The Demon Slayer Corps are drawn into the Infinity Castle, where Tanjiro, Nezuko, and the Hashira face terrifying Upper Rank demons in a desperate fight as the final battle against Muzan Kibutsuji begins.
Anime has risen steadily in popularity around the world, moving from being a niche cultural product to a mainstream form of entertainment. Streaming services and dedicated platforms have accelerated this growth, opening the door for international audiences. Yet the divide between critical opinion and audience enthusiasm remains noticeable. Fans celebrate the energy, the spectacle, and the emotional weight of series like Demon Slayer, while critics often focus on structure, pacing, and storytelling form. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba – Infinity Castle falls directly into this discussion. It is a film that dazzles on a visual and sonic level, thrills with relentless action, and grabs hard at the emotions of its viewers. At the same time, it is a film where pacing is uneven, largely due to the frequent flashbacks, and one where knowledge of the prior four seasons feels essential to appreciating the true depth of its characters.
©Copyright_ ©Koyoharu Gotoge _ SHUEISHA, Aniplex, ufotable
Directed by Haruo Sotozaki and Hikaru Kondô, and based on the work of original creator Koyoharu Gotouge, Infinity Castle is not shy about its ambitions. From the very first frame, it plunges its audience into chaos. The Demon Slayer Corps find themselves scattered within a labyrinthine fortress, an infinite structure that constantly twists and shifts, reminiscent of an Escher-inspired landscape. Floors collapse without warning, doors open into voids, and walls tilt in impossible directions. The film wastes no time on preamble. Instead, it discards geography and logic to throw both characters and viewers into a fever dream of suspended gravity and endless pursuit. It is an opening that signals immediately that this is the beginning of the climactic arc.
For long-time fans, this entry marks the long-awaited confrontation between the Demon Slayer Corps and the demons led by Muzan Kibutsuji. For new viewers, the stakes are still clear. The heroes are framed unmistakably as champions of life, compassion, and humanity. The demons, with Muzan at their head, are embodiments of destruction and despair. Even with no prior knowledge of character histories, the lines are drawn cleanly enough for the core story to remain understandable. However, stepping into this film without watching the earlier seasons is much like starting the final battle of Avatar: The Last Airbender without any of the lead-up. You can follow the clash of ideals and the spectacle of combat, but you lose the nuanced layers of growth, loss, and friendships that have been built over time. To watch Infinity Castle cold is to do a disservice to the characters, who deserve to be understood in full context.
©Copyright_ ©Koyoharu Gotoge _ SHUEISHA, Aniplex, ufotable
The structure of the film revolves around three major confrontations. Each battle is introduced with explosive choreography, carried forward by dazzling animation, and then broken apart by flashbacks that provide history and emotional context. These flashbacks are vital for revealing the humanity that still lingers within demons, often painting them as tragic figures who fell from grace after unbearable personal losses. The third confrontation, taking up nearly half of the runtime, devotes itself to an extended backstory that explains the motivations of a particularly important demon. While these sequences add weight to the narrative, they also interrupt the momentum of the battles. The rhythm becomes predictable: action, flashback, emotional note, resolution. This pattern, repeated across multiple fights, can reduce the urgency of what is otherwise a non-stop ride.
Still, the animation is among the best in modern anime cinema. The blend of 2D characters and partially CGI-rendered environments is seamless, especially within the shifting halls of the Infinity Castle. The castle itself becomes a character, an ever-changing enemy that disorients and threatens the Demon Slayers at every turn. Within this landscape, elemental sword techniques burst across the screen in streams of fire, water, and lightning. Each breathing style, unique to the swordsman who wields it, creates attacks that feel both artistic and dangerous, forming an ongoing dance of movement, colour, and violence. The fight choreography is relentless, constantly escalating, and full of creative flourishes that keep the energy high.
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©Copyright_ ©Koyoharu Gotoge _ SHUEISHA, Aniplex, ufotable
The focus of the story shifts between three main duels. Shinobu faces Doma, the Upper Rank demon who was responsible for her sister’s death. Zenitsu, rises to face Kaigaku, a former student under his master who has turned to the demon side. Meanwhile, Tanjiro and Giyu engage Akaza, the Upper Rank Three demon responsible for the death of the Rengoku. Each battle carries its own emotional charge, and while the film gives nearly every major character a moment to shine, these three fights dominate the screen. Not all characters are given equal treatment, and some characters are left in the background; clearly their stories are being saved for later instalments in this planned trilogy.
The film’s greatest strength lies in its ability to marry spectacle with emotional pull. It wants the audience to be awed one moment and devastated the next. Blood flows in deep crimson against sharp lines of steel, while tears fall in quieter moments of revelation. The demons are shown not simply as monsters but as former humans who once struggled with despair or tragedy. This mirrors the Demon Slayers themselves, who channel their pain into a determination to protect others. The contrast creates a powerful theme of what humans can become when faced with suffering, either descending into destruction or rising into compassion.
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©Copyright_ ©Koyoharu Gotoge _ SHUEISHA, Aniplex, ufotable
At the same time, the reliance on flashbacks slows down the film’s pace at crucial points. Just as the momentum builds to a peak, the narrative cuts away to a backstory. The information is important, but the timing is often frustrating. Instead of a smooth escalation, the story becomes a series of surges and stalls, leaving the audience caught between adrenaline and reflection, without the time to fully absorb either.
For all its flaws, Infinity Castle is still an extraordinary technical achievement. The animation is fluid and consistently inventive, the sound design heightens every clash of steel and every roar of anguish, and the sheer ambition of staging this climactic arc across three films ensures that the stakes remain towering. The sacrifices of the Demon Slayer Corps are framed with respect, with many characters meeting tragic ends that raise the sense of danger. Unlike earlier arcs where plot armour often shielded beloved characters, here every battle carries the possibility of finality. This makes the villains genuinely threatening and keeps the viewer tense even through the more repetitive sequences.
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©Copyright_ ©Koyoharu Gotoge _ SHUEISHA, Aniplex, ufotable
It is important to note that Infinity Castle is not the conclusion but the beginning of a trilogy. While packed with intense confrontations and emotional revelations, it ends without resolution. Muzan remains undefeated, and Tanjiro’s ultimate confrontation is left for future instalments. This lack of closure may frustrate some viewers, especially given the long runtime, but it also raises anticipation for what comes next.
All in all, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba – Infinity Castle is both exhausting and exhilarating. It delivers over two hours of beautifully rendered combat, intertwined with tragic histories that aim for the heart. It is easy enough to follow for newcomers, though the deeper emotional resonance requires the investment of watching the series first. Its greatest weakness lies in pacing, as the constant interruptions of flashbacks rob the battles of their full intensity. Yet when taken as part of the larger story, it remains a powerful start to what promises to be a grand finale. For fans, it is a must-watch. For newcomers, it is still accessible, though best experienced after immersing in the journey that brought these characters here.
Running Time: 155 mins
Rating: TBA (R13 expected)
You can find your nearest screening here