Kimetsu no Yaiba (Manga)

**Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba** (鬼 (き) 滅 (めつ) の刃 (やいば)  *Kimetsu no Yaiba*?, lit. "Blade of Demon Destruction") is a manga series written and illustrated by Koyoharu Gotouge. It has been serialized in *Weekly Shonen Jump* since February 15, 2016. The series is republished in English by Viz Media.

The series officially ended on May 18, 2020 (*Weekly Shonen Jump* Issue #24) with a total of 205 chapters.

## Synopsis

Kimetsu no Yaiba is set in the Taisho era of Japan.

The life of Tanjiro Kamado, a kindhearted boy who sells coal for a living, changes one day after his family is murdered by a demon.

In order to turn back his sister, the only one who survived but turned into a ferocious demon herself, the two go off on a journey to seek the demon who killed their family.

A tale of bloodstained swords!

## Spinoffs

### Manga Spin-offs

* **Kimetsu no Yaiba: Stories of Water and Flame**:
	+ **Giyu Tomioka's Story** is a two-chapter manga spin-off, was published in the 18th and 19th issues of Shueisha's *Weekly Shonen Jump* in 2019. Gotoge is credited with the original work, and Ryoji Hirano with drawing the manga. The manga follows the character Giyu Tomioka.
	+ **Kyojuro Rengoku's Story** is another two-chapter manga spin-off by Ryoji Hirano, was published in the 45th and 46th issues of Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump in 2020. It follows the character Kyojuro Rengoku.
* **Kimetsu Between the Scenes!** is a colored, 4koma spin-off by Hirano, and was serialized between April 7 and October 6 in 2019 on Shueisha's Shonen Jump+ app and website. The manga features chibi versions of the characters from the main series up to the end of the anime's first season.
* **Kimetsu Gakuen!** is a colored manga series written and illustrated by Natsuki Hokami which takes place in the world of Kimetsu Academy, a spin-off universe with the characters in a modern setting. It has been serialized in Saikyo Jump since August 4, 2021 and is currently ongoing.

### Light Novels

* **Kimetsu no Yaiba: One-Winged Butterfly** (*Kimetsu no Yaiba: Kataha no chō*?) is a light novel by Gotoge and Aya Yajima that was published and released in Japanese bookstores on October 4, 2019. It details the lives of Shinobu and Kanae Kocho before and soon after they joined the Demon Slayers after Gyomei Himejima saved their lives.
* **Kimetsu no Yaiba: The Flower of Happiness** (*Kimetsu no Yaiba: Shiawase no hana*?) is a light novel by Gotoge and Aya Yajima that was published and released in Japanese bookstores on February 4, 2019. It chronicles the lives of Tanjiro Kamado and Zenitsu Agatsuma before the start of the main series, as well as glimpses into the lives of Aoi Kanzaki and Kanao Tsuyuri. It also features a single chapter of an alternate Gakuen universe where the characters of the series are attending an ordinary high school (the Gakuen universe has previously been shown in the omakes of the main manga series).
* **Kimetsu no Yaiba: Signs from the Wind** (*Kimetsu no Yaiba: Kaze no Michishirube*?) is the third light novel series from the Kimetsu no Yaiba manga written by Aya Yajima.

### Fanbooks

* The **Kimetsu no Yaiba Official Fanbook** was released in July 2019. It features background information on several characters from the series.
* The **Kimetsu no Yaiba Official Fanbook 2** was released in February 2021.

## Trivia

* Gotoge noted that Kimetsu no Yaiba was inspired by various other manga, most notably *Gintama*, *JoJo's Bizarre Adventure*, *Naruto*, *Bleach* and *Berserk*. They also noted that Gintama is the manga they most admired and was the reason they decided to create Kimetsu no Yaiba.