Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle goes the extra mile with the addition of a member of the Avengers: Doomsday star to its roster, but unfortunately the character’s death ends up being a waste for the potential future of the franchise. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle has been a huge deal since it first released in Japan earlier this Summer, and it’s hard not to see why as the film has been breaking all sorts of box office records in just that region alone. Now that it has released in the United States, the film is going for even bigger milestones.
What’s really going to help in that regard is the official English dub release for Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castlewhich has recruited Deadpool & Wolverine and Avengers: Doomsday star Channing Tatum for its cast. It’s a pretty huge moment for a franchise like Demon Slayer, but unfortunately his character doesn’t make it through the events of the film. Which ultimately feels like a missed out chance at having the star bringing someone even bigger to life down the line through the rest of the trilogy. Warning! Massive spoilers for Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle below!
How Avengers: Doomsday’s Channing Tatum Dies in Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle bringing in Channing Tatum for the English dub cast might come as a surprise to many, but Tatum has gone on record before about how big he is into the franchise. Not only has he attended the premieres of Demon Slayer’s movie events in the past (and sported some cool cosplay for the occasion to boot), but has also opened up about how much he and his daughter love the anime itself and watch it together. It really is a big deal to see a major franchise player in Hollywood like Tatum joining the voice cast of a dub like this.
Tatum isn’t the first Hollywood movie star to share his love of anime, and there have been major actors attached to dubs for Studio Ghibli releases and more over the years, but something feels different about Tatum joining Demon Slayer for the movie. Not only is this franchise one of Shonen Jump’s hottest properties at the moment, but it’s likely not going to be considered to be considered through that same awards lens as Studio Ghibli films. Demon Slayer is the closest anime fans have to a “blockbuster” level franchise, so Tatum’s involvement really does take it all to the next level.
Tatum not only gives fans another reason to check out the dubbed version, but will also help to highlight the other stars from the TV anime series who are making the jump to the big screen too. He’s a very high profile addition to Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castlebut unfortunately is only around for a single film as he does die within the events of the movie. It’s a waste for the trilogy’s future, but at least Tatum does have a significant role to help bring to life.
Who Does Channing Tatum Play in Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle?
As for who he plays in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity CastleChanning Tatum joins the film as the English dubbed voice of Keizo, a very important piece of Akaza’s past. The film showcases a major fight between Akaza against Tanjiro Kamado and Giyu Tomioka, and with Akaza starts to be flooded with his memories of his life as a human. He realizes that he hates Tanjiro because he directly is reminded of Keizo, his former master who had taught him to fight in the first place.
Keizo was the one who had taken in Akaza, and gave him a whole new goal for his future as he taught him how to fight. He had even planned for Akaza to take over his dojo in the future and marry his daughter, but things quickly went south when it was revealed that both Keizo and his daughter were poisoned by a rival dojo. It was a major part of Akaza’s past, and reflecting on it is what ultimately allowed Tanjiro to help bring the demon down as Akaza lost that core reason to keep fighting as a demon.
Tatum’s role as Keizo was certainly a significant part of the film as he does get a lot of time on screen, but bringing him in as a character killed off within a flashback in just a single film feels like a waste. It might have been tough to find new opportunities as this franchise is seemingly going to end with these films (meaning there are very few new characters to cast overall), but Tatum’s also the kind of star that would’ve been great to see around for longer either way. What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
