Today we're going to dive into the movie analysis of "Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Arc"
"The Infinity Castle Arc" unfolds with three battles
They are: Butterflies Shinobu vs Upper Rank Two Doma Zenitsu vs Upper Rank Six Gyutaro Tanjiro and Giyu vs Upper Rank Three Akaza
These three scenes touch on a key theme of Demon Slayer
What does a demon actually mean?
Demon Slayer is set in Japan's Taisho era
And Muzan is at least 1,000 years old
Back‑calculating puts his origin around the 10th century AD
Muzan had already become Japan's first demon in history
That period was Japan's Heian era
It coincides with when ancient texts began recording people being eaten by demons
At the very beginning, people believed in demons
But there was no concept of demon slaying
Because they didn't even know what a demon truly was
Demons symbolize humanity's helplessness when facing unknown forces
At that time, onmyoji could only teach people how to avoid demons
But they couldn't actually exorcise or kill demons
They were more like weather forecasters
Informing people that disaster was coming
But unable to stop the disaster
In the final battle of Infinity Castle, Muzan said the following to Tanjiro:
What Muzan symbolizes is It is a destructive force beyond human comprehension
Like natural disasters, viruses, plagues
People cannot avoid it nor easily trace its origin
However, up until the 14th century Muromachi period
Japanese demons were no longer just unknown entities
But began to appear in various forms
And also began to develop demon‑slaying stories that humans could confront
In the three battles of Infinity Castle They happen to each answer the question of what a demon is
In the first battle Butterfly Ninja faces Douma
Butterfly Ninja discovers that Douma is actually the enemy who killed her sister
Her sister, before dying, told her not to avenge her
She hoped Butterfly Ninja could have happiness like an ordinary girl Live until she becomes an old woman
But why specifically emphasize “like a girl” achieving happiness?
Because in ancient Japan Men could directly seek revenge
But women were bound by family and husbands
They had to endure And could not directly take revenge on outsiders
These unresolved grudges Eventually become vengeful spirits
For example, The Tale of Heike tells the story of “Ujibashi‑hime”
She was abandoned by her husband Because of resentment she turned into a ghost
The so‑called “female ghost” In fact, it is the repressed anger of a patriarchal society and a hidden ghost story
Thus, in the Heian‑period novel “Dai Chuu Nagon Monogatari” it mentions
“Ghosts and women both possess aspects that humans cannot see”
Japanese female ghosts also have another origin
According to legend, when the Japanese emperor conquered frontier regions he discovered that some places actually had female tribal leaders, queens
If these places were pacified or chose to side with the royal family they would be praised and named “wise women” (sakasime)
However, women who defied the emperor’s orders such as Goma‑hime would be regarded as evil and wayward
In historical records they would be despised as earth spiders considered monsters that must be eliminated
Because the Japanese court did not recognize that women could hold power
Even today, some regions in Japan the locals worship earth spiders
Here, we see a contradiction
When outrageous injustice occurs if women become too angry, too powerful they will be demonized by those in power as monsters
But if they suppress their anger too much and harbor deep resentment women will eventually become monsters themselves
Shinobu the Butterfly is like a being living within this contradiction
Shinobu has always been suppressing her anger so no one can see it
Even when facing demons, she always wears a smile
Only Tanjiro noticed
Shinobu has been continually suppressing her anger
Are you angry? You always exude the scent of anger Even though you always keep a smile That's true I might have been angry all along Since my beloved sister was brutally killed by a demon
So what should we do with this power of anger?
