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Demon Slayer Won’t Be Anime’s Greatest Movie Ever for Much Longer

November 29, 2025

Demon Slayerhas set the tone for how successful anime movies can be at the box office. The franchise’s most recent film, Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Part One: Akaza Returns became the highest-grossing Japanese film ever, overtaking hit movies like Spirited Away, Your Name, and many more.

The highest-grossing Japanese film before Infinity Castle was none other than Mugen Train, another film from the Demon Slayer universe. There has never been another anime franchise as successful at the box office as Demon Slayer, and there might be only one franchise capable of dethroning it once and for all.

Solo Levelingis the undisputed king of anime when it comes to a traditional season. Sure, nothing has stopped Demon Slayer from dominating movies, but that might only be because Solo Leveling hasn’t released a movie yet.

Demon Slayer Showed How Great Anime Movies Can Be

It’s a Record-Breaking Franchise for a Reason

Even the biggest fans of Demon Slayer couldn’t have predicted how successful it would become. It’s already one of the best modern-day shōnen series, but its box office success took the franchise to a completely different level.

Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle was more of a cultural phenomenon than a movie. The film had fans dressed like their favorite Demon Slayers (or Demons), showing just how deeply the franchise connects with audiences.

The film itself was a massive success, selling out screenings in Japan and the West alike. Anime films have always done fairly well in America, but they’ve never dominated quite like Demon Slayer. With two more films scheduled to be released over the next few years, it looks like Demon Slayer will only become more successful from here.

Now, Every Anime Franchise Wants a Movie

Chainsaw Man, The Apothecary Diaries, and Plenty More

Denji holding a flower and sticking his tongue out in Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc.

Demon Slayer changed anime significantly. For the better part of the last 20 years, anime movies have been one-offs. Movies like Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, or Suzume are stories told within the confines of a single movie. Demon Slayer proved that a new formula may work even better than the last.

Demon Slayer animated a key part of its franchise, the beginning of one of the final arcs. It forced anime watchers into the theaters if they wanted to see more of Tanjiro and the rest of the Demon Slayers. By creating a movie after already creating a stellar anime series, it made sure that plenty would flock to see the film.

Because of Demon Slayer’s success, every anime franchise wants to have a movie. From hit shōnen franchises like Chainsaw Man and Haikyu!!, to lovable series like The Apothecary Diaries, there will be no shortage of anime movies for the next decade, at least.

While there have already been a ton of top-tier anime films, the most notable being Chainsaw Man the Movie: Reze Arc, one franchise has quietly been planning its next move, and it may be the only franchise with enough hype to dethrone the dominating Demon Slayer once and for all.

Solo Leveling Could Dethrone Demon Slayer

It’s the Only Anime Franchise with a Chance at the Throne

Solo Leveling Best Crunchyroll Anime of the Year — Jinwoo locking eyes with Beru as he has his biggest battle in Solo Leveling season 2, episode #12.

There hasn’t been an anime series as big as Solo Leveling since Attack on Titan over a decade ago. It’s no overexaggeration to say that Solo Leveling is adding even more life to anime, creating an even bigger fan base than ever before.

If Demon Slayer is the king of movies, Solo Leveling is the king of seasonal anime. Solo Leveling has broken an absurd number of records in just two seasons, proving that it’s created a magnificent level of hype that won’t slow down any time soon.

Solo Leveling’s second season was, somehow, even more successful than the first, so why wasn’t a third season immediately announced? While there’s no definite answer, one possible explanation stands out: Solo Leveling is planning on creating a movie.

It’s debatable whether or not Solo Leveling should even make a movie, but one thing is certain: this franchise is one of the few that can take Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle’s number one spot as the biggest anime film of all time.

For Better or Worse, the Future of Anime Is in the Movie Theaters

And Solo Leveling Might Become the King

Demon Slayer is a massive franchise, making Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle the highest-grossing Japanese film ever made. In retrospect, however, it’s clear to see that Infinity Castle was created as a means of making money, not necessarily as an artistic endeavor.

Infinity Castle didn’t work as a movie. It was too long, featured too many flashbacks for a film (an aspect that would’ve worked perfectly for a seasonal anime), and didn’t utilize the fact that it was in the movie theaters enough.

Solo Leveling, like almost every other anime franchise, seems like it’s headed to the box office. It wants to cash in on some of the success and popularity that Demon Slayer has created for anime films. A third season may be replaced by a movie, cementing Demon Slayer’s influence on the medium at large.

If/when Solo Leveling comes out with a movie, there’s a good chance it takes the top spot. There isn’t another franchise with as much hype around it as Solo Leveling, and even the Demon Slayerswon’t be able to compete with Sung Jinwoo and his legion of Shadows.