Demon Slayer facts for kids
Demon Slayer is a super popular Japanese comic book series called a manga. It was written and drawn by Koyoharu Gotouge. The story is about a brave teenager named Tanjiro Kamado. His family is tragically attacked, and his younger sister, Nezuko, is turned into a demon.
Tanjiro joins a special group called the Demon Slayer Corps. His main goals are to find a way to turn Nezuko back into a human and to defeat the powerful demon king, Muzan Kibutsuji.
The manga was also made into an exciting anime TV show by Ufotable. It started in 2019. A movie called Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train came out in 2020. It became the highest-earning anime and Japanese movie ever! More seasons of the anime and new movies have been released since then, continuing Tanjiro's adventure.
The Demon Slayer manga has sold over 150 million copies. This makes it one of the best-selling manga series of all time. People love its amazing art, exciting story, cool action scenes, and memorable characters. The whole Demon Slayer series is one of the highest-earning entertainment series ever!
Contents
Story
Setting the Scene
The story of Demon Slayer happens in Japan during the Taishō era (around 1912-1926). In this world, a secret group has been fighting against evil demons for hundreds of years.
Demons used to be humans. They were turned into demons by Muzan Kibutsuji. Demons have amazing powers like super strength and can heal very quickly. To defeat a demon, you need special weapons made from a metal called Sun Steel. You can also use poison from Wisteria flowers or expose them to sunlight.
The Demon Slayers are regular humans. But they use special "Breathing Styles" to gain superhuman strength. These techniques help them fight against the powerful demons.
Tanjiro's Journey
Tanjiro Kamado is a kind and smart boy. He lives with his family in the mountains. After his father passed away, Tanjiro became the one who earned money for his family. He would go to the village to sell charcoal.
One day, everything changed. Tanjiro came home to find his family attacked by a demon. Only he and his sister, Nezuko, survived. But Nezuko had been turned into a demon! Surprisingly, she still showed signs of being human.
Tanjiro met a Demon Slayer named Giyū Tomioka. Giyū helped Tanjiro and sent him to a retired master, Sakonji Urokodaki, for training. This is how Tanjiro began his quest. He wants to turn Nezuko back into a human and get revenge for his family.
Media
Manga Comics
The Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba manga was written and drawn by Koyoharu Gotouge. It was published in a popular Japanese magazine called Weekly Shōnen Jump. The series ran from February 2016 to May 2020. All the chapters were collected into 23 individual books, known as tankōbon volumes.
You can also read the manga in English. Viz Media publishes the books in North America.
Manga Side Stories
There are also some shorter manga stories, called spin-offs. These stories focus on other characters from the main series. For example, there are stories about Giyu Tomioka and Kyojuro Rengoku. There's even a funny 4-panel comic series called Kimetsu no Aima! that shows the characters as cute, tiny versions of themselves.
Another spin-off series, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu Academy, imagines the characters going to a regular school.
Light Novels
Light novels are books with text and some illustrations. There are a few Demon Slayer light novels. They tell new stories about the characters. For example, one book, Demon Slayer: The Flower of Happiness, shares stories about Tanjiro and Zenitsu before the main series began. Another, Demon Slayer: One-Winged Butterfly, tells about Shinobu and Kanae.
Anime TV Show and Movies
The Demon Slayer anime TV show is made by a studio called Ufotable. The first season had 26 episodes and aired in 2019.
A second season aired from October 2021 to February 2022. It covered the "Mugen Train" and "Entertainment District" stories. A third season, about the "Swordsmith Village," aired in 2023. The fourth season, covering the "Hashira Training" story, aired in 2024.
Anime Films
There have been several Demon Slayer movies.
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train came out in 2020.
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – To the Swordsmith Village was a special movie in 2023. It showed the end of the "Entertainment District" arc and the start of the "Swordsmith Village" arc.
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – To the Hashira Training was released in 2024. It showed the end of the "Swordsmith Village" arc and the start of the "Hashira Training" arc.
- A new movie trilogy, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle, is planned to start in July 2025.
Video Games
There are also video games based on Demon Slayer.
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Hinokami Chronicles is a fighting game. It was released in 2021 for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. A sequel is planned for 2025.
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Sweep the Board is a digital board game that came out in 2024 for Nintendo Switch and other platforms.
Stage Plays
Demon Slayer has even been turned into live stage plays! These plays bring the characters and story to life on stage. The first stage play was performed in 2020. Since then, more plays have been created, including ones based on the "Mugen Train" and "Entertainment District" stories. There are even traditional Japanese Noh-Kyōgen and Kabuki plays.
Other Cool Stuff
The world of Demon Slayer has also been part of special events. There have been art exhibitions showing the original drawings by Koyoharu Gotouge. Universal Studios Japan has hosted special attractions based on the series, like rides and training sessions. There was even an immersive exhibition in the Philippines.
Writer
The person who created Demon Slayer is named Koyoharu Gotouge. Not much is known about Gotouge, as they have never shown their face publicly. Demon Slayer is their fifth major work.
Images for kids
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Characters from Omamori Himari
