The first installment of the Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle trilogy made history after grossing over 100 billion yen across the globe, becoming the first Japanese film ever to do so. It even surpassed the overall box office records of several Hollywood hits, including all the Marvel and DC films released in 2025, and continues to rise through the charts. Praised by both fans and critics alike, the series has set a new standard for the upcoming anime films, which, to be honest, will be difficult to surpass. With intense fights, tragic backstories, emotional moments, and visually striking animation, the film had the audience on the edge of their seats throughout its run.
Videos by ComicBook.com
It premiered in the Japanese theatres on July 18th before hitting the U.S. theatres on September 12th. Even though it’s been months since it was released, the film is still showing in the theaters, delaying any chances of being added to the streaming platforms before 2026. Meanwhile, this also means that the studio isn’t quite ready to share new updates on the second part of the trilogy. Although the wait for Part 2 is longer than expected, here are the seven great anime you can watch in the meantime.
7) Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentosho
Even before the anime’s debut in March this year, many anime enthusiasts were discussing the similarities it shared with Demon Slayer. While the overall vibe is somewhat similar, both stories have somewhat different premises. The story follows Jinta, a shrine guardian whose duty is to eliminate any supernatural threats.
However, it focuses on his journey as he continues to search for his childhood friend, Suzune, who was transformed into a demon by the divination. He travels around Japan across different eras and saves as many people as he can from the demons while hoping to cross paths with Suzune again.
6) Sirius the Jaeger
Both protagonists lost their entire families due to monsters lurking in the shadows and embarked on a journey to kill as many of them as possible. Unlike Tanjiro, whose entire journey revolved around turning Nezuko back into a human, Yuliy, a young werewolf (Sirius), wants to avenge his loved ones.
The story is set in the 1930s, where vampires continue to threaten mankind, and their recent search for a powerful relic alerts a vampire-hunting group called the Jaegers. They trace the vampires’ recent activities to Japan and travel all the way to stop them from reaching their goal. However, as his hunt continues, Yuliy begins to uncover the dark truth about his past and the true nature of the legendary relic.
5) Hell’s Paradise
While both anime have different premises, they are considered dark fantasies with intense action, visually striking animation, and protagonists who would go to any lengths for their loved ones. Hell’s Paradise follows Gabimaru, the strongest and most ruthless assassin from his village, Iwagakure. As he finds himself on death row, he gets one chance to gain his freedom. While initially reluctant to keep on living, he steels his resolve for his wife, Yui, who has been waiting for him to return.
Unfortunately, the task entrusted to him is almost impossible to achieve since he is supposed to find a mythical Elixir of Life. To make things worse, it’s believed to be located on a mysterious island from which no one comes back alive. However, Gabimaru isn’t the only one who got a second chance; his fellow convicts are also looking for the same legendary elixir.
4) Ghost Hunt
From its plot to its themes, Ghost Hunt and Demon Slayer don’t share many similarities, but the latter’s light-heartedness in dangerous situations makes it worth your while. It’s not your typical melancholic horror show, even though it keeps the suspense engaging throughout the series. Following Mai Taniyama, a 16-year-old high school student who joins the Shibuya Psychic Research as an assistant, the story features eight different cases related to supernatural phenomena, from ghosts to psychic powers.
Kazuya Shibuya, a 17-year-old ghost hunter and the head of Shibuya Psychic Research, finds himself working with an eccentric group, including a monk, a Catholic priest, a Shinto priestess, and a celebrity spiritual medium, as Mai learns that ghosts and superpowers are more than just fantasies that exist in the stories she enjoys.
3) Inu-Oh
This underrated anime film is directed by the renowned creator affiliated with Science SARU, Masaaki Yuasa, and doesn’t fail to surprise viewers with an incredibly unique animation style. The story is set 300 years after the fall of the legendary Heike Clan from The Tale of the Heike, a crucial record of Japanese history. The gorgeous film centers on the story of Inu-Oh, a talented but disfigured dancer believed to be born with a curse, and Tomona, a blind biwa musician.
Both of them were ostracized for being different from others, which is why they quickly form a bond. As years passed, they became known for their creative performances, which uncovered the truth behind the forgotten stories of the Heike Clan.
2) Mushishi
Unlike the vibrant animation and hype moments of Demon Slayer, Mushishi has a calm and philosophical tone that explores the world through the protagonist Ginko. Mushi is the term used for the most basic form of life that just exists without any goals and free from the shackles of good and evil. Unlike the demons that Tanjiro fights, who actively hunt humans, Mushi sometimes cause harm to humans as a natural consequence of their existence.
However, information on these beings is too scarce, which is why Ginko travels all around the country to trace any sightings of such beings. He helps people affected by Mushi while also gathering more knowledge on their forms and activities.
1) Dororo
As dark fantasies set in a historical Japanese period, both anime series focus on the protagonists fighting demons in order to regain something they have lost. Based on the 1967 manga by Osamu Tezuka, the story follows Hyakkimaru, whose father offered him to the demons even before he was born. In order to ensure the prosperity of his land, Daigo Kagemitsu, a greedy samurai lord, made a pact with 12 demons, which resulted in his son being born without limbs, nose, eyes, ears, or even skin, yet he still survives.
Disposed of and forgotten, the infant was saved by a kind man who creates prosthetics and weapons, allowing him to grow up. Hyakkimaru embarks on a journey to defeat the demons that took his body parts as sacrifices. During his journey, he befriends Dororo, an orphaned boy who tags along after being forced to fend for himself following his parents’ deaths.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Courtesy of Netflix -
CREATOR: gd-jpeg v1.0 (using IJG JPEG v80), quality = 90
