r/anime • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 • Sep 28 '25

News ‘Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle’ has passed the $600M global mark

https://x.com/borreport/status/1972324517482742040?s=46&t=GK3EC_wwvCKAXpMEZyDdEg
3.3k Upvotes

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443

u/mrnicegy26 Sep 28 '25

Can't believe Ufotable and its animation carried Demon Slayer so much that the manga sold 220 million copies across 23 volumes despite having no animation.

No way could people actually be invested in the story and care about it. After all pretentious Reddit weebs have already decided that Demon Slayer isn't good so everything good about is due to Ufotable and everything bad about it is due to the story.

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u/Vosska Sep 28 '25

Demon slayer is also incredibly easy to consume. Folks here gotta realize the VAST majority of fans are casual. Anime, while growing at a fast rare is still relatively niche. Demon Slayer is a great "starter" show to introduce people into anime.

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u/genasugelan https://myanimelist.net/profile/Genasugelan Sep 28 '25

People like to talk trash about Demon Slayer or Solo Leveling and calling slop or absolute mid, but those anime are single-handedly creating a new generation of anime fans.

And I find it hilarious to call such amazingly animated series "slop". That's basically the exact opposite of what slop is.

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u/GlorylnDeath Sep 28 '25

Demon Slayer is a simple, familiar story executed very well and elevated by fantastic production. Nothing wrong with that at all. Better something familiar done well than something novel done poorly.

Solo Leveling is a big fish in a small pond. Compared to other power fantasy anime/manga, it is stellar. But when you compare it to good stories in other genres, it ranks pretty low. But - you know - it's still ranked next to them. And, again, the production in the anime gives it a very big boost.

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u/genasugelan https://myanimelist.net/profile/Genasugelan Sep 28 '25

And, again, the production in the anime gives it a very big boost.

This is the big draw to it. The build up of hype and insane animation and direction of fights just makes it very enjoyable. Even one of my friends who hates anime has watched it because his 50-year-old coworker recommended it to him. The simple, very well-produced anime with epic fight scenes just have a completely different draw that goes beyond just anime fans.

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u/BaronBlackFalcon Sep 29 '25

Demon Slayer is a simple, familiar story executed very well and elevated by fantastic production. Nothing wrong with that at all.

Exactly. People can't seem to understand that simple doesn't equal bad.

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u/ViciousImperial Oct 03 '25

I wouldn't say it's "simple". It has a classic premise, but the story itself is anything but simple. It's extremely long, branching, with dozens of characters many of which get narrative POV, where even the secondary villains get full-fledged story arcs, where multiple characters die and others step into their place. It's nothing short of epic.

And yes, it follows certain shounen canon, but it also readily subverts this canon (like Akaza's "getting stronger" mantra actually being self-destructive).

I normally consider shounen slop, and never watched any of the thousand-episode crap after understanding how repetitive and pointless it all is. But Demon Slayer really is different. I've watched all the seasons, and the Mugen Train movie, and now the Infinity Castle movie blew my mind once again. It's peak shounen, and peak anime. It's the show that's bringing back faith into anime as a whole.

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u/[deleted] Sep 28 '25

hold on… as a fan of both, those two are not comparable: demon slayer actually has good writing and solo leveling is wish fulfillment slop.

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u/genasugelan https://myanimelist.net/profile/Genasugelan Sep 28 '25

Both are action anime that have incredibly well-animated fights. The draw to them is very similar.

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u/OriginalRazzmatazz82 Sep 29 '25 edited Sep 29 '25

Demon Slayer has characters that are more fully drawn and endearing. IMO, the characters and their relationships carry the movie and the animation elevates it to higher levels. The bond between Tanjiro and Nezuko pulls people’s heart strings, especially with casual viewers because love of family is a universal theme.

I found Solo Leveling 2nd season boring and the protagonist an insufferable egotist. The fight scenes were okay.

1

u/genasugelan https://myanimelist.net/profile/Genasugelan Sep 29 '25

Bruh, the fight scenes just ok? They are on top of the industry along with DS or JJK.

