Summary
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Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaibawill adapt the final events of the story in great style with a trilogy of movies. While titledDemon 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 Jul 04, 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.
What Happens in the Final Battle Arc?
This section contains spoilers forDemon 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 theSpace Battleship Yamato(orStar Blazers) remake: new entries are usually released as movies, and are later aired as regular TV shows. That’s whySpace Battleship Yamato 2199andSpace Battleship Yamato 2202are available on streaming services as 26-episode series each, even though they were first released as movies in Japan.
This has also happened withDemon Slayerbefore.Mugen Trainwas 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 theproduction has high expectationsthat it will be a massive, unprecedented success, with thepotential to surpass evenMugen 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 ensure that the TV audience is also up to date with the story, so they will probably adapt the trilogy into a TV anime.
It Would Allow Even More People to Watch the Movies
Demon Slayerhas become a massive successin 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 solidDemon 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(likeMugen 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:
Another possibility would beturning the three movies into a single anime seasonafter they are released in theaters.
From a business perspective, turning theInfinity Castleinto 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 Slayeris available to watch onCrunchyroll, subbed and dubbed in many languages. It is also on Netflix in several countries.
Demon Slayer
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.
