Notable animated films of 2025:"Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: Infinity Castle Arc" and new "Gundam" works are all the rage, including "Madoka Magica" and "Chainsaw Man"

In 2024, the anime movies "Detective Conan: One million dollar guidepost" and "Haikyu!! the Movie: Decisive Battle at the Garbage Dump revenues of about 15.8 billion yen and about 11.64 billion yen, respectively. In addition, popular works such as "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom", "Lookback", "Bocchi the Rock! Re: / Re:Re:", and "Attack on Titan: Final Chapter THE LAST ATTACK" were released one after another. In 2025, notable works such as the theatrical pre-release "Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning-", "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle Arc no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Castle Arc", "Chainsaw Man Reze Arc", " Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Walpurgis Kaiten", and "Endless Scarlet" are scheduled to be released. We will introduce popular anime movies.

◇Sunrise and Khara team up for the first time for "Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX" to be screened early in the new year

As the new year begins, one of the notable January releases is the early-theatrical version of the latest installment in the popular Gundam anime series, Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning- (released January 17th).

Sunrise, which produced the "Gundam" series, and khara, known for the "Evangelion" series, are teaming up for the first time in this much talked about production, with Kazuya Tsurumaki as director, Yoji Enokido as series composer, and Ikuto Yamashita in charge of mechanical design. The TV anime series will be broadcast on the Nippon Television network, and a preview of "Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuX -Beginning-", a reconstructed version of some episodes, will be shown ahead of the broadcast.

The protagonist is a high school girl, Amate Yuzuriha (Machu). Machu, who lives a peaceful life in a space colony floating in space, meets a war refugee girl named Nyaan and gets involved in an illegal mobile suit dueling competition, the Clan Battle. Machu pilots the GQuuuuuuX and throws herself into daily battles. The protagonist's mobile suit, GQuuuuuuX, is a mysterious state-of-the-art mobile suit piloted by Machu, and participates in the Clan Battle as the mobile suit belonging to the Pomeranians.

The protagonist's mobile suit, GQuuuuuuX, designed by Yamashita, who is in charge of the mechanical design of the "Evangelion" series, is also a hot topic for its significant differences from conventional Gundams, such as its narrow waist and uniquely shaped ankles. Expectations are high for what kind of "Gundam" will be created with Sunrise and khara teaming up.

◇ The decisive battle depicted in the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle Arc trilogy

One of the much-anticipated animated theatrical releases due for release in 2025 is the new Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Slayer: Infinity Castle Arc no Yaiba the Movie: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba , an anime adaptation of the popular manga by Koyoharu Gotouge Gotouge.

The " Infinity Castle Arc " will be produced as a trilogy of movies, following the " Hashira Training Arc " TV anime that aired from May to June 2024. In the final episode of " Hashira Training Arc," the progenitor of demons, Muzan Kibutsuji, and the Demon Slaying Corps' Kagaya Ubuyashiki, met. With the master in danger, Tanjiro Kamado and the pillars gather together to confront Muzan. In the "Infinity Castle Arc," a decisive battle between the Demon Slaying Corps and Muzan and other demons will take place in the demons' headquarters, Infinite Castle.

Excluding advance screenings of the TV anime, this will be the first movie version of "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" since the "Mugen Train" which was released in 2020 and was a huge hit, grossing about 40 billion yen, the highest box office revenue in Japan's history. It will be interesting to see what kind of "Infinity Castle Arc" ufotable, whose "divine animation" has been a hot topic, will show us on the big screen.

◇ The long-awaited new work of "Puella Magi Madoka Magica" Director Akiyuki Shinbo, Gen Urobuchi and other staff members reunite

The long-awaited new animated film based on the popular anime series "Puella Magi Madoka Magica," "Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Walpurgis no Kaiten," is scheduled for release in winter 2025.

This is a legitimate sequel to " Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion," which was released in 2013 and was the first late-night anime movie to break the 2 billion yen mark at the time. It reunites director Akiyuki Shinbo, screenwriter Gen Urobuchi, and other staff members. There are still many mysteries surrounding what kind of story it will be, but a teaser trailer featuring a girl who appears to be a new character has been released and is generating a lot of buzz. The cryptic copy on the official website is also of interest: "The legitimate sequel to 'Rebellion' -- and a new beginning."

◇Movie versions of popular manga such as "Chainsaw Man" and "Jujutsu Kaisen" Director Mamoru Hosoda's first new work in about four years

In addition to "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: Kimetsu no Tatsuki Fujimoto," other movies based on popular manga are scheduled to be released in 2025. The movie version of the anime "Chainsaw Man Chainsaw Man : Reze Arc," a sequel to the TV anime "Gege Akutami Man," based on the popular manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto, has been announced to be released "around the time of the Jujutsu Kaisen " in 2025, and the special compilation of the second season of the TV anime " Jujutsu Kaisen , " based on the original manga by Gege Akutami, "The Movie Compilation: The Kaigyoku/Gyokusetsu of the ...

The movie version of "Me and Me & Roboco ," an anime based on the popular comedy manga by Shuhei Miyazaki, will be released on April 18th, and the compilation of the first season of the TV anime " Kaiju No. 8 ," based on the popular manga by Naoya Matsumoto , (along with "Hoshina's Holiday") will be released on March 28th, allowing you to enjoy works that have attracted attention as TV anime on the big screen.

Other hotly anticipated new releases include "Endless Scarlet" (to be released in winter 2025), the first new film in about four years from director Mamoru Hosoda, known for "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" and " Lupin the Third , " the movie version of the music-based character rap project "Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle-" (to be released on February 21), the first 2D movie version of the popular anime "Lupin the Third" in about 30 years, "LUPIN THE IIIRD THE MOVIE (tentative title)," and the second chapter of the completely new movie version of the popular TV anime "Mononoke," "Mononoke the Movie: Chapter 2: Fire Rat" (to be released on March 14).

Don't miss out on the annual popular titles such as " Doraemon the Doraemon: Nobita's Art World Tales" (released March 7th), the 45th anniversary commemorative film of the "Detective Conan the Movie" series, and the latest film in the popular anime series "Detective Conan: One-Eyed Flashback" (released April 18th). 2025 is also set to be a year of great excitement for anime movies.