The first part of the three-part final arc of Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Arc, the grand finale that has captivated fans worldwide, will hit theaters in Japan on July 18.

The original manga has reached a cumulative circulation of 150 million copies.
The 2020 theatrical release Demon Slayer: Mugen Train, which premiered during the COVID-19 pandemic, grossed 51.7 billion yen worldwide and attracted approximately 41.35 million viewers. It surpassed Spirited Away by Studio Ghibli, becoming the highest-grossing film in Japanese cinema history—breaking a 19-year record.

While the manga has already concluded, this historic work is now entering its final arc in anime form.
Why are fans so deeply drawn to Demon Slayer, and what should we expect from its final chapter?
How will this epic tale of a brother and sister come to an end?

In this article, we’ll explore the appeal of Demon Slayer based on its impressive data—without any spoilers.

Demon Slayer by the Numbers ①: Sales Trends of the Manga Volumes

Let’s begin by looking back at the phenomenal success of Demon Slayer through its book sales data.
According to data from Oricon Inc., all 23 volumes of the manga—from Volume 1 to Volume 23—have each sold over 5 million copies.
The average number of copies sold per volume is an astounding 6.52 million, as illustrated in the chart below.

To put this into perspective, even among legendary manga series with more than 10 volumes, Demon Slayer surpasses giants like Dragon Ball and One Piece in terms of average copies sold per volume.
While it's difficult to make perfectly standardized comparisons due to differences in data aggregation methods, the figure of 6.52 million copies per volume is still remarkable—especially when you consider that the entire series ran for only four years.
This extraordinary number reflects just how rapidly and densely Demon Slayer gained popularity.

According to Oricon’s annual manga sales rankings by title, Demon Slayer took the top spot with unprecedented momentum following the start of its anime adaptation in 2019.
In 2020 alone, it sold an astonishing 82 million copies—more than half of the manga’s total circulation to date.

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2020 Annual Manga Sales Ranking Announced by Oricon

The years 2019 to 2021 coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, a time when people around the world were urged to stay home and found themselves craving entertainment.
In such a moment, Demon Slayer emerged like a savior, and the numbers reflect that impact.

Will we ever witness the rise of a phenomenon like this again?