Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (also known as Demon Slayer: Infinity Train) has hit a major sales milestone in 2021! Koyoharu Gotouge’s original manga series was one of the most successful manga releases in Japan last year, and this was especially notable considering the series actually came to an end in 2020 as well.
It certainly hasn’t stopped the hype train from rolling as the initial hit of the first season, and the success of the follow-up feature film Infinity Train has kept fans buying volumes of the original series so that they can enjoy the story in as many ways as possible.
The film was a box office success in Japan, setting multiple records in rapid succession despite COVID-19 restrictions. In 73 days, Demon Slayer: Infinity Train grossed 32.48 billion yen (approx $308.2 million USD) to become the highest-grossing film of all time in Japan, surpassing Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away which held the record for 19 years. The film has made over US$395 million in the international box office so far and it remains Japan’s top performing animated movie of all time.
That success has not slowed at all this year as on 15 February 2021 it was announced that the total print and digital run of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba series has now reached 150 million copies. Looking back at when it all started, the original run of the series had only totaled around 3.5 million copies (with ten or so volumes released at that point) before the premiere of the anime.
The Twitter account of Demon Slayer announced the news about the second season. The tweet contains a poster that states that the storyline for the season will cover the ‘Entertainment District Arc’ – a memorable storyline from the manga.
The show debuted in the United States in July 2019, and it grew to become a global phenomenon after it was added to Netflix. On Sunday, the show’s second season was officially confirmed, and now a trailer has been released for it as well.
From the trailer, viewers can obtain a glimpse of what happens after the events of the blockbuster sequel series. As per the trailer, Demon Slayer season two is set in the Yoshiwara red-light district, where ‘men, women, bluff, desire and love’ swirl.
Not many plot details have been revealed, but it has been confirmed that the new show will debut sometime this year. The trailer mostly includes Demon Slayer characters (like Tanjiro Kamado, Nezuko Kamado, Zenitsu Agatsuma, Inosuke Hashibira, Kanao Tsuyuri, Genya Shinazugawaand many more) from the freshman run, although a new sinister-looking woman was also seen, who is probably an important figure in the district.
Notably, with the growth in popularity, Demon Slayer is also receiving its first console video game this year. The Demon Slayer manga may have ended, but its popularity isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Funimation Films and Aniplex of America are planning to release English subtitled and dubbed versions of Demon Slayer: Infinity Train in the U.S. this year. The film is currently on the list of movies eligible for consideration in the Best Animated Feature category of the Academy Awards.
