Demon Slayer Officially Begins A New Era October 2026

4 hours ago 12

Published Jun 29, 2026, 3:00 PM EDT

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The Demon Slayer anime may have really kicked off in 2019, but it had fans even before that. The manga originally came out in 2016, and since then,it's catapulted into mainstream status amid a ton of competition in the shonen arena.

But it wasn't until the movie Mugen Train that it really caught the public's eye. In 2020, even through a global pandemic, the film managed to snatch half a billion at the box office worldwide, and cemented just how big this series really was.

That momentum continued with the first part of the Infinity Castle film trilogy, which has since garnered close to $800 million worldwide since its release last July. Now, it's poised to enter a new era (via InvenGlobal).

According to Sega, Demon Slayer: The Hinokami Chronicles 2 is getting a Chapter 1 Character Pass on October 29, 2026. Right now, the game has 54 playable characters, but the DLC will raise that number significantly.

Here's what's on offer:

Tanjiro Kamado (Infinity Castle)
Zenitsu Agatsuma (Infinity Castle)
Giyu Tomioka (Infinity Castle)
Shinobu Kocho (Infinity Castle)
Doma, Akaza (Infinity Castle)
Kaigaku

On that same day, the Switch 2 will get an upgrade featuring 60 FPS performance, enhanced animations, and more responsive controls. Since the Switch 2 edition is confirmed to have cross-play with the original Switch version, it's all going to be a single unified rollout at the same time. That way, everyone will be on a level playing field, even if you're picking it up for the first time. Just know the team warns that "online matches against the Nintendo Switch version will run at 30 FPS."

Demon Slayer Hinokami Chronicles Release Announced

Note how a lot of the season pass is focused on the Infinity Castle arc, which is a smart move given that it's still not done. The next two portions of the trilogy need to be released at some point, allowing Bandai Namco to eventually fill the roster with more seasonal drops.

After all, the proof is in the pudding. Bandai Namco is calling this the "Chapter 1 Character Pass," heavily implying that there will be at least one more before the end of the lifecycle of the game. For reference, the original game was in operation from 2021 onward until the sequel hit this past August. It's likely that The Hinokami Chronicles 2 has a long road ahead of it.

Plus, we never know what's in store for Demon Slayer. Although the film trilogy ends the mainline story, it's such a cash cow that it could continue in some form.