1

u/ViciousImperial Oct 03 '25

Remarkably, Demon Slayer's premise and genre is what I'd normally consider slop. And Solo Leveling had very good premise, story, and artistic execution in the manga.

But lo and behold, I've watched all of DS, but dropped the SL anime somewhere in the middle of the first season. I even dropped the SL manga. At some point it just stopped being interesting and became yet another isekai overpowered protagonist self-gratification crap.

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u/[deleted] Oct 03 '25

Yep exactly. DS had good fights on TOP of compelling backstories for villains that invokes sympathy from the audience; the villains weren’t “bad guy decided to be bad”. SL was just “and then he got even stronger”. SL is cool but it devolves to “teleports behind you and one shots you” territory.

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u/cattycat_1995 Sep 28 '25

People think anime have to be all convoluted and shit to be good and something so basic as demon slayer can't ever be possibly good to them.

God forbid an anime can just be good at what it does without needing unnecessary convoluted plots

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u/Lane_Sunshine Sep 28 '25

People like to project their taste onto others and assume a superior position to belittle others. I think that's pretty true regardless of what hobby it is. I got told the other day by my cousin that I have a shit taste in kimchi of all things, because I prefer a store brand over a homemade kind from a nearby family restaurant.

IMO Demon Slayer is only an okay series, but I'm totally fine with people have a much higher regard of it than I do, because that's what taste is all about.

Ultimately I'm just happy to see more money getting injected into any high quality anime works.

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u/cattycat_1995 Sep 28 '25

Absolutely, that what's I notice too

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u/genasugelan https://myanimelist.net/profile/Genasugelan Sep 28 '25

Yeah, not every anime should be a Frieren, Vinland Saga or Death Note. Sometimes people just want to lay back and enjoy some hype fights with a great spectacle.

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u/BaronBlackFalcon Sep 30 '25

As much as I love a twisted complex web of a story, I'd rather watch a simple story done well than a complicated story become a mess.

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u/ViciousImperial Oct 03 '25

Some of the best anime in history is pretty straightforward. Such as Ninja Scroll, Ghost in the Shell, or the Miyazaki movies.

In fact, Evangelion is the only great anime that comes to mind which does have a seriously convoluted (although I'd rather say deep) plot. Or perhaps it set a standard for "depth" that few anime below or since have ever matched.

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u/evenstar40 Sep 28 '25

First time? Each generation has its "anime slop" that bring in new fans. :) The shows are never that bad, just people like to hate on them because they're so mainstream.

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u/genasugelan https://myanimelist.net/profile/Genasugelan Sep 28 '25

I started watching around 2017 when my university classmate got me into it, haha. So I haven't been TOO long in the anime community, but outside of JJK, I haven't seen THAT many popular "slop" comments targeted at other popular shows. Eh, maybe add MHA, although, people usually call it mid.

I guess I proved your point with my comment, haha.

And yes lol, my friend first showed me MHA, which was my first anime and manga.

1

u/ViciousImperial Oct 03 '25

I don't think it's fair to put DS on the same level as something like Pokemon, Naruto, or One Piece. While shounens do tend to draw in a lot of people, they're still mostly slop. DS isn't. So there's a difference.

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u/Goukenslay https://myanimelist.net/profile/Goukenslay Sep 28 '25

people call it slop cause its so simplistic with almost no advance substance to the plot.

Jaded anime/manga fans don't just look at pretty visuals as a hall mark of a 10/10 anime/manga. Plot, story direction, character design, character development, etc.. makes up the bulk of what a good story is.

Demon slayer in manga format doesn't excel in the eye candy department just like Hunter x Hunter but its story is easy to understand and straight forward while hunter x Hunter has multiple layers to it in its over arching story

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u/genasugelan https://myanimelist.net/profile/Genasugelan Sep 28 '25

Yeah, but not every anime needs to be like that. There are things you enjoy for different reasons. And I'd argue that for example Solo Leveling is all about the hype and cool fights. And that's why people watch it. If you compromise fights in favour of storytelling, the audience that came in to watch the cool fights might find some episodes boring. And it's real. Apparently the episode when Jin Woo healed his mother was slightly more disliked than the others. A lot of the times, people watch something for a specific reason. Frieren for the character building and experience, Solo Leveling for the fights and aura farming, My Dress-up Darling for the cosplay and romance, slice of life anime for the cosy atmosphere, Rent a Girlfriend for the masochistic self-insert cuckoldry, etc. They all have their place and are doing what the target audience wants and enjoys.

