Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle (subtitled Akaza Returns) was produced by Ufotable and directed by Haruo Sotozaki, adapting the Infinity Castle arc, the climax of Koyoharu Gotouge’s manga. It is the first film in a trilogy announced in June 2024.
Plot
The Demon Slayer Corps is pulled into Muzan Kibutsuji’s dimensional fortress. The film centers on three major battles:
- Shinobu Kocho vs. Upper Rank Two Doma
- Zenitsu vs. Kaigaku, a former senior under the same teacher Jigoro
- Tanjiro and Giyu vs. Upper Rank Three Akaza, with a flashback to his human past
Release and box office
- Japan: July 18, 2025, with ¥1.64 billion on opening day — the highest opening day in Japanese box office history
- US and UK: September 12, 2025
- Japan total: about ¥40.24 billion
- Worldwide: about $793.5 million (about $136.9 million in the US and Canada and $656.5 million internationally); after IMAX/ScreenX re-releases in early 2026 the total reached about $800.4 million
Note: the “$1 billion” milestone once mentioned in the press is the cumulative figure for the whole Demon Slayer film series (including Mugen Train), not Infinity Castle alone.
Reception and awards
On Rotten Tomatoes about 98% of 62 critic reviews are positive (average 8/10). Critics praised the animation and action, while some found the pacing slow because of the long runtime and many flashbacks. The film won Best Animation Film at the 49th Japan Academy Film Prize and seven awards at the 10th Crunchyroll Anime Awards, including Film of the Year.
What’s next
The remaining two films of the trilogy are still planned; no theatrical dates have been confirmed in sources OtaHub checked.