Demon Slayer Loses Best Animated Movie Award in Major Golden Globe Snub

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Calling Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle a success doesn’t even begin to cover it. Released in 2025, the movie was a critical and commercial smash, earning a remarkable 98% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and becoming the highest-grossing Japanese film ever with over $791 million worldwide. Its stunning animation, beautiful visuals, and incredible action sequences have generated significant awards attention from both anime enthusiasts and mainstream movie fans.

The animated film Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle received a Golden Globe nomination for ‘Best Motion Picture – Animated’ at the 83rd Golden Globe Awards, which took place on January 11, 2026. However, in a surprising result, it lost to Netflix’s unexpectedly popular movie of 2025, KPop Demon Hunters. Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle was only the fifth anime film ever to be nominated for a Golden Globe, and it nearly won – it would have been the second anime film to do so, following Studio Ghibli’s 2023 film, The Boy and the Heron, if not for KPop Demon Hunters’ victory.

Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Officially Loses ‘Best Motion Picture – Animated’ Golden Globe Award to Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters

Anime fans were stunned at the 83rd Golden Globe Awards when KPop Demon Hunters unexpectedly won over Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle. While Demon Slayer was considered an underdog, KPop Demon Hunters had already received over 100 award nominations since its release in June 2025, winning 79 of them by the time of the 2026 Golden Globes. The film’s huge success, especially its availability on Netflix, has also helped boost the popularity of South Korean media and culture around the world – a phenomenon known as the ‘Korean Wave’.

While Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle has a slightly better score on Rotten Tomatoes – 98% compared to KPop Demon Hunters‘ 93% – both are incredibly popular globally. Considering Demon Slayer is currently the most popular anime series, many thought Infinity Castle had a strong chance of winning. However, even with its beautiful animation, Demon Slayer ultimately couldn’t beat KPop Demon Hunters.

Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle’s Oscar Nomination is Anything But Guaranteed

The nominations for the 98th Academy Awards will be revealed on January 22, 2026. While KPop Demon Hunters is almost certain to be nominated, the chances for Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle are less clear. Despite being the most successful Japanese film of all time, it’s not a sure thing that Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle will be selected. The Oscars rarely recognize anime films, generally only nominating those from Studio Ghibli.

The chances of Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle getting an Oscar nomination are made even more difficult by the release of Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc. Chainsaw Man is already receiving a lot of positive attention for its stunning animation, direction, music, and story. Considering the Academy Awards rarely nominates anime, it’s likely that only one of these films will be nominated, and Chainsaw Man is currently the frontrunner. While it’s possible both films could be nominated, that would only increase the competition for Demon Slayer.

The Academy’s new rule requiring voters to watch all nominated films puts Demon Slayer at a disadvantage. While KPop Demon Hunters is a complete story on its own, and Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc can be enjoyed even if you haven’t seen the Chainsaw Man series, Infinity Castle is different. It’s the climax of the entire Demon Slayer anime and the first part of a three-movie finale for the franchise.

It would be a huge surprise if Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle even receives an Oscar nomination this year, and winning seems highly unlikely.

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2026-01-12 20:04