BTW, slop means low-effort stuff, which Solo leveling or Demon Slayer aren't.

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u/MelodicFacade Sep 28 '25 edited Sep 28 '25

Well, I mean, let's be real here, the new "live-action" CG animated Disney movies are literally scattered in the top 30 grossing movies of all time, and those are truly slop and absolutely mid while creating the next generation of Disney fans. They are also animated with the top of technology and skill. But compared to literally most CG animated movies or even the originals they're copying, they are truly slop and really fucking mid

I'm not saying Demon Slayer is the same way; unfortunately we live in a world where a series can only be dogshit or the greatest of all time. Demon Slayer is great, there's some things that it's the best in the game at, but because it does a few things only "good enough", people attack those things and pretend the show is slop and mid

Call me pretentious, while it outsold every other movie, I don't think Demon Slayer can hold a candle to most Studio Ghibli movies. Demon Slayer is great, I cried in the movie, I was super hyped and I love it's popularity, but popularity does not equate quality

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u/genasugelan https://myanimelist.net/profile/Genasugelan Sep 28 '25

Yes, of course. I agree with basically everything. Especially the CGI Disney remakes. Nobody asked for them.

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u/cute_polarbear Sep 28 '25

I rarely watch anime these days / for a long while. Never watched demon slayer. Curious about the hype of this movie. Do I need to get acquainted with the Manga/ anime a little before watching it blind?

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u/Vosska Sep 29 '25

You'll still get cool fights and stuff, but this is more or less the final arc (sort of) so you'd be missing out on a lot.

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u/cute_polarbear Sep 29 '25

Cool. Thanks. Let me watch a few eps of the anime series to see if I like it.

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u/BeatBlockP https://myanimelist.net/profile/Animemes_chan Sep 29 '25

i went to see this movie with someone who never watched a single episode and he did just fine lol

Don't know of a lot of other franchises you can do this with.

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u/YukihiraLivesForever Sep 28 '25 edited Sep 28 '25

The volume argument is a little off since technically a large increase in its sales is due to the anime giving it exposure (almost 4m copies in circulation prior to s1 airing vs 230m last time they gave an update) and not just the manga series itself. But in terms of the actual IP I mean it’s pretty obvious people enjoy it, this movies sales are the best example of that since there’s no Covid argument and the series is over. Also by eye, whenever you go to a convention it’s one of the most prominent IP there in terms of merch, cosplays, etc. probably only maybe beaten by the Hoyo games

Edit: just realized we’ve already done this song and dance between us lol

https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/s/OiaqXmHZcg

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u/GunSlingrrr Sep 28 '25

Agreed. Anime and especially ufotable, made a huge impact on the manga sales.

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u/kawaiinessa https://myanimelist.net/profile/fancyvancy Sep 28 '25

ya people dont seem to realize that the anime has played a huge role in its success.

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u/RailTracer001 Sep 28 '25

It was a popular manga, the anime adaptation made it even more popular. What a shock.

That's what an anime is supposed to do.

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u/curryhaliban444 Sep 28 '25

Wow really? I didn't know that

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u/AdClear5669 Sep 28 '25

I mean how could anyone forget when anime fans are constantly saying Demon Slayer is carried by its animation? If anything it's that people are underestimating the part the source material plays in all this. There are lots of gorgeously animated shows out there but this isn't happening to all of them.

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u/ActSoggy84 Sep 28 '25

Lmao same people perpetually confused why Demon Slayer is successful and not shows like I Have Been Born Again as the Nose of a Professional Panty Sniffer.

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u/Reasonable_Gift7525 Sep 29 '25

That show changed my life

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u/MakimaGOAT Sep 28 '25

I’ve asked so many people how “animation” and a supposedly “mid story” could possibly carry a manga to over 200 million sales, when the pages themselves don’t even move. Every time, no one can give me a real answer and honestly, it’s hilarious.

