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Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga Franchise Will Have 60 Million Copies in Circulation
posted on by Jennifer Sherman
Koyoharu Gotouge's Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba manga franchise will have more than 60 million copies in circulation on May 13. That number includes digital copies and about 2.8 million copies of the upcoming 20th volume, which will ship on May 13 after a delay due to the effects of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
The franchise had about 3.5 million copies in circulation as of April 2019, when the manga's television anime debuted. Therefore, the franchise's publications expanded their circulation by about 17 times in one year. The franchise had more than 12 million copies in circulation as of the publication of the manga's 17th volume on October 4. The manga's 18th volume debuted with a record first printing of 1 million copies on December 4, increasing the franchise's total circulation to more than 25 million copies. Shueisha revealed on November 25 that Koyoharu Gotouge's Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba manga is the company's second highest-selling manga in 2019, second only to Eiichiro Oda's One Piece manga.
As of the February 4 debut of the 19th manga volume, the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba franchise as a whole (including print and digital releases) had 40 million copies in circulation. The volume sold an estimated 1.378 million copies to rank #1 on Oricon's weekly print sales chart for the February 3-9 week. The manga is the third series to have a single print volume sell more than 1 million copies in its first week, after One Piece (45 times) and Attack on Titan (two times).
This year's combined 21st and 22nd issues of Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine announced on April 27 that Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba will reach the story's "climax" in the next chapter in the 23rd issue of Weekly Shonen Jump, which will ship on May 11.
Gotouge launched Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba in Weekly Shonen Jump in February 2016. Shueisha Shueisha will publish the 20th volume on May 13. The 21st and 22nd Weekly Shonen Jump issue also announced on Monday that similarly with the upcoming 20th volume, the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd volumes will all have special versions that will bundle merchandise.
Viz Media is publishing the manga in English digitally and in print, and Shueisha's MANGA Plus online service is also publishing the manga digitally in English. Viz Media describes the manga:
Since ancient times, rumors have abounded of man-eating demons lurking in the woods. Because of this, the local townsfolk never venture outside at night. Legend has it that a demon slayer also roams the night, hunting down these bloodthirsty demons. For young Tanjiro, these rumors will soon to become his harsh reality…Ever since the death of his father, Tanjiro has taken it upon himself to support his family. Although their lives may be hardened by tragedy, they've found happiness. But that ephemeral warmth is shattered one day when Tanjiro finds is family slaughtered and the lone survivor, his sister Nezuko, turned into a demon. To his surprise, however, Nezuko still shows signs of human emotion and thought… Thus begins Tanjiro's request to fight demons and turn his sister human again.
The manga inspired a 26-episode television anime that premiered in April 2019. Aniplex of America has licensed the series and is streaming the show on Hulu, Crunchyroll, and FunimationNow. Adult Swim's Toonami programming block premiered the television anime last October. The anime will receive a sequel anime film that will open in Japan on October 16.
The manga has also inspired two novels, a stage play, and upcoming smartphone and PlayStation 4 games.
Source: Mainichi Shimbun's Mantan Web
