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Since its debut in 2019, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba has been one of the most popular anime on Crunchyroll, but even its biggest fans were surprised at how massive its first film, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train, became. By the time it left theaters, it was the world’s highest-grossing film of 2020 and the highest-grossing Japanese movie of all time. With three more Demon Slayer movies on the way, is it possible for Ufotable to repeat that success?

While Demon Slayer remains a massive anime franchise, there are actually signs that the upcoming films won’t make as big a splash at the box office as Mugen Train. That movie came out just months after the Demon Slayer manga had ended when the story was still fresh in people’s minds. In fact, interest in the property has slowed in Japan since the manga’s conclusion, making it more popular in the US than in its native country. This is largely due to the fact there are more manga readers than anime viewers in Japan, the inverse of demographics in the US. Mugen Train also came out at the tail-end of 2020, when cinemas were just starting to open back up following the early months of lockdown, making audiences hungry for an escape.

So there isn’t necessarily the same interest in Japan for a Demon Slayer movie as there was back in 2020, but Western audiences should still be there, right? Unfortunately, those who have been following the anime have just come off one of the more frustrating arcs of the story; The Hashira Training Arc is a lot of build-up for very little payoff within the season. Now, we know how Demon Slayer is going to end and we know that it is going to be a suitably epic showdown between Tanjiro and Muzan, but the fact is that most people’s last memory of the show is a revolving door of characters that felt like an extended trailer for what is to come. Add in the fact that the final arc will be split into three separate films and it is easy to see why fans are less excited than they were back in 2020.

None of this is to paint the Demon Slayer Infinity Castle movies as failures before they are even completed, but it is worth keeping in mind so we don’t paint them as a flop just because they don’t match the $500 million box office of Mugen Train’s runaway success. If the upcoming trilogy of Demon Slayer films manage to exceed Mugen Train's box office gross, they should be considered a roaring success. Even if it doesn’t blow up at the box office in Japan and overseas, we still expect Ufotable to give our boy Tanjiro the beautifully animated send-off that he deserves.

Slay on, Demon Slayer. As we prep for new installments of the Demon Slayer anime, here's a survival kit to help you. First, a guide to all the major Demon Slayer characters. Second, recommendations for how (and where) to watch all of Demon Slayer. Third, context of why Demon Slayer is so popular. Fourth, when we think Demon Slayer season 4 is coming out. And also, how Demon Slayer ends (at least in the manga).

And as a bonus, you can watch the full NYCC Demon Slayer panel with the voice cast.