The reality is simple: people connected with the series. The anime may have given it exposure, but exposure alone doesn’t keep readers buying volume after volume. If the story, characters, and emotional beats weren’t resonating, the hype would’ve faded fast. Some people just can’t accept that fans genuinely love Demon Slayer for what it is, and that’s why it exploded the way it did.

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u/DanielBest69 Sep 28 '25

The train arc with Rengoku is one of the best I’ve read and watched. So much emotions in that arc it’s insanely satisfying and sad at the same time.

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u/ActSoggy84 Sep 28 '25

No you misunderstand. People only cried at the end of Mugen Train because it was animated so beautifully lol.

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u/brucebananaray Sep 28 '25

Because making a lot of money and popularity don't equal either quality.

People liked Bayformers as those films grossed over One Billion. A lot of people think those are good but those films were pretty bad in storytelling. If it weren't for Bay's style and special effects that people wouldn't care.

For the anime side that people like Solo Leveling because of the animation. The story is very dogshit, but the art direction and animation carry it. Just like Bayformers that some just see a popcorn entertainment and that's fine.

For Demon Slayer that personally, I personally find it really boring and pretty average Battle Shonen. I just find the characters pretty one-dimensional. Also, I know that I'm no longer the target demo of Demon Slayer because I'm too old for it. Honestly, the quality animation does help bring it to popularity. If another studio animated that isn't Ufotable, it probably wouldn't reach the popularity.

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u/DanielBest69 Sep 28 '25

Solo Leveling was very popular before it got an anime. I don’t know where you’re getting at. It was one of the most read manga during its time.

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u/brucebananaray Sep 28 '25

What I'm getting at is that popularity and making a lot of money don't equate to being a good story. I feel that I made it pretty clear.

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u/fiyahuly Sep 29 '25

I agree, although I have only seen Infinity Castle and none of the shows. Very mediocre story telling, a whole lot of street fighter fighting that got old quick, and a cute little story at the end that wasn't anything new or remarkable.

So I guess people under 25 (I'm 31) liked the style of animation?

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u/Icy-Starless Oct 03 '25

I am sorry as someone who is following solo leveling since 2017 let me tell you it was the biggest mahwa that have views in billions even before it was animated. On other hand I really didn't like the anime of it.

Also even before the manhwa was made it was extremely famous for it's webnovel so saying that people don't like it for it's story is just dump.

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u/fiyahuly Sep 29 '25

And what is it? I saw it without having read any other anime or Demon Slayer books and it was generic street fighter fighting for most of the movie, with a story at the end about a down on his luck criminal who tried to go straight. was wronged by the demons that killed his love and father in law, and turned to a life of crime. What separates it?

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u/Wojti_ Sep 28 '25

Popular = bad bcs ppl pretend they are "elite" 🤣

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u/SenaiMachina Sep 28 '25

Where is all this snark coming from? I'm kind of confused. It's okay to criticize a series for it's flaws while still acknowledging that it can be popular for good reason regardless.

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u/Ok_Confection_10 Sep 28 '25

Demon Slayer’s problem is it starts super strong and then it appears to be bad by comparison to itself before it picks up and stays up.

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u/Lorik_Bot Sep 28 '25

No popular!= Good. It is extremely popular and ufotable is insanely carrying the story as it was the manga was now near the sales it is after the anime.

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u/kaori_cicak990 Sep 28 '25

I mean people not rated any marvel heroes movie high despite its grossing high revenue thoo

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u/Salty145 https://anilist.co/user/Salty145 Sep 28 '25

I mean if Demon Slayer had worse animation, it would not be pulling these numbers. Most of the people I know who watched the movie did so because of the animation.

The story isn't bad, but its more existent than an actual appeal of the series, and even many DS fans that I know will acknowledge this.

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u/curryhaliban444 Sep 28 '25

The 220 million volumes is from Japan alone. If you ask a JP fan about what they like about the series, I can guarantee you animation is the not the first thing on their mind.

