Ufotable
Tanjiro and Giyu versus Akaza
I sighed, steadying myself as I entered the theater— a small act of mental fortitude for whatever awaited me. Animation studio Ufotable has always delivered stunning work; everyone knows that. But could they reproduce the phenomenon that was Mugen Train? Could they put on a spectacle once more? Or was Mugen Train just an anomaly? Those were the questions I carried with me as I pushed through closed doors. And when I walked out nearly two hours later, I was blown away… In the best way possible.
From Shinobu versus Douma to Akaza versus Tanjiro and Giyu, everything is stunning. The voice acting, the art, the music. So much so that watching it in subtitles or dubbed hardly takes away the core experience of Infinity Castle. It’s almost like the movie itself seems to recognize the importance of this arc, as I was immediately thrown into the fights and story as hard as Tanjiro and the Hashira were, falling into the demon realm. Ufotable’s choice to assume whoever is viewing the movie already knows what’s happening works perfectly with the way Demon Slayer is presented. In fact, choosing to establish logic and context for new viewers later in the film can be a positive, as a viewer with no knowledge of Demon Slayer is filled with the same chaos as the characters within the movie.
As the sheer raw chaos begins to dissipate, we are given perspectives on every character, which is different from the source in the sense that every character is drawn with the same quality, and provided extra dialogue to show that even though they aren’t the center of the first movie, they aren’t forgotten. Another positive is that the plot unfolds gradually for the viewers rather than throwing too much information at the viewer; but what makes it special, is that you still have to know the characters from the anime to understand the importance of them personally get time on the screen, showing that Ufotable made the purpose of the movie to appeal to existing fans, and not for just creating new ones.
With that being said, I think it’s also no secret that I myself am a huge fan of the series. So, of course, I already knew what to expect in terms of what was going to happen, and still, Ufotable smashed through my expectations with every fight. However, I want to shine the spotlight on Kaigaku versus Zenitzu.
This was one of my favorite fights in the manga, and the adaptation elevated it beyond anything I imagined. Alejandro Saab and Aleks Le absolutely killed it— the sheer tension, paired with their stunning voice work, transformed the scene into something far more powerful than the source material. The art, the added scenes, and the chilling delivery from both actors made it nearly impossible to choose who to root for. That’s wild, considering the manga only spent two chapters on it. Honestly, I can’t think of a single thing that could’ve improved the fight. It was beautiful. And if anyone’s curious about the English dub, I’d recommend watching the movie just for this scene alone. What Saab and Le brought to the big screen was truly peak fiction.
Lastly, I want to comment on the fact that Demon Slayer Infinity Castle isn’t just an action film. Past all the crazy effects and shouting coming from everywhere, there lies an effort to humanize every character. The movie doesn’t just show us the heroes’ struggles; it forces us to sit with the demons too. And by the end, even though the demon slayers emerge victorious, you’re not left entirely satisfied. Because the demons aren’t just monsters— they’re people, broken and reshaped by pain.
It’s a bold move. For so long, the series conditions you to root for the slayers, to see the demons as evil incarnate. But just as you’re ready to celebrate, the perspective shifts. You’re shown who these demons were before— their regrets, their humanity, their tragedy. And no moment captures that better than Akaza versus Tanjiro and Giyu. One of the most hated characters in the series becomes one of the most beloved, not through redemption, but through understanding.
And that’s what makes Infinity Castle unforgettable. It doesn’t just raise the bar for animation or fight choreography—it shows us that even among demons, a human is lying beneath those stories.