Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle (A PopEntertainment.com Movie Review)

PopEntertainment
Sep 10
3 min read

DEMON SLAYER: KIMETSU NO YAIBA – INFINITY CASTLE (2025)

Japanese subtitled featuring the voices of Natsuki Hanae, Akari Kitō, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Hiro Shimono, Takahiro Sakurai, Akira Ishida, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Reina Ueda, Nobuhiko Okamoto, Katsuyuki Konishi, Kengo Kawanishi, Saori Hayami, Kenichi Suzumura, Tomokazu Seki, Kana Hanazawa, Tomokazu Sugita, Mamoru Miyano, Yuichi Nakamura and Lynn.

English dubbed featuring the voices of Zach Aguilar, Abby Trott, Aleks Le, Bryce Papenbrook, Brianna Knickerbocker, Zeno Robinson, Johnny Yong Bosch, Ray Chase, Griffin Burns, Erika Harlacher, Erik Scott Kimerer, Kaiji Tang, Kira Buckland, Crispin Freeman, Stephen Fu, Lucien Dodge, Alejandro Saab, Channing Tatum and Rebecca Wang.

Screenplay by Ufotable.

Directed by Haruo Sotozaki.

Distributed by Crunchyroll. 155 minutes. Rated R.

The beginning of the end for Demon Slayer has kicked off with the first in a trilogy of movies in its Infinity Castle arc. Koyoharu Gotouge’s 2016 manga series has been adapted to anime starting in 2021 and has become a classic in the anime community. Its overarching story set in Taishō era Japan follows Tanjiro Kamado in his journey to bring down demon-kind alongside fellow members of the demon slayer corp. Along for the journey are Tanjiro’s companions Zenitsu, Inosuke, as well as Tanjiro’s younger sister Nezuko, though she does not make a long appearance in this newest installment.

Picking up where the final season left off, the demon slayer corp has been transported via shamisen to the beautiful and mysterious amalgamation of ancient Japanese architecture, the Infinity Castle. The impeccable theming of the location is exactly as it seems, endless tatami mat corridors, and tactical separation of the demon slayers in order to take them out. The film captures the sense of separation and hopelessness of facing the dangers of demons alone. For some characters this turns out better than others. However, the action-packed perspectives of each engage and almost make the viewer forget that they are viewing an over two-and-a-half-hour animated movie. The art captures the feeling of humanism; you can’t help but relate, feel for, and cry over the devastating plot points.

As a fan of the series, I have always admired its aesthetic choices and mastery of capturing an aura in its soundtrack, visuals, and voice talent. Ufotable has outdone themselves yet again by delivering a breathtaking visual spectacle. I truly see how they push the limits of traditional anime, and seamlessly incorporate CGI, which I see many not do as smoothly. I feel that the power in what we see is the lifeblood to a great adaptation. What is presented should accentuate what static media cannot always convey. Paired perfectly with the visuals is a great accompanying soundtrack by Go Shiina and Yuki Kajiura that follows the traditional Japanese theme perfectly as well as adding fantastical elements. As fantastic as the music was, I was disappointed not to hear the Infinity Castle’s official theme from the ending of the televised series last season. The piece became iconic alongside the location, and it was a shame not to hear it in the film.

We viewed a Japanese dubbed screening and were treated to the vocal talents of the series’ original language. Natsuki Hanae continues his role as Tanjiro and wonderfully portrays his sweet demeanor as well as his deadly serious moments of anguish. My personal favorite character, Giyu Tomioka, voiced by Takahiro Sakurai, still remains my favorite after all these years watching the series, largely in part to his voice portrayal. An extremely moving performance of note came from Saori Hayami, voice of Shinobu Kocho. She truly shone as a vocal talent as she moved me to tears on multiple occasions. There was no bad performance in this film, and I can say with confidence that the voices of the characters make the other combined factors that much more incredible.

I absolutely recommend this film, mainly as it is the ending of a long running series, but also because of all the prior mentioned mastery behind the art. Besides a prior knowledge of the series, I would also recommend a box of tissues. Demon Slayer is not a series for the faint of heart and captures some truly intense themes. Please ensure you are ready to cry before going to view and appreciate it. Otherwise, fans of the series will be happy with this “beginning of the end” and its incredible execution.

Jordan Wagner