Last month, Bandai released a line of Demon Slayer Tamagotchi, with Nezuko, Tanjiro, and Inosuke available to raise as your own. On October 30, they announced the pre-sale of a Rengoku Tamagotchi. As if this wasn't enough, they also announced that you could pre-order the other eight members of the Hashira starting November 16. Now you can raise your own Demon Slayer!
Demon Slayer, or Kimetsu No Yaiba, focuses on siblings Nezuko and Tanjiro as they struggle to fight against demons and find a cure for Nezuko's demon curse. They lost their entire family to a demon attack, which resulted in Nezuko becoming one of the feared creatures, though she retained her human emotions and thoughts. After Giyu Tomioka tries to slay Nezuko, he recruits Tanjiro to become a Demon Slayer, someone who hunts and kills demons. Tanjiro agrees, hoping that joining the group will lead him to a cure for Nezuko's curse.
The "parents" of the characters will have to feed and train them to become the best Demon Slayer they can be. Each character will start out as weak as a newborn baby, but over time will steadily grow more powerful. They'll also work their way up the chain of the Demon Slayer Corps. There is a slight difference between the first three devices and the newer Hashira devices. The newer versions are slightly smaller and feature different mini-games, which will be good for those who purchased one of the earlier devices. The demons that appear also vary slightly between the two collections. Each device also features a design inspired by the character they are based on.
Demon Slayer and Tamagotchi doesn't seem like an obvious collaboration, but it certainly isn't unwanted. It seems that Bandai is looking to anime to breathe new life into the timeless toy, having an Evangelion collaboration earlier this year. Originally released in 1996, Tamagotchis received critical success. The word Tamagotchi comes from the Japanese words tamago (egg) and uochi (watch).
So why is this the medium Bandai chose to use for a collaboration? The toys are still very popular in Japan, considered a staple children's toy. There's been an increase in re-releases and remasters in the past few years, whether it be to fix bugs or enhance graphics. There's also been an influx in merchandise centered around '90s nostalgia, with the Sailor Moon Color Pop Collection and a Lisa Frank x Friends Clothing Collaboration being good examples. Bandai is most likely banking on the nostalgia factor that a Tamagotchi brings to those who had one as a child.
With the Demon Slayer movie smashing box-office records and becoming the first Japanese movie to rank number one worldwide opening weekend. If you are interested in raising your own Demon Slayer, the first four models are available for ¥2,530, which is about $24 USD.
