Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle recently had an incredible theatrical run. Such a good run that it’s even coming back to theaters this March in the United States and Canada. The film represented an important entry for the Demon Slayer franchise. For one, it’s a success in the growing tendency for major anime to release arcs as films either on their own or in addition to the standard TV / streaming releases. But secondly, and perhaps more importantly, it was just very, very good. Demon Slayer has been lauded for years for its exceptional art and animation quality. Infinity Castle brought plenty of that, but it also gave voice actors an opportunity to showcase the amazing growth of their respective characters and at times dive into carefully crafted backstories from the original manga. I think the quality of those performances isn’t talked about anywhere near enough. Recent seasons of Demon Slayer have had very strong vocal performances (the end of Season 3 especially comes to mind).
On the heels of the new Demon Slayer film and ahead of the next one, we had the chance to sit down in conversation with voice actor Zach Aguilar, the English dub voice of Tanjiro Kamado in Demon Slayer. If you don’t already know Aguilar from Demon Slayer, you’ll recognize him as the voice of Genos in One Punch Man, Koichi in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 4, and David Martinez in Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. He’s had a very impressive career and we wanted to hear all about one its most important entries. We chatted about some of his voice acting origins, his thoughts on Tanjiro’s growth, and what it’s like to be part of a legendary modern anime franchise.
Portions of this interview have been lightly edited for clarity.
Q: To start, I wanted to hear more about, one, how you first got into voice acting, and then the contest you competed in.
A: How I got into voice acting — I had been doing a lot of acting as a kid. I did on-camera when I was really young. I didn’t entirely know what I was doing then, so I kind of stopped doing it. I mean, I was six years old. You don’t fully understand auditioning and going and meeting casting directors. I would go into a room of 10 people as a six year old and memorize some lines, go read for them, and then go home. And I just didn’t understand that whole experience. I wasn’t a fan of it as a kid. I’m sure most kids don’t really enjoy the whole auditioning process. And later on, when I was older — I was around 12, 13 when I discovered anime. I got really, really into anime. I watched shows like Naruto, Death Note, Code Geass, BLEACH, and fell in love with it. So I started taking acting classes again, and voice acting classes too, specifically.
In 2014, I won the Adventures in Voice Acting competition that BangZoom Entertainment did. I remember I almost didn’t do that competition. My friend Erica Lindbeck, she was the one who pushed me into the line and said, “Hey, let’s go do the competition for fun. It’ll be great.” And I was super nervous. I didn’t want to do it. You stand in this line, and they give you a script right when you get to the very front of the line, which is very similar to how we record voiceover in the booth. We never get the scripts in advance. You walk right into the booth, and it’s like, “Hey, cool. Now read the first line. Here you go. This is what’s happening in the scene. Good luck; do it.” That’s why they make the competition, I guess, very similar to the actual professional way of recording.
So I auditioned, I got a round of applause. I don’t really remember much of the audition, because I was really nervous. And I got a call I think 10 days later saying, “Hey, congrats, you won the competition.
Would you like to come in and work on Magi: The Kingdom of Magic in the background and do some background voices?” And I was like, “Sure, I would love to.” And the rest is kind of history. Things snowballed from there. I’ve worked with the studio ever since I ended up getting an agent. And I went through multiple agencies and kept the grind going — and the grind is still going today.
Q: I’m glad you mentioned Magi. That’s a very underrated show. When you were first starting off and getting more into voice acting, I imagine you were doing different mediums, doing commercials, anime, video games over the years. When you are doing different mediums, do you feel like there have been any unique skills from one medium that have transferred over nicely to another?
A: I did a lot of theater training. And that definitely has helped. It’s helped a lot for voiceover, I would say, even for motion capture, which is another new thing I’m starting to get into doing more video games, more on camera stuff. And for some of these things you have to be really expressive, maybe even more expressive than you would be on camera, because that’s just how they want it to be for their game. They put dots all over your face, you wear a suit, and you do all these expressions and movements. And just like in theater, you do more expressive movements than I would say you would do for on camera. You’re always doing a whole thing, very theatrical, moving your hands and your body. So that’s definitely helped in a lot of ways. I’m really glad that I got the theater training. And when I was younger, people told me, “Hey, if you want to do VO, you have to do theater training.” And I said, “I don’t want to do theater training, like, what? I don’t really want to be doing on camera stuff,” but I’m really glad I did it.
Q: You mentioned movement and physicality. Moving now to talking about Demon Slayer. I’m curious if any of those aspects are especially relevant for that series.
