Spoiler Warning
This article contains spoilers of the new “Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle” movie. On Sept. 20, I went to see “Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle.”
I left the theater with my heart pounding, my head throbbing, and my eyes stuck in a widened, focused position. I had sat through 2.5 hours of hair-raising action, eye-blessing animation, tear-jerking conclusions, and surplus upon surplus of exposition and flashbacks. The film can be broken up into three parts: Shinobu vs Upper Moon 2 Douma, Zenitsu vs Upper Moon 6 Kaigaku, and Tanjiro and Giyu vs Upper Moon 3 Akaza. All three fights, despite knowing the outcome prior due to the manga, had me on the edge of my seat and audibly cheering on the Demon Slayers with the rest of my theater.
However brief the battle was, Insect Hashira Shinobu Kochō vs Upper Moon 2 Douma was a sight to behold. The action was fast-paced, showcasing Shinobu making up for lack of physical strength with her speed and precision. Douma is an unsettling, terrifying villain, especially with his polite and carefree attitude contrasting his cruel nature. Unfortunately, this fight was my least favorite of the three due to me being the least attached to the Insect Hashira, but her death after her efforts appearing to be in vain made me feel all the more ready to watch the demon get his comeuppance.
The electrifying battle between Zenitsu and Upper Moon 6 Kaigaku reaches the top of my list as my favorite battle. It was a battle between twin users of the Thunder Breathing style of swordfighting, one who only knew the First Form, and the other who could learn everything but the First. I stood up from my seat in the back of the theater to truly appreciate the battle before me, watching the normally shameless, cowardly Zenitsu flip a switch and lock in to battle his former rival-turned-demon. The backstory of the two added the emotion and motivation, and the energetic music of Zenitsu’s theme sewed the whole scene together, rising as Zenitsu unleashed the final blow from his very own Seventh Form: Flaming Thunder God to prove himself the superior of the two. Zenitsu had already been a favorite character of mine, solidifying his place as such for the rest of the series and settling this battle as my favorite. My only gripe was that his victory deserved to be announced to the other Demon Slayers, having taken on and soloed an Upper Ranked demon.
