By Nicolas Esparza, September 30, 2025
The Japanese anime film “Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle” kept my eyes glued to the screen and had my heart racing for two hours and 35 minutes.
Originally a Japanese manga that now has a video game, TV series and multiple movie adaptations, “Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle” premiered in United States movie theaters Sept. 12. Since then, “Demon Slayer” has reached audiences beyond anime fans. Even the Los Angeles Dodgers hosted Demon Slayer Night August 15th to promote the new movie.
“Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle” tells the story of a young, resilient boy named Tanjiro and his journey to become a “demon slayer.” After the demon leader Muzan attacked his little sister Nezuko, Tanjiro believes he can defeat Muzan and stop him from turning more innocent people into demons.
To help him defeat Muzan, Tanjiro joins the Demon Slayer Corps, a team of swordmen who wield swords using breathing techniques to fight demons. However, the Demon Slayer Corps. gets trapped in an infinity castle, created by Muzan. All of the demon slayers become separated from each other within the infinite levels of the castle and are forced to fight off demons while Muzan hides.
The movie wastes no time and immediately jumps into action. The story follows the demon slayers and where they are within the castle, each fighting a different demon.
The quality of visuals and sound effects accompanying the fight sequences were stunning. The theater’s big screen allowed the audience to see the film in all its essence, and the vibrant colors made the movie so much livelier than the former movie adaptations and TV series.
The most exciting battle scene was the demon slayer Zenitsu’s fight with his former trainer, Kaigaku. During the battle, Zenitsu unleashes a seventh form of Thunder Breathing, which catches Kaigaku by surprise.
Up until this point, I found Zenitsu’s character to be underdeveloped. The audience didn’t know enough about him, since the show’s focus is typically on Tanjiro. This battle allowed Zenitsu to shine.
One downside of the film is it needed more than just action. The filmmakers tried to combat this by adding flashbacks mid-fight, but
These flashbacks felt like a 20-minute interruption in the midst of battle. However, some of my favorite scenes were flashbacks, in particular the backstory of the demon Akaza.
Fans deem him one of the most hated demons in the saga, but as Tanjiro and Giyu fought Akaza, we learned about his past life he had long forgotten. He was a determined man who wanted to be the best at anything he did, including being the toughest demon to defeat, even though he didn’t become a demon by choice.
His backstory was captivating because it conveyed feelings and struggles fans can relate to.
Everything I enjoyed about the movie came with drawbacks that took away from the likable aspects. Overall, it left me with mixed feelings, but it is most definitely worth watching because it does bring us one step closer to finding out how the Demon Slayer’s will defeat Muzan and his infinity castle.
Parts 2 and 3 are set to be released in theaters in 2027 and 2029, which will bring the Demon Slayer saga to a close.