A: I do my best to move as much as possible when I’m in the booth, especially on those more emotional scenes. It’s really hard to jump into that moment. I think that’s the trickiest part about voiceover, because, for fans watching it in a theater, you kind of get the buildup. You get to watch everything happen in a sequence, but recording in the booth, sometimes we’ll jump from scene to scene. We’ll record an ending scene, and then we’ll record the beginning scene, and we’ll jump all around. And you’re just in a sound padded room. And they’re like, “Okay, here’s the script. Now do the thing.” So you kind of have to get yourself into that headspace. Sometimes I’ll kind of do a little jog as I’m in the booth to get myself more winded for those for those breathing scenes when he’s (breathes heavily) and running through the forest, or even in the infinity castle. I do my best to bring the movement because I think it helps give a more realistic read.
Q: That makes sense. You mentioned Infinity Castle. Obviously, amazing performance, amazing reception, very good movie. As someone who has now been a part of multiple of these arcs-turned-movies, how does it feel for viewership of the anime to go beyond TV and streaming and make its way to the big screen?
A: It feels incredible. It’s kind of surreal to see, especially starting out doing anime. Anime was known, but it wasn’t widely widely known. It’s just really, really surreal to see it all kind of come together and honestly get the recognition I’ve always believed that anime has deserved, especially a show like Demon Slayer.
I mean, the animation is incredible. The music is amazing, too. The story’s great, the character designs, there’s just sort of something for everyone, I really believe that. When people watch it — I go to the conventions, and I get to meet a lot of fans and families who bond over this show. And I think that’s just the coolest thing in the world, because I would bond with my dad over playing video games, we played Halo and Xbox, Crash Bandicoot, we played everything — Super Mario. And it’s kind of funny to see Demon Slayer and anime as a genre come in and be that thing that people bond over.
Q: I feel like the show has had bursts of popularity. The first one that comes to mind for me was the fight between Tanjiro, Nezuko, and Rui with Hinokami Kagura for the first time, the beautiful animation, the music, like you said. As you’ve witnessed these spurts of popularity, and it’s become more and more popular, does the way that you approach your responsibility for the role feel different now that it’s gotten so big?
A: I think that as Demon Slayer has gone on, I have definitely been challenged as an actor, not only from Demon Slayer itself, but other projects. So I feel like that has increased my ability. I would say when I first started doing the role, I always thought that I had to hit a very specific tone of voice and a very specific note on the screams. It’s hard to explain, but there’s like a certain cadence, I think, to his voice. And going on, I kind of realized, hey, I don’t really need to hit that same tone or the notes or the cadence. I just have to focus on my own feelings and making it feel legit and real.
Because I think as an actor, when you really feel those feelings and you’re delivering a performance, it’s going to come through. You don’t have to worry about too much technicality. But going back to the whole dubbing process of anime, it’s kind of impossible to not worry about it being so technical because it’s just such a technical medium and way of recording a show. I would say, the pressure, I definitely feel it because I want it to be amazing. I want it to be the best thing people have ever seen. And I want them to bond with Tanjiro. I want them to feel what he’s feeling and really try to see the story and the show through his eyes. And moving forward, I’m just going to give it everything I’ve got and more. I absolutely can’t wait to record everything else that’s to come. I think it’s going to be incredible and it’s going to be a challenge, but I’m here to bring it.
Q: One interesting aspect of Tanjiro is that he is simultaneously this very loving, caring, protective person, but also can be ferocious and ruthless. As you balance those two parts of his character, what’s your approach to making sure both can come through on their own?
A: I think with Tanjiro, the most important thing is just remembering he is a good person. And no matter how many bad things happen to this poor boy, he just has a heart of gold, truly. And he’s very selfless. The whole story revolves around him trying to turn his sister back into a human. He’s trying to save Nezuko and that’s why he kind of goes to these lengths to fight these demons and goes through all these just insane odds. And I think viewers who watch the show, they probably forget that Tanjiro is still a boy. He’s a young teenager and it’s just incredible. Somebody like him who’s gone and faced such adversity is able to keep that compassion and empathy for other people. I think as a human being, it’s very easy to become cynical and hate the world as bad things happen to you and just not have a good frame of mind.
But Tanjiro, I think, is the exact opposite. He sees everybody worthy of love and redemption and kindness. And it’s just a great way to look at things. So even when I’m in the booth and I do those heart wrenching scenes and the screams, I sort of just wear my heart on my sleeve because I feel like Tanjiro is that way. He lets his emotions come through. He doesn’t hide what he wants to say, but at the same time, after all is said and done, he will always choose good over evil. He will always just be that kind hearted person.
