AI in Demon Slayer? Official Anime Creators Aren’t Ruling It Out for Good

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studio heads have avoided lambasting generative AI while discussing the future of the franchise.

At the Astra Awards, a representative from Ufotable and Aniplex was asked about the potential impact of AI on the anime industry. He responded cautiously, stating that while he’d be careful discussing the topic, both companies remain committed to working with traditional artists, writers, voice actors, and all the talent that creates emotional storytelling for audiences.

Demon Slayer Movie Representatives Talk AI Use in Anime (But Avoid Counting It Out)

I was really relieved to hear that Demon Slayer is still being made with real artists and animators! The representative didn’t shut down the idea of AI completely, though. They didn’t say for sure that Ufotable and Aniplex won’t ever use AI, or even invest in it. It sounds like they’re keeping their options open to potentially use AI as a tool to help their human creators, not replace them, on this franchise or anything else they might work on down the line. It’s good to know they’re thinking about the future, but prioritizing the people who make the show we love!

I’m really fascinated by the intersection of AI and anime! Right now, fully AI-generated anime is still pretty rare, but a lot of studios – like Toei Animation, the folks behind Dragon Ball and Sailor Moon – are starting to use AI tools to help their artists. It’s not about replacing people, but giving them a boost with things like creating background art or filling in the gaps between key animation frames. It’s a really exciting development!

Taiki Sakurai, an executive producer for Netflix anime like Pokémon Concierge, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, and Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance, explained that creating anime by hand—drawing potentially hundreds of thousands of images—is incredibly demanding. He noted the animation industry is facing a worker shortage, and this new approach is being tested partly due to that issue.

Koyoharu Gotouge’s Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba first appeared in Weekly Shonen Jump in 2016 and quickly became very popular. The story takes place in the early 1900s and centers around Tanjiro Kamado and his sister Nezuko, who are the sole survivors of a brutal demon attack. Tragically, the attack turned Nezuko into a demon herself.

Throughout the story, the two main characters are driven to both avenge those they’ve lost and find a way to turn Nezuko back into a human. The original manga spanned 23 volumes and finished in 2020, shortly after the popular anime adaptation by Ufotable began airing.

The anime Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, created by Ufotable, first aired in 2019 and quickly became incredibly popular, mirroring the success of the original manga. The main anime series has four seasons and a total of 63 episodes. Additionally, a feature film, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba — The Movie: Mugen Train, was released in theaters in 2020.

The movie Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba — The Movie: Infinity Castle came out in North American theaters in September 2025 and was a hit with viewers. It has received overwhelmingly positive reviews, with a 98% rating from critics and a 98% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, based on over 10,000 reviews and 61 critical reviews.

Infinity Castle has been a huge financial hit. As of today, it’s earned over $779.5 million worldwide on a budget of just $20 million, making it one of the most profitable films ever released in North American theaters.

I’ve checked, and it doesn’t seem like Infinity Castle will be coming to major streaming services anytime soon. It’s still playing in a few theaters, though not nearly as many as when it first came out, and it’s currently listed as such with no word on when it might be available to stream.

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2026-01-12 01:10