Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle is finally streaming on Crunchyroll after more than a year since the anime first premiered in Japanese theaters. With such a long delay and the film remaining a theatrical exclusive for nearly a year, it has surely set a record. However, this extended release window has also pushed back the anime’s next anticipated installment, Infinity Castle Part 2. There has been no news on when the second film in the trilogy will arrive, and it seems the wait could be even longer, as Ufotable might be planning a different release before the movie.
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This speculation stems from the series’ previous anime film, Mugen Train, which followed an intriguing release format before the Entertainment District Arc premiered. A few months after Mugen Train arrived on streaming platforms, Ufotable released a re-edited version of the film, splitting it into seven episodes as the Mugen Train Arc. The studio also incorporated an anime-original episode. More importantly, these episodes included the Taisho Secrets segments that were absent from the theatrical release, making the anime adaptation feel more complete. Ufotable could follow the same structure for Infinity Castle Part 1 before the next film arrives, and it would make perfect sense.
Demon Slayer‘s Next Anime Could Be a Re-Edited Infinity Castle Part 1 With Extra Specials
One of the biggest missing elements from the Demon Slayer movies has been the omission of the Taisho Secrets snippets, the short segments that appear at the end of each episode and provide special insights into the characters and lore. With Infinity Castle Part 1 being such a lengthy narrative filled with memorable characters, these Taisho Secrets sections could have added even more depth to both the cast and the story. Their absence was simply a consequence of the narrative being compiled into a film. However, Mugen Train addressed this by releasing a re-edited version split into seven episodes that included the Taisho Secrets segments.
Therefore, it would make sense for Ufotable to do the same with Infinity Castle Part 1 by releasing a re-edited version that includes these sections. If that happens, the film will likely be reformatted into an anime arc. Since the movie is much longer, running for nearly three hours, the re-edited version would also likely consist of more episodes, perhaps totaling nine, meaning there could be as many as nine new Taisho Secrets segments. This could be what Ufotable is working on alongside the next film and may explain why the studio is still holding back news on Part 2.
If that is the case, this anime arc could arrive in the fall of this year, following a similar timeline to the Mugen Train anime arc. These nine or so episodes would likely follow the same weekly release pattern. In that way, fans could finally experience how Infinity Castle would have felt as an anime arc, which it arguably should have been. In any case, Demon Slayer‘s next anime release appears more likely to be a re-edited version of Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Part 1, and it would be the right direction, as it would restore the Taisho Secrets segments and further highlight why this story could have worked as an anime arc instead of a film.
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