2025 was a major year for anime movies and fans got to witness the release of some of the absolute biggest hits of all time. Quite easily, the biggest anime movie that dropped in 2025 was Demon Slayer's latest release, Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Part 1 — Akaza’s Return. Infinity Castle achieved never-seen-before numbers, beating the previous holder of the title of highest box office anime movie, another Demon Slayer movie, titled Mugen Train.
Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Nominated For Massive Award
Demon Slayer Infinity Castle movie might end up winning a Golden Globe.
Naturally, with Demon Slayer gaining such massive success, fans would imagine that it would win major awards all over the world, even beyond the box office, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Another anime movie has consistently been better-rated than Demon Slayer, and that movie is Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc. While Reze Arc didn't achieve nearly as big a success at the box office, it is consistently rated as the best 2025 movie. Recently, it was revealed that it is Letterboxd's highest-rated movie of 2025 — something very hard to achieve for an anime release.
Demon Slayer Has The Most Successful Anime Movies At The Box Office
- Infinity Castle Broke Into the Top 10 For Global Box Office in 2025
Demon Slayer has consistently been making history over the last few years. The first Demon Slayer movie, titled Mugen Train, made history as it became the highest-grossing movie at the Japanese Box Office, and in doing so, it went on to surpass Spirited Away as well. At the time, this was unprecedented and fans were truly blown away by the level of popularity that the series went on to achieve.
What's more shocking is that Demon Slayer went on to make history yet again with its big release of 2025, Infinity Castle Part 1: Akaza's Return. Infinity Castle went on to break the previous record held by Mugen Train and become the new biggest anime movie of all time. Worldwide, it has been a huge success and has had fans flock to theatres.
In order to soothe the spirits of those it killed, and to make sure it claims no further victims, I will swing my blade down and lop off the head of any demon without mercy! But I will not belittle those who regret their actions and suffer over the things they did as demons. Because demons were once human. Because they were like me.
Given that this was only the beginning of Infinity Castle, Demon Slayer is not slowing down anytime soon, with two more movie releases planned for the next few years. It can be said that Demon Slayer is changing the industry in many ways. After all, with the major success of Infinity Castle, many other studios and franchises are rushing to try and get their own movie hits.
Despite Demon Slayer’s Success It Was Beaten By Chainsaw Man In Ratings
- Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc is Letterboxd’s Highest Rated Movie in 2025
- Demon Slayed: Infinity Castle Doesn’t Make the Top 10
While it's clear to see that Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle is the most successful movie of 2025 when it comes to Box Office, user ratings tell a different story altogether.
Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle has been beaten by Chainsaw Man Reze Arc repeatedly over multiple platforms. For example, on MyAnimeList, the biggest platform to rate anime series, Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc became the highest rated movie of all time, and the second highest rated anime ever.
More recently, Letterboxd released its top 10 highest-rated movies of 2025, and much to the shock of many, the number one was also Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc.
Then tomorrow, why don't we go to a festival nearby together? I'm sure it will be fun and have delicious food. —Reze
This surprised a lot, especially as it’s very unusual for an anime movie to make it so high up on the platform. Letterboxd is a platform whose demographic isn't usually all that interested in anime content.
Nevertheless, Chainsaw Man has proven just how incredible it is by topping the list there. Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, meanwhile, does not even make it into the top 10. The top 10 were made up of the following movies:
- Chainsaw Man Reze Arc
- The Voice of Huns Rajab
- Marty Supreme
- One Battle After Another
- I Swear
- Sentimental Value
- Hamnet
- No Other Choice
- Sinners
- Train Dreams
As fans can see, Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc is the only anime movie there, and also the only animated movie to make the list this year. Undoubtedly, this is an impressive feat of popularity for the franchise.
Chainsaw Man Is On The Rise After The Reze Movie
- Fans Are Excited for Chainsaw Man’s Return with Season 2
Chainsaw Man is still a rather small franchise at the moment, especially when compared to the likes of Demon Slayer. Fans know very well that Demon Slayer is a series that appeals to a very broad audience, with its simple story and exciting cast of characters. In that regard, Chainsaw Man is definitely more niche and can come off as unique to some viewers. Nevertheless, it's undeniable that Chainsaw Man is on the rise.
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Chainsaw Man gained a lot of popularity when its first anime season was released. While Season 1 had its doubters, now, it has distinguished itself, thanks to Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc — an incredibly well-directed movie that left fans worldwide in awe at the work put forward by MAPPA Studio.
Now, fans are looking forward to the next big Chainsaw Man project, and at the moment, it seems that the next step is Chainsaw Man Season 2. The next season of Chainsaw Man is highly anticipated, and fans hope it will be released sometime around 2027 at the latest.
Demon Slayer Still Has More Chances To Stand Out With Infinity Castle Part 2 and Part 3
It's clear that when it comes to fan ratings, Demon Slayer has failed when compared to the likes of Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc. However, this isn't the end for the franchise.
As fans know, Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Part 1 is just one of three movies that are going to conclude the story of the manga. Infinity Castle Part 1 could actually be called the smallest movie out of the three. Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Part 2 as well as Part 3 are going to be even more exciting.
While these two movies don't have an exact release date yet, fans anticipate Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Part 2 to release sometime in 2027 and Infinity Castle Part 3 to drop around 2029.
Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle is out in theaters now. Fans who don’t want to wait for the movies to drop can check the manga out on Manga Plus. Meanwhile, for the anime, the series currently has 4 anime seasons. These anime seasons can all be found on Crunchyroll. The remainder of the series will, however, be animated into movies, which fans will have to wait for their theatrical release to watch, depending on their country.