Demon Slayer director reveals the secrets behind the show's jaw-dropping animation

The transformation of a great story into a phenomenal narrative has been accomplished by Studio Ufotable through their portrayal of Demon Slayer on screen. The director of the high-grossing, fan-favorite anime series recently announced the secrets behind the gorgeous animation that the show has become known for.

Twitter user @Kylescouter took to Twitter to share snippets of the interview with Kenichi Kutsuna. Known for the breath-visuals and superb direction of the Demon Slayer anime and movie, Kutsuna highlighted how Studio Ufotable managed to win the animated game for Kimetsu no Yaiba with their specific tactics.

---

Director Kutsuna cites 'Satsuei' as one of the hidden secrets behind Demon Slayer's top-tier animation style

In this post, user Kyle Anime Scouter reveals that Satsuei is the secret to Ufotable's success in this regard. To inform more about Satsuei, they give a short description:

"This refers to the process of assembling (compositing) animation screens from various materials such as drawings and art, and adding visual effects."

As such, this Satsuei is regarded as the strong point of Ufotable. Scenes involving sword-fighting and breathing techniques make use of these animation screens, utilizing both drawings and traditional Japanese art before going further by adding spectacular visual effects.

Kutsuna also delved into the visual aspects of such animation, talking about the scenes in which Tanjiro fights the demons with the help of Hashira. The primary battle between Tanjiro, Nezuko, Zenitsu, and Inosuke took place in the night, against the Upper Moon 6 Daki and Gyutaro, during the Entertainment District arc. Other prominent battles also occurred after the sun had set in the Kimetsu no Yaiba universe:

"Dark night scenes provide little color information, making it difficult to create a visually eye-catching screen..."

Animating night scenes are easier, as it ensures the brilliant spectacle of Demon Slayer's fights. However, the in-universe reason is that the demons hate sunlight and are thus able to perform their evil shenanigans by night.

User Kyle Anime Scouter continues that there are several effects that are borne as a result of the fighting, including supernatural elements of the world and the creatures that are brought out through the animation techniques. Demon Slayer has expertly used fire and the effects of thunder and waves over and over again, leading Kutsuna to say:

"But there are lots of effects of the fighting. Fire, Blue waves, Yellow thunder etc. That effect is expressed through a complex combination of drawing, photography (Satsuei), and 3DCG, and is eye-catching on its own."

The second aspect after the visuals that draw people in for the visual marvel of Demon Slayer is the action and the fluid movements in the battle and action scenes. Referring to Kutsuna's interview, @kylescouter writes:

"Spatial integrity must be protected in 3DCG. But sometimes it’s hard like in the Mugen train. Ufotable's CG misrepresented the space in each cut and prioritized the appearance of the screen. So visual is cool!"

Speaking of Ufotable's difference from other anime production studios, @kylescouter says:

"Many anime production companies outsource “Satsuei” and "CG" to specialized companies. However, ufotable is one of the rare studios has an in-house production system by promoting the hiring of staff from a wide range of sections, including “Satsuei,” "CG," and animators."

As such, the director and animator also makes a passing reference to draw a contrast with Studio Ghibli by saying:

"Everything is done in-house, which makes for cool animation. This article is very interesting. We can know the production of Demon Slayer. And the philosophy of making animation in contrast to Ghibli in it."

---

Demon Slayer season 3 is currently airing, with episode 2 having already delighted fans with its high-stakes action and brilliant visuals in the Swordsmith Village arc. Fans can watch the series on Crunchyroll and read the manga on Viz Media or MangaPlus.