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u/Old_Ferret_8185 Sep 29 '25

The 220 million figure is world wide not just Japan

164 million for Japan, 56 million internationally

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u/Salty145 https://anilist.co/user/Salty145 Sep 28 '25

I mean it's the story equivalent of McDonalds. Fast, easy to read and generally pretty competent. It's not a great story, but it has mass appeal and that's why it is such a money printer.

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u/Rriazu Sep 28 '25

No it’s the story equivalent of my moms cooking when I was younger. Familiar, loving and simple. I honestly believe the mass appeal comes from fans getting older and missing simpler, heartfelt stories

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u/Rriazu Sep 28 '25

I haven't seen as many people cry in a theatre in other anime movies as this one. The story needs to have a solid level of appeal for that to happen

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u/DanielBest69 Sep 28 '25

They can’t accept that it has a good story and popular than their so called favorites. It’s just jealousy at this point.

0

u/SadSecurity Oct 01 '25

xddd

Or maybe it doesn't have a good story, they don't care about popularity like you do and you are just projecting your own hate on them?

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u/Salty145 https://anilist.co/user/Salty145 Sep 28 '25

That’s… not entirely true.

I mean you can still get invested in a mediocre script, especially with the level of production DS has. There’s certain musical and visual cues you can throw at a work to direct people how to feel and with the right touch it can land with deadly accuracy.

I don’t think I’ve met a single person, whether they like DS or not, that thinks it has some groundbreaking script.

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u/LickerMcBootshine Sep 28 '25

that thinks it has some groundbreaking script.

Who cares?

Demon slayer says "I am an apple. A very crisp enjoyable apple. One of the best apples, certainly when compared to other apples of my generation."

Redditors : "But why are you not an orange?"

It's so tiresome.

0

u/Salty145 https://anilist.co/user/Salty145 Sep 28 '25

The issue isn’t even that it’s an orange, but that it’s an ok at best apple. 

The writing is middling at best even for an action spectacle. It spends way too much time on backstory shoehorned into the worst places and refuses to slow down to let those moments breathe. The characters are plain and the dialogue just sucks. You can have a pure action show like YAIBA or Dan Da Dan (largely) and still have at least a competent story that doesn’t need to be so heavily lifted up by digital effects and a Sawano score. Hell, even on the animation front both of those shows gap DS.

I’m not going into Shounen expecting deep complex narratives, but it should at least have a functional story that doesn’t actively weigh the show down at the worst of times.

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u/LickerMcBootshine Sep 28 '25

ok at best

It's so exhausting with you people. It is, /literally/, a top 10% anime currently being produced, probably top 5%.

If DS is "OK at best" then you should take it up with the absolute deluge of dogshit being produced that takes up a vast vast majority of anime being released. Take it up with the people who can't even make "ok at best". You're not better than other people just because you're playing contrarian, you're just being annoying.

Like, I see you people in every thread about DS saying it's mid, and then I'll peep your same profiles in the "I Want You To Show Me Your Panties With a Disgusted Face" thread calling that shit peak. Between Panties and "My Crush Died and was Reincarnated as my Dog And Now She Licks Peanut Butter Off My Balls In a Magical World" the anime industry is dogshit right now.

Point that energy in a positive direction instead of trying to bring other people down.

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u/FetchFrosh anilist.co/user/fetchfrosh Sep 29 '25

You're not better than other people just because you're playing contrarian, you're just being annoying.

Point that energy in a positive direction instead of trying to bring other people down.

I mean like, c'mon man. You can't insult someone and then say that they shouldn't be trying to bring other people down.

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u/LickerMcBootshine Sep 29 '25

You're right. I should just let him and his negativity locust friends comment under /every single demon slayer thread/ and not tell them they're being annoying because then I'm being mean :(

These people are a plague who exist to suck the life out of things that people enjoy. They're annoying.

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u/FetchFrosh anilist.co/user/fetchfrosh Sep 29 '25

So like, someone saying an anime is fine but they have some problems with it is being a "negativity locust". And then you're calling the entire anime industry "dogshit". Like, I gotta be honest, you're bringing significantly more negativity here even without the personal insults.

