Summary
- Demon Slayer will adapt Final Battle arc in 3 movies starting July 18, 2025.
- Movies may turn into TV seasons later to reach wider audience.
- Adapting to TV series could be a smart move for profit and fan enjoyment.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba will adapt the final events of the story in great style with a trilogy of movies. While titled Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, the penultimate arc, there is a strong possibility it will also cover the events of the final Sunrise Countdown arc. Both arcs are part of the larger Final Battle arc.
The first movie is scheduled to be released on July 18, 2025, in Japan and September 12 in the US. However, there are some reasons to believe the movies may be turned into anime seasons later.
Demon Slayer: The Infinity Castle Arc, Explained
Learn what the Demon Slayer Trilogy is about, as the anime heads toward the final arc.
What Happens in the Final Battle Arc?
This section contains spoilers for Demon Slayer's Final Battle arc.
In the Final Battle arc, the Demon Slayers invade Muzan's lair (the Infinity Castle) and fight the remaining Demons in order to reach him. Once cornered, Muzan escapes before the castle collapses. The remaining Demon Slayers Corps go after him. That's the Infinity Castle Arc.
In Sunrise Countdown, Tanjiro finally faces Muzan. While the Demon Slayers are able to defeat him, Nezuko becomes a human again. However, Muzan's last move is to turn Tanjiro into Demon King Tanjiro, the most powerful Demon to ever exist, according to him. The Demon Slayers, nearly wiped out, prepare to fight Tanjiro while Nezuko begs him not to lose himself to Muzan. In the end, Tanjiro is cured with a medicine and turns back into a human.
Turning Movies into TV Series Is Not Unusual in the Anime Industry
Although it may not be the most common practice, it is not uncommon for movies to be turned into TV series. This happened, for example, with the Space Battleship Yamato (or Star Blazers) remake: new entries are usually released as movies, and are later aired as regular TV shows. That's why Space Battleship Yamato 2199 and Space Battleship Yamato 2202 are available on streaming services as 26-episode series each, even though they were first released as movies in Japan.
This has also happened with Demon Slayer before. Mugen Train was released as a movie, but was later turned into a TV anime, as a way to guarantee that people could watch it before the following season (Entertainment District Arc) debuted on TV.
It Also Depends on Sunrise Countdown's Adaptation
The decision to turn at least the Infinity Castle arc into a movie trilogy is partly because the production has high expectations that it will be a massive, unprecedented success, with the potential to surpass even Mugen Train's box office.
However, if the Sunrise Countdown arc is not included in the trilogy and is adapted into a TV anime instead, then they will need to make sure that the TV audience is also up to date with the story, so they will probably adapt the trilogy into a TV anime.
Demon Slayer: The Sunrise Countdown Arc, Explained
The Sunrise Countdown Arc marks the final stand against Muzan, bringing Demon Slayer to its intense and emotional climax.
It Would Allow Even More People to Watch the Movies
Demon Slayer has become a massive success in a way few franchises have been able to. Since the Entertainment District arc, the anime has aired on Sunday nights on TV Fuji, in the prime time of Japanese weekend television, with a great audience. This shows how solid Demon Slayer's audience is, and how it has become a thing on Japanese TV.
Even if the movies have record-breaking box offices , people would re-watch the series on TV, especially if it has any extra content (like Mugen Train). If the rumors that movies will be released every two years are true, then a TV series could serve as a preparation to the next movie, allowing even more people to properly watch it, like this. The TV broadcast could follow a two-year schedule in-between the movie releases, like this:
- 2025: Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Movie 1
- 2026: Demon Slayer Infinity Castle Season 1 (movie recap + bonus scenes)
- 2027: Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Movie 2
- 2028: Demon Slayer Infinity Castle Season 2 (movie recap + bonus scenes)
- 2029: 2027: Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Movie 3 (final arc?)
- 2030: Demon Slayer Infinity Castle Season 3 (movie recap + bonus scenes)
Another possibility would be turning the three movies into a single anime season after they are released in theaters.
From a business perspective, turning the Infinity Castle into anime seasons could prove to be a wise decision, allowing the production team to profit even more from the series. From a fan perspective, it would allow more people to enjoy the show, and hardcore fans would want to watch it again if it had bonus content.
The risk here is that some fans may feel "betrayed" by this kind of strategy, as they may have made a special effort to see the movie in theaters, and think the production is "milking" the series too much.
Demon Slayer is available to watch on Crunchyroll, subbed and dubbed in many languages. It is also on Netflix in several countries.
- Release Date
- April 6, 2019
- Network
- Adult Swim
Based on Koyoharu Gotouge's shonen manga, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is an action anime set in Japan during the early 20th century. Seeking revenge for the murder of his family while also looking to save his sister, Tanjiro joins the Demon Slayer Corps as they try to eradicate Demons led by Muzan.
- Seasons
- 4
- Studio
- ufotable
- Japanese Title
- Kimetsu no Yaiba
- Based On
- Manga
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Hulu, Netflix
- MyAnimeList Score
- 8.26 (Hashira Training Arc)
