Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle – Part One Roars into Theaters

On July 18, the first installment of the new Demon Slayer movie trilogy, Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle – Part One: Akaza Returns, hit theaters across Japan. The film marks the beginning of the franchise's long-awaited final chapter. It depicts the ultimate showdown between the Demon Slayer Corps and the Upper Rank demons within the demons' stronghold, the Infinity Castle.

The release was met with explosive success. Distributor Aniplex announced that the film earned ¥5.52 billion JPY (approximately $34.5 million USD) in its first three days, with more than 3.84 million tickets sold. This surpasses the opening three-day revenue of the franchise's previous blockbuster, Mugen Train (2020), which earned ¥4.62 billion during the same timeframe. The new film now holds the record for the highest-grossing three-day opening in Japanese box office history.

According to Aniplex, Infinity Castle – Part One brought in ¥1.64 billion ($11.1 million) on its opening day, followed by ¥1.84 billion ($12.5 million) and ¥2.03 billion ($13.8 million) on the second and third days, respectively. It also broke domestic records for both highest single-day earnings and highest first-day earnings for a film released in Japan. As of July 21, four days after release, the total box office revenue had already exceeded ¥7.31 billion ($49.6 million).

A Long-Awaited Final Battle

The film adapts the opening arc of the Infinity Castle storyline, the beginning of a climactic three-part movie series. In this first chapter, Tanjiro Kamado and the Demon Slayer Corps descend into the Infinity Castle to confront the powerful Upper Rank demons, including fan-favorite antagonist Akaza and the eerie and flamboyant Doma.

Akaza's return (voiced by Akira Ishida) and the debut of the flamboyantly eerie Doma (voiced by Mamoru Miyano) sparked a wave of reactions online. 

Fans praised the film's animation and voice acting, with one viewer writing, "The performances gave me chills!" Others were struck by the emotional weight of the story, saying, "I cried so much I was exhausted," and reflecting on the complexity of the characters: "I hate Doma, but I just can't bring myself to hate Akaza. Still, Rengoku's death hurts every time."

A Global Phenomenon

The Demon Slayer franchise, based on Koyoharu Gotouge's manga that ran in Weekly Shonen Jump from 2016 to 2020, continues to captivate fans worldwide. 

As of July 17, publisher Shueisha announced that the manga's total global circulation, including digital editions, has surpassed 220 million copies. That places Demon Slayer alongside legendary Jump titles such as Naruto, One Piece, and Dragon Ball, all of which have exceeded 200 million copies in circulation.

Tanjiro Kamado: Unwavering Resolve Arc, the anime's first season, aired from April to September 2019 and became a breakout hit.　Mugen Train turned the franchise into a social phenomenon, with global box office earnings exceeding ¥51.7 billion ($340 million).

Demon Slayer has since expanded into video games, stage plays, and subsequent anime arcs, including the Entertainment District Arc (2021), Swordsmith Village Arc (2023), and Hashira Training Arc (2024). Now, with Infinity Castle beginning its theatrical trilogy, the story hurtles toward its ultimate confrontation. Tanjiro and the Hashira must face Muzan Kibutsuji and the Upper Rank demons in a battle that will decide the fate of humanity.

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(Read a related article in Japanese.)

Author: The Sankei Shimbun