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Yaiba
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- Release
- tv · July 7, 2026 · 2026-07-04
- Release
- tv · July 2026 · Japan · 2026-06-10
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3d ago
The standard edition DVD and Blu-ray for Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle Arc Chapter 1: Akaza Returns will be released at Lawson stores on July 29, 2026, with a Lawson-exclusive bonus set of three smartphone stickers featuring Tanjiro Kamado, Giyu Tomioka, and Akaza. The film was the only Japanese work nominated for Best Animated Feature Film at the 83rd Golden Globe Awards. The animation is produced by ufotable.
4d ago
Anime News Network published a five-part roundup of Tanabata greetings from across the anime, manga, and video game industries on July 7, 2026. The collection includes wishes and illustrations from official accounts for series such as Bungo Stray Dogs, Detective Conan, My Hero Academia, Sakamoto Days, Doraemon, Chibi Maruko-chan, Hell's Paradise, and Dragon Quest. Video game franchises like Final Fantasy, Monster Hunter, and Like a Dragon also participated, alongside creators including Hideo Kojima, Yuki Kaji, and Shoko Nakagawa. Several series tied their posts to new releases: the second season of Yoroi Shin Den Samurai Troopers premiered on July 7, My Happy Marriage released a special Tanabata illustration and announced a three-episode special for 2026, and My Stepmother and Stepsisters Aren't Wicked began airing on July 8. The roundup also features greetings from manga titles like Chiikawa, MARRIAGETOXIN, and Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You, as well as from studios Tatsunoko Production and Square Enix.
4d ago
The Harvey Awards announced nominees for the 2026 ceremony, with five anime and manga-related projects nominated for Best Adaptation from Comic Book/Graphic Novel. The Best Manga category includes seven titles. The winners will be announced at New York Comic Con on October 9.
Jul 5
Sega announced new prize figures of Tanjiro Kamado and Nezuko Kamado for its Xross Link series, available as crane game prizes starting July 10, 2026. The figures are designed to be displayed together to show the siblings' bond, with Tanjiro in a combat pose and Nezuko in an aerial action pose.
Jul 4
Graniph will release 12 collaboration items with the TV anime True Samurai Legend Yaiba on July 7, 2026. The lineup includes T-shirts, caps, and bags featuring Yaiba, his rival Onimaru, and a special design crossing over with Conan Edogawa from Detective Conan. Pre-orders are open until July 6.
Jul 4
Crunchyroll announced at Anime Expo on July 3 that the first film in the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle trilogy will begin streaming on its service on July 28. The film, titled Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle - Akaza Sairai, will be available worldwide outside Japan and Mainland China. It will also be released for digital purchase on the same day through platforms including Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube, and Fandango. Crunchyroll will stream the film under the title Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle I, with options for Japanese with English subtitles and an English dub. Additional dub languages include Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Castilian Spanish, Catalan, Russian, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, and Polish. Subtitled languages include Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, European Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Castilian Spanish, Arabic, Russian, Polish, Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, Indonesian, and Melayu. The film opened in Japan on July 18, 2025, and ended its theatrical run on April 9 after 266 days. It sold 27,455,968 tickets in Japan, earning 40.2 billion yen (about $252.5 million). Worldwide, the film sold 98,520,310 tickets and earned 117.9 billion yen (about $740.5 million). The film won Best Animated Film at the 49th Japan Academy Film Prizes and Animation of the Year-Film at the Tokyo Anime Award Festival.
Jun 29
Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry selected 19 companies for the first round of the IP360 Subsidy program, including eight anime studios. Aniplex, Wit Studio, Mappa, Trigger, Production I.G, CoMix Wave Films, Twin Engine, and K2 Pictures will receive funds for projects ranging from new theatrical works to sustainable production systems, with a maximum subsidy of 1.5 billion yen per company.
