Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba is getting a new Stage Play in Japan, here's what you should know including story, character details, and whether the stage plays are canon or not.

Stage Plays in Japan are a common occurrence, as every popular franchise gets a least one. Moreover, while we call them Stage Plays, they are also akin to Musicals, as they always include several songs specifically made for the occasion. Lastly, actors and actresses portray the characters rather than their specific seiyuu (Japanese voice actors) from the anime.

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Demon Slayer Stage Play (Live Action) explained

Demon Slayer first received a Stage Play back in January 2020, titled Kimetsu no Yaiba: The Stage. This newly announced Stage play is Part 2, directly following the first one. Kenichi Suemitsu and Shunsuke Wada are returning as director and composer respectively.

The stage play will be happening in August 2021 at the following dates and venues in Japan:

  • Tokyo, August 7 to 15 - Venue: Tennozu Galaxy Theater
  • Osaka, August 20 to 22 - Venue: Umeda Arts Theater Main Hall
  • Tokyo, August 27 to 31 - Venue: Tachikawa Stage Garden

You might think this is an incredibly small number of dates and performances, but that's the norm for Stage Plays, even for a series as big as Demon Slayer. The COvid-19 pandemic also negatively affected the industry. Usually however, more dates are announced as the Stage Play goes on. It's possible livestream performances will happen as well.

Is the Demon Slayer Stage Play coming west?

Sadly, it's quite rare for Stage Plays to leave Japan. However, as I just explained, Stage Plays are often streamed on the net, sometimes for free on Nico Nico Douga. You should keep an eye on the official Kimetsu no Yaiba Stage Play Twitter account, as it's very likely they will announce more dates soon, some of which livestreamed.

Story, characters

The first stage play from 2020 only included Tanjiro, Nezuko, Zenitsu, Inosuke, Giyu, Muzan, and a few other characters from the beginning of the manga.

This brand new Part 2 will greatly expand the cast, adding all Hashira characters, and featuring Rui and Muzan as the villains. All of these characters are featured in a gorgeous key visual you can find further below. Lastly, the Stage Play will focus on the Rehabilitation Training Arc, the arc right before the Mugen Train movie.

Is the Stage Play canon?

The stage play will be retracing the story of the manga with a few differences, so it's not canon. However, you shouldn't expect any major changes, as it will still loosely follow the manga's story.

The Demon Slayer Mugen Train movie will be launching digitally in America on June 22, 2021.

demon slayer stage play main visual