Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle
Teaser poster of the first film
Kanji	劇場版「鬼滅の刃」無限城編
Revised Hepburn	Gekijō-ban Kimetsu no Yaiba: Mugen Jō-hen
Directed by	Haruo Sotozaki
Screenplay by	Ufotable
Based on	Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba by Koyoharu Gotouge
Produced by	Akifumi Fujio Masanori Miyake Yūma Takahashi
Starring	Natsuki Hanae Akari Kitō Yoshitsugu Matsuoka Hiro Shimono Takahiro Sakurai Akira Ishida
Cinematography	Yūichi Terao
Edited by	Manabu Kamino
Music by	Yuki Kajiura Go Shiina
Production company	Ufotable
Distributed by	Aniplex, Toho (Japan) Crunchyroll through Sony Pictures Releasing (Worldwide)
Release date	July 18, 2025 (2025-07-18) (Part 1)
Running time	155 minutes (Part 1)
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese
Box office	¥25.78 billion[a] (Part 1)[1]

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle (Japanese: 劇場版「鬼滅の刃」無限城編, Hepburn: Gekijō-ban Kimetsu no Yaiba: Mugen Jō-hen), is a an upcoming Japanese animated dark fantasy action film based on the "Infinity Castle" arc of the 2016–20 manga series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba by Koyoharu Gotouge. It is a direct sequel to the fourth season of the anime television series as well as its fourth, fifth, and sixth film adaptations, following Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train (2020), Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – To the Swordsmith Village (2023), and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – To the Hashira Training (2024). The films are directed by Haruo Sotozaki and produced by Ufotable, and written by the studio's staff members.

Unlike the Swordsmith Village and Hashira Training adaptations, which are compilation films, Infinity Castle is a feature-length multi-film adaptation due to the arc's content and dramatic pacing, similarly to Mugen Train. The films were first announced in June 2024, immediately following the airing of the fourth season's finale.^[2]

Being the first movie of a planned trilogy, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle – Part 1: Akaza Returns was released in Japan on July 18, 2025, by Aniplex and Toho. The film is scheduled to be released by Crunchyroll through Sony Pictures Releasing in select Asian countries in August, followed by a worldwide release in September. The film broke several box office records, grossing approximately US$174.32 million domestically in 31 days. It became the highest-grossing film of 2025 in Japan and the fourth highest-grossing film in the country's history. It received mixed reviews from critics but was well received by audiences.

Muzan Kibutsuji retreats into the Infinity Castle, his dimensional stronghold, and traps Tanjiro Kamado and the rest of the Demon Slayer Corps inside.^[b] The Demon Slayers are separated and begin battling numerous powerful demons as they search for Muzan.

Shinobu finds Upper Rank Two Doma, who had previously killed her sister Kanae. Despite her use of poisons, Doma ultimately kills and consumes her. Her younger adoptive sister Kanao arrives too late to save her, and takes her place in the battle against him. Shinobu's death is announced by a Kasugai crow.

Zenitsu fights his former senior Kaigaku, a fellow student of Thunder Breathing and the new Upper Rank Six. Angry over Kaigaku's betrayal which caused their master's suicide, he unleashes a new seventh form of Thunder Breathing and kills him before passing out. He briefly sees his master in the afterlife, who reaffirms he was always proud of Zenitsu.

Tanjiro and Giyu fight Upper Rank Three Akaza. Though Giyu unlocks his Demon Slayer Mark, they continue to struggle. Determining that Akaza is able to target people based on their willpower, Tanjiro recalls pivotal memories of his late father. He enters the Transparent World and Selfless State, giving him heightened perception and masking his emotions, and is able to behead Akaza. Though he nearly regenerates his head, Akaza recalls his tragic past and destroys himself to atone for his actions as a demon, giving a final smile at Tanjiro. He reunites with his late fiancée, who embraces and accompanies him to Hell.

The Demon Slayers' victory is announced by the crows, while Tanjiro and Giyu rest. Upper Rank One Kokushibo and Doma sense Akaza's death, while Muzan, remaining confident he will win, traps Tamayo in a cocoon of his flesh.

