An Amazing Yet Concerning Start Finale
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba is a popular manga series that was released in February 2016 and quickly grew in popularity. It eventually adapted its series into an anime that was released in January 2021. Demon Slayer quickly became a cultural phenomenon in Japan and only surged in popularity thanks to the anime adaptation. According to Oricon Inc., In 2020, the Demon Slayer manga was the best-selling manga of the year, doubling that of One Piece sales, which is no easy feat since One Piece is one of the most popular and best-selling manga of all time. Demon Slayer was such a domestic hit that it did not take long to surge in popularity globally.
After six successful years of the anime adaptation, the series is finally coming to an end with three separate movies adapting the final arc of the story, and on Sept. 12, 2025, the first of the three movies was released with relatively well-received reviews. Although the movie is an all-around exhilarating and emotional experience, there are undoubtedly some issues with the overall film, as seen on Rotten Tomatoes with a 98% score from both audiences and critics.
The film does an extraordinary job of grabbing and maintaining the attention of the audience with its magnificent animation and fights that leave the audience on the edge of their seats. Though it’s extremely disappointing that the movie consistently breaks up the fast-paced action with flashbacks. To be fair, the flashbacks are vital to the overall story of the final arc of the series and are nothing short of an emotional tearjerker, there is no denying that they disrupt the plot in extremely rough ways. Numerous flashbacks in the movie could have been cut out entirely or placed in different time frames as the movie is nearly three hours long. Taking the length of the film into consideration, the flashbacks make up a significant portion of it and ruin the overall pace of the movie.
Although the pacing of the movie can be erratic, the rest of the film consists of beautiful storytelling, animation, and soundtrack. There are little to no scenes in the film that lack a score, and I have nothing but compliments to give about it. Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle uses both soundtracks that longtime viewers of the anime series will immediately recognize and a new score varying for the type of scene.
The music throughout the movie is absolutely remarkable, but nothing compares to the animation. Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle and the respected anime series utilize a mixture of 2D and 3D backgrounds designed by the phenomenal animating studio Ufotable. Ufotable’s animation is nothing like its competitors, and is distinct in that you can tell just how much time and effort went into it just from one look at the quality.
I had the pleasure of taking someone to the theatre with me that has no prior knowledge of the series, and I was able to get their insight. They said that although everything was new for them, the storytelling was extremely easy to follow. Trying to fit myself into their shoes, I can agree with them since the conflict of the film is localized in one building, “the infinity castle,” which remains the same throughout the film. Although there are cuts from character to character in different locations of the castle, all of them remain in a localized location, the characters are referred to by names immediately so you know who everyone is, every character is either fleshed out or their personality is on full display, and there is constant inner monologue from the main protagonist that makes it even easier to follow.
Overall, the film was a non-stop, action-packed, emotional rollercoaster that is both a great addition to the series for long-term fans and a fun experience for those new to the series. Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle is rated R and is in theatres globally from Sept. 12 through Sept. 25.