Jun 29
Aniplex announced on June 29 that the Switch 2 edition of "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - The Hinokami Chronicles 2" will launch on October 29, priced at 7,810 yen. The edition bundles the base game with the "Infinity Castle Arc Chapter 1" Character Pass, which adds seven characters including Tanjiro Kamado (Infinity Castle Arc), Zenitsu Agatsuma (Infinity Castle Arc), Giyu Tomioka (Infinity Castle Arc), Shinobu Kocho (Infinity Castle Arc), Doma, Akaza (Infinity Castle Arc), and Kaigaku. The Switch 2 version supports high-resolution display and 60 FPS, with clearer character expressions and skill effects. It supports offline two-player versus battles, online versus battles with the existing Switch version (though those matches run at 30 FPS), and local wireless battles between Switch 2 consoles. A separate upgrade pass for Switch version owners will also be available on the same day for 550 yen, allowing save data transfer but not including the character pass. Store-specific purchase bonuses include a CyberConnect2-produced sticker and a ufotable reproduction art.
Jun 28
A press release from Amazon Prime Video Canada inadvertently revealed that Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle will be available on Crunchyroll starting July 29, 2026. The reference was later removed, and Crunchyroll has not officially confirmed the date. The film, which debuted in Japanese theaters on July 18, 2025, became the highest-grossing anime movie ever with over $793 million worldwide and won Film of the Year at the 2026 Crunchyroll Anime Awards.
Jun 23
CyberConnect2 launched the Scenario Designer Training School 2026 audition project on June 23 to find scenario designers for anime-licensed games. The first-round online test is available on a special website, with questions covering series the studio has adapted, including Naruto, Demon Slayer, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, and Dragon Ball. The deadline is August 2.
Jun 22
Anime Anime's reader survey on the most iconic dual-wielding characters placed Sword Art Online's Kirito first, followed by Demon Slayer's Inosuke Hashibira and One Piece's Roronoa Zoro. The poll ran from June 2 to June 9, 2026, and received 440 responses.
Jun 21
Circana BookScan's Top 20 adult graphic novels list for May 2026 features 15 manga volumes, with Gege Akutami's Jujutsu Kaisen volume 30 at #1. Other ranked titles include Witch Hat Atelier, Gachiakuta, Kagurabachi, One Piece, Steel Ball Run, The Summer Hikaru Died, and Demon Slayer.
Jun 17
Threezero has opened pre-orders for a FigZero 1/6 scale Zenitsu Agatsuma action figure from Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. The figure stands 27.5 cm tall, features 37 points of articulation, a fabric uniform, and Thunder Breathing effect parts. A limited edition with a human-faced spider accessory is also available.
Jun 15
Animate revealed the bonus illustration for the Blu-ray and DVD of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle Arc Chapter 1: Akaza's Return. The image shows Tanjiro Kamado and Giyu Tomioka fighting back-to-back. The discs release July 29, 2026.
Jun 15
GK Marketing will run a collaboration between the Demon Slayer anime and the Heart Bread ANTIQUE bakery chain from July 1 to August 31. Newly drawn ufotable illustrations show the Demon Slayer Corps relaxing with bread. Products include can badges, acrylic keychains, clear bottles, and store-exclusive coasters.
Jun 14
Anime News Network published the Japanese animation TV household ratings for June 1-7, 2026. Sazae-san led with 7.7%, followed by Detective Conan at 6.1% and Chibi Maruko-chan at 6.0%. The list includes ten regular programs and the premiere of a live-action Mr. Osomatsu film, which earned 0.8%.
Jun 14
Ufotable has released the store-specific purchase bonuses for the Blu-ray and DVD release of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle Arc Chapter 1, set for July 29, 2026. Animate, Amazon, and Rakuten Books each get exclusive newly drawn illustrations featuring Tanjiro and Giyu, Shinobu, and Zenitsu respectively.
Jun 12
Animate stores nationwide will hold a two-phase commemorative fair for the Blu-ray and DVD release of "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle Arc Chapter 1: Akaza's Return," starting July 28, 2026. Bonuses include photo cards and clear bookmarks featuring ufotable's newly drawn mini characters. A lottery-based group photo session event will also be held in seven cities.
