Demon Slayer is arguably the biggest anime franchise on the planet, and now the show is taking it to the big screen to give audiences an epic conclusion of the story, starting with Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle, the first of a trilogy. The film follows Tanjiro, Nezuko, and Hashir as they face terrifying Upper Rank demons while navigating the endless hallways of the Infinity Castle, all the while making their way to their final confrontation against Muzan Kibutsuji.
Infinity Castle just had its Los Angeles red carpet premiere at the TCL Chinese Theatre, where The Direct's Russ Milheim spoke with the cast about why the show's shift to movie format was the best way to finish its story.
The entire list of cast members that we spoke with includes: Aleks Le (Zenitsu Agatsuma), Adam McArthur (Noguchi), Abby Trott (Nezuko Kamado), Zach Aguilar (Tanjiro Kamado), Zeno Robinson (Genya Shinazugawa), Kaiji Tang (Sanemi Shinazugawa), Johnny Yong Bosch (Giyu Tomioka), Brianna Knickerbocker (Kanao Tsuyuri), Brook Chalmers (Sakonji Urokodaki), Bryce Papenbrook (Inosuke Hashibira), and Jonah Scott (Kokushibo).
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle hits theaters on September 12, 2025. Fans should check out these awesome popcorn buckets to celebrate the occasion.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle's Cast on Why Finishing on the Big Screen Is the Best Move
"It's Larger Than Life, and 'Demon Slayer' Deserves No Less."
- The Direct: "The series has chosen to wrap up the story with three movies on the big screen. Why do you feel like moving to films is the best way to wrap the story up?"
Aleks Le: You know, initially, I was kind of like, not sure that it was. I'm a very traditional guy, so I like watching shows. When they first introduced the concept of the movies, I was like, that's a weird way to end the series. But after I saw the last movie 'Mugen Train' in theaters, it was just so much fun that I was like, I kind of want to have this experience again, you know, just with the live fan reaction and everybody getting really hyped and then also watching it on a massive screen, and also when it's a movie, they get to put more budget into it, and you don't have to wait every single week, but you do have to wait a year. But I was just like, yeah, sometimes you get to change your mind based on how you experience it, and I feel like that's a good way to close out the [series].
Adam McArthur: I think when you see the fight scenes and the animation, and they are as epic as they are on the small screen, they're just going to be that much more epic on the big screen. So, sound design, visually, like everything, is just going to be popping off on the big screen.
Abby Trott: I don't know what the best way to wrap up a series like this is. It's such an epic tale. But I think maybe they were thinking, what better, more epic way to wrap it up [than] in three movies on IMAX.
Zach Aguilar: I think it's cool to get to go onto the big screen. I do believe it's a different experience watching things in the theater... I've watched one of the last premieres where they showed, like, the last two episodes of one of the series. They showed the last two episodes and then they showed the next episode of the Swordsmith Village. And when I watched it on streaming, I didn't cry, but when I went to the movie theater, I cried. It's the feel, I think, of the theater. It's the feel of the fans. It's beautiful to watch, so you have to see it in the theater if you can.
Zeno Robinson: I think often anime films tend to have a really complete sort of story, beginning to end, as well as everything is dialed up to a 10, so the animation production, quality of animation, everything is dialed up. So if you're going to close out such a monumental worldwide franchise like this one, you want to close it out in the best way possible and get as many eyes as possible. You know, it's the only way you'll be able to see something like this in a format like IMAX. You know what I mean. So, of course, they're pulling out all the stops to make each film the best it can be. They're like, working in sections, as opposed to working all at once to get the whole season out.
Kaiji Tang: There's only so much you can portray of the fights at the end, and at the last arc where we are right now, these last few fights are some of the most incredibly choreographed things that you've ever seen in your life, right? So I feel like one of the only real ways to experience the full effect of it is in a big theater like this. It's candy for the eyes, candy for the ears. I'm really glad they went with this.
Johnny Yong Bosch: Well, because the scale is so big... I feel like the animation is so intense, it's a good excuse to spend a lot more money on making it look great, and then they could just put it all in one go. Actually, it's three, but there's so much. I think it's a good way to see it, and you can see it on the big screen.
Brianna Knickerbocker: Because it's larger than life, and 'Demon Slayer' deserves no less. It's a big story, a powerful story, and it deserves a big ending.
Brook Chalmers: I think it's a big show. It needs a big screen, right? And also, a lot of times we watch anime, we watch it solo, we watch it at our houses, and this is a rare instance where we can enjoy it with a lot of people in one place. And that's huge.
Bryce Papenbrook: It is so incredible to watch anime on the big screen. We did this before with 'Mugen Train,' and experiencing it with a crowd is so much fun. Like, I could feel everyone crying in the theater, and then when Inosuke shows up, everyone was laughing. So, I felt so immersed in the series, in the show, and I can't wait to do it again.
Jonah Scott: I feel like it gives the artist, whoever's writing the story, the opportunity to sort of shape how they want it to be presented to the world. Manga, at this point, is pretty mainstream, but there's still a barrier for interest, like comic books, right? You gotta crack that nut and then make sure that people are actually reading it. This is a way for them to get them to read those manga. This is a way for them to be like, Okay, so we had to omit one or two things, or we had to add a line or two to make it real.
But they also have those really hard-hitting fan moments. The famous lines, the big catch phrases, the special move call-outs, and everything. So, I think it's, I think it's going to be more mainstream. I think more series should do this, because anime costs a lot of money to make. So why not? If you're going to go to town... Why not do it to the nines?
The entire red carpet interviews with the cast can be seen below:
