Demon Slayer has been one of the most visually stunning anime experiences since its very first season. Ufotable has consistently gone above and beyond to craft the series with exceptional quality. With each season, the anime has only improved, continuing to surprise fans with the heights it can reach. The latest entry in the franchise, Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, represents the peak of Ufotable’s work. For nearly three hours, the film keeps viewers mesmerized with its breathtaking visuals as Tanjiro Kamado and the other Demon Slayers navigate the Infinity Castle, aiming to find Muzan Kibutsuji and end the battle once and for all.
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However, there is simply too much happening within the film’s nearly three-hour runtime, making it feel overwhelming. The story begins with all the Demon Slayers being pulled into the labyrinthine Infinity Castle, with multiple major battles unfolding almost immediately. It opens with Shinobu Kocho encountering Upper Moon Rank 2, Doma, and goes on to feature two other major battles across its length. While this progression closely follows the manga, the film struggles to function as a cohesive movie. There is constant back-and-forth, with climaxes emerging multiple times throughout. This is precisely why the series’s first film, Demon Slayer: Mugen Train, released over five years ago, still stands as the better movie compared to the highly produced and lengthy Infinity Castle.
Demon Slayer: Mugen Train Works Better as a Movie Than Infinity Castle
Demon Slayer: Mugen Train adapts the events right after the first season ends. It features Tanjiro Kamado, along with his sister Nezuko Kamado, Zenitsu Agatsuma, and Inosuke Hashibira teaming up with the Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku, to investigate a train suspected of being under a demon’s control. It is soon revealed that Lower Moon Rank 1, Enmu, who can manipulate passengers through dreams, is behind the disturbance. This establishes a clear and focused premise, allowing the film to explore the team’s dynamic while highlighting Rengoku’s charismatic and energetic personality, positioning him as the central figure of the story.
The tension rises as Enmu uses his ability to put everyone, including Rengoku, into a deep sleep. However, with Nezuko’s help, Tanjiro manages to wake up, and the group launches their counterattack to defeat Enmu while protecting the innocent passengers. This leads to an intense and engaging battle where the young Demon Slayers initially struggle but eventually turn the tide. Even then, Enmu proves overwhelming until Rengoku steps in and decisively defeats him, showcasing the true strength of a Hashira. Just as victory seems certain, the film takes a sharp turn with the arrival of Upper Moon Rank 3, Akaza, who challenges Rengoku.
What follows is one of the most visually striking fights not just in Demon Slayer, but in anime as a whole. As Akaza urges Rengoku to become a demon, Rengoku’s unwavering resolve as a Demon Slayer, combined with glimpses of his past, adds emotional weight and tension to the battle. This culminates in Rengoku’s sacrifice, as he stands his ground and forces Akaza to retreat with the sunrise. The narrative flows smoothly, maintaining strong pacing and emotional impact throughout, making it feel like a complete, high-budget anime film. In comparison, the franchise’s latest film, Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, lacks that cohesive structure, ultimately struggling to function as a proper movie and feeling more suited to an anime season instead.
Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Should Have Been a Proper Seasonal Anime
The franchise’s latest film, Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, lacks a single, cohesive narrative thread centered on its characters, instead spreading its focus across three major events while layering in several smaller ones. Despite its nearly three-hour runtime, the pacing feels rushed, as if events are moving too quickly for viewers to fully absorb, forcing constant adjustment to abrupt narrative shifts. Just as the emotional weight of Shinobu Kocho’s death begins to settle, another major fight immediately takes over, leaving little room for the moment to resonate. Soon after, she is framed with the weight of a long-lost legend, even though her death occurred only moments earlier.
Ultimately, the film feels like three smaller movies compressed into one, requiring viewers to follow multiple build-ups, climaxes, and backstories in rapid succession. This structure makes it feel better suited for a seasonal anime format. Ufotable could have expanded the material with additional scenes and stretched it across 11–12 episodes, like the Hashira Training arc, allowing the story’s chaotic moments to breathe and giving audiences time to process each development. If the next installment follows a similar pattern, it may face the same narrative issues. It seems likely that only the final film in the trilogy will fully work as a standalone movie; until then, Demon Slayer: Mugen Train remains the stronger film in the franchise.
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