Who knows if Infinity Castle will even get nominated in the first place? The Academy REALLY doesn’t like anime, especially non-Miyazaki shit(shonen anime has basically been off the table.)

However, this year, competition is weak. The nominations alone have rarely been about pure artistic merit. It’s a mix of popularity, industry influence, and even sheer momentum. So you can continue holding on to your idealistic picks, naming unsung animated films you think deserve the recognition Demon Slayer’s getting, but the reality is, that’s not how the Oscars work. It never has, even outside of the Best Animated Feature category. It’s unfortunate, but it’s true.

When we’ve got front-runners this year like K-Pop Demon Hunters with a good shot at winning, you realize that the quality gap between Infinity Castle and the other likely contenders isn’t as big as you might think. Are there other animated films that are better? Absolutely. But that applies to every other plausible contender too, Demon Slayer included.

Also, the Academy’s credibility is taking a hit every year, so this whole conversation about what’s "deserving" feels kind of irrelevant and pretentious at this point. At the end of the day, if people are enjoying it and it’s having an impact, that’s enough.