2025 has been a landmark yr for anime, with numerous new and returning releases and a movie that dominated the worldwide field workplace, marking a historic second for the anime business. Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle delivered an intense, jaw-dropping spectacle, and its success proved anime’s rising affect and attain around the globe.
But, there’s one other movie launched shortly after the anime big. Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc has formally premiered in U.S. theaters and proves as soon as once more what anime storytelling is able to. The cinematic presentation and narrative strategy to the arc make it a must-watch movie that anime followers can’t afford to overlook out on.
Demon Slayer Is 2025’s Highest-Grossing Anime Movie
Since its debut in 2019, Demon Slayer has grown from a brand new technology shōnen title to certainly one of anime’s most defining franchises. Because the starting, the storyline has steadily expanded in scale and cinematic scope, creating an unforgettable, thrilling expertise for followers around the globe. Now that Infinity Fort has been launched, the sequence has been a world box-office hit.
Launched in Japan on July 18, 2025, the movie, solely the primary in a trilogy, has damaged a number of data. In Japan, it achieved the very best single-day opening gross in historical past, the very best opening day and opening weekend, the quickest movie to earn over 10 billion yen, and have become the highest-grossing Japanese movie worldwide.
Inside weeks, Infinity Castle overtook Mugen Train to become the highest-grossing anime film ever, incomes greater than $600 million worldwide. In North America, the movie broke extra data, together with the most important opening weekend for an anime movie in North America. It turned the highest-grossing worldwide movie in the US.
Many consider that the momentum will proceed with the movie’s Chinese language launch slated for November 14, 2025, propelling it to turn into the primary anime movie to strategy or surpass the billion-dollar threshold. Nonetheless, even when it doesn’t attain that milestone, its impression and achievements are simple, historic, and legendary. Infinity Fort has redefined what anime is able to.
Demon Slayer: Infinity Fort Was Phenomenal, however One Factor Holds It Again
Infinity Fort stands as Demon Slayer’s crowning achievement and most bold arc but. Visually, it pushes boundaries and units a brand new normal for animation, with fluid choreography and gorgeous backgrounds that improve viewers’ expertise. The movie delivers on expectations via its emotional exploration of its characters, reminding audiences that tragedy sits on the coronary heart of each battle.
That is still one of many sequence’ biggest strengths and heightens the expertise because the movie explores Shinobu’s lingering ache and grief, the stress between Zenitsu and Kaigaku, and at last, Akaza’s tragic previous. These moments in Infinity Fort reinforce the story’s themes of perseverance and compassion, guaranteeing that the story stays loyal to its roots.
Regardless of the impression these backstories supply, the best way during which it was dealt with felt as in the event that they have been halting the movie’s momentum.
Nonetheless, those self same strengths have additionally given rise to the movie’s biggest and most talked-about flaw. Infinity Castle’s pacing is often staggered, with its high-stakes motion typically interrupted by flashbacks and emotional reveals. Regardless of the impression these backstories supply, the best way during which it was dealt with felt as in the event that they have been halting the movie’s momentum.
The end result led to a storyline that turned contemplative when it ought to have felt intense and accelerated. Akaza’s flashback, specifically, might need been a masterful storytelling second, providing viewers a deeper understanding of his character. Nonetheless, its placement through the movie’s climactic battle divided audiences. Some noticed the pause as essential, whereas others felt it disrupted the movie’s rhythm.
Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc Surpassed Expectations
On the heels of Demon Slayer’s explosive success, Chainsaw Man returned in 2025 with The Movie: Reze Arc, adapting one of many manga’s most beloved storylines. Launched in Japan in September and within the U.S. a month later, the movie carried immense anticipation. Suffice to say that expectations weren’t solely met, however additional redefined what anime storytelling might obtain.
Going down shortly after season one, initially launched in 2022, the movie introduces Reze, a captivating café employee who shortly types an in depth bond with Denji. Their connection naturally grows, grounded in quiet, heat moments in addition to moments of shared pleasure and understanding. Nonetheless, when Reze’s true identification because the Bomb Satan is revealed, their blossoming romance turns tragic.
Directed by Tatsuya Yoshihara and animated by MAPPA, Reze Arc delivered a number of the most stunning and cinematic anime experiences but. The motion choreography is crisp, the pacing tight, and the emotional journey of the characters makes the movie a straightforward 10/10. Every sequence, from the course to the sound design, was fastidiously crafted to evoke emotion within the viewers.
Critics and followers alike have praised the movie for its steadiness of chaos and tenderness between the 2 leads. It captures Chainsaw Man’s trademark absurdity and crude humor whereas deepening the emotional stakes and character arcs. Reze Arc gives deeper perception into Denji’s journey, leaving viewers on the sting of their seats, desirous to see what comes subsequent.
The Reze Arc Achieved What Demon Slayer Didn’t
Whereas Infinity Fort stumbled underneath the load of its scale via inconsistent pacing, Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc thrived with its theatrical release. Compared to Demon Slayer, its pacing was constant, by no means felt prefer it was dragging the storyline, and allowed the narrative’s emotional beats to breathe with out sacrificing momentum.
Each scene felt purposeful and interesting, guiding Denji and Reze’s story towards an inevitable heartbreak. The movie’s emotional undercurrent by no means felt suffocating or overshadowed the motion sequences. As a substitute, it enhanced them, permitting the quieter moments to put the groundwork for the tense battles. That steadiness permits the narrative to movement naturally, rewarding viewers with an emotional payoff.
Past pacing, Reze Arc’s character exploration outshines expectations. Denji’s craving for connection and Reze’s tenderness really feel well-developed and explored within the movie. When their arcs got here collectively, it supplied perception, drove battle, and eventually led to a heartbreaking emotional resolution. By exploring the intimacy between Denji and Reze earlier than the violence escalates, the story successfully enhances the tragedy that follows.
The movie’s finale ties each thread along with a melancholic, haunting finish that stays true to Chainsaw Man’s ambitions. Whereas Demon Slayer has record-breaking success and a bigger world fan base, Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc supplied a stronger expertise. By means of its depth, pacing, and character exploration, Reze Arc stands out as the very best anime movie of 2025.
