It isn’t uncommon to see some anime widely known in the mainstream media. You have the cultural icons of Dragon Ball, Naruto, and (debatably) Pokémon. You have the more uncommon ones, however still loved in popular culture like Deathnote, Bleach, and the Massive One Piece. While to casual fans, this would be the extent of their knowledge in the media known as anime. However in recent years, more and more people have become interested in the medium, and there has now been a massive growth in people who consider themselves anime watchers. 

However, although the growth has been significant, it has either been mainstream or surface level exposure. That was the case until a less widely known manga in the U.S received an anime adaptation, and for the first time in seemingly all of history, an anime was trending on twitter. Not just between the common viewers, but celebrities and internet icons were also expressing their love for the show. That anime in question was none other than Demon Slayer, and anime that, in such a short time of being around, has already gotten a massive cult following, being beloved by many and gathering a strong fanbase in the U.S seemingly overnight.

Now manga has in fact trended before, although mainly It would just be a new chapter of one piece or the returns of HunterXHunter. This seemingly is the first time that an anime trended not only on twitter, but YouTube and Instagram as well. More specifically, episode 19 of the anime brought the internet to tears, giving viewers a historical experience, and was praised for its beautiful animation, which makes it a current contender for anime of the year. Popular and well known streamer Ninja, who essentially is the face of streaming, tweeted out “Demon Slayer might be my favorite anime of all time” shortly after the episode. 

Actor Dylan Sprouse, most known from The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, as well the ever so popular Riverdale, expressed his love for the show, stating “I will personally produce this even if the fans don’t support (which they overwhelmingly do). You simply must watch this anime.” Even Panic at the Disco’s Brendon Urie praised demon slayer, out of the blue. 

No other anime in history, atleast in the U.S, has been able to reach this level of appraisal and popularity, and in such as short time at that, only having begun airing earlier this year.  You can look on valley heading towards workman and see the ever so famous spray paint van with none other than one of the main characters, Tanjiro, being spray painted on the side, showing it has local influence.

But why does this all matter? Well, for one, it shows that the anime community is ever-growing, and slowly but surely, its becoming less and less of a taboo media, inching ever so closer to the mainstream. And secondly, this means we’ll definitely be getting more of this amazing series in the future, with how popular it is. Junior Andrew Beas stated he hasn’t gotten around to watching it, but he’s definitely  excited to start it. 

For those of you who’ve been following along but still have no idea what Demon Slayer, I’m afraid to tell you that you won’t be finding out by reading this. I wouldn’t dare rob you of the experience that is Demon Slayer. Giving you a quick synopsis, our main character Tanjiro lives in a world where demons exist, and his own sister is attacked and transformed into a demon. However, it appears she’s not at all like the others, and Tanjiro vows to protect her and to defeat the demong lord muzan to save his sister, using his sword techniques. It has just recently finished airing with a 26 episode run, and with a movie on the way, so there’s never been a better time to get into it. As for those who have finished and still have that Demon Slayer itch, the manga is in its final chapters, so there’s plenty of Demon Slayer left.

One things for certain, and that’s that this masterpiece definitely slayed everyone’s expectations.