The Water Hashira Giyu Tomioka and Insect Hashira Shinobu Kochou.
Ufotable
If you ever walk into an anime store, the first couple of pieces of merchandise you're likely to see will include cloak-wearing characters with samurai-looking swords and a cute girl with a cylindrical object superimposed on her mouth. Those characters belong to the Demon Slayer franchise, and it's kind of a big deal, with a second season just around the corner.
That's right, it's time for gentle-eyed yet determined Tanjiro Kamado to continue his relentless quest to find a cure for his sister-turned-demon Nezuko Kamado -- hacking a demon or two along the way with his signature water-breathing form.
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Demon Slayer has been a monumental hit over the last two years. It soared to new heights during the pandemic with the release of its spectacularly animated canonical film, Demon Slayer: Mugen Train, which became the fastest movie to make over 10 billion yen at the Japanese box office (that's more than $100 million). The film's cumulative earnings surpassed $313 million in December 2020, dethroning Hayao Miyazaki's magnum opus, the critically acclaimed animated fantasy film Spirited Away, which had held the spot since its 2001 release.
Excitement is bubbling now as we're just weeks away from new Demon Slayer action. Here's everything you need to know about Demon Slayer season 2.
Demon Slayer season 2 release date
Instead of kicking off with the already announced Entertainment District Arc, as everyone expected, Funimation revealed Saturday that the film Mugen Train will be adapted into a seven-episode arc, the Mugen Train Arc. This arc will stream first and includes 70 new scenes, new music tracks, episode previews, a new theme song and a never-before-seen original episode of Kyojuro Rengoku, who'll take on a new mission on his way to the Mugen Train.
The Mugen Train Arc will be streaming on Funimation in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand on Sunday, Oct. 10.
It'll also be available on the European streaming service Wakanim. The Arc will come sometime later for Funimation in Latin American territories, and it'll be on Hulu and Crunchyroll in the United States also on Sunday, Oct. 10.
Funimation, Crunchyroll and Hulu are all subscription video-on-demand homes for Demon Slayer, with Funimation leading the pack.
The Mugen Train Arc will connect season 1, the Tanjiro Kamado, Unwavering Resolve Arc, with season 2, the Entertainment District Arc, which'll be an adaptation from the original source material, the manga written by Koyoharu Gotouge. Along with the news came a new key visual for the Mugen Train Arc and a new trailer.
The Entertainment District Arc will premiere with an hour-long episode on Sunday, Dec. 5. The Arc will continue from there to broadcast every Sunday in the winter season on Fuji TV, a Japanese television station, giving fans half a year's worth of sword-slashing action.
テレビアニメ「鬼滅の刃」は、全国フジテレビ系列にて、毎週日曜 23時15分より放送することが決定致しました。続報は、9月25日(土)にお知らせ致します。引き続き、何卒よろしくお願い致します。#鬼滅の刃
— 鬼滅の刃公式 (@kimetsu_off) September 6, 2021
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The news announcement came on Saturday at the conclusion of Fuji TV's special airings of season 1, which culminated with a showing of the Demon Slayer movie, Mugen Train, for the first time on TV. These airings included newly cut footage unseen by those of us who wish we could join the Demon Slayer Corps.
Ufotable
How to watch Demon Slayer season 2 in the US
Funimation will release the subbed episodes for English-speaking territories alongside the fall and winter Sunday airings in Japan, meaning it'll premiere the Entertainment District Arc with the hour-long episode also on Sunday, Dec. 5.
The Arc will also be available on Crunchyroll and Hulu. The dubbed episodes will come to Funimation and Crunchyroll at a later date.
Fire Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku faces off against demon Akaza in Demon Slayer: Mugen Train.
Ufotable
Where we left off: Recap of season 1 and Mugen Train
Demon Slayer Season 2 will pick up after the events of the fiery clash on the Mugen Train -- the setting for the Demon Slayer movie, where it was rumored that 40 passengers disappeared at the end of season 1.
The swordsmen trio Tanjiro Kamado, Zenitsu Agatsuma and Inosuke Hashibira are dispatched to the train at the end of season 1 to investigate the disappearances, after their rehabilitation training is complete at the Butterfly Mansion The trio is accompanied by Tanjiro's sister-turned-demon Nezuko, as always, and the Fire Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku. (The Hashira are the elite group of Demon Slayer swordsmen.)
Without entering into spoiler territory, let's just say that the Demon Slayers face off against Enmu, a demon of the Twelve Kizuki who's been terrorizing passengers on the Mugen Train. The Twelve Kizuki is the strongest group of demons assembled by Muzan Kibutsuji -- the original demon, who alone can turn humans into demons.
We can expect welcome to bloxburg building see more of the mission on the Mugen Train, since Ufotable, the Japanese animation studio bringing the manga to life, created the seven-episode Mugen Train Arc, including that never-before-seen Kyojuro Rengoku episode.
Demon Slayer season 2 poster
Ufotable
What's next for the fledgling members of the Demon Slayer Corps? The Entertainment District Arc
The trailer for Demon Slayer season 2 shows Tanjiro, Zenitsu, Inosuke and Nezuko heading to Yoshiwara for their next mission, which involves a town with dazzling bright lights and nocturnal tendencies that's "awash in vanity and desire of men and women." Perhaps the perfect place for a demon.
The Entertainment District Arc will introduce a new major demon, named Daki, the Upper Rank Six demon, who our bold adventurers must contend with. Daki will be voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro.
A big emphasis is placed on the Sound Hashira, Tengen Uzui, in the trailer and promotional poster, and so we can expect to learn more about his backstory as he likely leads the mission through the streets of Yoshiwara.
Will there be more stellar music to add to the soundtrack?
Yes. LiSA, who sang the original Demon Slayer theme song, Gurenge, returns to sing the theme songs for the series. The opening theme is called Akeboshi, and the ending theme is called Shirogane. The theme songs for the season 2 opening episode will be performed by Japanese singer Aimer. They're called Zankyo Sanka and Asa ga kuru.
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