American civil rights activist Audre Lorde pointed out
Anger actually helps our personal growth
Knowing that we have inner strength
Being able to use that power to transform society
Identifying what oppression exists in society
And who the oppressors are
Shinobu asked the demon about its characteristics before her sister died
So that her anger could find the correct target for revenge
She discovered that Douma was the enemy who killed her sister
Anger opened the part that humans cannot see
Those injustices hidden by society
In the second showdown We saw another side of the demon
Kuyue was originally Zenitsu's senior
Zenitsu regarded him as a role model for learning
Because both of them are orphans
They had no family to rely on since childhood
Their starting points are very similar
Grandfather has always treated both of them equally
He hopes they will both become heirs of the Thunder Breathing style
Because Zenitsu only knows the First Form: Thunderclap and Flash
But Kuyue has learned other forms, yet he never mastered the First Form
However, the two with similar starting points ultimately took completely opposite paths
In the match between Kuyue and Zenitsu we see the relationship Jung described as “self and shadow”
Jung believes that the parts of self‑awareness that are rejected and repressed do not disappear
but instead form shadows in the subconscious becoming an unknown part of ourselves
The self and the shadow are like twin siblings
They complement each other, yet oppose each other
When we find someone extremely annoying, it is likely because we project our own shadow onto others
For example, Jung discovered Americans often project their inferior personalities onto Black people and Indigenous peoples considering them inferior
It appears as racial discrimination that belittles others
But actually it's projecting one's own inner darkness onto others
The same The phenomena of gods and demons are also a projection of shadows
Humans project their idealized perfect image onto others Calling them gods and goddesses
Or projecting the shadows they resist onto others Calling them demons
This explains the hostility between 獪岳 and 善逸
Because they see their own shadows in each other the parts they lack and try to suppress
Zenitsu is kind and knows how to give but often shows a cowardly side causing 獪岳 to recall the childhood memories he tried to suppress the version of himself lacking strength and only running away
獪岳, on the other hand, fears death, is selfish, and only wants to take as if a box with a hole, never able to be filled
To gain more power, 獪岳 ultimately chose to join the demons
Believing that demon power can perfect the Thunder Breathing
He was originally a senior disciple envied by Zenitsu and considered a model to learn from
Now he has become a demon
Transforming the Thunder Breathing into a kind of evil demon technique
Doesn't this mean that Zenitsu, who also inherits Thunder Breathing has become a kindred using the same breathing as demons
the demon that should have been eradicated by the Demon Slayer Corps suddenly becomes very close
As if it's a duplicate of oneself
This makes Zenitsu try to deny and suppress this shadow
Encountering the demon Koyou in the Infinity Castle It is like meeting one's own shadow in the infinite space of the subconscious
Thus the duel between Zenitsu and Koyou is actually the problem of how the self integrates the shadow
In this duel, both are familiar with the Thunder Breathing
It's as if the same breathing technique is fighting each other within a web
The opposition between self and shadow becomes an endless conflict
Jung believed that when the opposition between self and shadow is too intense to transcend this opposition one must create new symbolic forms in the mental space
to possibly break away from the original conflict pattern
And this is precisely why Zenitsu ultimately triumphs
no longer entangled with the shadow but creates a form that belongs to himself
Seventh Form: Fire Thunder God
Precisely because the "black shadow" of Koyou exists that allows Zenitsu's newly created Thunder Form to appear particularly "bright"
no longer just remains at the level of only knowing the First Form
The shadow is not the opposite of the self but a presence that lets the self stand out
And in the third duel the demon is no longer just an individual shadow
but an existence that society attempts to collectively exclude and suppress
Yorozaza was born into a poor family
To treat his father's illness, he had to resort to theft to obtain money
Later, after being caught, he was tattooed on his body to mark his crimes
In classical Japanese literature there are frequent records of thieves being considered demons
For example, it is said that the two‑faced Sukuna with four arms and four legs would rob everywhere
And the prototype of Yorozaza may be the demon Kidonmaru in the collection "Kokon Chomonshu"
It is said that he had teeth from birth
Just like Komahachi, who was born with a pair of fangs
When he grew up, he also sought revenge for his father
In the end, he was exiled due to his many crimes
Similarly, Upper Moon Four: Half Tengu also habitually stole in life, later becoming a demon
But why were thieves considered demons?
In ancient Japan people who did not submit to the Emperor were regarded by the court as dark entities
Those in power would dehumanize these people into demons
Thus they could dispatch troops to subjugate them
Many stories of slaying monsters and demons were used to reinforce the legitimacy of the samurai class
For example, people from Hokkaido were called "Ezo"
Or during World War II, Japanese were referred to by the US military as "kijuku"
portraying them as evil demons that threaten the world
This way we don't need to treat them humanely
This is precisely the treatment Koma received during his life
If we compare, we will find the people in the Demon Slayer Corps
In fact, most of them are also marginalized individuals excluded from society's framework
and they all have tragic pasts
Tanjiro's family are rural villagers who sell charcoal
Zenitsu and Inosuke are both abandoned children
The Stone Pillar is blind
Butterfly Ninja, when she was young, saw her sister being killed by Douma
Muichiro lost both parents in his childhood
His older brother was then attacked by demons
The Demon Slayer Corps formed by these marginalized people is an underground organization not recognized by the government
After joining the Demon Slayer Corps you have to constantly move between mountains and villages
This was actually quite unusual in Japan at that time
Ordinary people spend their whole lives living settled lives
Why do members of the Demon Slayer Corps have to keep moving through the mountains and forests?
