In just eight days, something revolutionary is finally happening for me as an anime fan. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle is coming to my tiny little town’s movie theater. That may not seem like a big deal to most, but I have spent the majority of my life living in the backend of nowhere. Not having to travel to a city an hour or more away to see an anime movie in the theater is a rare bit of excitement I haven’t personally experienced before, so I am counting down the days.
After the major summer 2025 disappointment that was Jujutsu Kaisen: Hidden Inventory not playing in a single theater within 250 miles of me, I am fully prepared to take advantage of this rare opportunity to begin the final leg of Demon Slayer on the big screen. What’s even cooler is that I can watch it subtitled–in the theater! I hope it’s not too much to daydream they will have the collectible popcorn bucket, but I won’t despair if they don’t.
Anime Movies On the Big Screen Aren’t Exactly A Thing Where I Come From
Image: Aniplex/Crunchyroll
It’s probably hilarious to a lot of people that I’m this excited about going to see an anime movie in the theater, but man! Anime and manga were never overly present in my tiny little town. We didn’t entirely miss the boat, thanks to our local Walden Books back in the day and the eventuality of the internet making both anime and manga far more accessible, but the boat to my town didn’t exactly have a motor, either.
I fell in love with anime because I have a kid, and while trying to expand his culture in the early 2000s, Weekly Shonen Jump and Digimon were favorites in our household. It was my actually my son who introduced me to the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba anime. At first, we watched it together, talking about how brutal it was to watch, and how hopeful we were that it would not only continue airing new seasons, but that we would eventually see Tanjiro avenge his fallen family and help his little sister restore her humanity.
Over time, I remained invested, even after my son got bored waiting for the Demon Slayer anime to return and moved on. I went on to read Gotōge Koyoharu’s manga, losing myself in the art and the deftly blended comedy and tragedy of Tanjiro and Nezuko’s story. Tanjiro’s determination made the two of them even more endearing. As Inosuke and Zenitsu joined the picture, what originally felt like annoying idiosyncrasies became the most adorable characteristics among a cast of players I couldn’t help but root for from beginning to end.
The Emotional Nature of Demon Slayer Calls for A Big Screen Finale
As you can see, I have a ,minor Tengen and Rengoku obsession.
By the time Mugen Train began airing on Crunchyroll, I was beyond invested in the characters and their story. I cried when the Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku, died fighting Akaza, Upper Rank 3 of the Twelve Kizuki. I cried again during The Entertainment District arc, when Sound Hashira Tengen Uzui recalled the strength and determination of his fallen friend during the most critical battle of his life. Gyutaro nearly destroyed Tengen, and even though I knew he and his three wives would be okay, my heart broke all over again as he drew strength from Rengoku’s memory.
In the end, that’s the real reason I’m so excited to be seeing Infinity Castle in the theater. Demon Slayer’s dramatic conclusion is bound to be emotional, and it deserves the ceremony of a big screen. Since this is the first movie in a trilogy ending, I’m hoping there is a enough of a turnout to encourage my local theater to bring the other movies to town when the time comes.
A strong turnout could also potentially bring other anime movies to a small theater like mine. As noted above, I’m still really bitter about Jujutsu Kaisen: Hidden Inventory not playing at a single theater within 250 miles of me. Missing out on an opportunity to see my favorite anime come to life on a giant screen in surround sound still keeps me up at night, but, that’s a rant for another day.
Stay tuned for my upcoming review of Infinity Castle. In the meantime, let’s all discuss the incredibly powerful vampire, whose style obviously influenced future pop idol Michael Jackson. Or wait… could it be that Tanjiro and the Demon Slayer Corps didn’t actually defeat Muzan Kibutsuji after all?
