Next part of Demon Slayer anime in pre-production stage

According to a Nikkan Sports report, multiple people in the anime industry have revealed that the next part of the Demon Slayer, or Kimetsu No Yaiba, anime is in the midst of production, picking up the story after the recent movie based on the Mugen Train arc of the manga series.

Looking back at 2020, the anime that defined the year must have been Demon Slayer. On 28 December 2020, its official Twitter account reported that the Mugen Train film had made a box office record of more than 32.47 billion yen (about S$416 million). This made it the highest-grossing movie in Japan of all time, overtaking Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away’s 31.68 billion yen (about S$405 million). This sales figure is likely to continue to grow in 2021.

At co-distributor Toho’s press conference held on 15 December 2020, managing director Minami Ichikawa showed their strong desire to make the original manga into an anime movie, “We are eager to do a sequel.”

However, as three other companies are involved — producer and distributor Aniplex, publisher Shueisha, and Studio Ufotable — Ichikawa added, “We are in charge of movie distribution and are eager for it, but we have not heard of any further progress.”

Apparently, the Mugen Train arc comprises two volumes of the original manga, and the next arc on Entertainment District spans four volumes.

In a Nikkan article on 29 December, an employee in the anime industry said, “It is not possible to produce within one movie. If it were to be made into a movie, it would be more realistic to make it into two parts.”

An industry insider familiar with movies and broadcasting also explained, “Considering the lengthiness of the Entertainment District arc, it is also possible to broadcast a new series of the anime on TV, and make the episodes beyond that into a movie.”

Regardless of which format is chosen, it goes without a doubt that Demon Slayer fans would welcome the much-awaited sequel with open arms. Instead of sitting around waiting for more information, let’s get ourselves some free Demon Slayer wallpapers first!