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 Yaiba the Movie: Infinity Castle Arc Chapter 1: Akaza Returns," was released on July 18th. "Infinity Castle Arc" depicts the final battle between Tanjiro Kamado and the Demon Slaying Corps and the demons led by Muzan Kibutsuji. In the first chapter, Tanjiro and the Water Pillar, Giyu Tomioka, engage in a fierce battle with Akaza, the Upper Rank Three, and Akaza's past is also depicted. We spoke to Akira Ishida, the voice actor who plays Akaza, about what goes on behind the scenes of the recording and what makes Akaza so appealing.
◇On playing the young Komaji: "Everyone on set was focused on what they had to do."
"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, back into a human after she was transformed into a demon. The original manga was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump 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 "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - 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.
In the first chapter, Akaza gradually remembers his past during the battle between Tanjiro and Giyuu. When he was human, his name was Hakuji, and he repeatedly pickpocketed to buy medicine for his sick father. However, his father became so distressed by this that he chose to commit suicide. He then meets and is saved by a father-son duo, Keizo and Koyuki.
Ishida played the current Akaza, as well as 11-year-old Komaji and 18-year-old Komaji. When asked if there were any challenges or new discoveries he made while acting, he said, "I was a little worried about going back in time and playing Komaji from when he was 11 to when he was about 18, but when I saw the finished product, I thought, 'Ah, this is easier to listen to than I had worried'."
"The story itself had a proper continuity and flowed smoothly, so my worries faded away as I was recording, and before I knew it, I had forgotten about it. In that sense, it was a story that I was able to do without any trouble."
The recording environment was also good. Regarding the recording of the scene between Komaji and Koyuki at the end of the film, he recalled, "It's not just that scene, but everyone was serious during the recording, so there was a tense atmosphere in the studio."
"It was a small recording session with only the members of the scene in question, so in terms of recording a work, I think it was a very proper session. No one was looking at it as if it were someone else's problem, and everyone was focused on doing what they had to do, so I think it was a very good recording environment."
◇The reason for Akaza's popularity is because he "realized"
What thoughts did Ishida, who played Akaza and Komaji, have about the characters?
"Due to his environment, Akaza started out his life by viewing the world as his enemy, but realizing that there was more to life than that must have been the greatest achievement in his life. He was reaping the rewards in his heart, and just as he was about to harvest them, a thief stole them from him, causing him to explode with anger and back to square one. From there he fell into the path of a demon. When he was human, his reason for 'I have to become strong' was to protect his father's life, and later in life he realized he had to become strong in order to protect Koyuki and to take over the Soryu dojo that had saved him, but his basic thinking was 'I have to become strong to protect someone'," he says.
"The things he had lost, the things that were most important to him, the things he had lost when he lost his memory, he was able to regain them through his own realization, and viewers can feel that this is great. I think that when you take all of this into account, you can feel that Akaza is a character that you can root for."
Finally, we asked him about what he gained from playing Akaza.
"Even before I took part in this production, I was told that Akaza is popular, so I went in thinking, 'Come on, don't put that much pressure on me.' But as the story unfolded, I felt like I understood a little bit more why he's so popular. As a voice actor, my job is to voice characters, and there are certainly people who love each character, but it's not often that you get the opportunity to encounter something that has such a big impact on you. So now I'm grateful that I was able to do that."
