by Shibata Ami, the author of the manga “Tropical Boy Papuwa-kun,” has updated her own “X” by posting an illustration of Akaza, a character from the hit movie “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Castle Arc Chapter 1: Akaza Returns.”
Shibata posted an illustration of Akaza on X, saying, “I can’t take a day off until September 20th, so I can’t go to the cinema until then, but with this big hit, I’m working hard, believing that I’ll be able to see it in the cinema after a long run.” The color illustration shows Akaza in a battle-crazy state.
“Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” is based on a popular manga that was serialized in “Weekly Shonen Jump” from February 2016 to May 2020. Set in a world inhabited by man-eating demons during the Taisho era, the story follows a young boy, Kamado Tanjiro, whose family was killed by demons, who joins the Demon Slayer Corps to turn his younger sister Nezuko, who has also become a demon, back into a human, and slays the demon that killed his family. The total number of copies of the comics published worldwide has exceeded 220 million.
The TV anime “Tanjiro Kamado: Unwavering Resolve Arc” was broadcast from April to September 2019 and became a huge hit, leading to the release of the film “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train” in October 2020. It became a social phenomenon, grossing over 51.7 billion yen worldwide.
It was later adapted into a game and a stage play, with the TV anime “Entertainment District Arc” airing in December 2021, the “Swordsmith Village Arc” in April 2023, and the “Hashira Training Arc” from May to June 2024.
The film “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Castle Arc” was then produced as a trilogy, with “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Castle Arc Chapter 1 – Akaza Returns” depicting the final battle between Tanjiro and the “Demon Slayer Corps” against their nemesis, Kibutsuji Muzan, and the Upper Rank demons, set in the demon’s base, “Infinity Castle.”
In addition, the film has attracted 5,164,348 viewers and grossed over 7,315,846,800 yen in the first four days since its release. It has made a strong start, breaking the opening week record of “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train,” which was released in October 2020 and grossed over 40.43 billion yen, the highest opening week record in Japan ever.
