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Of all of the things 2020 has come to be known for, film releases breaking box office records wasn’t one of them. But one film defied the odds. Released in Japan on Oct. 16., the animated film Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train ended a 19-year record held by the Studio Ghibli traditional Spirited Away. Hitting $313 million in ticket sales in December, the movie overtook director Hayao Miyazaki’s magnum opus to develop into the country’s highest-grossing film of all time.  
  
In the months since, the film—primarily based on the manga Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba by Koyoharu Gotouge—has broken another record previously set by Spirited Away: Mugen Train is now the highest-grossing anime movie within the world. It is set for theatrical release within the U.S. and Canada on April 23, in both a subtitled version and an English dubbed version.  
  
Earlier than the film made headlines for shattering records, the Demon Slayer franchise was already amassing a dedicated global fanbase. Both the manga that was first published in 2016 and the television series adapted from the manga have recorded feats of their own. Ahead of the North American release of Mugen Train, right here’s everything to know about Demon Slayer, the writer-illustrator behind it and the meteoric success of the manga, television series and film.  
  
What is Demon Slayer about?  
In this fictional world set in early 20th century Taishō-period Japan, man-consuming demons roam the land every night. thirteen-yr-old Tanjiro Kamado’s world is turned upside down when he returns home one morning to seek out his complete family murdered save for his sister Nezuko—who has turned into a demon. Determined to avenge their deaths and discover a cure that may transform Nezuko back right into a human, Tanjiro sets out on a journey to train for the Demon Slayer Corps. The story follows him as he joins this underground organization of skilled fighters who dedicate their lives to protecting people from the vicious creatures.  
  
Who's Koyoharu Gotouge?  
Koyoharu Gotouge (lately featured as a part of the 2021 TIME one hundred Next) wrote and illustrated Demon Slayer. The mangaka, or manga creator, has not publicly revealed their identity, and instead uses the pen name Gotouge and appears as an avatar of an alligator in glasses when making announcements concerning the series. Despite not much about Demon Slayer’s writer being known to the general public, those who collaborate intently with Gotouge are familiar with their work ethic. "I have known Gotouge sensei [the honorific term for trainer in Japanese] because the start of their career, and so they weren't necessarily without fault at the beginning," Kohei Ohnishi, an Editor-in-Chief of Weekly Shonen Jump who edits Demon Slayer, tells TIME. "However by means of hard work and perseverance, they had been able to grow considerably as a mangaka."  
  
Although Gotouge’s schedule has not been shared earlier than, the each day work routines of manga authors are reputed to be rigorous. As an example, Oda Eiichiro—the creator of One Piece—has shared about sleeping frequently from 2 AM to five AM to work on his manuscript. Ohnishi cites Gotouge’s strong sense of integrity and dedication to their work, and says the mangaka is "very aware of how readers are responding to their work." Asked about essentially the most impactful element of Gotouge’s writing and art, Ohnishi references the strong characters and dialogue. "Their characters are all distinctive, yet still rooted in reality, and that’s a very tough balance to strike," Ohnishi says. "In addition, there are a number of memorable lines filled with uniqueity in Demon Slayer."  
  
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