The film Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Castle Infinite: Akaza Sairai won the award for best animation at the 49th Japan Academy Film Prize . The ceremony took place this Friday at the Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa in Tokyo, bringing together the main highlights of Japanese cinema in 2025.
Demon Slayer: Castle Infinite trilogy , the final arc of the franchise based on the manga by Koyoharu Gotouge . The project continues the adaptation of the series' decisive arc, following the confrontation against the powerful Upper Moons.
Demon Slayer wins in the animation category
In addition to Demon Slayer, four other films received the so-called "Award of Excellence," a recognition given to the final nominees. These included Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc , 100 Meters , Peleliu: Guernica of Paradise , and Detective Conan: One-eyed Flashback .
The Japan Academy also highlighted professionals from other productions. Yamato Kawachi and Noa Shiroyama won the Best New Actor award, while Hokuto Matsumura, a member of the group SixTONES, was recognized as the most talked-about actor of the period.
Technical recognition and honors
Back in January, the digital imaging team at ufotable received the Creative Contribution Award. The award recognizes significant technical contributions to productions released in 2025, highlighting the visual work on the first film in the trilogy.
The association also awarded honorary prizes to anime director Gisaburo Sugii, as well as posthumous tributes to actors Tatsuya Nakadai and Kazuko Yoshiyuki, and director Kazuo Ikehiro. Films eligible for the award had to have premiered in Japan between January 1 and December 31, 2025.
Finally, it's worth remembering that in the previous edition, the film Look Back won both the Best Animated Feature award and the Creative Contribution Award.
If you want to keep up with more news and awards from the anime , stay tuned to AnimeNews updates.
Source: X (Official Twitter)