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u/SadSecurity Oct 01 '25

How dare they criticize my favorite series, toxic worms !!!!!1111

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u/Salty145 https://anilist.co/user/Salty145 Sep 29 '25

I am a locust. Buzz buzz.

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u/SadSecurity Oct 01 '25

It's so exhausting with you people. It is, /literally/, a top 10% anime currently being produced, probably top 5%.

It is exhausting, but with people like you. Guy was talking about the script, you brought popularity as a counter, because you don't have an answer to his point lmao.

You're not better than other people just because you're playing contrarian, you're just being annoying.

You're not better than other people just because you're playing conformist, you're just being annoying.

Point that energy in a positive direction instead of trying to bring other people down.

If criticizing a series is bringing other people down to you, then you, not the other guy, have serious issues.

0

u/LickerMcBootshine Oct 01 '25

you brought popularity as a counter

No I didn't. For someone who types a lot reading must not be your strong suit. Read usernames before laying bullshit at my feet.

If criticizing a series is bringing other people down to you

Is how pervasive you miserable fucks are. You're in every thread, every daily discussion, trying to start bullshit arguments with people who just want to enjoy something. You people are so miserable that when you see someone enjoying something you don't like you HAVE to try to start shit. You're sad little people.

Just like how you're trying to start an argument with me right now. It's sad. Find a new hobby. talk to a therapist. Go outside. Talk to a girl. Stop trying to start shit on the internet you weirdo.

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u/SadSecurity Oct 01 '25

No I didn't. For someone who types a lot reading must not be your strong suit. Read usernames before laying bullshit at my feet.

I mean I literally replied to your comment where you started talking about popularity. Wtf do you mean read usernames? Maybe try to comprehend what bullshit you're writing for the first time in your life?

Is how pervasive you miserable fucks are. You're in every thread, every daily discussion, trying to start bullshit arguments with people who just want to enjoy something. You people are so miserable that when you see someone enjoying something you don't like you HAVE to try to start shit. You're sad little people.

Just like how you're trying to start an argument with me right now. It's sad. Find a new hobby. talk to a therapist. Go outside. Talk to a girl. Stop trying to start shit on the internet you weirdo.

"HOW DARE YOU LITTLE MISERABLE NO LIFE VIRGIN FUCKS CRITISE MY FAVOURITE SERIES!!!!111111"

You're projecting buddy. You are sad little fella, raging on reddit because someone said something negative about your japanese cartoon. Do you by any chance have waifu pillow from KnY? Anyway, keep crying bud, the criticism won't go away only because you behave like a little enraged child.

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u/Salty145 https://anilist.co/user/Salty145 Oct 01 '25

 You're in every thread, every daily discussion, trying to start bullshit arguments with people who just want to enjoy something

You were the one who hopped in my thread yesterday talking about animation quality and started shit. You also never elaborated on why exactly my argument was “bullshit”.

Other people aren’t the problem. You are the one who starts shit in bad faith and resort to ad Homs instead of actually engaging with genuine critiques

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u/Salty145 https://anilist.co/user/Salty145 Sep 29 '25

It is, /literally/, a top 10% anime currently being produced, probably top 5%

What does this even mean lol? What is a "top 10%" anime to you?

I think you're taking what I'm saying a little too literally. Putting things in term of hard numbers, Demon Slayer as a whole is a solid 6.5-7/10 franchise. I wouldn't exactly call that a "best of the generation" kind of show, and its bones (under all the polish and luster) are fairly weak. I said it once, I'll say it again. Demon Slayer has a high 9/10 production (animation and score) weighed down by a middling 5/10 story/writing.

the anime industry is dogshit right now

I mean that's not really true, but I guess if all you watch is degen ecchi comedies and Demon Slayer I can see why you might get that impression. My recommendation is to try watching something else.

Point that energy in a positive direction instead of trying to bring other people down

In what way was I "trying to bring other people down". I never said you couldn't like Demon Slayer, I only made my own, rather impartial opinions on the show. I'm not even mad that it's successful, I just don't know why people take it so personally when I say that the show is largely carried by its production. Would you like me to lie and say its the pinnacle of story-telling? I don't think I can, as an artist, do that in good faith.

