Yesterday I went to see the first of the three upcoming Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba. I will refer to the franchise as KNY) movies. I have read the manga (and I really enjoyed it. It and Fullmetal Alchemist are my top two favorite manga/comics I've read), so I was excited to see this part adapted. My expectations were sky-high, and I have been eager to write this review. I will avoid spoilers for the manga in this score, but I should note that knowing what comes next and what set-up is being done by this film makes me even more impressed.
Categories:
- Impact/Personal History (9): I fell for KNY due to a friend of mine who picked some of the characters (the Kamado Siblings) out to play in the Dimension Splash RPG. Those two heroic siblings quickly became pivotal in the story of Dsplash, making me much more invested in KNY as a show. I decided to read the manga (after seeing some spoilers and worrying the whole thing would be spoiled for me before the animated release), and it was a non-stop blast. I have been extremely attached to the story since then. I find it very emotionally resonant. It pushes a straightforward and good ideal of heroism and self-sacrifice, and I have found KNY to inspire me to be a better brother/man/person on plenty of occasions. With that being said, this film adapts what is probably my favorite fight in the manga: the final battle with Akaza. Akaza will definitely be the star of this review for me, ha.
- Presentation (10): This film blows every other action anime I have watched out of the water. The environments/lighting go so far and above what was necessary to convey the story. The animation and choreography are next-level. It is a beautifully colored film, too. I cannot stress enough how many good action sequences there are. The standouts are Shinobu's final all-out attack and Giyu's clash with Akaza after he gains the mark. The music for the film is top-notch. The sound design is exquisite. On top of this, the voice cast absolutely kill their roles. Doma is uncanny. Shinobu's rage is perfectly captured. Akaza and Tanjiro display unparalleled range. It is brilliant. Bottom line: the action sequences in this film are easily the best I've seen in... anything (acknowledging my bias towards 2D and 3D animation).
- World-Building (8): The world-building of KNY is interesting. Each major jump in strength gained by Tanjiro was actually pre-established. The way he figures out Akaza's compass is based on his previous experience listening to him and Rengoku converse (alongside a rather humorous exchange with Inosuke, which is inserted... slightly awkwardly). The invisible world was set up in the Swordsmith Village arc. I appreciate how many power-up mechanics in the story are introduced when they are not critical for victory (not the deciding factor). Tanjiro seeing the invisible world in the Swordsmith arc was not necessary for him to win. However, it was absolutely critical here. I also like the expansion of the lore of the Hinokami Kagura and Tanjiro's father in this film. As for interesting powers and abilities, Doma, Akaza, and the demon who is controlling the massive infinite palace are all exceptionally interesting and work as terrifying foes. Demon Slayer is not the most complex or nuanced world or power system, but it is rich enough to keep the story interesting and tense, and it does not feel derivative of any other stories I enjoy.
- Aesthetic (10): The aesthetic of the film balances beautiful colors and frightening, claustrophobic moments of darkness. KNY has exceptionally pretty character design, and it lets the main cast stand out very clearly. The breathing arts looked phenomenal in this film as well. The CGI is, broadly speaking, seamlessly integrated and looks exceptionally good.
- Protagonists (9): Shinobu is stellar in this film. Her determination to avenge her sister and overcome her own weakness is wonderful. It is very refreshing in 2025 to see a woman grapple with her small stature and to acknowledge her inferiority to the especially massive and burly men around her. And yet she doesn't allow that to stop her. Her grisly fate is not just the result of a quest for revenge; she wants to save others from losing the happiness she herself can never reclaim. Between her being strong, even though she is small and weak, and her selfless desire to protect the happiness of others, Shinobu shines. It was brutal to see her die. Zenitsu was also, perhaps surprisingly, very compelling. For the first time, he fights while awake. Tanjiro and Giyuu are also great together. Giyuu remains cool and powerful, but his eventual desperation makes him feel much more human. Tanjiro's character shines. He wants to yell down Akaza for his vile beliefs, he works hard to protect and save Giyuu, and he even refuses to sneak attack Akaza, defeating him in a beautiful and utterly fair strike. The other Hashira, for whatever segments they appear in, are also wonderfully characterized. I love seeing Muichiro's rage build, and I especially appreciated seeing Sanemi broken and in tears after losing his master. I feel awful for Kanao; her actress gives such a horrified scream upon seeing Shinobu's death... it stuck in my heart and won't leave.
