Few anime movies have ever had the kind of cultural and financial impact that Demon Slayer: Mugen Train did. It was not just a hit, it was a phenomenon. Breaking records worldwide, the film became the highest-grossing anime movie of all time, suring even legendary titles like Spirited Away and Your Name. Fans and critics alike praised it for seamlessly integrating a movie-level budget with its intense story, making it feel like a necessary and thrilling continuation of the Demon Slayer anime rather than a side story or filler content.
However, in the wake of Mugen Train’s success, subsequent Demon Slayer “movies” have been met with a much colder reception. Instead of delivering another high-quality cinematic experience, To the Swordsmith Village and To the Hashira Training felt like little more than repackaged episodes with a single new episode or teaser trailer tacked on to entice fans. While these releases still performed well at the box office, their overall reception was lukewarm. So why did Mugen Train succeed while these other films failed? And what does this pattern suggest about the Infinity Castle trilogy?
Mugen Train Was a True Cinematic Experience
Why Mugen Train Set the Gold Standard for Anime Movies
Mugen Train worked because it was not just an anime arc stitched together into a film, it was a legitimate cinematic experience that felt important to the Demon Slayer story. Instead of being a side story or non-canon adventure, the film directly adapted an arc from the manga, making it a must-watch for fans of the series. Anyone skipping Mugen Train would be missing out on vital plot and character development, particularly with the tragic fate of Kyojuro Rengoku, until the episodic series came out later.
Demon Slayer's Infinity Castle Arc Proves an Anime Is So Much More Than Its Spoilers
Demon Slayer isn’t just about battles—it’s the journey, pain, and spirit that make it unforgettable, proving that it is much more than its spoilers.
Beyond the story itself, Mugen Train also benefited from incredible animation and action sequences that made full use of the big-screen format. Ufotable’s signature blend of 3D and 2D animation created breathtaking fight scenes, and the dream-like sequences brought Tanjiro’s emotional struggles to life in a way that felt uniquely cinematic. It had heart, high stakes, and genuine consequences, making it a film that felt important rather than just a glorified recap.
Why To The Swordsmith Village and To The Hashira Training Failed as Movies
The Problem With Demon Slayer's Recap Films
Following Mugen Train, Demon Slayer's approach to theatrical releases changed dramatically. Instead of offering another true movie experience, To the Swordsmith Village and were structured as compilation films, reusing footage from previous episodes with only one new episode added at the end of each film. This approach fundamentally undermined the cinematic value of these releases, making them feel more like promotional tools for seasons rather than standalone films and leaving audiences extremely disappointed.
Audiences quickly picked up on the cash-grab nature of these releases. To the Swordsmith Village, for instance, contained episodes from the Entertainment District Arc that fans had already seen, with only the first episode of the Swordsmith Village Arc serving as something new at the tail end of the movie. Likewise, To the Hashira Training followed the same pattern, featuring repackaged content with just a brief glimpse into the Hashira Training Arc.
Unlike Mugen Train, which justified its existence as a movie by delivering entirely new content, these films felt unnecessary. Fans could just wait a few weeks to see the new episodes in the anime’s regular broadcast, instead of spending money to go to a theater and watch something they had already seen most of. This led to a sense of disappointment, as audiences were essentially paying for something they could watch at home for free.
What This Means for the Infinity Castle Trilogy
The Future of Demon Slayer Movies Hangs in the Balance
With the Infinity Castle arc set to be adapted into a trilogy of films, there are understandable concerns about whether these movies will follow the disappointing pattern of To the Swordsmith Village and To the Hashira Training and make the anime's ending a poor one. However, there are reasons to be optimistic that Ufotable will return to the Mugen Train approach rather than the recap formula for these series finale films.
For one, Infinity Castle is a massive and beloved, albeit heartbreaking, arc in the Demon Slayer manga, packed with some of the most intense and visually stunning battles in the entire series. The sheer scale of the fights, particularly involving the Hashira and Muzan Kibutsuji, makes it well-suited for a theatrical format. If Ufotable gives the arc the same level of care and effort they put into Mugen Train, these films could deliver an unforgettable anime experience and possibly even beat Mugen Train's records.
The success of the Infinity Castle movies will depend on how much effort Ufotable puts into making them feel like true films rather than just episodic content repackaged for theaters.
That being said, fans need to remain wary and not get their hopes too high. The success of the Infinity Castle movies will depend on how much effort Ufotable puts into making them feel like true films rather than just episodic content repackaged for theaters. If they follow the Mugen Train model, audiences will likely embrace them as must-watch experiences. However, if they lean too heavily on the recap format, the trilogy could end up as another disappointment.
Mugen Train sets an incredibly high standard for anime movies by delivering a fully realized cinematic experience that felt both important and unforgettable. Unfortunately, To the Swordsmith Village and To the Hashira Training failed to live up to that standard by offering little more than repackaged content with minimal new material thrown in at the very end to get people to go and see the films in theaters. While many went and saw those films, they did not get good reviews and were quickly forgotten after their anime counterparts were released a couple months later.
With the Infinity Castle trilogy, Ufotable has the opportunity to redeem the franchise’s theatrical releases. If they take the time to craft genuine films rather than quick cash-ins, Demon Slayer could once again dominate the box office and even break its own records, setting the standard for every other anime film even higher. However, if they repeat the mistakes of their recent releases, fans may lose interest in these so-called “movies” altogether. Only time will tell whether Demon Slayer's next big-screen outing will be another historic success, or just another mid-tier disappointment.
- Created by
- Koyoharu Gotouge
- First Film
- Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train
- First TV Show
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
- Latest TV Show
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