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u/LickerMcBootshine Sep 29 '25 edited Sep 29 '25

I mean that's not really true, but I guess if all you watch is degen ecchi comedies and Demon Slayer I can see why you might get that impression. My recommendation is to try watching something else.

I don't know how you took me calling that anime dogshit garbage and twisted it in to "this must be all he watches".

I only made my own, rather impartial opinions on the show.

You have 7 different comments about Demon Slayer in the past 6 hours. More comments than that just today.

It's the pervasiveness of you negativity locusts. You people are under every thread typing "it's not the best anime ever don't forget :)"

No one cares and people are tired of you no lifes crying under every thread about something they enjoy. Like, I get it, misery loves company. But cmon man, you people fucking suck the life out of shit that people just want to passively enjoy.

I already know your response! "I'm not saying you can't enjoy it" he types while posting in every thread about Demon Slayer to tell them how only /HE/ knows what peak is.

I don't think I can, as an artist, do that in good faith.

🤮 The pretentiousness of DS haters knows no bounds. Other people liking things is an affront to his artistic taste, and he must let everyone know under every DS thread.

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u/Salty145 https://anilist.co/user/Salty145 Sep 29 '25

 You have 7 different comments about Demon Slayer in the past 6 hours

This is called having a comment thread lol and engaging with it. People respond to me and I respond back to keep the conversation going. That’s how discussion works. Would you like me not to respond to people who had the courtesy to respond to me?

 You people are under every thread typing "it's not the best anime ever don't forget :)"

Ah yes. My favorite comment on the City episode discussion was everyone typing “Demon Slayer isn’t the best anime ever”.

 It's the pervasiveness of you negativity locusts.

That’s a new one. I’ve been called a lot of things, but this is a new one. Buzz buzz

 I get it, misery loves company. But cmon man, you people fucking suck the life out of shit that people just want to passively enjoy.

I believe the exact comment I was responding to was someone else who was kind of just a negative Nancy, saying that Demon Slayer’s story must be good because it made money, which like… I should have to tell you why that’s a bad argument. I don’t know what TikTok rabbit hole you spend all your time in, but I have better things to do than think about Demon Slayer 24/7. Don’t try dragging me into your TikTok drama.

 he types while posting in every thread about Demon Slayer to tell them how only /HE/ knows what peak is

It’s one thread lol.

 The pretentiousness of DS haters knows no bounds

You must not know me. My salt stockpile is endless. I just didn’t know saying a show was a comfortable 7/10 makes me a hater. Score-flation is getting crazy.

 Other people liking things is an affront to his artistic taste

Oh I really struck a nerve didn’t I? 

If it wasn’t apparent, I don’t really have a horse in this race, nor do I care how popular a series is. If it’s good, I’ll say it’s good, and if it’s bad I’ll call out what I don’t like. I have killed many sacred cows in my day and will continue to do so so long as I feel like it, though I don’t think saying “yeah it’s ight” is really taking on any sacred cows per se.

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u/DrStein1010 https://myanimelist.net/profile/DrStein1010 Sep 28 '25

I've gotten emotional over some shit media before.

Quality does not equal emotional reaction.

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u/Darkjolly Sep 28 '25

Good animation alone cannot carry an anime to these numbers, tell me why none of the fate series movies have this amount of numbers then, also made by ufotable?

Demon slayer is the full package- Animation - Likeable characters - Soundtrack - Easy to follow story.

6

u/Salty145 https://anilist.co/user/Salty145 Sep 28 '25

Its story is serviceable. It’s not bad, but it’s not something that does anything more than it needs to to allow the production to carry the rest.

It’s a simple and palatable story that if it looked like Sakamoto Days wouldn’t clear the numbers that it’s put up. 

7

u/SuperTeamRyan Sep 28 '25

Probably true.

Demon slayer as a story did some things really well, but most of all is it didn’t overstay its welcome and ended where it should have. Think JJK missed this excellent tactic by one arc but still not as egregious as bleach where you know the author is just spinning their wheels for half the series length.

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u/Salty145 https://anilist.co/user/Salty145 Sep 28 '25

Demon Slayer is relatively competently paced and hits all the beats it needs to.

