Even Koyoharu Gotouge Will Agree Why Ufotable Never Planned to Make Demon Slayer the “Best Anime Ever”

When it comes to superior animation, Koyoharu Gotouge’s series Demon Slayer takes the cake. The franchise is popular and widely celebrated for its animation style. With the film dethroning Studio Ghibli in its position as the highest-grossing Asian movie, the franchise marked its success. Furthermore, it is one of the most-watched anime. And there’s more to it.

Mitsuri Kanroji in a still from the series | Credit: Ufotable

While the franchise has bagged several accolades and achievements, its success was unanticipated. This holds especially true with the anime as Ufotable producer Yuma Takahashi revealed in an interview. To say the least, his reasons are valid considering the crew’s painstaking efforts in animating the authors’ work.

Ufotable producer reveals the reason behind the unplanned success of Demon Slayer.

Ufotable is known for producing some of the notable anime such as Garden of Sinners, Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works, and Fate/Zero. Although the studio is known for adapting games into animations, it received its breakthrough with Demon Slayer’s success. Apart from working on the anime series, the animators played a pivotal role in ensuring the franchise’s success.

Daki and Gyutaro in a still from the series | Credit: Ufotable

Besides that, the series bagged the Best Animation Award and Best Art Direction Award held at the 2024 Crunchyroll Awards. It comes as no surprise considering the painstaking efforts and time invested by the animators in producing an immaculate masterpiece. While the series made a breakthrough with its superior animation, it was unplanned as revealed by the producer.

In an interview with Anime News Network, producer Yuma Takahashi revealed the unplanned nature of the series and the crew’s motive behind the series’ success. He quoted:

They always find a way to go higher and higher…and higher and higher and higher. In terms of ufotable’s goals for this series specifically, it’s not their aim necessarily to make the best anime ever, but to make the best Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. So what you’re seeing now is their best version of that source material.

Apart from its character design, the series is highly praised for its compelling storyline and animation that is par excellence. Moreover, its depiction of female characters and masculinity stands in contrast with other anime. The animators did absolute justice to the mangaka’s work nonetheless.

The Animators went above and beyond to do absolute justice to Koyoharu Gotouge’s work.

Through their attention to detail and hand-done animations, the studio did absolute justice to the author’s work. This holds especially true with the blend of CG and traditionally drawn animation. Moreover, the effort and careful detailing of the scenes are exceptional and even Hayao Miyazaki acknowledged it.

Gyomei Himejima in a still from the series | Credit: Ufotable

However, the studio’s efforts to maintain the authenticity of the series go beyond animation. Takahashi revealed the research went behind in recreating the historical period in the series. He quoted:

We relied on a trip to the mountains to help illustrate the snowy scenery of episode 1. We found a place where there was tons of snow to inspire us in creating Tanjiro’s homeland, although it was extremely freezing cold, and at one point there was some risk of us getting lost up there.

In addition to that, the creators involved the author in the process. In their move to stay true to the core text, they also respected the author’s decision.

All in all, the series continues to be celebrated and loved. From its well-written characters to its portrayal of masculinity, the series sets itself apart from most of its shonen contemporaries. To say the least, the studio and the author played an equal yet pivotal role in the series’ success.

Demon Slayer is available for streaming on Crunchyroll. The manga is available for reading on Viz Media.