# Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train
**Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train** (劇場版「鬼滅の刃」無限列車編, *Gekijōban Kimetsu no Yaiba: Mugen Ressha-hen*) is a 2020 Japanese animated film directed by Haruo Sotozaki, produced by the studio ufotable, and based on the Mugen Train arc of Koyoharu Gotoge's manga *Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba*. It continues the story of the 2019 television series, following [Tanjiro Kamado](https://www.edgepedia.org/tanjiro-kamado) and his companions as they board a train on which more than forty people have disappeared, alongside the Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku.[1](https://jfdb.jp/en/title/9305) • [2](https://www.aniplex.co.jp/lineup/kimetsu_mugen) Released in Japan on October 16, 2020, it became the highest-grossing film of all time in Japan and, at over $500 million worldwide, at the time the highest-grossing anime film ever made.[3](https://www.toho.co.jp/files/3dc8dadfeb5a936c0f26fd91cdc624f826ff6e4e87dd1d4faded224f2931ba46) • [4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Demon-Slayer-Kimetsu-no-Yaiba-The-Movie-Mugen-Train-%282020-Japan%29)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Japanese release | October 16, 2020; distributed in Japan by Toho and Aniplex[1](https://jfdb.jp/en/title/9305) |
| Running time | 117 minutes[1](https://jfdb.jp/en/title/9305) |
| Director / studio | Haruo Sotozaki; animation production and screenplay by ufotable[1](https://jfdb.jp/en/title/9305) |
| Japan box office | ¥40.43 billion, the highest-grossing film of all time in Japan[3](https://www.toho.co.jp/files/3dc8dadfeb5a936c0f26fd91cdc624f826ff6e4e87dd1d4faded224f2931ba46) |
| Worldwide box office | $515,417,627, against a reported production budget of $15,750,000[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Demon-Slayer-Kimetsu-no-Yaiba-The-Movie-Mugen-Train-%282020-Japan%29) |
| Theme song | "Homura" by LiSA (SACRA MUSIC); score by Yuki Kajiura and Go Shiina[1](https://jfdb.jp/en/title/9305) |
| Awards | Animation of the Year at the 44th Japan Academy Prize (2021)[5](https://www.japan-academy-prize.jp/prizes/?t=44) |
## Spoilers
### Story and production
The film is set in Japan's Taisho era and follows Tanjiro Kamado, a boy whose family was killed by demons and whose sister Nezuko was transformed into one; he fights demons to turn her back into a human.[1](https://jfdb.jp/en/title/9305) After completing rehabilitation training at the Butterfly Mansion, Tanjiro, Nezuko, Zenitsu Agatsuma, and Inosuke Hashibira travel to the Mugen Train, where over forty people have vanished in a short period. There they join Kyojuro Rengoku, one of the most powerful swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps, to face the demon aboard the train.[1](https://jfdb.jp/en/title/9305) • [6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/demon_slayer_kimetsu_no_yaiba_the_movie_mugen_train)
The Japanese voice cast reprises the television series roles: [Natsuki Hanae](https://www.edgepedia.org/natsuki-hanae) as Tanjiro, Akari Kito as Nezuko, Hiro Shimono as Zenitsu, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka as Inosuke, and [Satoshi Hino](https://www.edgepedia.org/satoshi-hino) as Rengoku.[1](https://jfdb.jp/en/title/9305) Akira Matsushima served as character designer and chief animation director.[1](https://jfdb.jp/en/title/9305) The film adapts an entire story arc for cinemas rather than a television season, a choice ufotable made during the COVID-19 pandemic; it reached Japanese screens at a moment between lockdowns when little else was playing.[7](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/anime-movies/anime-is-more-mainstream-than-ever-and-demon-slayer-stands-out-as-the-franchise-to-beat/)
## Box office
**Japan.** The film opened on October 16, 2020 and earned more than 3 million admissions and ¥4.6 billion in its first three days, the highest opening weekend for attendance and revenue for any film released in Japan at that time.[8](https://animatetimes.com/news/details.php?id=1603253925) After ten days it had passed $100 million, the fastest film to reach that mark in Japan.[9](https://aniplexusa.com/pdf/PR_102620_DSKY.pdf) By the end of 2020 it had overtaken [Hayao Miyazaki](https://www.edgepedia.org/hayao-miyazaki)'s *Spirited Away*, which had held the Japanese record since 2001, with receipts then standing at ¥36 billion.[10](https://monkfishare.github.io/TEGBR/TE_GBR_2021.pdf) Toho's later financial materials put its final Japanese box office revenue at ¥40.43 billion.[3](https://www.toho.co.jp/files/3dc8dadfeb5a936c0f26fd91cdc624f826ff6e4e87dd1d4faded224f2931ba46)
**International.** The film rolled out across Asia from late 2020 and reached North America on April 23, 2021, released by [Funimation](https://www.edgepedia.org/funimation) on more than 1,600 screens including IMAX and 4DX, in both subtitled and English-dubbed versions.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Demon-Slayer-Kimetsu-no-Yaiba-The-Movie-Mugen-Train-%282020-Japan%29) • [11](https://aniplexusa.com/pdf/PR_042621_DSKY.pdf) Its $21,144,800 North American opening was the largest debut for any foreign-language film in United States box office history and Funimation's biggest three-day opening.[11](https://aniplexusa.com/pdf/PR_042621_DSKY.pdf) The Numbers records a worldwide total of $515,417,627, of which about 9.8 percent came from the domestic (North American) market.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Demon-Slayer-Kimetsu-no-Yaiba-The-Movie-Mugen-Train-%282020-Japan%29) Aniplex of America credits the film with over $500 million and describes it as the highest-grossing Japanese anime movie of all time and the highest-grossing Japanese film worldwide.