If demons are symbols of natural disasters and plagues
then wherever demons go the Demon Slayer Corps must go there to dispel the disaster
to deal with bodies discarded in the mountainous regions
This mobile nature suggests that they are like a homeless group roaming the mountains
This type of population living in the mountains without household registration is called “mountain dwellers” (サンカ)
According to estimates During the Meiji period, mountain dwellers numbered at least 200,000
Folklorist Yanagita Kunio believed
that Japan has a type of mountain people living in the hills they are actually Japan's true indigenous people
Originally lived on the plains but were later driven out and moved to the mountains leading a hunting-and-gathering lifestyle
This was the inspiration Yanagita Kunio got after reading material on Taiwan's indigenous peoples
The ancient Han–indigenous conflicts that occurred in Taiwan which caused indigenous people to move to the mountains
Similar events may have also occurred in ancient Japan
When lowland people encountered mountain people they described them as yokai resembling tengu
and even believed they possessed supernatural powers beyond those of ordinary humans
This leads us to an interesting conclusion
In the eyes of lowland people the Demon Slayer Corps and the demons they kill are not separate entities
instead they are seen as the same kind of being
both are mountain people who have left lowland society
both are outcasts excluded from social order
The pairing of Tanjiro and Nezuko are people who were almost turned into demons
I was lucky enough to keep my human body If we were unlucky, both of us might have become demons
In the Entertainment District arc the demon formed by the sibling duo Jifutarō and Daki
just like the mirror image of Tanjiro and Nezuko
reflecting the fate they could have originally taken
Thus the story of Demon Slayer becomes a battle between two groups of outcasts not recognized by society
Both sides share tragic pasts
Some choose to join the Demon Slayer Corps
but some choose to join the Twelve Kizuki
as if it's the hidden dark side of Japanese history a history belonging to demons
Wait So what exactly is a demon?
I’ll tell you why you’re missing that final step and can’t reach the highest realm Because you are human Because you will age, because you will die Become a demon then, Kyojuro In that case Whether it’s a hundred years or two hundred years you can keep training and become stronger
In this confrontation with the Flame Pillar Kyojuro Akaza pointed out the biggest difference between humans and demons
Humans, unlike demons, don't die
Demons can have hundreds of years to train
Continuously improving their abilities
For Akaza The duty of the strong is to become stronger
And becoming a demon is the ultimate means to become stronger
Likewise, Before Kokushibo became a demon He was originally an outstanding swordsman from the Warring States period
But he felt inferior because he could not defeat his younger brother
He wanted to become the strongest samurai
He longed to reach the highest level
Thus, he accepted Muzan's proposal And became a demon
Hoping to become a being that surpasses humanity
For Akaza and Kokushibo In order to become stronger They can even abandon their humanity
This strength‑first value system reflects the late 19th century a major challenge faced by Japanese society
which was the need to keep up with the prevailing international values of the time: Social Darwinism
It stems from the ideology of survival struggle promoted by the British philosopher Spencer
Using Darwin's theory of evolution to promote survival of the fittest, the unfit are eliminated
Because that’s how natural law works
This is exactly the principle that Yewaza and Black Death believe
Yewaza If you’re not convinced then propose a deadly battle to change the rankings
What the winner says is justice
Power is the principle
Relations between nations are just an amplified version of relationships between individuals
Japan wants to join the ranks of the strong so it must conquer outward
win the Russo-Japanese War colonize Korea and Taiwan
so it won’t be seen as weak or a loser internationally
This philosophy of eliminating the unfit swept Japan in the late 19th century
Spence’s work became a bestseller at the time
Japanese intellectuals even debated whether Japanese should intermarry with white people to obtain the blood of a higher race
so they could become stronger and more superior
Diplomat Kaneko Kentarō and Prime Minister Itō Hirobumi both consulted Spence
hoping to use eugenics to turn the Japanese into a dominant race
This is exactly what in Demon Slayer some people choose to become demons
Obtain the blood of a powerful group and become stronger
Thus, demons become the desire of humans to surpass human abilities
