The first movie of the highly anticipated Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle trilogy is all set for its Japanese release on July 18th, 2025. It will hit the U.S. theaters on September 12th, 2025. Ufotable is using the most unconventional way of wrapping up the series’ final arc, which was only decided after the record-breaking success of the Infinity Train movie. The upcoming film will continue the story after the Demon Slayers are sucked inside the Infinity Castle, Muzan’s hideout that no one has been able to find till now. After the Demon Slayers barely manage to weaken the demon progenitor, they now have to face off against the Upper Moons, and each of them has unique abilities.
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The top three among them are even more powerful, which means the fight against them will be just as interesting. Demon Slayer is technically a battle Shonen, but no other arc in the series focuses this heavily on the battle other than the Infinity Castle. We get to see some thrilling moments along with the heartbreaking losses the Demon Slayer Corps has to suffer. Interestingly enough, a lot of the match-ups were driven by personal motives, which made them all the more intriguing.
Warning: This article contains spoilers from the Demon Slayer manga!
1) Shinobu Kocho vs. Doma
In terms of brute strength, Shinobu falls behind even a low-ranking Demon Slayer. However, she still rose to the ranks of the Hashira thanks to a special poison she created that kills demons in an instant. Shinobu’s sword is laced with poison made from wisteria, and she injects it into demons during battle. She makes up for her lack of strength with her speed, which even demons have a hard time keeping up with. However, Doma isn’t just any ordinary demon; he’s the Upper Moon Two, one of the strongest demons in history.
Shinobu has a grudge to settle with the demon, which is why the match-up makes perfect sense. She knew defeating an Upper Moon Two was almost an impossible task, which is why she spent a long time coming up with a strategy, which, unfortunately, required her sacrifice. She had been poisoning herself for about a year, which would severely weaken any demon that consumed her. Knowing Doma’s habit of eating any woman he sees, she knew he wouldn’t let go of an opportunity to eat a female Hashira. Shinobu entrusted her sister Kanao to strike the final blow to the demon after her death.
2) Zenitsu Agatsuma vs. Kaigaku
If you’re surprised by Zenitsu’s cold glare in the Infinity Castle trailer, then rest assured, his fight against Kaigaku will be even more bone-chilling. During the final stage of the Hashira Training, Zenitsu learns that his master, the former Thunder Hashira, committed Seppuku, a form of ritual suicide, after his student Kaigaku willingly turned into a demon. He even immediately became an Upper Moon Six to fill in the vacancy before the final showdown. Zenitsu abandons all hesitation after losing the only person he cares about.
What’s worse is that Kaigaku, despite having his memories as a human, never once regretted his actions. Zenistu and Kaigaku were learning the breathing style under the same master, but never got along well because of Kaigaku. He always mocked Zenitsu, who was only able to learn the first form, the most difficult form that even Kaigaku couldn’t master. The fight between them is brief, but it ends on a surprising note when Zenitsu decapitates the demon with a single strike using a seventh form he created all by himself.
3) Tanjiro Kamado and Giyu Tomioka vs. Akaza
The unfortunate death of Rengoku, the Flame Hashira, deeply impacted Tanjiro, who both admired the man’s bravery and was heartbroken to witness his demise. At the time, Akaza deemed Tanjiro unworthy of his attention and paid him no mind. On the other hand, even with his fatal injuries, Rengoku almost kept Akaza out in the open before sunrise, but the demon made a run for it at the last minute. Tanjiro, who was accompanied by Giyu, stumbles upon Akaza again in the Infinity Castle.
This team-up between Giyu and Tanjiro was a lot different from the Mount Natagumo arc since the two are now fighting on an equal level. This highlights Tanjiro’s phenomenal growth in a short span since he can finally stand toe-to-toe with a Hashira. However, even their combined efforts were barely enough for the Upper Moon Three. Both Demon Slayers push themselves past their limits and unlock the abilities they never knew they had. The story also highlights Akaza’s heartwrenching backstory and his emotional, yet tranquil farewell.
4) Kanao Tsuyuri and Inosuke Hashibira vs Doma
After witnessing Shinobu’s death, Kanao wastes no time in challenging the Upper Moon Two. For Doma, who effortlessly consumed a Hashira, dealing with Kanao should’ve been an easy task. However, he never would’ve guessed that Shinobu would come up with an insane plan of poisoning herself. Because she only injected herself with poison that harms demons, Doma’s body weakens until it begins to affect his powers. Despite that, Kanao is still having a hard time against the demon. However, Shinobu knew what her sister was capable of, and that’s why she burdened Kanao with such a task.