The following are the voice cast in billed order.^[3]

Yuki Kajiura and Go Shiina composed the film's music, after previously doing so in the anime series and the previous three films. The film's theme songs were "Taiyō ga Noboranai Sekai" (太陽が昇らない世界; lit. 'A World Where the Sun Never Rises') performed by Aimer, and "Zankoku no Yoru ni Kagayake" (残酷な夜に輝け; lit. 'Shine in the Cruel Night') performed by LiSA.^[5]

The first film was released by Aniplex and Toho on July 18, 2025. Sony Pictures Releasing International will distribute the film in international markets under Crunchyroll. It is set to be released on:

• August 8: Taiwan
• August 12: Thailand
• August 14: Hong Kong, Malaysia,^[6] Pakistan, Singapore, Laos
• August 15: Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam
• August 20: Philippines
• August 22: South Korea
• September 11: Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bolivia, Brazil, the Caribbean (Jamaica, Aruba, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, Curaçao), Central America, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Oman, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland (Italian-speaking), Syria, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Venezuela
• September 12: Nepal, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Canada, Estonia, Finland, India, Kenya, Latvia, Mongolia, Nigeria, Norway, Poland, Romania, Southern Africa, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States
• September 17: Belgium, France, French-speaking Africa, Luxembourg, Switzerland (French-speaking)
• September 18: Austria, Germany, Moldova, Switzerland (German-speaking)^[7]

In Japan, it was distributed in 443 theatres at the premiere date.^[8]

Ufotable, the film's production company, in collaboration with Major League Baseball, released a short film to promote the first film and the series as well as the upcoming opening game of the 2025 season between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs at the Tokyo Dome on March 18. The film, featuring Hōchū Ōtsuka as the voice of Sakonji Urokodaki (鱗滝 左近次, Urokodaki Sakonji), one of the series' characters, narrates the history of baseball and the series.^[9] Toho also released an edited version of the whole series on April 4, 2025, in Japanese theatres.^[10] The first film's official main trailer was released on June 28, 2025, at an event broadcast on Fuji TV in Japan. The trailer registered more than 40 million views within 24 hours on official social media platforms.^[11]

The film debuted with strong box office success, setting multiple records nationwide. On its opening day, it earned ¥1.64 billion (US$11.11 million) with 1.15 million admissions, marking the highest opening day gross in Japanese box office history.^[12] On the second day, it grossed ¥1.84 billion (US$12.47 million) from 1.26 million admissions. On the third day, it earned ¥2.03 billion (US$13.76 million) from 1.42 million admissions, setting a new record for the highest single-day box office revenue in Japan. The three-day total reached ¥5.52 billion (US$37.42 million) from 3.84 million admissions, making it the biggest opening weekend of all time in Japanese cinema.^[12][13][14] On its fourth day, a public holiday, the film earned ¥1.79 billion (US$12.13 million) from 1.32 million admissions, bringing its four-day total to ¥7.31 billion (US$49.55 million) with 5.16 million tickets sold, making it the second-highest-grossing film of 2025 in Japan behind Detective Conan: One-eyed Flashback.^[12][15] Within eight days of release, the film earned over 10 billion yen (approximately $71.0 million), sold 7.5 million tickets, and became the fastest film in Japan to reach that milestone (valued at around $67.6 million at the time), breaking the previous record set by Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train.^[16] In 31 days, it earned ¥25.78 billion ($174.32 million), entering the top 5 of Japan's all-time highest-grossing films by overtaking Your Name, which grossed ¥25.17 billion.^[1]

The film received a strong reception from Japanese audiences, topping Filmarks' first-day satisfaction ranking with an average score of 4.36 out of 5, based on 8,114 user reviews.^[13]

Anime News Network reviewer Richard Eisenbeis gave the film a mixed review with a rating of C+, praising its stunning animation, emotionally resonant character arcs, and intense battles that raise the series' stakes, while criticizing its repetitive structure and frequent flashbacks, which hinder the narrative flow and contribute to uneven pacing.^[17] Similarly, Matt Schley of The Japan Times offered a mixed assessment, commending the animation and faithful adaptation of the manga but criticizing the extended runtime and lack of narrative closure, while also acknowledging the film's cultural significance and its role in revitalizing Japan's box office recovery.^[14]

• Official website (in Japanese)
• Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle (film) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle at IMDb