A little over four years ago, the status of anime films got a major global boost. Demon Slayer: Mugen Train (2020) slashed previous box office standards for animated films, becoming the highest-grossing Japanese animated film (dethroning the 2001 Studio Ghibli classic Spirited Away) and the highest-grossing R-rated film internationally. Anime, especially the action-packed shōnen fare, was getting some overdue international attention, which was especially thrilling to see for long-time fans of the medium like myself. Since then, it feels like anime films have been growing in scale in terms of both production and release. Naturally, the final act of Demon Slayer is releasing in a similarly epic cinematic fashion.
Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle is the first part of a final trilogy of films covering the final arc of the manga, a suitably epic conclusion for a story that’s captured anime fans across the globe. After four seasons of Tanjiro Kamado (Natsuki Hanae/Zack Aguilar) trying to defeat the demons that killed his family and cursed his sister Nezuko, he and the most powerful demon slayers, known as the Hashira, have finally gotten close to cornering the First Demon Muzan Kibutsuji. Both sides have had considerable losses, but Muzan and his own powerful vanguard, the Upper Ranks, are finally surrounded. Muzan, himself, is injured enough to require regeneration. Infinity Castle, the film’s titular location, is the creation of Muzan: a pocket dimension of sorts meant to heal himself and eliminate the rest of the Demon Slayer Corps.
Infinity Castle–Part One covers three of the climactic battles between three of the Hashira and the demons that tormented them. The first is the Insect Hashira Kocho Shinobu (Saori Hayami/Erika Harlacher) and Upper Rank 2 Doma (Mamoru Miyano/Stephen Fu), who killed her older sister. The second is between perpetual slacker Zenitsu (Hiro Shimono/Aleks Le) and his former senior and current Upper Rank 6 Kaigaku (Yoshimasa Hosoya/Alejandro Saab). Finally, the final hour covers the battle between Tanjiro and his mentor, Water Hashira Giyuu Tomioka (Takahiro Sakurai/Jonny Yong Bosch), against Upper Rank 3 Akaza (Akira Ishida/Lucien Dodge), the demon responsible for the death of Kyojuro Rengoku in Mugen Train. Interspersed between these battles, we find the lower-ranking members of the Demon Slayers Corps trying to decipher the Infinity Castle and set up for future battles.
On a technical level, Infinity Castle Part One is a marvel. The team at Ufotable has received heaps of praise since the first season of Demon Slayer released six years ago. They’re able to consistently keep outdoing themselves. Personally, the titular location was one of the standout locations in the entire manga. Seeing the endless maze of Heian-era architecture translated from paper to gloriously saturated browns and golden lights had my jaw on the ground, especially during the opening sequence. As the film continues through the castle, particularly as it starts getting destroyed in the epic final act, the animation remains consistently stunning. The specific flourishes added to the breathing styles of the Hashira, the continually increased blood and viscera, and even the breaking of the castle’s wood demonstrate that even the smallest details aren’t spared from Ufotable’s meticulous eyes.
Director Haruo Sotazaki’s consistent helm over both the televised anime and cinematic releases is quite the boon. The seamless blending of 2D and 3D animation and the fluid movement of the camera have been consistent throughout the previous seasons and films under the Demon Slayer umbrella. Now, in a setting defined by both sprawling, endless space and repetitive, claustrophobic rooms, the camerawork is given a chance to shine. In a film that focuses so heavily on high-stakes battles, the fluidity of the animation is an important factor in making the battle feel weighty and realistic. Several moments of stillness are equally impressive, including the cold open’s sprawling graveyard, complete with falling flower petals. This film knows how to relish in contemplative moments just as much as it can create hype battles.
The sound design and voice performances are a pleasure. By now, the voice cast of Demon Slayer has comfortably settled into their respective characters’ voices and quirks. While some of the voice cast are a bit underutilized, mostly due to the semi-episodic structure, the characters that get to shine really shine. This goes for both the original Japanese voice cast and the English dub.
Particular standouts are Hiro Shimono and Aleks Le, the latter having a hell of a year, and Akira Ishida and Lucien Dodge as Akaza. Zenitsu, typically the slacker of the group, is gifted moments of strength and vulnerability during his battle with Kaigaku. Watching Zenitsu cope with both the death of their mentor and Kaigaku’s lack of remorse for his part in it and seeing that rage and despair channeled into their battle feels like such a solidification of his arc. Although this fight is the shortest and simplest of the three featured in the film, the emotional weight behind Zenitsu and Kaigaku’s stand-off certainly adds some nice shades to the former’s character.
Akaza is truly the star of the show, though. As the subtitle of the film implies, the battle against the Upper Rank 3 demon is the main event. For all the brutality that this fight showcases, including several failed decapitations and regenerations, the true highlight is the reveal of Akaza’s origins. Throughout the series, the demons have stood as imposing forces of evil. Kaigaku and Doma both get backstories in the film, which hammer home that they were amoral before they were turned into demons.
Kaigaku’s abandonment led to the death of both his and Zenitsu’s mentor, and Doma was a cannibalistic, conniving cult leader from childhood. Akaza, responsible for the death of fan-favorite Hashira Rengoku, has also been characteristically despicable, until now. The reveal of his surprisingly sympathetic backstory adds some welcome new shades to his character; both Ishida and Dodge sell this new, humane side of such a despicable character.
As to be expected with the first part of a trilogy, Infinity Castle has a few issues with its pacing. As my prolonged plot synopsis suggests, this is not a newcomer-friendly film. It starts almost exactly where the fourth season of the show left off, a wise choice considering the film is almost two and a half hours. With a formidable amount of material to cover and a clear dedication to abiding by the manga’s pacing to the letter, the film has a bit of a start-and-stop problem. The pacing feels almost episodic for the first two-thirds of the runtime.
This would be less of a problem if the interstitials between each fight had any payoff; they largely exist to provide information that will become relevant for the subsequent battles that aren’t adapted quite yet. It is nice to have some narrative downtime in between the battles, but leaving so many dangling narrative threads results in several characters, particularly Gyomei Himejima, being severely underutilized.
For long-time fans of Demon Slayer, Infinity Castle Part 1 is the start of a fantastic adaptation of an epic finale. While it may be a bit inaccessible to newcomers from a narrative standpoint, the craft behind the film is undeniable. The pacing issues aren’t enough to sink the film, since the highs of the battles, especially the battle with Akaza, are thrilling to watch, and the added backstories add some novel new shades to longtime antagonists. There’s an appeal for series fans and animation fans in general, even if the narrative feels a bit unfinished in some places. It’s another welcome addition to the great streak of animated films in 2025.
Review Courtesy of Red Broadwell
Feature Image Credit to Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures
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