(Updated 08/15/2024)
Based on the manga by Koyoharu Gotouge, the DEMON SLAYER series and movies have been some of the most popular anime — both in Japan and worldwide — of the last five years. The story begins with young Tanjiro Kamado's quest to cure his sister Nezuko of demonic infection, and grows into an epic showdown between the Demon Slayer Corps, into which Tanjiro is soon recruited, and demons led by the villain, Muzan Kibutsuji.
The fourth season of the DEMON SLAYER anime just concluded with a setup for the extended battle setpieces that make up the concluding chunk of the manga. In a surprise move, however, the story will not conclude in a fifth anime season. Instead, there will be three theatrical DEMON SLAYER movies.
There's still a lot we don't know about these films, but we can give you an outline of what to expect. First, we'll give you some details about the DEMON SLAYER: INFINITY CASTLE movies — including the first teaser trailer — and then dig into what this means for the series overall.
What's the Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Release Date?
A release date for the first INFINITY CASTLE movie has not been announced. But DEMON SLAYER has released on a steady schedule since it began in 2019. The fourth season finished airing in June, so we expect to see the first INFINITY CASTLE movie in summer or fall 2025.
How Long Will We Wait Between the Three Infinity Castle Movies?
Right now we don't know. Crunchyroll calls the movies "an epic trilogy event," which only confirms that we'll see three movies. It almost sounds like they will be released at a quick pace. But in the absence of any further details or even a release date, that's only a guess based on the phrasing.
Watch the First Trailer for Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle
This teaser for the INFINITY CASTLE movies doesn't offer much new footage — mostly it presents several character teases against the backdrop of an abstract depiction of Tanjiro's descent into the Infinity Castle.
What Will the Infinity Castle Movies Be About?
Spoilers ahead for the end of DEMON SLAYER season 4! At the end of "To the Hashira Training," the fourth season story arc, all the major Demon Slayer Corps warriors are transported to the demonic Infinity Castle. There, they battle the remaining demonic Upper Ranks while trying to reach Muzan.
The manga is oriented strongly towards action as it builds to the story's climax, but there are a great many character twists, reveals, and more than a few deaths along the way.
Why Conclude the Anime Series With a Movie Trilogy?
There are probably a lot of reasons behind the decision to make three DEMON SLAYER movies to finish off the manga adaptation. The biggest may be the example of the MUGEN TRAIN movie, which became the highest-grossing movie in Japanese history when it was released in 2020. DEMON SLAYER has only become more popular since then, so there's reason to believe these movies might be able to replicate or even surpass that level of success.
Additionally, the Infinity Castle setting offers the opportunity to create visually-ambitious sequences on a large canvas — and there's no larger canvas for anime than the movie screen.
Expect to see the first new DEMON SLAYER movie in 2025.
All images courtesy of Crunchyroll.