[12](https://demonslayer-anime.com/mugentrainarc/news/?id=67637)
## Reception and awards
On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 98 percent critics score from 49 reviews and a 99 percent audience score from more than 10,000 verified ratings; the critics consensus praises its "visually stunning animation and masterful action set pieces" in service of a heartfelt plot.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/demon_slayer_kimetsu_no_yaiba_the_movie_mugen_train) Reviewers singled out ufotable's blend of hand-drawn character animation with CGI effects and camera work, and the emotional weight of Rengoku's storyline.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/demon_slayer_kimetsu_no_yaiba_the_movie_mugen_train) The film won [Animation](https://www.edgepedia.org/animation) of the Year at the 44th Japan Academy Prize, whose citation notes that it renewed Japan's all-time box office record while achieving hits across countries worldwide during the pandemic.[5](https://www.japan-academy-prize.jp/prizes/?t=44) The film is rated R in the United States for violence and bloody images.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Demon-Slayer-Kimetsu-no-Yaiba-The-Movie-Mugen-Train-%282020-Japan%29)
## Legacy
The film's success propelled the *Demon Slayer* franchise to global recognition and drove wider interest in the manga and anime series, merchandise, and further theatrical releases.[7](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/anime-movies/anime-is-more-mainstream-than-ever-and-demon-slayer-stands-out-as-the-franchise-to-beat/) The story was also adapted as a seven-episode television arc, *Mugen Train Arc*, broadcast in 2021, followed by the *Entertainment District Arc*.[13](https://www.takaratomy.co.jp/english/product_release/pdf/p210510_en.pdf) The manga itself had passed 150 million copies in circulation by 2021 and later exceeded 220 million.[13](https://www.takaratomy.co.jp/english/product_release/pdf/p210510_en.pdf) • [14](https://prtimes.jp/a/?c=1956&f=d1956-703-bdafbbac60a343cd10c14498207f8fee.pdf&r=703)
Its records have since been challenged by the franchise's own sequel: *[Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle](https://www.edgepedia.org/demon-slayer-kimetsu-no-yaiba-the-movie-infinity-castle)* broke Mugen Train's record for the fastest film to reach 10 billion yen in Japan in 2025 and has overtaken it as the highest-grossing anime movie of all time.[15](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/anime-movies/despite-smashing-japan-box-office-records-demon-slayer-infinity-castle-director-doesnt-care-about-the-numbers-game-or-chasing-a-megahit-we-try-to-look-beyond-that/) • [16](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/best-anime-movies/) Mugen Train returned to theaters in a 4K re-release in the United States and Canada on May 14, 2025, distributed by [Crunchyroll](https://www.edgepedia.org/crunchyroll) and [Sony Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/sony-pictures), and began streaming on Japanese platforms from July 2, 2025.[12](https://demonslayer-anime.com/mugentrainarc/news/?id=67637) • [17](https://kimetsu.com/anime/mugenresshahen_movie/stream/)
## References
1. [JFDB – Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train](https://jfdb.jp/en/title/9305)
2. [Aniplex – 劇場版「鬼滅の刃」無限列車編](https://www.aniplex.co.jp/lineup/kimetsu_mugen)
3. [Toho – 決算説明資料](https://www.toho.co.jp/files/3dc8dadfeb5a936c0f26fd91cdc624f826ff6e4e87dd1d4faded224f2931ba46)
4. [The Numbers – Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba—The Movie: Mugen Train (2020)](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Demon-Slayer-Kimetsu-no-Yaiba-The-Movie-Mugen-Train-%282020-Japan%29)
5. [日本アカデミー賞 – 第44回](https://www.japan-academy-prize.jp/prizes/?t=44)
6. [Rotten Tomatoes – Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/demon_slayer_kimetsu_no_yaiba_the_movie_mugen_train)
7. [GamesRadar – Anime is more mainstream than ever, and Demon Slayer stands out as the franchise to beat](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/anime-movies/anime-is-more-mainstream-than-ever-and-demon-slayer-stands-out-as-the-franchise-to-beat/)
8. [アニメイトタイムズ – 『劇場版「鬼滅の刃」無限列車編』を映画館で観るべき理由](https://animatetimes.com/news/details.php?id=1603253925)
9. [Aniplex USA press release, October 26, 2020](https://aniplexusa.com/pdf/PR_102620_DSKY.pdf)
10. [Anime films in Japan (The Economist-style briefing, TEGBR 2021)](https://monkfishare.github.io/TEGBR/TE_GBR_2021.pdf)
11. [Aniplex USA press release, April 26, 2021](https://aniplexusa.com/pdf/PR_042621_DSKY.pdf)
12. [Demon Slayer Mugen Train Arc official USA website – 4K re-release announcement](https://demonslayer-anime.com/mugentrainarc/news/?id=67637)
13. [Takara Tomy – About TV Animation "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba"](https://www.takaratomy.co.jp/english/product_release/pdf/p210510_en.pdf)
14. [PR Times – 鬼滅の刃 累計発行部数2億2000万部](https://prtimes.jp/a/?c=1956&f=d1956-703-bdafbbac60a343cd10c14498207f8fee.pdf&r=703)
15. [GamesRadar – Infinity Castle director on box office records](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/anime-movies/despite-smashing-japan-box-office-records-demon-slayer-infinity-castle-director-doesnt-care-about-the-numbers-game-or-chasing-a-megahit-we-try-to-look-beyond-that/)
16. [GamesRadar – The 30 best anime movies to watch right now](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/best-anime-movies/)
17. [劇場版「鬼滅の刃」無限列車編 – 配信情報](https://kimetsu.com/anime/mugenresshahen_movie/stream/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Franchise and series entries as standalone works › Anime 'the Movie' franchise entries*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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