It wasn’t long before Inosuke also arrived at the scene and lent her a hand. Kanao not only has to defeat the demon for the sake of the Corps, but she must avenge her sisters as well. In Inosuke’s case, he also learns about the death of his mother at Doma’s hands. Inosuke regains his memories as an infant, including the short time he spent with his mother as well as what caused their separation. Both young Demon Slayers pushed themselves to the extreme and finally finished what Shinobu started. It wasn’t long before Doma disintegrated into nothing.
5) Mitsuri Kanroji and Obanai Iguro vs Nakime
As all the other Demon Slayers challenge the Upper Moons, Mitsuri and Obanai have their hands full with Nakime, a newly promoted Upper-Rank Four, as well as the one controlling the Infinity Castle. The Infinity Castle is her blood demon art, and so long as the Demon Slayers are inside it, they will be at a clear disadvantage. They were easily able to figure out Nakime’s powers, which strengthened their resolve to take her down. Although Nakime had an exceptional ability, she didn’t specialize in combat, unlike the other Upper Moons. This is why Muzan never made an Upper Moon before despite her useful ability.
However, Nakime made up for her lack of experience in battle through her wits. Using her Blood Demon Art, she continuously shifted the structure of the fortress to separate and isolate Mitsuri and Obanai, preventing them from effectively fighting together or reaching her directly. Nonetheless, thanks to the combined efforts of both Hashira, Nakime loses the fight, and Yushiro takes control of her vision in order to expose Muzan to sunlight.
6) Muichiro Tokito, Genya Shinazugawa, Sanemi Shinazugawa, and Gyomei Himejima vs Kokushibo
Kokushibo is the Upper-Rank One and the strongest demon after Muzan. His powers far exceed those of Upper Moons Two and Three, so much so that even the combined efforts of several Demon Slayers weren’t enough to take him down easily. The fight is heartbreaking and involves several sacrifices, as well as Kokushibo’s backstory, which explores his relationship with his younger twin brother, Yoriichi Tsugikuni. Unlike Yoriichi, who dedicated his entire life to the hopes of defeating Muzan, Kokushibo gave up his humanity out of fear and has lived as a demon ever since.
Amid the battle, we learn that Muichiro is Kokushibo’s direct descendant, which is why the Demon Slayer Corps was eager to recruit him and his brother. Not only that, but the fight also explored the emotional turmoil of the Shinazugawa brothers. Even with Gyomei’s help, they were barely able to slow Kokushibo down. In the end, he died not only because of being outnumbered or injured but the fact that his resolve was wavering also contributed to his demise.
7) Demon Slayers vs. Muzan Kibutsuji (Second Round)
The Demon Slayers didn’t get a chance to finish the fight against Muzan after the death of Kagaya Ubuyashiki. However, thanks to Tamayo injecting the villain with a poison she created with Shinobu, she severely weakened him. After the brutal battle in the Infinity Castle, the Demon Slayers were exhausted and battered, but they still didn’t have the luxury to catch their breath. Struggling with physical pain and emotional distress after losing their loved ones, the surviving members of the Corps face the demon progenitor once again.
As expected, even then, Muzan was able to put up a good fight despite being cornered. This is why the Demon Slayers couldn’t even consider the possibility of severing his head, so their only option was to keep him in the open till the sun rises. Unfortunately, that’s a lot easier said than done, as the Corps continued to suffer several casualties until Muzan disintegrated into the dust.
8) Demon Slayers vs. Tanjiro Kamado
No one could’ve expected that even on the brink of death, Muzan had one trick up his sleeve. Almost the entire Demon Slayer Corps gets wiped out in the night-long battle, but just as they are able to taste victory, Muzan uses his last bit of strength to inject his blood into Tanjiro and turn him into a demon. Tanjiro is not only significantly stronger than before, but he can even conquer the sun, which was Muzan’s dream all along.
The Demon Slayers have to face a precious member of the Corps, who contributed significantly to their cause. Tanjiro went on a rampage and even attacked Giyu and Inosuke, who tried to stop him. It wasn’t until Nezuko showed up that he was finally starting to calm down. Kanao uses the last bit of her strength to inject him with the medicine that will turn him into a human again. While the other Demon Slayers were struggling against him, Tanjiro was also resisting Muzan’s control over him. With everyone’s help, Tanjiro regains his humanity and the villain turns into dust, bringing an era of peace that came at the price of countless lives.
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