Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
“This Infinity Castle is insane!” yells protagonist Tanjiro Kamado as he races through the dizzyingly maze-like dimension in the film’s opening minutes. His exclamation perfectly conveys the jaw-dropping animation that brings the castle’s endlessly stretching realm to life. The animators at Ufotable absolutely deliver, living up to, and perhaps even exceeding, all the hype surrounding this arc. Take a bow!
Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba) fans will unanimously agree that the closing cliffhanger in the Hashira Training Arc was absolutely iconic: Nakime strums her wooden biwa, plunging the entire Demon Slayer Corps into the depths of Muzan’s Infinity Castle. It set up the perfect ending to build high anticipation for this movie, which promises to deliver the mother-of-all showdowns. Non-manga readers should brace themselves for lots of flashbacks, blood, and deaths, of both demons and slayers.
With a whopping 2 hour 35 minute runtime, the ‘Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle’ movie opens with a sombre flashback of Kagaya Ubuyashiki, the corps now dead Big Boss, instructing Gyomei Himejima to brace for Muzan’s attack. “You must all endure a battle until the sun rises,” Ubuyashiki warns. With no sign of the fabled Blue Spider Lily, Muzan Kibutsuji of-course wants Nezuko, the only demon in history to laugh in the face of sunlight. But the Corps won’t let that happen, not without a fight to the death.
Ufotable has chosen to adapt the Infinity Castle arc as a trilogy of films, and this installment itself unfolds in three acts. The first act follows Insect Hashira Shinobu Kocho squaring off against the psychotic Doma, an Upper Rank Two demon who looks like he’s cosplaying Harley Quinn. He’s got the blonde hair, the pretty face, a red-and-black jester patterned shirt, and of course, the crazy eyes, wicked laugh, and sadomasochistic streak. Shinobu’s beef with Doma is personal: he fatally wounded her sister Kanae Kocho, the former flower hashira.
In fact, all the Hashira vs. Demon face-offs in ‘Infinity Castle’ are deeply personal. The second act centers on fan-favorite Zenitsu (the hoots in the theater at his entrance were ear-splitting) as he battles the new Upper Rank Six, Kaigaku. Once his fellow trainee under Jigoro Kuwajima, the former Thunder Hashira, Kaigaku rises to Rank Six after Daki and Gyutaro’s deaths in the Entertainment District arc. He constantly mocks Zenitsu as a crybaby, unworthy of being a slayer, only to get his ass handed to him.
What defines this film is its animation, the Infinity Castle unfolds like a living labyrinth, its fluid 2D designs so seamless that viewers feel trapped in the maze alongside the slayers, as they frantically and breathlessly run across the endless corridors. The result is a visual head rush, heightened further by flashy battle set pieces. The pacing falters during emotional flashbacks, a now-familiar device in Demon Slayer arcs, where viewers are yanked away from a brutal showdown at its most intense moments.
In the climactic act, Giyu Tomioka joins forces with Tanjiro to clash their swords against Akaza, the Upper Rank Three demon who murdered Rengoku in ‘Mugen Train’. So for Tanjiro, it’s time to avenge his beloved senior. Elsewhere, the Ubuyashiki children frantically map the labyrinth of the Infinity Castle, relying on the Corps’ shrill but indispensable Kasugai Crows, whose eyes and wings play a decisive role in the war against Muzan Kibutsuji.
Were it not for the overlong flashback to Akaza’s human days, a detour that drags like the Infinity Castle corridors, this film would have hit near-perfect pacing. The finale slows to grant the ruthless Akaza an almost heroic redemption (which felt undeserved), with his forgotten human memories flickering to life after Tanjiro’s sermon mid-battle. The contrast is kinda comical, Giyu dismisses Akaza’s chatter with cold silence, while Tanjiro gives him moral lectures.
Akaza also gets some of the film’s coolest action sequences, amplified by an electric guitar riff that faintly echoes Dragon Ball Z’s iconic ‘Rock the Dragon’ English theme song, during his fight with Giyu and Tanjiro. And seconds later, Giyu unleashes a Water Breathing form that conjures a dragon. Co-incidence? Maybe. Maybe not.
Many principal characters are sidelined to brief cameos, Nezuko, Inosuke Hashibira, and even Gyomei Himejima, the strongest of the Hashira, is reduced to simply running through the castle in search of Muzan. The demon lord himself stays hidden, orchestrating events from the shadows, leaving no doubt that the true confrontations are being saved for the remaining two films.
Overall, ‘Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle’ is a treat for longtime fans. But newcomers beware, you’ll need all 63 episodes and the Mugen Train film under your belt to fully enjoy it. And if you tap out halfway, well, this film was never meant for you, my friend.
Rating: 8.5 on 10. Watch Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle in theaters.
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