Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – To the Swordsmith Village

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – To the Swordsmith Village (To the swordsman village): the film event for all fans of the homonymous manga by Koyoharu Gotouge and its anime transposition.

This animated film, directed by Haruo Sotozaki and produced by Ufotable in collaboration with Aniplex and Shueisha, was released on February 3, 2023 in Japan and made its international debut in March of the same year.

The film is the direct sequel to the second season of the anime and the second film adaptation, titled Demon Slayer – The Mugen Train (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train) (2020). However, unlike the latter, To the Swordsmith Village was not created specifically for the big screen, but is presented as a sort of collection of clips from the television series.

The film focuses in particular on the events narrated in the "Entertainment District" and "Swordsmith Village" arcs of the original manga, enclosing the finale of the second season and the first episode of the third season, not yet broadcast on TV at the time of release of the film.

The story follows the adventures of the young Tanjirou Kamado, protagonist of the series, and his traveling companions. In particular, To the Swordsmith Village delves into the aspect of swordsmiths, whose mastery of blade forging represents a fundamental element of the plot.

In fact, the group of heroes, having arrived in a village of swordsmiths, must face a new dangerous opponent and try to defeat him, making use of their skills acquired during their growth and training journey.

Since its debut, the film has received great critical and commercial acclaim, thanks to its extraordinary action sequences, the quality of the animation and the strength of its storytelling.

The film has already grossed over 56 million dollars worldwide, confirming itself as one of the most anticipated and appreciated animated films of recent years. If you are a fan of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, you cannot miss this new adventure that will leave you breathless.

History

Fighting demons has always been difficult, but Kimetsu no Yaiba's team of demon hunters never gives up. In episode 19 of the second season, Tanjiro Kamado, Zenitsu Agatsuma and Inosuke Hashibira assist the sound Hashira Tengen Uzui in the fight against the demon brothers Gyutaro and Daki, who hold the Upper Six position of the Twelve Kizuki.

The battle is fierce and our heroes realize that the only way to kill the brothers is to decapitate them simultaneously. Thus, the trio coordinate their attacks to decapitate Daki. But Tengen is badly wounded by Gyutaro, who then stabs Inosuke in the back with poison to recover her sister's head. Zenitsu pushes Tanjiro off the roof to save him from Daki's obi belts, just as Gyutaro arrives to taunt Tanjiro for his failure to save his friends. Gyutaro tries to get Tanjiro to turn into a demon, but Tanjiro butts him with his head, secretly stabbing him with a poisoned kunai. Gyutaro is immobilized and Tanjiro tries to decapitate him. Before Daki can intervene, she is attacked by Zenitsu, who uses the last of her strength to reach for her neck while Inosuke joins him, having survived moving her internal organs after being stabbed.

Gyutaro removes the kunai and recovers. He is about to kill Tanjiro, but Tengen steps in and fights him. Tanjiro summons all of his strength and cuts Gyutaro's neck, while Zenitsu and Inosuke cut through Daki's. Together, the demon hunters decapitate the brothers, whose heads roll close to each other. Tengen warns a badly poisoned Tanjiro to flee, just as Gyutaro's body explodes in waves of blood blades that destroy the entire city. However, Tanjiro's demonic sister Nezuko uses her Blood Demon Art to burn the blades and save her brother from the poison. She also burns Gyutaro's poison from Inosuke and Tengen, saving their lives. Tanjiro finds a dying Gyutaro and Daki arguing over their defeat and insulting their relationship. Tanjiro intervenes, prompting them to make peace with each other just as Daki disintegrates first, while Gyutaro reminisces about their human lives before they were turned into demons as he disintegrates. In the afterlife, Gyutaro and Daki are reconciled, remembering their promise never to be separated again before walking through hell together.

Technical data

Regia Haruo Sotozaki
Written by UFO table
Basato su Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba by Koyoharu Gotouge
Production Akifumi Fujio, Masanori Miyake, Yuma Takahashi
Music Yuki Kajiura, Go Shiina

Animation studio UFO table
Distribution Toho, Aniplex
Exit date February 3, 2023 (Japan)
Duration 110 minutes
Country Japan
Language Japanese
Box office $ 56,1 million