So I try to have that in mind as well, just in my back pocket while also wearing my emotions on my sleeve at the same time. It’s a balance.
Q: Speaking of the screams, I’m very curious how you prepare for some of these screams because they…seem like they would just destroy someone’s throat immediately.
A: Yeah, no, they definitely do. Some of them remind me of the classic OG Dragon Ball screams. So when I grew up watching that show, I always thought to myself, “Oh, how cool and bad*ss would it be to get to do one of those screams in a booth as an actor, that must be a dream come true.” On the contrary, I think it’s a mixed bag. You feel epic while doing the scream, but you also regret it from a business standpoint, because you gotta be able to work the next day as a voice actor when you’re doing all of this. To prepare I just do everything I can to warm up my voice. I do a lot of singing and vocal exercises to get in that place. I drink a lot of tea, a lot of throat coat, a lot of honey. And then after I’m done, the best thing you can do is just to stop talking. And it sounds kind of silly. My family still doesn’t understand. My mom will try to call me after I do one of those sessions. And I’ll text her, “Hey, I can’t talk right now.” She’s like, “Why not?
Why can’t you talk? You know, what’s going on?” I’m like, mom, come on, man (laughs). Give me a break. Just let me shut up for 24 hours. And then I’ll call you tomorrow.
Q: I feel like with this movie, it was interesting to me that some of the more intense moments for Tanjiro were his more quiet ones, as he awakens, learns more abilities, and advances to reach Akaza’s level. What was it like having to portray that same new renewed intensity, but not be screaming for it?
A: It’s a really good question. Because I think, as an actor, I found those are some of the hardest scenes to put emotion into the lines while also keeping it more subdued. You don’t really get to let it rip in that same way. So you kind of have to approach the lines a bit differently. I just do my best to think as intricately as I can, and even ask the director questions like, “During this scene, what do you think he’s thinking about?” Or “What do you think he’s remembering?”
Even some of the stuff going back to — I don’t know if I should talk about spoilers. I’m assuming most people have seen the film, but I’m trying to keep it clean for everyone. But yeah, during some of those scenes with Akaza, and even some flashbacks for Tanjiro, flashbacks to him as a kid, I just try to see the world through his eyes as much as I possibly can, and throw little bits of complex emotion here and there, and have fun with the lines, and really make it colorful rather than stoic. Because sometimes I think it’s easy to default to just being really dry when you don’t know. So even if I don’t know the answer and the director doesn’t know the answer to a question I have about his emotional mindset, sometimes I’ll just make a choice myself, and I’ll think, “Oh, he’s probably thinking this, this, and this in his head,” so that when I perform the line, I have somewhere to go with it. Sometimes as an actor, I think you just have to make a solid choice, and making a choice is better than not making any choice.
Q: Do you feel like you’re given a good amount of creative freedom with those choices, or is it mostly from the director?
A: Yeah, I think when it comes to Demon Slayer, I have a little bit of creative freedom, which is pretty cool, but not too much. They want to keep it very similar to what they’ve already recorded in Japanese, and even certain lines, we don’t get to keep the same. But there was one line in the movie that I requested them to change, and they actually listened to me and changed the line. And it was a line where he’s talking to Akaza, and he says, “The strong should aid and protect the weak,” and then does a whole speech. And basically, I just remembered, they had some other line written. Translation wise and then sometimes flap wise, because we’re dubbing the show the lines don’t always work. But I remember doing that line, and I said, “Wait a sec, this is the ‘strong should aid and protect the weak’ speech that he gives to Akaza. Wait, I think I can make the original line work,” because I’m a big fan of the manga. So I asked them, I said, “Hey, let me let me pull out the manga.” And so I pulled it out, because I remember this line, and it’s not the line that you guys have written here. It’s the strong should aid and protect the weak. And so then they said, “Hey, well, we’ll roll the scene, and let’s see if you can make it fit.” And I did the scene, the line exactly as written from the manga, and it fit. So I said, “Hey, guys, let’s keep it because I think it’s cool to stay true to the manga, and it’ll connect more with fans who have read the manga and then watch the movie.” And even people who haven’t. I mean, I personally like that line better. So I’m glad the producers also agreed.
Q: Speaking toward the fights of the film, especially those where you’re fighting alongside Giyu, obviously, there’s a long standing relationship there between the two characters, lots of thematic arcs. I’m curious what it was like recording with Johnny Yong Bosch, and if you had any opportunities to play off of each other.
