Demon Slayer Star Zach Aguilar Calls Infinity Castle’s Global Success “Mind-Blowing”

The success story of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle has a soundtrack of astonishment for English actor Zach Aguilar. The film, based on the blockbuster manga and anime series, has already crossed the $600 million mark worldwide, outperforming Hollywood blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and Fantastic Four on this year's global box office ranking.

Aguilar, who voices Tanjiro Kamado, the lead character, in English, says this kind of popularity has really made it a "pop culture phenomenon".

“I just think it’s so freaking cool to have anime be this mainstream thing—and Demon Slayer be the backbone of that,” Aguilar told BBC Newsbeat.

A Record-Breaking Anime Film

Released as the first installment of a trilogy finale, Infinity Castle topped box office charts in both Japan and the US during its opening week. In the UK, it debuted at number two, just behind Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale.

Streaming giant Crunchyroll’s president Rahul Purini has called anime “one of the fastest-growing entertainment sectors” worldwide, with an estimated 1.5 billion anime-curious fans globally.

Aguilar on Playing Tanjiro

For Aguilar, voicing Tanjiro is both rewarding and demanding.

“It’s the hardest character I’ve ever had to portray. I draw from my own personal hardships and pour some of that into Tanjiro,” he explained.

Matching emotional depth with precise timing is another challenge in dubbing. “If a scream is ten seconds exactly and you do ten and a half, that’s too long—and you have to redo it,” he noted.

Despite the challenges, Aguilar says his love for anime fuels his work:

“You’ve got to give anime a shot. It has some of the greatest storytelling I’ve ever experienced.”

What’s Next for Demon Slayer

The Infinity Castle trilogy still has two parts left to release, and Aguilar is already bracing himself for what’s ahead:

“This first one’s already blown my mind. I can’t even imagine the second and third—it’s going to be insane. It’s only going to get bigger from here.”