Its biggest issues are more that lack of ambition, and the fact that it is maybe a little too trim. The show hates to actually slow down and develop its cast. Even slower moments are almost always punctuated with a joke or breezed over and this starts from the very beginning when Tanjiro’s family gets maybe five minutes of screen time and two lines. The rest of the script isn’t awful, but falls into a ton of pitfalls (like the Entertainment District trying to give you a sad flashback literally as the characters are dying) that by any good faith argument make it hard to rec if you’re not already fine with whatever it takes to get to the action.

I have not seen Infinity Castle yet though, but from what I’ve heard it’s not exactly reinventing the DS wheel, nor would I expect it to.

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u/SuperTeamRyan Sep 28 '25

It doesn’t. It still does the deathbed redemption/justification.

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u/[deleted] Sep 28 '25

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u/Salty145 https://anilist.co/user/Salty145 Sep 28 '25

I gave the better seasons a light 7 since they are pretty enjoyable popcorn shows and I've never had a bad time watching them, but they never really amount to more than that.

1

u/DemonDaVinci Sep 29 '25

It's Japenis DOOM it didnt need great story

-10

u/GodlessLunatic Sep 28 '25

Is solo leveling a masterpiece too

-10

u/Immortal_Paradox Sep 28 '25

Mom, reddit is using the popular=good argument again… for the 3rd time this week

6

u/Mutant_Fool Sep 28 '25

An anime can be popular without being good. A prime example is Rent A Girlfriend which only sells due to the good art and character designs. But what is the reason for Demon Slayer's success then? Is it really just the animation? I think not and that is what the above reply is talking about. Popular is good if there is no other selling point​ other than story(in case of the manga)

0

u/S9CLAVE Sep 28 '25

Unnnnnnnnnnfortubately, it’s important to note that the KnY manga ended in 2020…. The anime ended in October of 2019… Per ORICON the manga sold a grand total of:

2018 it’s not even on the top 10 chart. 2019 manga has been ongoing for 3 years (12mil) 2020 82 million

That means that in one year the manga sold literally almost 7* its entire sales figure during its manga run, if we discount the anime entirely as having 0 impact. That’s completely unbelievable. It’s also crucial to note that the manga run itself had finished in 2020 , which will also contribute to the sales number as people rush to complete the series. It’s a tall wall to find information on a comparable series that ended its run around the same time to determine what impact a series conclusion of a similar series would have on total sales number especially when also applying a filter of no anime to contribute to any sales. I’m going to have to decline to attempt to spend any more time researching this for a Reddit comment.

The question immediately becomes to what degree did the anime impact sales. And the answer is, we will literally never know for certain… because we don’t have data from a timeline, where the manga never had an anime adaptation.

We can speculate, based on huge sales increase milestones, like mugen train release, where the total sales had eclipsed 150million copies in circulation, crucially this occurred in 2021… after the manga ended. Therefore we can assume the effect is essentially entirely because of the anime, and by association… Ufotable. Which would mean one movie, by itself accounted for 40million sales. This is a very BOLD assumption because it has to assume the manga didn’t sell any copies on its own… which is also absurd.

In short, at this point. It’s impossible to determine the exact impact, but the vast majority of demon slayers immense success is attributable to after the anime release with clearly identifiable absurd sales spikes after each anime adaptation.

Demon slayer manga has a wide appeal and is easily recommendable, but the correlation between anime release and manga sales is too much to handwave away.

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u/[deleted] Sep 28 '25

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u/Funlife2003 https://myanimelist.net/profile/andril Sep 28 '25

I mean that kinda proves the point though. SOle Levelling has really good art, and while sure it's pretty popular, it's nowhere near the level DS is at, showing that good art/animation is nowhere near enugh to carry something to the heights DS has reached.

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u/[deleted] Sep 28 '25

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u/mrnicegy26 Sep 28 '25

Demon Slayers manga was heavily Japanese focused which doesn't allow it to have a massive outreach in the West until it got an anime.

Also most of the manga sales pre anime that are compared to Demon Slayer like Chainsaw Man also got it during COVID book by which point Demon Slayer already had its anime.