‘Demon Slayer: Mugen Train’ Gets U.S. Release Date After Obliterating Box Office Records in Japan

You still have time to catch up on the first season.

Aniplex of America and Funimation have announced they are teaming up for the North American release of Demon Slayer: Mugen Train, now officially set to open in theaters on April 23 with both a subtitled and English dubbed version.

Demon Slayer is directed by Haruo Sotozaki, adapting the popular manga series of the same name by Koyoharu Gotouge. It follows a young boy named Tanjiro, who joins an elite group of demon slayers in order to find a cure for his sister, who’s been turned into a demon. Though a relatively simple story by anime standards, what made the series such an instant hit is the breathtaking animation by studio ufotable — it’s impossible to watch any fight scene in the show and not marvel at the sheer talent involved — plus it’s got one hell of a banger opening sequence.

Demon Slayer has become a global box office sensation, surpassing Your Name and Spirited Away to become the highest-grossing movie at the Japanese box office, and becoming the fourth highest-grossing film of 2020 (just outgrossing Tenet) even in spite of the global pandemic. The reason why Demon Slayer: Mugen Train is particularly special is that, rather than making an original story that doesn’t follow the canon of the main series, the film adapts the next chapter in the story that began in the anime, with the recently announced Season 2 picking up right after.

Season 1 of Demon Slayer is available on Netflix, so there’s still time to catch up before the film hits theaters on April 23. For those who can’t make it to a physical screening, Demon Slayer will also be available via electronic-sell-through starting June 22 on Apple TV, Microsoft Store, Vudu, Google Play, PlayStation Store and Amazon. Pre-orders start April 26.

In addition to the release date, Aniplex of America has released a fresh new trailer. You can watch that below.

BY RAFAEL MOTAMAYOR