But in the Flame Pillar we see a counter to Akaza’s “the strong are supreme” doctrine
Decaying, aging, moving toward death It is the brevity of human life that brings beauty Precisely because humans age, because humans die Only then are people so lovely, so noble
Humans are fleeting and fragile beings
But this is not a flaw of humanity
Indeed, because of human finiteness Therefore everyone has someone they must protect
The strong have a duty to protect the weak
The strength of the strong becomes meaningful
Helping the weak anytime, anywhere is your duty as someone born strong
In the clash with Akaza the Flame Pillar acted to consider Tanjiro, the weak one and became distracted during the fight
ultimately losing to Akaza
After being wounded, the Flame Pillar could not recover because he is a flesh-and-blood human
but Akaza, being a demon, can continuously regenerate without worrying about birth, aging, illness, or death
And when fighting Akaza in the Infinity Castle Tanjiro presented a rebuttal argument different from Kyojuro's
The strong should support the weak
Because no one can grow up alone without needing others' care
Everyone is a baby at birth
In the eyes of adults, they are all weak
They must be cared for by others in order to gradually grow and become strong
If we follow Akaza's “survival of the unfit” logic
Then we should let all infants fend for themselves
This would cause human societies to be unable to continue
The reason human societies can continue is because the strong are willing to help the weak
Akaza firmly believes in the superiority of the strong, precisely because he has forgotten that when he was vulnerable, he too was someone who needed to be cared for
That allowed him to survive to today
His existence is proof that the strong should protect the weak
Tanjiro's mutual aid theory In the eyes of modern people might be seen as too naive, too simple
But in the Taisho era setting of Demon Slayer it was actually a once‑popular social trend
Especially in rural areas mutual aid remains a common traditional virtue
The Russian thinker Lev Mechnikov when he visited Japan in 1874
found that the rural environment was harsh Frequent encounters with natural disasters and anomalies
Farmers must cooperate to survive together
Otherwise there is only a dead end
This scene of mutual aid Makes him reconsider another possibility of humanity
The progress of human civilization is not about the strong surviving and the weak being eliminated
But building a community of collective mutual aid
Both the strong and the weak can contribute
Historian Koshihara Sho calls this Japanese rural spirit “Cooperatism” (cooperatism)
Just like Rintaki Sakonji said
Although each person is just a small gear in society
But when placed together They can set the gears of fate in motion
Propelling human history forward
Every person's life is brief and fragile
But even if a single demon hunter dies The will to slay demons will be passed on to the collective
Allowing this gear system to keep turning
One does not need to become a demon And can achieve the “eternity” that Muzan dreamed of
Because humanity can pass its will down through generations
Humanity's will is eternal
After Lev Mechnikov returned to Russia He wrote a book on Japan's cooperatism
Inspiring an entire generation of Russian intellectuals
From Tolstoy to the anarchist father Kropotkin, all were deeply inspired
Later, Kropotkin even teamed up with the famous Taishō‑era Japanese novelist Takeo Arishima
They organized a transnational network Practicing this grassroots mutual aid through action
To improve the lives of Japanese farmers
Arishima Gorō converted his land in Hokkaido into a shared farm
Open free to all tenant farmers for cultivation
Advocating the union to share all land
Arishima Gorō wrote the four characters “mutual assistance” on a local monument
This spirit is precisely the mutual aid theory that Tanjiro believes in
etc. But people inevitably distinguish between you and me
Isn’t this mutual aid theory an overly naive ideal?
On this issue Tanjiro gave us the final answer
The “mutual aid theory” must be paired with the sudden enlightenment of “selflessness”
In the climax of the showdown with Akaza Tanjiro recalled his father’s words
Control your breathing Close specific bloodlines Breathe with your body Your mind becomes transparent
You will see the “clear world” and enter a selfless state
In Vipassana meditation There is a technique called body scanning
It can lead a person into a similar state
The so-called “inner observation” is to see clearly the nature of reality
What is the nature of reality?
It is that the self does not exist
We all assume that whatever arises in the mind must be my thoughts and feelings
But why do we think the mind is the boundary of the self?