Jun 10
BS12 Twelli's late-night anime block Anime 26 will broadcast two series starting July 2026: Captain Tsubasa (Elementary School Arc) on Mondays and Shin Samurai-den YAIBA on Fridays. The Captain Tsubasa arc covers Tsubasa Ozora's elementary school years, while Shin Samurai-den YAIBA is the second season of the Gosho Aoyama adaptation.
Jun 5
Two new mechanical watches inspired by Genya Shinazugawa and Kanao Tsuyuri have joined the GARRACK lineup, which uses Kanazawa gold leaf in collaboration with Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. Pre-orders open June 5, 2026, with a release date of July 3 and a price of 74,800 yen each.
Jun 3
Crunchyroll announced its Anime Expo lineup for July 3-4 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, featuring over 20 programming blocks. Highlights include a Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle event with the voice cast and ufotable footage, panels for The Apothecary Diaries Season 3, Gachiakuta Season 2, and new acquisitions like Goodbye, Lara and Tomb Raider King.
Jun 1
Rakuten Group has launched a second collaboration campaign with Demon Slayer to promote the Blu-ray and DVD release of Infinity Castle Arc - Chapter 1: Akaza's Return. Participants across Rakuten services can win an original drawstring bag featuring a newly drawn illustration of the Shopping Panda with Demon Slayer characters. The campaign runs until August 31.
May 31
Crunchyroll is releasing Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle on over 3,300 screens in North America, six times the average for an anime release over the past decade. According to Anime By The Numbers, even the most conservative estimates project the film will become the highest-grossing anime movie in US history by box office receipts. The previous record holder among anime films in the US is Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back, which earned $85 million in 1999. The prior Demon Slayer film, Mugen Train, earned just under $50 million in 2021, helped by its timing as the first wide anime release after COVID lockdowns. Infinity Castle has already broken records internationally: it is the second-highest grossing film in Japanese box office history, the best-performing animated film ever in Taiwan, and the third best-performing animated film in South Korea. The newsletter notes that Crunchyroll and GKIDS have recently pushed for longer theatrical runs for anime, with Dan Da Dan: Evil Eye nearly doubling its box office after opening weekend. Deadline is cited reporting that anime moviegoers buy tickets upfront and attend early, with little walk-up business.
May 31
The full-series rerun of the anime Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba aired episode 9, titled Handball Demon and Arrow Demon, on May 31, 2026. In the episode, the demon Kibutsuji Muzan sends the Handball Demon Susamaru and the Arrow Demon Yahaba to attack the house of the demon doctor Tamayo. The Handball Demon's ball strikes Yushiro's head, blowing it off, and Nezuko's foot is severed by an attack. Both demons are members of the Twelve Kizuki, the direct subordinates of Muzan. Yushiro, also a demon, regenerates his head and lends his Blood Demon Art to Tanjiro, allowing him to see arrows that indicate the direction of attacks. The Handball Demon is voiced by Mikako Komatsu, known for roles in Jujutsu Kaisen and Star Twinkle PreCure. The Arrow Demon is voiced by Jun Fukuyama, known for Code Geass and Osomatsu-san. Fukuyama commented that the animation layout made him question how it would move. The rerun began on April 5, 2026, and airs weekly on Fuji TV.
May 30
Hikaru Kondo, founder and producer of ufotable, spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about the production of Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, the first film in a planned trilogy adapting the final arc of Koyoharu Gotouge's manga. The film has grossed $722 million worldwide, including $134.5 million in North America, making it the highest-grossing Japanese film of all time. Kondo described his role as sending creative prompts to the studio's roughly 300 in-house staff, with storyboards serving as a launch pad for animators to experiment with action sequences and camera motion. When asked about a reported $20 million budget, Kondo declined to confirm the figure but noted that a Hollywood sequel with similar box office performance would justify a budget of $100 million to $150 million. Aniplex producer Yuma Takahashi, who joined the conversation, said he would "sincerely try my best" regarding budget for future installments. Kondo also addressed ufotable's history of receiving offers from Hollywood studios, stating the company evaluates each project individually without changing its fundamental production approach. He emphasized that the studio's strength comes from long-term staff retention and a trial-and-error process blending 2D and 3D animation.