Takahiro Sakurai

Giyu Tomioka sounds reserved without sounding empty. Sakurai's restrained delivery allows the character's feelings to register without making every line announce what he is going through. That is the quality to listen for in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle (2025), directed by Haruo Sotozaki. We rate Sakurai for making that restraint expressive, rather than treating a cool voice as sufficient characterisation.

His long-running work as Cloud Strife in the Final Fantasy VII games and films established him with international audiences. Suzaku Kururugi in Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (2006) belongs to the idealistic side of his work; Suguru Geto in Jujutsu Kaisen (2020) is an antagonist. Between them came Giyu in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (2019), a particularly clear example of his understated approach. These parts give him different reasons for keeping his delivery controlled, although the recurrence of cool young men is a fair reservation about his casting.

Infinity Castle is a useful test of how much that approach can contribute to a busy film. Sotozaki's animated combat is inventive, and the demons are given enough history to make their suffering matter. We grew impatient with the repeated flashbacks, because they make an already long film feel longer. Sakurai's restraint is welcome here, but one carefully controlled voice cannot fix the pacing. The film remains worth an evening for series followers, with that warning about the interruptions.

Sakurai's account of developing Giyu is revealing: he wants to preserve the recognisable character while allowing more feeling to show. His consistency across long-running series leaves room for subtle changes as the stories develop. That matters in voice acting, where a familiar delivery can become something an audience expects to hear unchanged, even when the character has been through enough to warrant a difference. We would welcome more parts that ask him to be less composed.