“Demon Slayer” is one of the strangest anime phenomena of the modern era. The manga, created by Koyoharu Gotoge, wasn’t exactly a hit when it first debuted in the pages of Weekly Shōnen Jump, and the anime adaptation by ufotable wasn’t exactly a must-watch when it first premiered. And yet, both quickly rose to become not only hits, but proper anime juggernauts.
Toward the end of the first season, this was the anime to watch, and fans rushed to read the manga and find out where the story would go, making it a bona fide hit in its later years before the manga ended (rather quickly for a story like this) in 2020. That same year brought proof of the mainstream success and popularity of “Demon Slayer” when its first movie, “Mugen Train,” became one of the highest-grossing films worldwide and kept cinemas alive during the early days of the pandemic. Since then, “Demon Slayer” has continued to release movies and make serious bank at the box office with each new release.
Most of these releases have been special screenings — essentially just a compilation of episodes already aired on TV and a preview of the next season’s premiere. But that was before. Now, “Demon Slayer” is nearing the end of its run and, to tell the epic conclusion of the story of Tanjiro Kamado and the fight against the demon king Muzan Kibutsuji, we’re getting not just one but a whole trilogy of movies.
In case you don’t have time to rewatch the entire show before you watch “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle,” here is everything you need to remember about the “Demon Slayer” franchise.
The world of Demon Slayers is one of demonic horrors
The main antagonist of “Demon Slayer” is Muzan Kibutsuji, who was once a man but was turned into a demon by a doctor trying to cure him of a serious illness. The treatment make Muzan nearly indestructible, but also made him a monster that feeds on human flesh and blood. Terrified by the prospect of a mere ray of sunshine killing him instantly, Muzan spent the next millennium killing thousands while also turning other humans into demons, hoping one of them might one day solve the sunlight problem. Other than sunlight, demons can also be killed by chopping their head off (except for the strongest of demons, who are somehow immune to this and can grow their head back).
The Demon Slayer Corps was created to protect humanity from these demons. Muzan, in response, created his own legion of super demons. The Twelve Kizuki (or the Twelve Demon Moons) is a group of the 12 strongest demons in existence, divided between the Upper Six and the Lower Six, who report directly to Muzan and have been given a larger portion of Muzan’s blood to make them stronger. This also gave each of them a Blood Demon Art, a special supernatural ability (one of many elements of “Demon Slayer” that is inspired by the classic “Inuyasha”).
Muzan is obsessed with finding a mythical flower that was used in the treatment that turned him into a demon. The flower is said to be able to allow Muzan to walk in the sunlight again and be truly immortal.
Then we have Nezuko, Tanjiro’s sister, who was turned into a demon. Nezuko has a Blood Demon Art that allows her to combust her blood at will and turn it into flames that can hurt demons. Most importantly, however, it was revealed in season 3 that Nezuko is actually immune to sunlight, the very first demon with that ability. Because of this, Muzan is hellbent on finding and absorbing Nezuko to gain her ability.
Slaying for a living
When his sister was turned into a demon and the rest of his family slaughtered, young Tanjiro Kamado decided to join the Demon Slayer Corps in order to fight against demons and hopefully find a cure for his sister’s condition. The Corps was created a thousand years ago by the Ubuyashiki family to fight the demons they themselves created — Muzan was once part of the family, and in punishment for one of their own becoming the first demon, the family was cursed to never live past the age of 30.
The Corps are a faction of warriors dedicated to hunting down demons, wielding special swords that absorb sunlight and can permanently kill demons (who would otherwise regenerate if sliced with another weapon). The strongest of the Demon Slayers are called the Hashira, each a master of a unique breathing style (more on that later), which some Hashira even create themselves.
The current Hashira are: Giyu Tomioka, who serves as the Water Hashira, Mitsuri Kanroji, who serves as the Love Hashira, Obanai Iguro as the Serpent Hashira, Sanemi Shinazugawa as the Wind Hashira, Gyomei Himejima as the Stone Hashira, Muichiro Tokito as the Mist Hashira, and Shinobu Kocho as the Insect Hashira. Kanae Kocho used to be the Flower Hashira before being killed by a demon. Likewise, a major storyline in the “Mugen Train” movie was the former Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku, saving Tanjiro from the Upper Rank Three demon, Akaza, and dying during the fight. This was a pivotal moment for Tanjiro, who saw someone die in front of him and failed to avenge his death before Akaza ran away.
The Demon Slayer Corps was previously led by Kagaya Ubuyashiki, a frail young man who died at the end of season 4, sacrificing himself in a failed attempt to destroy Muzan. He is now succeeded by his son Kiriya.
There’s a lot of breathing in Demon Slayer
Every action shonen anime, whether it’s “Demon Slayer,” “Dragon Ball” or “My Hero Academia,” has a power set, with different characters having different abilities that they can train and improve in order to achieve new heights. In the case of “Demon Slayer,” we have breathing styles.
These were introduced to the Demon Slayer Corps a couple of centuries ago, and allow the user to enhance their physical abilities by accelerating blood flow and heartbeat. This gives the Demon Slayer warriors skills and strength that put them on the same level as demons, and is the key to their survival when encountering one.
Each Hashira masters a particular breathing style. The first breathing style ever created was Sun Breathing, from which every other style is derived. Tanjiro, for example, comes from a family that practiced Sun Breathing (known amongst them as Hinokami Kagura, or “Dance of the Fire God”), which gives him extraordinary abilities when fighting demons.
All-out war is approaching
Most of season 4 dealt with the Demon Slayer Corps pushing for one final training session to awaken the markings that Tanjiro has, which greatly boost their strength. In that season, one of Tanjiro’s closest allies, Zenitsu, received an ominous letter that shook him and led to a severe change in his demeanor. He is no longer a comic relief character, but a reliable warrior in the upcoming fight.
Speaking of that fight, Kagaya Ubuyashiki set a suicidal trap for Muzan, who had figured out where the leader of the corps lived. Unfortunately, even the combination of a massive explosion, a drug that could turn Muzan back into a human, and a good sword slash to the neck was not enough to kill the demon king, who regenerated quickly. The progenitor of demon-kind unleashed hell upon the Demon Slayer Corps and teleported all the warriors in the vicinity to his own Infinity Castle — a pocket universe where demons live, which extends infinitely and morphs at Muzan’s will. Now, the slayers are outnumbered and scattered as they face the ultimate evil.
For Tanjiro, the fight against Muzan and his hordes will be even harder because he can’t count on the help of his sister, Nezuko. Because Muzan is now focusing all his forces on finding Nezuko and gaining her sunlight immunity, she has been hidden from the demons. While Tanjiro and the others fight the king of demons, Nezuko is being taken care of by a benevolent demon doctor who is allies with the corps and is treating Nezuko to try and turn her into a human again.
Fans should also remember that officially, this is the end of “Demon Slayer” on TV, with season 4 acting as the final season. The rest of the story is being adapted exclusively in theatrical feature films, starting with “Infinity Castle.”
