On the 12th of September, the movie many anime fans have been waiting for was released : Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle. Once Demon Slayer was just another average anime, but now it is the number one movie in America, and even broke the box office. The Infinity Castle was the second movie in the Demon Slayer series, and was also the most anticipated movie of the year.
The “Infinity Castle” has brought in 33.06 billion yen (US$223.43 million) in Japan on the back of 23.04 million tickets sold as of September 15. This pushes Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle past Spirited Away’s 31.6 billion yen box office run to become the second-biggest film in Japan…”, quoted from Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle Passes Spirited Away to Become the 2nd Highest-Grossing Film in Japan. Not only has Infinity Castle made billions of dollars in only a few days, but has also reached second place in the top 100 box office grossing movies. It’s just above Spirited Away by 31.6 billion yen, and Spirited Away is widely known as one of greatest animated films of all time, since it has gotten many awards and even an Oscar.
Infinity Castle was anticipated by many anime fans for a long time. Fans who have read the manga knew that this movie was bound to be animated soon. Back in 2020, the manga had its final chapter, while the Infinity arc, chapter 140 came out all the way back in 2018. Many long time viewers had waited years to see the movie in theaters.
The movie’s long wait wasn’t the only reason it’s so popular. It’s where the main villain, Muzan Kibutsuji, has his lair, where he summons all the upper ranks and other demons for meetings. The main cast, including all of the hashira were summoned to fight the upper ranks, and to finally defeat Muzan. Many call this the “final fight” because many love characters die, having their last fight. It’s the climax of the story that many fans have waited for.
Lore from many characters have also been revealed. Marlon, a North Canyon student stated “I watched the anime because it looked cool and I’m a big fan of Demon Slayer. It’s a good anime, and has lots of lore. I want to see Akaza and Zenizu’s past.” Many characters, such as Akaza, Zenizu, and Kaigaku have had their backstories shown on big screens. This changed lots of people’s opinions on characters, like Akaza.
Not to mention the new animation the movie had brought. The trailers for the movie showed the new animation style and quality. This caused many fans on TikTok, Instagram, and many other social media sites to start making edits of the new movie. Compared to the Mugen Train, the first Demon Slayer movie, the animation has clearly gotten better. Just look at the fight between Akaza and Rengoku, compared to Akaza, Giyuu, and Tanjiro. The animation quality and time spent on it has obviously improved.
Though, Infinity Castle was only part one of the movie. A North Canyon student who remains anonymous was asked about what he was waiting to see in the next movie. He stated, “Mainly the mist hashira VS Upper Moon 1. But I’m also excited to see Doma VS Inosuke. Many new fights are going to be introduced in the second part of the movie. Muchiro VS Kokushibo is one that is most awaited, since it’s against one of the strongest demons.
The Infinity Castle has obviously shown that it was a successful movie, being that it broke the box office, and many fans were left pleased. So when part two comes out in 2027, its outcome will most likely be the same.