Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle

It almost feels surreal that, just over a year since the ‘Hashira Training Arc’ aired, Demon Slayer has returned to our lives, this time on the big screen. Demon Slayer is no stranger to the silver screen, given that 2020’s Demon Slayer: Mugen Train remains the highest-grossing Japanese film of all time, and the highest-grossing R-rated animated film of all time. However, with this reputation behind it, Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle has a lot to prove at the box office, as well as in the hearts’ of Demon Slayer fans, given that this film begins the cinematic trilogy that will see the story of Tanjiro Kamado come to a close.

Today, Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle has finally left the shores of Japan, and it’s time at last for international anime fans to feast their eyes on Ufotable’s latest spectacle. As a huge fan of the anime series, I went into this movie with high hopes. So, were they met? Well, it’s time to dive in to all things Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, in our spoiler review. To reiterate, this is a spoiler review, so please check out the film for yourself before reading on! We’ll be going into all of the grisly details today, so make sure to experience Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle your own way before we let you in on all of the surprises. Alright, it’s time – let’s review Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle.

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Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Review

Image by Ufotable

Before the opening of Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle even began, I got to thinking about how perfect of a set-up for a finale Gotouge has crafted for their story. The Infinity Castle itself is a location that has hung over the anime since the end of the first season, a menacing stronghold for all of the series’ strongest villains. Now, our heroes have been plunged directly into it, and we’ve got all of our characters in the one location (with the glaring exception of Nezuko, but from a plot perspective, her absence makes sense). It feels like the perfect climax for Demon Slayer, a story that has often based its seasonal structure on who accompanies Tanjiro – now all of the Hashira, as well as the Demon Slayer Corps, are together, ready to take on the antagonists who have also grouped-up at their base of operations.

As is expected from a Demon Slayer movie, the animation in Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle is absolutely incredible. Ufotable have consistently proven themselves to be the cream of the crop when it comes to visuals in the anime industry, and though the stellar animation is likely the reason that these movies are rumoured to be releasing with such large time-gaps in between, at least Ufotable makes the wait feel worth it. Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle is a visual spectacle, one that must be experienced on the big screen to be fully appreciated. I somewhat lament the day that this film arrives on streaming, as the experience will simply never match the thrill of seeing this movie in the cinema.

However, let’s address the elephant in the room here. Demon Slayer has often faced criticism from the anime fandom for relying on Ufotable’s visual flair to carry a below-average storyline on Gotouge’s part. There are certainly some issues with the plot and pacing of Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, issues that will be discussed in detail later in this review. However, I’ve often found this criticism to be a little shallow – animation is a pivotal part of an anime’s quality, particularly an action-shonen like Demon Slayer. The storyline is solid, nothing boundary-shattering, but comprehensible and emotionally resonant. Do the visuals enhance Demon Slayer’s quality greatly? Absolutely. However, this reliance on one of the core qualities of anime is not necessarily a bad thing. Look at the many adaptations of Berserk we’ve seen across the anime industry. If the animation is terrible, not even the strongest source material can save it.

Image by Ufotable

With that being said, let’s dive into the story of Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle. First of all, it should be noted that this film does not stand on its own feet at all without watching the series first. This isn’t at all unexpected, but it does mark a contrast from Mugen Train, which I think could at least be enjoyed without watching the anime. Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle is essentially a compilation of three massive fights, spanning across a 2 and a half hour runtime. Whereas fans may be expecting the film to bounce between the various fights taking place throughout the Infinity Castle, this movie instead chooses to show each fight, one at a time, the initial fight concluding before moving on to the next one. Admittedly, this can make certain sections of Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle feel a little prolonged, especially if you’re not particularly engaged in that specific battle, but for me, each fight worked in its own way.

The first fight sees Shinobu Kocho taking on Doma, a fight that we got a sneak-peek of during the film’s initial trailer. This fight worked for me as an opener, considering how explosive it was, from a physical and emotional standpoint. It is revealed that Doma is the demon that killed Shinobu’s sister, adding real weight to this showdown. However, of all three of the fights in Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, this one easily felt the most rushed, a glaring flaw when you consider that Shinobu dies at the end of this battle. Shinobu Kocho was one of the first Hashira to appear in Demon Slayer, which makes the speed of her demise feel all the more disconcerting. This fight also ends up being left to die out, given that it is left on a cliffhanger that is never revisited during this first film. Shinobu vs. Doma was certainly a spectacular way to open Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, but may have benefitted from being broken up throughout the film, rather than killing off one of the series’ most beloved characters within the first half hour of the film.

We then move to Zenitsu vs. Kaigaku, a fight that I never saw coming, given that the series really didn’t give any indication that this was coming our way. Sure, we knew Zenitsu was upset about something, but the details were spared until the two came directly face-to-face. When it comes to this second battle, the backstory is easily the strongest part. The fight itself is actually relatively short, with Zenitsu making Kaigaku look like light work. It’s the evolution of Zenitsu himself that takes centre-stage here, and I’m glad to say that this is the first time I’ve felt a genuine connection to this character. Even if Kaigaku feels like a throwaway character of sorts, his presence in Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle is justified by his elevation of Zenitsu.

Image by Ufotable

The third and final fight of Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, however, is easily its highlight, as Tanjiro and Giyu team up to take on Akaza. The Akaza battle easily lasts over an hour, and is jam-packed with thrilling, brutal, and emotional moments. Ufotable clearly chose to go all-out with this fight, and when all of this is paired with the build-up from Akaza’s murder of Rengoku in Mugen Train, this fight soars above the rest of the battles in Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle. This fight particularly highlighted how good the music of Demon Slayer is – when I recognised Akaza’s battle theme returning from Mugen Train, I got full-body chills.