- Antagonists (10): The only thing I like more than the writing for the heroes in this film is the writing for the villains. Each of the three major players is compelling, but I want to focus mostly on Doma and Akaza. Doma is incredibly uncomfortable. The sounds he is making when Shinobu enters the room made my skin crawl. The casual way he treats the fight makes him all the more despicable. It is also interesting to see him argue for a nihilistic, atheistic view of the world when KNY has shown the audience repeatedly that there is a spiritual element and an afterlife in this story. Doma is revolting and uncomfortable in a way that skyrockets the tension and makes you desperate to see him defeated. That being said, Akaza outshines him by a mile. I cannot believe this story made me care so much for the guy who killed Rengoku. His battle with Tanjiro is set up as Tanjiro's chance to avenge the death of his mentor, and it makes Akaza feel truly monstrous. He is evil. His view is evil. And then we reveal his backstory, and it explains so much about who he is. Everything becomes clear and utterly tragic. His hatred of weakness, both the moral weakness of those who destroyed his dearest loves and his own physical weakness and incapability to protect anything or anyone, has been twisted into a revulsion of anyone who is not powerful now that he is a demon. His death and defeat feel necessary and just. KNY is not letting him off the hook for all the horrible crimes he has committed, but his redemption and final act to voluntarily destroy himself and end his imprisonment to this senseless, worthless pursuit of strength when he has nothing left to protect was so impactful and uplifting. Akaza is probably my favorite villain I have seen in anything. Somehow, he loses none of his menace, threat, and presence while also being made deeply sympathetic. You want him to lose. You need him to lose. And while his final act doesn't justify him, it does allow him to redeem his character in his final moments. I dislike it when a story tries to make you feel bad for the destruction of something evil. We have a plethora of lame, sop-story, sympathetic villains who are just the heroes of their own story. Akaza is not this. We rejoice in his defeat while also being deeply saddened and moved by the human tragedy that created him, and breathe a sigh of relief to see him use his final action for good. In the end, the love of his wife was more powerful than the control of a primordial evil, and it was extremely beautiful.
- Themes/Depth (9): The themes of this film were actually very compelling. I love Shinobu's exploration of feeling weak and incapable of accomplishing what she so desperately needs to. I also like shifting pure anger and revenge into a more selfless desire to protect the fragile happiness of others. KNY also has a really nice pattern of emphasizing family and legacy. The flashbacks with Tanjiro's father did a good job continuing this. The exploration of masculinity in this film shines extremely bright. Tanjuro (Tanjiro's father) kills to protect his family, and it is a beautiful note to see Tanjiro realize his father was never the type of man to flaunt his strength. Akaza is also a crystal clear display of how masculinity can become destructive and evil. The strength of men, the power of violence, is not in and of itself good or evil. It exists for a purpose, to protect what is good and oppose what is evil. However, with the death of his wife, Akaza lost everything he had promised to protect. His strength was a pointless, horrible thing, and he spent hundreds of years vainly chasing it. I find that so compelling, especially when juxtaposed to Tanjiro, who has also grown so powerful over the course of the story for the purpose of healing his sister and protecting the world from the evil that destroyed his family. Giyuu himself was the one who brutally emphasized the importance of strength to Tanjiro when they first met. Seeing these three men clash and the end result being Akaza giving up on a pointless pursuit of power was extremely well handled. On top of this, I really like the exploration of redemption and being reborn seen in Akaza's backstory. It felt... honestly reminiscent of Christian truths.
- Uplifting (9): This movie is a tear-jerker, and I can't rank it a 10 because Muzan is still at large and Doma kills Shinobu in an awful way. However, Akaza ending his time in this story in the arms of his wife, Tanjiro avenging Rengoku, and Zenitsu being told by his Gramps that he is proud of him all felt extremely uplifting. Despite the sadness, Akaza's death is extremely cathartic.
- Tension (9): Doma killing Shinobu sets the stakes extremely quickly. It has been a long time since we lost a hero, and Shinobu was the second Hashira we saw and was extremely interconnected to many cast members. The way the final moments of the battle play out between Akaza and Giyuu/Tanjiro also felt claustrophobic and horrible. You could easily believe we were going to lose one of them (especially after Giyuu's Dead Calm fails). This story does not pull punches, and that leads to excellent tension!
- Pacing/Length (8): The film is LONG. Granted, I am glad nothing was cut. The action pacing is (nicely, in my opinion) broken up by slower moments of backstory, dialogue, or internal realizations. The flow of the three fights into each other also felt very natural, and it never felt like we were being yanked away from what I wanted to see. Some small flashbacks and explanations were a bit too slow (Inosuke's explaining how he feels killing-intent). Overall, the main thing to be aware of is that you will be sitting for 2 and a half hours for this film.
- Emotional Resonance (10): I feel like this film nailed this perfectly. I felt deeply sad at the tragic moments, uplifted and triumphant at victories, mortified and horrified at the evil of the villains and the defeat of Shinobu. I can't think of a single scene that failed to convey its intended emotion, and many scenes did so in a deeply impactful way.
- Destination Clarity (7): This category is hard to judge. I know where the manga ends. However, I imagine after the finale of the previous season of the anime, people probably expected a batttle with Muzan to be imminent. That does not happen at all, so I imagine that could be jarring. Still, the goal and direction are quite clear and emphasized well by the crows constantly hunting Muzan.
- Consistency (8): Overall, the film is incredibly consistent. I will note that there were some small sections where an art-style change felt slightly jarring. One notable sequence is when a fight becomes a set of (very dramatic and well-illustrated) stills. That sounds much worse than it is (for context, the amount of insane action shots in this movie blows anything else I've seen animated... so one small sequence of stills was the exception to an otherwise insanely visually complex and well executed film). Unlike other KNY projects, there were basically no moments when the humor undercut the tension or emotional beats. The film still had funny moments, but they were well placed.
Quality Notes:
I don't have much more to add. This film was amazing. With my new role as a husband, I found Akaza's story even more impactful than when I first read it. This film blew my expectations out of the water, and I eagerly await the next one.
It was nice to see Nezuko and for her AND Tanjiro to be given credit as cogs in a great wheel of history that is grinding against Muzan and his evil. She's my favorite character, so I was glad she wasn't completely absent. If you can catch this movie, I highly highly recommend it. I enjoyed it much more than the other films I've watched this year.
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