an animated film from Japan. Before its release, most anime series movies functioned more as side stories that had no real lasting impact on the characters. One notable exception is The Last: Naruto the Movie, which was more of a semi-conclusion to the story. But because an actual arc that did have bearing on the overall plot was theatrically released, fans were more than willing to set out during the COVID-19 pandemic to see the first Demon Slayer movie. Now we are seeing even more anime series follow suit. Tatsuki Fujimoto’s violent and wacky Chainsaw Man will also be releasing the Reze Arc theatrically, and it seems this Demon Slayer film is only the first part of a three-movie saga.

The film picks up at the exact moment where the Hashira Training Arc left us: The Demon Slayer Corps is freefalling into the Infinity Castle, the headquarters of Muzan Kibutsuji (Sub: Toshihiko Seki, Pluto, Dub: Greg Chun, Baki). The Slayers must manage to survive within his domain with hundreds of demons at every corner while trying to locate and defeat Muzan for good.

The real star of the show is undeniably the animation, and that is no surprise considering that the studio behind it is Ufotable, who are responsible for some of the best Type-Moon anime adaptations. The studio is known for creating beautifully rendered 3D spaces that blend nicely with the 2D characters. This technique allows them to create a sense of scale and move the camera around in ways that come in handy when conveying the epicness of a battle. However, what truly amazed me was the structure of the Infinity Castle. An ever-changing labyrinth with floating, shifting rooms and walls that seem to go on forever was already impressive, but the gorgeous lighting and swooping camera pans made it that much more of a marvel to look at. I genuinely didn’t want to blink because I wanted to take in every detail.

The fight scenes themselves were amazing to see on the big screen. The best way to describe them would be vibrant and dynamic. The visual metaphors for each characters’ respective fighting style brought a lot of color and liveliness to the action set pieces. It just sells you on the their skill and power. My one critique would be that while the fights are beautiful to look at, the choreography itself is rather basic. They rely on tried and true techniques, like “moving so fast you can’t see them” or close-ups of the strikes. It’s not a glaring issue, though, since the punchiness of each blow, the color of each strike and the creative camera angles keep the fights engaging.

The music is no slouch either. The score is composed by Go Shiina and Yuki Kajiura, one of my long-time favorite anime composers. In fact, she is the entire reason I started watching the series. From the first few notes, the music immediately pulls you in. Each battle theme gives the fights a distinct feel and a rhythm that makes theses scenes exciting to watch. The battle songs are so energetic and epic, blending traditional Japanese instrumentation with blasting wind instruments and synthy electric beats. It keeps the momentum on high. The slower tracks are the perfect mix of emotional and calm, swelling at just the right moments to deliver an emotional gut punch.

Speaking of sound, I opted to watch the dubbed version of this film, mainly because I wanted to hear Channing Tatum (She’s the Man, The Book of Life) take on an anime voice dubbing role. His performance as Keizo seemed a bit uneasy at first, but as the film continued, I could tell he had found his footing and got into the flow. The other voice actors were phenomenal as well, reprising roles they have been playing for years. Zach Aguilar (One-Punch Man) as Tanjiro Kamado (Sub: Natsuki Hanae, Tokyo Ghoul) has the perfect amount of warmth and determination in his voice to capture the character’s pure and strong demeanor. Lucien Dodge (Bungo Stray Dogs) as Akaza (Sub: Akira Ishida, Berserk) was also a standout, perfectly portraying the character’s unhinged nature while also beautifully delivering the more emotional moments.

Still, just like the series, this movie is far from perfect. While I praised the structure of the Infinity Castle, the structure of the story itself left a lot to be desired. The main problem with adapting an arc that was written in a serialized format is that it takes away a sense of cohesion that is necessary for a film.

The film in reality is just three separate fights: Shinobu Kochō (Dub: Erika Harlacher, Beastars) vs. Douma, (Dub: Stephen Fu, Sakamoto Days), Zenitsu Agatsuma (Dub: Aleks Le, Solo Leveling) vs. Kaigaku (Dub: Alejandro Saab, Overlord) and Tanjiro Kamado and Giyu Tomioka (Dub: Johnny Yong Bosch, Trigun) vs. Akaza. Each fight happens one after the other, so the film hits the same beats multiple times: encounter with the enemy, intense battle, moment of despair, emotional flashback, regaining of strength, climax and conclusion. After three fights, it starts to feel repetitive. Mugen Train didn’t have this problem, since all the characters were in the same area and fighting the same antagonist. The lack of a central throughline made the experience feel more like binging eight TV episodes, rather than witnessing a singular cinematic story. This also makes some of the villains’ character development feel rushed, like an afterthought. Still, I won’t lie — I did shed a few tears during Akaza’s backstory. Perhaps if we do get a TV adaptation of this arc, the pacing and development will be greatly improved.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle is an animation wonder complete with beautiful action set-pieces, a grand sense of scale and amazing music. It may be flawed, but it knows what it is and tries to keep it simple. For fans of the series, this is their chance to see some of their favorite side characters take center stage. If nothing else, watch the movie to see all the hard work and passion these animators put into every frame — they truly set their hearts ablaze with this project. —Angela Garcia

Read more film reviews from Angela Garcia:
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Film Review: The Naked Gun