As the Akaza fight played out, it made me realise that despite some of its shortcomings, Demon Slayer has always maintained a very clear vision. It may not be the most unique show of all time, but it has always remained focused, and the streamlined nature of Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle enhances this focus. Though the solid structure of this film’s plot may leave some fans wishing for more experimentation, I think it speaks to Demon Slayer’s clear intentions to resolve all of its introduced plot points, leaving no loose ends behind. The finale, thus far, is wrapping up everything we’ve seen happen in the series since the first season, with just about every side character making an appearance in some capacity. Keeping it simple is sometimes the right thing to do, and I think Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle proves this in how it all plays out.

With that structure in mind, I’ve seen other reviews criticise the pacing of Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle as the film’s main fault. To be honest, I see little issue with the pacing of the movie, but that’s likely because I’m a fan of the anime series. The film is paced like a 2 and a half hour episode of Demon Slayer, packed with all of the familiar lengthy monologues, extended backstories, and slow-mo enhanced action sequences. Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle exists in a completely different world to the Western film industry, so I can certainly understand why some viewers may be off-put by its approach to pacing and storytelling. However, I think anime fans will love this film from top to bottom, even with some of its shortcomings.

Image by Ufotable

However, though I have no issue with the pacing from a cinematic perspective, I do have some issues with the pacing from the perspective of the story of Demon Slayer. Kaigaku is quickly dispatched in this film, which is fine, the character was introduced only to be killed. Doma has lasted until at least the second film, but Akaza himself is killed at the end of Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, which isn’t exactly shocking. However, when you consider that Daki, formerly Upper Rank Six, seemed to give our heroes more trouble than Akaza, it calls the consistency of Demon Slayer’s power system into question. You could argue that Akaza ultimately took his own life at the end of Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, but ultimately, it was Tanjiro and Giyu that took him down, in remarkably quicker time than a whole team of Demon Slayers could take down Daki in the Entertainment District Arc. Not really a flaw of the film, but more food for thought when it comes to the effectiveness of telling the story of Demon Slayer in film format.

I’ve never personally read the Demon Slayer manga, so I’m unsure of the validity of these claims, but I have heard that Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle has altered the contents of the manga slightly, by both adding anime-original scenes, and by re-ordering scenes to group together battles into one flowing sequence. If these claims are true, then I think Ufotable has had both a positive and negative impact on the source material here. While the added scenes are of course appreciated, the grouping-together of previously broken-up scenes has likely created the pacing issues that many have pointed out in this film. Perhaps in the manga, Akaza’s battle feels like it lasts for much longer, but given that I want to steer completely clear of any manga spoilers, I won’t be fact-checking this for myself.

However, an undeniable aspect that will likely affect viewers’ enjoyment of Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle is its runtime. At 2 and a half hours, Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle is certainly a thrill ride, but many fans could find it to be a little over-indulgent. 2 and a half hours of back-to-back action sequences is like heaven for some anime fans, but for others, it may feel like a rollercoaster that goes on just a little too long. I would be lying if I didn’t feel a little worn-out by the time Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle came to its final 15 minutes. As enjoyable as the movie was, over-stimulation is a real concern when it comes to watching this behemoth of an anime film. Considering the subsequent films show no signs of slowing down, any future marathon of the three movies is comparable to a cinematic hurricane.

Image by Ufotable

Also, as satisfying as Akaza’s entire storyline was in Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, there are quite a few storylines that are teased at the end of the film that end up frustrating rather than intriguing. Doma’s fight against Kanao is a particular example of this – in the past, when Demon Slayer teased a fight, we would have to wait until next week’s episode to see it go down. When it comes to the Infinity Castle trilogy, we’ll have to wait potentially 2 years to see these battles take place. Any flaws of the pacing and fights in Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle feel like they can thank the gaps between films for at least a portion of their downfall. This first film is extremely enjoyable in its own right, but I can’t help but feel I’ll enjoy it more on a rewatch in the future, when all three of the movies in the trilogy have been released, and we as viewers don’t have to wait 2 years to see ongoing fights be resolved.

With that in mind, I do have to make my stance clear on this – I think that Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle should have been a season. As much as I enjoy the cinematic aspect of the film, and the clear effort on Ufotable’s part, I think that a season would have managed to keep the fanbase hooked on a far more consistent basis. Currently, Dr. Stone is airing its final season, Science Future, in three separate parts, and I can’t help but wish Demon Slayer had followed its lead. With gaps between parts to allow animators to complete their work, the Dr. Stone finale feels well-paced and doesn’t leave fans hanging. With that being said, I appreciate the grandeur of making films out of Demon Slayer’s final arc – I truly believe that only Ufotable could have pulled off a production like this, and should the next two movies follow this one’s lead, Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle is going to leave quite a mark on the anime industry following its conclusion.

Ultimately, Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle is a spectacle in the anime industry – 2 and a half hours of gloriously animated, non-stop action, with emotional backstories sprinkled in for good measure in true Demon Slayer fashion. While the pacing does present some issues, and I wish I didn’t have to wait up to 4 years to see this story conclude, I am enjoying what Ufotable is giving us, and leave my love of the series in their trustworthy hands. We’ve been following this story for years – now it’s time for us to enjoy the fireworks. What did you think of Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle? Did you love it as much as we did, or did you find the film’s pacing issues too much to handle? Be sure to let us know, and thanks for reading!

See also: Best Feel-Good Anime

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Where to Watch Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle?

Image by Ufotable

Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle premiered in Japanese theatres on July 18, 2025, with its U.K. release date set for September 12, 2025. In the past, Demon Slayer films have eventually made their way to streaming on Netflix and Crunchyroll, but as of now, there is no official digital release date for the movie – we’ll be keeping an eye out for when you can enjoy this movie from home!

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