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Friday, February 3, 2023, saw additional Demon Slayer print projects announced via the official VIZ Media Twitter account. The announcements were made as part of a larger batch that goes over their major releases for 2023.
The news comes on the same day as the official reveal of the Demon Slayer season 3 opening theme, making it an especially momentous day for the franchise. Coming days will also see the third season premiere in Japanese movie theaters before premiering at the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles, California, on February 18, 2023.
Demon Slayer announces school-setting spin-off manga, companion book for English release via VIZ Media Twitter page
The spin-off manga announced by VIZ Media for English release sometime this year is the Kimetsu Academy manga. Based on the cover art, it seems to be a modern-day, school-setting, reimagined version of the mainline series’ characters and overall plot.
The original concept is by mainline series creator, author, and illustrator Koyoharu Gotouge, with story and art by Natsuki Hokami. Per VIZ’s tweet, the manga will be released in the Fall of 2023.
Also announced was the Corps Record companion book, written and illustrated by Koyoharu Gotouge herself. Per VIZ’s tweet,
“The book has all the info a fan could want about the series, in addition to never-before-reprinted bonus manga.”
The “bonus manga” will likely consist of additional pages that were cut from the mainline series’ original run. Per VIZ’s tweet, the companion book will be released in the Fall of 2023.
As mentioned above, Friday, February 3, has been a massive news day for Gotouge’s franchise and mainline series overall. In addition to the two VIZ Media release announcements, the series officially revealed its opening theme for the third season.
Titled Kizuna no Kiseki (Bonds of Miracle), the theme will be performed in a collaboration between artists MAN WITH A MISSION and milet. The preview of the song is streaming on Aniplex’s official YouTube page.
The weekend of February 3 will also see the third season premiere in Japanese theaters, followed by the February 18 Los Angeles premiere. Such theater screenings will continue throughout February and March, leading into the third season’s television premiere sometime in April 2023. As of this article's writing, no full release date has been announced for the highly-anticipated sequel season.
The screening will recap the final two episodes of Demon Slayer's Entertainment District arc, consisting mainly of the climactic fight of Tanjiro and co against siblings Gyutaro and Daki, the Upper-Rank Six Moons. This will be followed by the first episode of the Swordsmith Village arc for the screening’s third act. It’s currently unknown if this same format will be premiered on television.
Be sure to keep up with all Demon Slayer anime news, as well as general anime, manga, film, and live-action news as 2023 progresses.