When we become overly immersed in a movie's plot we unconsciously place ourselves into the characters
as if the protagonist's emotions are “mine”
Similarly Our mind is actually like a little inner theater
Many thoughts and feelings aren't actually yours
they just happen to appear in your mind seeking to capture your attention
making you think they are your own thoughts and feelings
The “body scan” in insight meditation trains people to focus their attention on the breath
instead of on thoughts or feelings
Pay attention to the air of your breathing as it flows freely between the various boundaries of the body
Visualize the pain leaving the body with each breath
This kind of body scan is like the breathing technique in Demon Slayer
Even if pain exists in the body you can remain indifferent to it
and not feel the pain
Because one's own feelings are themselves an illusion
The pain is not mine
Thus a person can eliminate his own fighting spirit
Because the fighting spirit is not mine
Tanjiro likens this state to a “plant”
When the mind enters a transparent world It becomes like a plant
1963 Vietnamese monk Thich Guangde publicly protested the government's persecution of Buddhists
He set himself on fire with gasoline on a Saigon street
According to a reporter who witnessed it on site Thich Guangde did not twitch a single muscle
He was unusually calm As if nothing had happened
It was as if a plant was sitting there
Perhaps at the moment of his death Like Tanjiro Entered a selfless transparent world
This selfless realm Not only allowed Tanjiro to defeat Akaza
But also let the boundaries between self and others gradually disappear
You helped me, so you are already a part of me I will fight in your place
Selflessness instead makes one feel a new connection with fellow humans
It can be said to be the philosophical foundation of Tanjiro's mutual aid theory
At the end of the Infinity Castle showdown Tanjiro's theory of mutual aid awakens Akaza's forgotten past
When the memories slowly surface Rinsetsu asks back: Why are you so obsessed with becoming stronger?
At that moment, Akaza finally recalls his past memories
In this respect, Akaza is very similar to Muichiro Tokito
Both have lost their past memories
And they hold a belief in the superiority of the strong
Even if you save an immature swordsmith apprentice, it's useless Helping others In the end, it will also help yourself
It wasn't until Tanjiro emphasized the importance of mutual assistance that Muichiro slowly recalled his past memories
When Muichiro was trapped in the Water Prison bowl by the jade vessel when he was on the brink of death
the swordsmith, originally considered weak instead gave Muichiro more oxygen
allowing him to use his breathing technique again
Eventually, Muichiro finally awakened his forgotten memories
It turns out Tanjiro's mutual aid theory is the belief he himself held in his childhood
Acting to help others In the end, it will also help yourself Dad has said it before
Similarly, Akaza's desire to become a stronger version of himself It is to facilitate theft so he can help his seriously ill father
It is also to protect the one he loves
Because he had already promised Ren Xue on the night of the fireworks He will protect her for a lifetime
Akaza wants to become strong In fact, it is precisely to protect the weak around him
In this way, Akaza is no longer Tanjiro's opposite
And it happens to embody the idea of the strong protecting the weak
Just because he forgot why he fights
That leads him to become the opposite of Tanjiro
This type of memory‑losing demon also appears in the “Natagumo Mountain” arc
Even after becoming a demon, Rui remains attached to the family bonds from his life
He demands that the demons he controls pretend to be his family
Yet he himself does not know why he does this
The original desire has been forgotten
Yet the subject still enacts this desire
In the examples of Akaza and Rui We see what psychoanalysis calls the “repetition compulsion” (repetition compulsion)
When a person experiences overly stimulating or traumatic events the past memories cannot enter the conscious system
The person cannot recall what happened in the past
Yet the body continuously repeats past behavioral patterns
Because the memory has not actually disappeared but is retained in the subconscious
driving the body to constantly repeat the past
But I don’t even know what I’m repeating
Whenever Akaza recruits strong individuals to join the demons In fact, it’s just repeating helping my master’s dojo recruit newcomers
Whenever Akaza launches a fireworks‑like attack It reenacts the night of fireworks when I made a promise with Renkyu
Whenever Akaza attacks the weak whom I disdain It repeats the attack on the weak who slipped poison into the dojo that day
Whenever Akaza uses the Compass perception It recalls once more the hair accessory on Renkyu’s head
Akaza’s Compass can sense everything
But it cannot sense the memories hidden in its own subconscious
Thus The existence of demons takes on a completely different meaning
Demons are actually people who have lost their memories and keep repeating the past
Because their memories have been replaced by Muzan’s cellular memory
When they recall, they see Muzan’s memories Not their own memories
Demons are no longer beings that must be defeated
But rather existences yearning to alleviate their symptoms and attain redemption
Tanjiro’s job is not just killing demons
It is more like that of a psychoanalyst
Helping demons retrieve their memories from when they were alive
Recall the past Express the regrets they never had time to voice while alive
In the moment of confronting the past The ghost turned back into a human
The ghost is no longer a being different from humans
Because anyone could unknowingly become a ghost
Only yearning to constantly become stronger
Obsessively clinging to a certain path, a certain destination
Yet forgetting what they are fighting for Why we have come to today
Demon Slayer is like a collective psychoanalysis therapy
Let the amnesiac modern people Recall a hundred years ago The mutual humanity people once possessed
That makes the modern society constantly yearning to become richer and stronger
Before we are about to lose ourselves Able to pause and ask ourselves what it all is for
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