Koyoharu Gotouge's hit manga series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba may have come to a close, but the anime series continues picking up steam, with a second season releasing in 2021. The Demon Slayer anime was a runaway hit in Japan and abroad, featuring a kind and relatable protagonist in Tanjiro Kamado and his quest to save his Demon sister, Nezuko.
Season 1 left off with the promise of far more adventure and electrifying fantasy battle scenes, leading right into the Demon Slayer: Mugen Train movie. Fans will undoubtedly want to see the film, as its canonical story has some significant ramifications, and Season 2 will pick up right after the movie's events. Here's what we know so far about Demon Slayer Season 2.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Updated Sept. 25, 2021, to include details of the Mugen Train adaptation and Season 2's U.S. release date.
Demon Slayer's Story So Far: Season 1 and Mugen Train
Tanjiro Kamado lived an ordinary life in the mountains until a Demon slaughtered his family and turned his beloved younger sister Nezuko into a Demon herself. Tanjiro will undergo hellish training to become a Demon Slayer -- an elite swordsman -- and find a way to restore Nezuko's humanity. But Tanjiro quickly realizes more people than Nezuko needed his help because the King of Demons, Muzan Kibutsuji, moves through a rapidly modernizing Japan, recruiting more Demons. So Tanjiro builds up his team, making friends with the Thunder Breath user Zenitsu Agatsuma and the boar-headed Inosuke Hashibira.
However, Tanjiro has more problems than the actual Demons, as the Hashira -- the ultimate Demon Slayers -- initially reject Tanjiro's quest and demand that his sister be killed. Ultimately, Nezuko proves she isn't merely a flesh-hungry monster, and the leader of the Demon Slayers, Kagaya Ubuyashiki, sides with Tanjiro. Now, Shinobu Kocho, the Insect Hashira, and her fellows train Tanjiro, Zenitsu and Inosuke for the road ahead.
In a bizarre alternative dimension, Muzan lashes out and slaughters most of the six Lower Moons -- the lower-ranked Demons in Muzan's forces -- in frustration, preparing the six Upper Moons for action. Elsewhere, by the end of Season 1, Tanjiro's party arrives at a train station, leading directly into the events of Demon Slayer: Mugen Train. The film pairs Kyojuro Rengoku (the Flame Hashira) with Tanjiro, Inosuke, Zenitsu and Nezuko to face the only surviving Lower Moon Demon, Enmu. However, an even graver threat lurks beyond Enmu and his sleep-inducing abilities, leading to Rengoku having one of the best fights in Demon Slayer to date.
The Demon Slayer: Mugen Train movie connects directly with Season 1, and the movie is an essential bridge between the anime's first and second movies. Plot-wise, it has a beginning, middle and end, like any feature-length movie, and it ultimately serves as a cinematic prologue for the upcoming Season 2. The movie isn't just a mediocre piece of extraneous material, though; it was a box-office smash hit in Japan and worldwide, and boasts top-rate animation, music and emotional impact, all courtesy of studio UFOtable.
Mugen Train is now available to stream on video platforms such as Amazon Prime, the PlayStation Store and Apple TV in either Japanese or English, depending on the platform.
Demon Slayer Season 2's Trailer & Release Date
Get ready for a new mission in the Yoshiwara Entertainment District with #DemonSlayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc coming in 2021! ✨ pic.twitter.com/GPwnlL2mVK
— Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (English) (@DemonSlayerUSA) July 5, 2021
Although a trailer has yet to debut for the English-language release of Demon Slayer, a teaser dropped earlier this year on Japanese streaming service Abema TV, and the official Demon Slayer Twitter account shared this trailer for the world to see.
It depicts the Yoshiwara Red-Light District as Tanjiro's team storms the place to find and destroy all Demons in the area. Mysterious, robed women watch as the Demon Slayers get to work, but based on one woman's wicked smile, a few of them may be Demons. Tanjiro, Zenitsu, Inosuke and Nezuko can't afford to let their guard down. What's more, Tanjiro can no longer rely on Kyojuro Rengoku to watch his back, since the Fire Hashira met a grisly end in the climax of Mugen Train. Instead, Tanjiro will be in the company of the sound Hashira, Tengen Uzui. No doubt Season will be a fine opportunity to expand upon his character and abilities.
Season 2 will start streaming on Funimation on Oct. 10, 2021, beginning with a seven-episode adaptation of the Mugen Train arc. Then, the Red-Light District arc's episodes begin airing on Dec. 15. The season's first episode will feature never-before-seen material exploring Kyojuro Rengoku's adventures prior to Mugen Train's events. The Red-Light District arc will begin with a one-hour special episode featuring the Upper Moon Six demon, Daki.
