The Japanese series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (, Kimetsu no Yaiba, “Blade of Demon Destruction”) is written and drawn by Koyoharu Gotouge. The plot unravels in Taisho-era Japan, where a secret club known as the Demon Slayer Corps has waged a covert fight against demons for generations.
The Storyline
The demons are previously humans who have been transformed into monsters by Muzan injecting them with his blood. They feed on humans and have superhuman talents such as extreme strength, “Blood Demon Art” capabilities, and regeneration.
Someone can only destroy demons by decapitating them with the Sun Steel alloy weapons, injecting them with poison collected from Wisteria blossoms, or exposing them to sunlight.
The Demon Slayers are entirely human, but they use specific breathing methods called “Breathing Styles” that give them superhuman power and resilience.
Tanjiro Kamado, a 13-year-old, is the son of a demon who slaughtered his family. He and his sister Nezuko are the only ones who survived their family’s massacre. Tanjiro joins the Demon Slayer Corps after completing two years of training.
He fights to help his sister transform into a human and avenge his family’s murder. Tanjiro Kamado is a Demon Slayer Corps member entrusted with destroying the Kizuki demons.
During his training, Tanjiro meets fellow exam survivors Zenitsu Agatsuma and Inosuke Hashibira. He also runs into Hashira members who do not feel Nezuko should be allowed to live. Muzan ambushes Hashira and Tanjiro, but he confines them all inside Infinity Castle.
Muzan got restrained by Tamayo, who had prepared a poison to weaken him. The Corps defeats the remaining Kizuki members to reach him, though they suffer significant losses.
After Muzan absorbed Tamayo, Tanjiro, Nezuko, and the Demon Slayer Corps, got compelled to slay him. The remnant of the Corps fights Muzan until the dawn sun kills him in a desperate struggle of attrition.
Tanjiro attacks the surviving Corp members, but his comrades transform him back into a human.
In the aftermath of the battle, the Corps disbanded as the death of Muzan effectively banished demons.
Interesting Facts About The Series
· The series is directed by Haruo Sotozaki, alongside Akira Matsushima innovating the characters.
· Hikaru Kondo produced the program, which numerous Ufotable employees authored.
· Yuki Kajiura and Go Shiina composed the show’s soundtrack.
· From February 2016 to May 2020, it was published in Shueisha’s shonen manga magazine Weekly Shonen Jump, with chapters collected in twenty-three tank volumes.
· Viz Media released it in English, while Shueisha simultaneously published it on their Manga Plus website.
· An anime film called Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train was announced on September 28, 2019, immediately following episode 26, with the staff and actors reprising their parts.
· The film follows the happenings of the “Mugen Train” story arc and is a direct sequel to the anime series. The film broke numerous box office records, including the all-time highest-earning Japanese cinema and anime film. It generated more than US$500 million globally, making it the highest-grossing film of 2020.
· On June 22, 2021, the film got distributed digitally worldwide.
Achievements
The manga had sold over 150 million copies, including digital versions, as of February 2021, making it the seventh best-selling manga series of all time. It was also the most popular manga in 2019 and 2020.
The anime series has won multiple accolades and got widely regarded as one of the finest anime series of the decade. People expected the Demon Slayer franchise to make $1 trillion ($8.75 billion) in 2020, making it one of the highest-grossing media franchises.