The new theatrical version of the anime " Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Yaiba" based on the popular manga by Koyoharu Gotouge, " Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Infinity Castle Arc Chapter 1: Akaza Returns," was released on July 18th. The "Infinity Castle Arc" depicts the final battle between Tanjiro Kamado and the Demon Slaying Corps and Muzan Kibutsuji and other demons. In Chapter 1, Tanjiro and the Water Pillar, Giyu Tomioka, face off against Akaza, the Upper Rank Three, who boasts top-class strength among the demons. We spoke to Akira Ishida, the voice actor who plays Akaza, about what went on behind the scenes of the recording and his thoughts on Chapter 1.
◇Like Akaza, he dislikes Douma?
"Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: Kimetsu no Yaiba" tells the story of Tanjiro Kamado, whose family was killed by demons, who joins the Demon Slaying Corps to turn his sister, Nezuko, who has turned into a demon, back into a human. The original manga was serialized in "Weekly Shonen Jump" (Shueisha) from 2016 to 2020. The manga has sold over 220 million copies worldwide. The TV anime "Tanjiro Kamado, Unwavering Resolve Arc" aired from April to September 2019, and the movie version "Mugen Train" released in October 2020 attracted over 28.97 million domestic viewers and grossed approximately 40.4 billion yen, the highest box office revenue in Japan's history. The "Entertainment District Arc" aired from December 2021 to February 2022, the "Swordsmith Village Arc" from April to June 2023, and the "Hashira Training Arc" from May to June 2024. The "Infinity Castle Arc" is a trilogy.
Akaza is the first Upper Rank demon that Tanjiro and his friends face, and for the Demon Slaying Corps , he is also the enemy who defeated the Flame Pillar, Kyojuro Rengoku , in the " Mugen Train ." What were Ishida's thoughts as he approached the recording of the first chapter?
"As was the case in the previous film, Akaza appears as a very strong enemy. I think that having a strong enemy is a really essential condition for a fighting story like this one, so I approached the film with the determination that I had to portray him clearly so that the viewer would have no doubt that 'Akaza is strong.' He has appeared in the TV series several times up until now, so the tension was a little less than in the previous film."
The first chapter depicts the battle between Tanjiro and Giyuu versus Akaza, as well as the battle between Insect Pillar Shinobu Kocho and Upper Rank Two Douma. Ishida says, "Each of them has a different fighting style, so you could say they have their own niche. Even though it's a showdown between a corps member and a demon, it's not like the same thing continues over and over again, which was really worth watching."
Regarding the fight between Shinobu and Douma, he said, "Douma's nastiness really stood out." In the first episode of "Swordsmith Village Arc," there was a scene where Akaza expressed his anger at Douma's way of speaking, and he said, "Ever since then, I personally thought, 'I don't really like this character,' but I also thought that Akaza probably doesn't really like him that much either. (In Chapter 1) that kind of character of Douma was on full display, and his hatefulness really stood out."
◇Akaza shows his strength in full force. He puts momentum and strength into his voice.
In the first chapter, Akaza, Tanjiro, and Giyuu engage in a fierce battle. Ishida said of the battle scene, "I think it was a fighting style that made the most of his unique qualities."
"Compared to the last movie, where it was almost one-on-one, if you just look at the numbers it seems unfair, but Akaza is so strong that it doesn't bother me at all. With Akaza, it's not that he 'won because of his attitude,' but rather that he has overwhelming physical strength that allows him to come from above, which is his strong point, and I think this fighting style made use of that. It was really the speed that you can only get from a battle at the top, so even when I was watching it on screen during recording, my eyes couldn't keep up."
Regarding the recording of the battle scene, Takahiro Sakurai, who plays Giyuu, said, "Akaza is single-mindedly pursuing power, and at the end of that pursuit he has the strength to attain it. Ishida-san has perfectly expressed that strength," and added, "During the recording, I wondered if I could win." How did Ishida-san express Akaza's overwhelming strength?
"I'd be happy if there was a recipe that would make the flavor stronger if you did this or that, but it's a bit of a brute force approach. You just have to go all out."
Despite these thoughts, Ishida expressed Akaza's strength as "a character who has been given a pattern of pushing his strengths to the forefront as his own confidence." Conversely, there are characters whose strength oozes out by deliberately remaining calm, but Ishida explained, "No, that kind of character is played by Okiayu (Ryutaro)-kun (who plays Kokushibo, Upper Rank One)."
"This may be a characteristic of this work, but I feel like the stronger the character, the more subdued the shouts they make when unleashing a technique. I see a pattern where they keep their voice relatively subdued when saying the name of the kata, and then unleash a powerful technique. With Akaza, there are scenes where he does this, but because the technique he's unleashing is a taijutsu, he puts momentum and strength into his voice. I understand that this is what makes him a character with individuality."
Ishida, who has played formidable enemies in a variety of popular works, portrays Akaza with a powerful presence. You will be overwhelmed by the strength he exudes on the big screen.
*The correct spelling of "Ne" in Nezuko's name is "Ne + 爾". *The correct spelling of "Tsuji" in Muzan Kibutsuji is a single dot. *The correct spelling of "Ren" in Kyojuro Rengoku's name is "Ka + Higashi".
