DEMON SLAYER'S MOVIES, EXPLAINED

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is a massively popular anime and manga franchise, with the series being just as big, if not bigger, than the likes of One Piece and other brands. Like most major anime franchises, there have now been anime films for Demon Slayer. The first of these was a record-breaking event movie, and it contrasted most anime films in a crucial way.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba—The Movie: Mugen Train was a landmark film that made a killing at the box office, despite the harrowing real-life circumstances surrounding its release. Since then, there have been two other Demon Slayer movies, but they handled the material in different ways. Despite these changes, the franchise continues to slay other anime films in terms of financial hauls, cementing the brand at the top of the era's anime totem pole.

The First Demon Slayer Movie Hit the Box Office Like a Mugen Train

As the film's convoluted name suggests, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train adapts the "Mugen Train" story arc from the Demon Slayer manga by Koyoharu Gotouge, which was published from 2016 to 2020. The story involves series protagonist Tanjiro Kamado joining forces with the boar head-wearing Inosuke Hashibira and Zenitsu Agatsuma, the latter of whom wields an incredible power when he's asleep.

Together, they take a ride on the Infinity Train alongside Kyojuro Rengoku to defeat a powerful demon that's been wreaking havoc against anyone else who's tried to fight it. The story arc was spread across the 7th and 8th volumes of the Demon Slayer manga, and this status made the film stand apart from other anime films released for other franchises. Beforehand, it was common for anime films to ultimately not be canon with the events of the corresponding anime TV series or the manga source material.

This was regardless of the movies being released theatrically, with almost all of the Dragon Ball Z movies non-canon to show. The same is the case with other popular franchises such as Naruto and One Piece, making the movies into interesting side projects that don't have any actual bearing on the main story. With Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train, it outright adapts materia from the manga and takes place after the first season of the anime. In fact, the show's second season even began with a recap of the movie's events.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba—The Movie: Mugen Train was released in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, which was expected to massively derail the film's potential at the box office. Nevertheless, it ended up being the highest-grossing movie of the year, making over $500 million USD on a budget of just under $16 million USD. This was the first time that a non-American movie set this record, and it also broke several other similar records, namely those previously held by the Hayao Miyazaki film, Spirited Away. The success of the film around the world demonstrated that the Demon Slayer fanbase was a force to be reckoned with, and that the franchise as a whole was perhaps the biggest anime property in the world.

The Second Demon Slayer Movie Was a Compilation Film

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba—To the Swordsmith Village was the second film in the Demon Slayer franchise, and it was released in theaters three years after the landmark success of Mugen Train. Given how popular that movie proved to be, a follow-up of some sort only made sense. Nevertheless, there was a notable change with the second film compared to the first. To the Swordsmith Village wasn't a "theatrical-original" movie like Mugen Train was, and it was instead a compilation film that combined footage from the ending of the Demon Slayer anime's second season and the first episode of its third.

This might sound like a strange concept, but similar compilation movies are actually quite common when it comes to popular anime. For instance, the original Mobile Suit Gundam movie trilogy was merely an altered compilation of the classic 1979 series, with certain plot points removed or glossed over to provide the optimal iteration of the story. The movie fittingly adapts the "Swordsmith Village" story arc from the manga and anime series, with Tanjiro and his sister, Nezuko, traveling to the eponymous village in order for the former to get his sword repaired.

While there, they're forced to team up with Mitsuri Kanroji, Genya Shinazugawa, and Muichiro Tokito (the Love Hashira and Mist Hashira) to defend the town against the plots of two powerful demons. In terms of canonicity, it's again merely a compilation of footage that was already seen in the TV series. Thus, it can be watched in lieu of those episodes or skipped by those who've already seen them.

On the other hand, the movie version of Mugen Train is the best way to watch that arc transpire, as it has a higher, more cinematic quality than the TV retelling. Unlike its predecessor. To The Swordsmith Village only made around $56 million USD at the global box office, though this was likely a reflection of its compilation, retread status. Given that it was merely repackaging previous material, the box office profit is definitely much higher than any production costs.

The Newest Demon Slayer Movie Continues the Compilation Trend

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba—To the Hashira Training is the third Demon Slayer movie, but it's more like the second cinematic entry in the series than the first. Like To the Swordsmith Village, it's merely a compilation of events previously seen in the show, incorporating the season finale of Demon Slayer Season 3 and the otherwise unseen first episode of the upcoming fourth season of the show. Once again, the movie's name explains exactly what the story is about, with the story arc adapted coming after Muichiro and Mitsuri manifest their Demon Slayer Marks.

This sees the entire Demon Slayer Corps begin training, with their newfound power also giving them similar optimism. Released in February 2024 in both Japan and the US, To The Hashira Training made $44 million USD at the box office, which is a step-down from its predecessor and a dramatic decrease from the first movie. Again, this can be attributed to the movie being a mere compilation special that uses older footage and only offers a glimpse of an episode that's set to air later in the year, anyway.

Still, its box office haul is a more than respectable number, and given that it was made in the same vein as the preceding film, subsequent Demon Slayer movies will likely also be compilation projects. Mugen Train can currently be streamed through the Crunchyroll streaming service, with the Demon Slayer show itself on Crunchyroll, Hulu and Netflix. The compilation movies aren't available stream through these services, but their content is simply repackaged episodes of the show, anyway. Thus, the only Demon Slayer movie that fans need to specifically watch is Mugen Train, and even its events are retold in the anime. Thankfully for fans looking for more content, Season 4 of Demon Slayer is on its way to Crunchyroll.

2024-05-04T04:31:15Z dg43tfdfdgfd