Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train

• 1. The Train's Dark Heart

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  Tanjiro Kamado steps onto the Mugen Train with his sister Nezuko and friends Zenitsu Agatsuma and Inosuke Hashibira. They board to assist Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku against demons Enmu and Akaza. The atmosphere shifts when two demons appear, and Kyojuro kills them instantly. His power awes the group, but a deep sleep soon follows. This is the work of Enmu, Lower Rank One of Muzan's Twelve Kizuki. He instructs four insomniac passengers to enter their dreams and destroy spiritual cores for peaceful rest. Tanjiro reunites with his deceased family in this dream state. Kyojuro reminisces on his past with his brother and father. Zenitsu envisions a life with Nezuko while Inosuke imagines himself as a leader. The intruders fail to destroy their cores, yet Tanjiro realizes he is dreaming. A vision of his father instructs him to commit suicide. He abandons his family and wakes up when that command comes.

• 2. Dreams And Human Spirits

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  Nezuko uses her pyrokinetic Blood Demon Art to sever the intruders' connection to others. Angered at being denied their own dreams, they attack Tanjiro. He knocks them unconscious except one who refused to harm him despite suffering from tuberculosis. While Nezuko wakes the others, Tanjiro confronts and beheads Enmu. He reveals he has fused with the train and prepares to devour the passengers. Kyojuro instructs Inosuke and Tanjiro to cut Enmu's neck while he protects the passengers. They find it in the locomotive but are attacked by its defenses. A Blood Demon Art puts them to sleep. The conductor stabs Tanjiro in his stomach amidst the chaos. With his mask making him immune to Emnu's attacks, Inosuke exposes his vertebra. Tanjiro slashes it with his newfound Hinokami Kagura, killing Enmu and derailing the train. As Tanjiro attempts to recover from his wound, Kyojuro teaches him how to stabilize it with his breathing techniques. They then face Upper Rank Three Akaza, who tries to persuade Kyojuro into becoming a demon. Kyojuro refuses and fights Akaza, but cannot overcome his regeneration.

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• 3. The Final Breath

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  Akaza fatally injures Kyojuro by impaling his solar plexus after attempting his most powerful move as a last resort. Tanjiro and Inosuke look on helplessly. With his remaining strength, Kyojuro attempts to restrain Akaza until sunrise and sever his neck. Akaza breaks free and flees into a nearby forest. In desperation, Tanjiro throws his sword at Akaza and impales his chest, though the demon escapes. He breaks down, calling the demon a coward and declaring Kyojuro victorious for fulfilling his duty to keep everyone safe. In his last moments, Kyojuro tells Tanjiro to visit his family's estate to ascertain writings from the past Flame Hashiras. These may help him learn about his Hinokami Kagura. He encourages Tanjiro and his friends to continue on their paths to greater strength. He tells them to never give up in protecting others before succumbing to his injuries. He reunites with his mother in the afterlife. While Tanjiro and his friends mourn Kyojuro's death, the Hashira receive the news. Kagaya honors him for not letting anyone else die in his presence.

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• 4. Studio Ufotable And The Director

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  Yūma Takahashi, the producer of the anime series, indicated a desire to continue production of the series with the Ufotable Production Team. The sequel project was greenlit following the success of the television series. A film was determined to be the best format for the Mugen Train arc due to its shorter content and dramatic pacing. The main cast was made aware of the film project midway through the first season of the television series. The main production staff from the anime television series were carried over into the film's production. Haruo Sotozaki served as director, with Akira Matsushima and Manabu Kamino serving as animator and editor respectively. The film was announced on the 28th of September 2019, immediately following the airing of the anime series' season finale. The studio adapted the manga arc into a theatrical format following the success of the first anime season. This decision allowed them to maintain the high animation quality that defined the original show.

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• 5. Pandemic Release Strategy

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  The film premiered during the COVID-19 pandemic, opening in Japan on the 16th of October 2020, by Aniplex and Toho. Because other major releases had been delayed as a result of the pandemic, the number of available screens was higher than usual. The film opened in 403 cinemas total, including all 38 IMAX cinemas within the country. It had a very staggered international release, being released from as early as the 30th of October 2020, in Taiwan, to as late as the 13th of August 2021, in India. The theatrical release in China was delayed when a controversy surrounding the film Monster Hunter led Chinese censors to review some foreign films a second time. The box-office success was attributed to being released during a period of relative calm in the pandemic. Theaters were open but competition from other films was low. The protracted sequential release of the manga, anime and film allowed anticipation to build up over time.

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• 6. Box Office Records And Global Impact

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  The worldwide box office total for Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train is over $512.7 million from more than 41 million tickets sold. It became the highest-grossing film of 2020 as well as the highest-grossing anime and Japanese film of all time. It was the first time in cinema history that a non-Hollywood production topped the annual worldwide box office. It also became the highest-grossing R-rated animated film of all time, surpassing Sausage Party. Prior to its release in Japan, the film set monthly sales records for advance tickets sold for two consecutive months in September and October 2020. Upon release, it set several box office records including highest opening weekend gross and fastest to gross ten days, twenty-four days, and fifty-nine days. It became the first film to top the Japanese box office charts for ten consecutive weekends since the charts began publication in 2004. Ultimately, it remained in the top 10 for 32 weeks, the second-highest number of consecutive weeks in the Japanese charts behind Titanic's 40 weeks in the late 1990s.

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• 7. Critical Praise And Accolades

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  On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 98% of 49 critics' reviews are positive with an average rating of 7.8 out of 10. The site's critics consensus reads that Demon Slayer visually stunning animation and masterful action set pieces serve a heartfelt plot. According to Metacritic, which assigned a weighted average score of 72 out of 100 based on 10 critics, the film received generally favorable reviews. American audiences surveyed by PostTrak gave it a 92% positive score with 78% saying they would definitely recommend it. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train was one of the Jury Recommended works at the 25th Japan Media Arts Festival in 2022. Crunchyroll reviewer Daryl Harding praised the combination of 2D and 3D animation techniques, the music, and character writing. IndieWire reviewer David Ehrlich gave the film a C but praised its striking visuals and characters. By contrast, Anime News Network reviewer Kim Morrissy and Variety reviewer Peter Debruge compared the animation quality unfavourably to that of the TV series. The film won numerous awards including Animation of the Year at the 44th Japan Academy Film Prize.

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