A: Yeah, so Johnny — how we record this movie is we record individually. Johnny went into the booth before I did. And then I recorded at the end — I was one of the last people to record. So I got to hear everybody else’s deliveries in the booth, which I feel is actually way better than being the first one to record, because then you just have to imagine how everybody else sounds. So I got to play a lot of my lines that I was saying off of Johnny, which is just freaking incredible. I’ve actually looked up to Johnny for such a long time. I’ve been a huge fan of his work. I don’t know if he believes me or not. He’s just a really chill guy. He’s like, “That’s cool, man. That’s cool.” But yeah, because I’m just a huge fan. Like I said, Code Geass, BLEACH, I’ve heard Johnny and in so many different titles over the years. So to be in a show with someone as talented and as incredible as he is, I mean, it’s just very surreal, especially me as a young kid pursuing voiceover. He’s one of my idols. And yeah, I hope I hope I get to do more stuff with him in the future. He’s just a really awesome guy.
Q: Do you feel like the whole cast kind of has that sort of similar relationship where you all are mutually appreciative, able to collaborate very well?
A: Oh, 100%. Everybody’s super chill in the cast. And I think we all kind of we all bring a different energy. It’s sort of funny because I feel like the energy we all bring is very similar to our characters in Demon Slayer. I don’t know why that is or how that happened. Because sometimes you’ll meet actors on a series and they are nothing like their characters at all. But I’ll say I think everyone on Demon Slayer, they have a huge essence of themselves being their characters. So sometimes we get in a room together and it’s like you’re watching the show. If we ever do a panel or something together, fans online will animate those panels to our characters in Demon Slayer, right? And they’ll pretend like the characters are actually all talking to each other and arguing with each other and talking about whatever it is we’re talking about on the panel. But it’s cool though. It’s nice to have like a good relationship with your cast. I mean, luckily, I’ve never had a bad relationship with a cast, but it’s nice when you guys all kind of have that chemistry.
Q: And in terms of other characters, is Tanjiro your favorite in Demon Slayer or would you say it’s somebody else?
A: Inosuke is actually my favorite in Demon Slayer. He’s just crazy, he’s a maniac. I love the whole thing. I love what Bryce also does with the character, just maniacally laughing. He’ll maniacally laugh at me in real life and I will run for the hills.
Q: Were there any scenes in this past movie that you felt were especially difficult, either for reasons you kind of already mentioned or in a surprising way?
A: Yeah, I would say some of the backstory with Tanjiro going back into one of the scenes with Akaza, him, and Giyu fighting. There’s a whole backstory with Tanjiro and his dad shows up and he kind of teaches him the way of everything and Tanjiro just kind of randomly remembers this whole thing as a kid. That for me was really challenging because when I had read through the manga, I kind of forgot that scene.
I was like, “Oh, yeah, I forgot that whole sequence happens and we go back in time.” I had to pitch my voice up a little bit higher than Tanjiro and Tanjiro is (as Tanjiro) already up here and then it had to be even higher (higher voice) up here, (normal voice) so I was just going super, super high with my voice trying to make it sound legit as younger Tanjiro. I’m not sure how old he was in that flashback. He might have been 10 or something. But yeah, no, that was definitely a challenge. And you’re always worried too that you’re going to be in a weird voice while trying to portray a lot of emotion. I think that’s tricky.
Q: Lastly, are there any upcoming projects you want to give a shout out to or promote?
A: There are so many things that I’m working on actually right now. Some video game stuff, which is super cool. I can’t wait for all of that to be released and announced. But currently I am under NDA. Let me see, let me see. Oh, man. Oh, there’s some other cool stuff too. Yeah, there’s nothing I can really talk about actively. I just made an appearance in Miraculous Ladybug. So that’s super cool. I got to play Kazuno in Miraculous World, Tokyo: Stellar Force, which aired on Disney Channel. But yeah, all I can say is stay tuned and follow me if you want to see some updates, because I’ve got some really, really freaking cool stuff in the works. And maybe even some cool reprisals people will recognize. Who knows?
We’d like to thank Zach Aguilar for taking the time to speak with us and giving us some excellent insight into what it’s like working as a voice actor and being a major part of the Demon Slayer franchise. Demon Slayer is streaming on many platforms, including Crunchyroll, Disney+, Hulu, and Netflix. As mentioned previously, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle will be back in theaters in the United States and Canada on March 6, 2026.
©Koyoharu Gotoge / SHUEISHA, Aniplex, ufotable
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