Manga Series - Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer)
Illustrated and written by Koyoharu Gotouge, Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer) is an adventure, dark fantasy, martial arts manga. The English version of the manga is digitally published, translated, and printed by Viz Media. Shueisha started releasing the series concurrently on Manga Plus in English and Spanish in January 2019. First Serialized February 15, 2016 in the 11th issue of the Weekly Shōnen Jump.
Synopsis
Rumors have echoed from time immemorial about the demons that lurk in the wilderness. According to legend, a Demon Slayer sometimes roams the night, battling blood thirsty Demons. Since his father's death a boy named Tanjiro has taken it upon himself to support his family. Although the disaster had affected their lives, they were happy. A family is murdered by a demon during the Taisho Period in Japan, and the eldest son Tanjiro finds that his sister, Nezuko has also been transformed into a Demon. But Nezuko still shows signs of human emotion, to his surprise, contrary to other Demons. Tanjiro's journey to fight Demons and find a way to turn his sister back into human, thus begins.
Characters
Tanjiro Kamado - (竈門炭治郎 Kamado Tanjirō) Is a boy of kind nature with a strong sense of justice. He is the main protagonist of Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer). Tanjiro is described as having gentle eyes by multiple characters. Sporting ruffled black hair with a tinge of burgundy at the end and a prominent scar on the left side of his forehead. His father, Tanjuro Kamado passed away due to illness, leaving behind his wife and six children. As the eldest son of the Kamado family, and the older brother to Nezuko Tanjiro has responsibility caretaking his younger siblings and mother. The only memoir left by his father are a pair of distinct hanafuda earrings that he is always wearing.
Nezuko Kamado - The younger sister of Tanjiro Kamado, supposedly turned into a Demon by Muzan Kibutsuji. She debuts from the start of the manga and anime Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba as one of the main protagonists. Growing up on the mountain alongside, she is one year younger than Tanjiro in age taking on the role as the eldest of the females in her family. These responsibilities include taking care of the family, as well as helping with chores around the home.
Muzan Kibutsuji - (鬼舞辻無惨) is the man responsible for transforming Nezuko into a Demon and the main antagonist of Kimetsu no Yaiba Demon Slayer. Tanjiro could identify him instantly, based on his Demon smell. He was the first human to become a Demon over a thousand years ago. As he is the first Demon, he is also the most powerful and capable of turning all humanity into a demon. His Japanese voice actor is Toshihiko Seki, and voiced in English by Greg Chun. Makes his debut in Chapter 11 of the manga, and Episode 6 of the anime adaptation.
Inosuke Hashibira - (嘴平伊之助) is a Demon slayer of the Demon Slayer Corps and one of the traveling companions of Tanjiro Kamado and a main protagonist in Kimetsu no Yaiba: Demon Slayer. He was revealed to be the fifth Final Selection survivor, and the fastest to make it up and down Fujikasane Mountain before the others. Inosuke is very short tempered and rushes into fights without thinking, even attacking the box Nezuko is hiding in after sensing a demon inside. In the anime, he has a major role in the fight against the Father Spider Demon during the Natagumo Arc. He likes to think he is the strongest fighter in any situation, challenging most people he comes across which tends to lead him into unnecessary danger.
Zenitsu Agatsuma - (我妻善逸) usually seen acting like a coward, has low esteem and sometimes gives up when given a job. He is a demon slayer member of the Demon Slayer Corps, one of the main traveling companions of Tanjiro Kamado and one of the main protagonists in Kimetsu no Yaiba: Demon Slayer. He faces the Tongue Demon defeating him while he is asleep.
Kanao Tsuyuri - Kanao Tsuyuri (栗花落カナヲ) is a talented young female Demon Slayer in Kimetsu no Yaiba: Demon Slayer. A mysterious girl who always smiles calmly, but rarely talks on her own accord, and is often hard to grasp her emotions. She was first introduced as a quiet young girl gazing at a butterfly showing no interest or emotions after passing the final selection. She learned to utilize the breathing technique by imitating her peers, quickly learning the total concentrating breathing, easily surpassing the final selection with a purely overwhelming fighting power. Because of this, she was one of the five to survive the final selection. She is the adoptive sister of Kanae Kocho and Shinobu Kocho, the former tsuguko of the latter sister.
Genya Shinazugawa - Genya Shinazugawa (不死川 玄弥) is one of the Five survivors of the Final Selection, Genya is a Demon Slayer in the Kimetsu no Yaiba: Demon Slayer. He is the younger brother to the Wind Pillar, named Sanemi Shinazugawa. His circumstance as a Demon Slayer is special in the sense that he has no talent for Breath Styles, but is still able to fight against demons. His japanese voice actor is Nobuhiko Okamoto, and in english voiced by Zeno Robinson. His first Manga debut is in Chapter 6, and Episode 4 in the anime.
Reception
The Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer) manga series had 3.5 million copies in circulation globally in February 2019. This increased dramatically to over 10 million copies by September 2019 and further 25 million copies as of December 2019. To date the manga series has over 40 million copies in circulation in all forms of media including digital versions.
In addition it has received accolades such as being the best-selling manga in 2019 and also being the first series to take all top 10 positions of Oricon's weekly manga chart. In 2020, the release of Volume 19 showed exactly how popular the series has become as in the first week of release, 1.378 million copies were sold. The Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer) manga series is the third series to ever sell more than 1 million copies in the first week of release of a single print volume. The other two series are classic and fan favorites One Piece and Attack on Titan.