Sony Pictures has unveiled exciting news for anime enthusiasts in India, announcing early screenings for the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba -To the Hashira Training- Arc. The special theatrical event is set to feature the one-hour first episode of the Hashira Training Arc and the concluding episode of the Swordsmith Village Arc.
Scheduled for February 22, select cities, including Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata, are in for a treat with IMAX screenings, while Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Chandigarh will offer 4DX experiences. Bengaluru, Delhi NCR, and Pune will have the option of both IMAX 2D and 4DX screenings.
The official doors to Indian theaters will open to Demon Slayer enthusiasts on February 23, following a premiere screening hosted by the company in Mumbai on February 21. Sony Pictures had previously announced World Tour preview screenings for the anime in India.
Anticipation is building for the spring of 2024, when the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Hashira Training Arc anime is set to premiere. This comes after the success of the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc (Kimetsu no Yaiba: Katanakaji no Sato-Hen) television anime, which debuted on April 9, 2023.
For Indian fans, Crunchyroll and Netflix streamed the anime as it originally aired in Japan. Crunchyroll later added a Hindi dub on May 8. Theatrical screenings of the anime commenced in India in March 2023, initially opening in 418 theaters in Japan in February 2023. These screenings included episodes 10 and 11 of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc, along with the inaugural Swordsmith Village Arc episode.
The journey began in April 2019 with the premiere of the first television anime adaptation of Koyoharu Gotouge’s Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba manga. Subsequently, the Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train anime film made its debut in Japan in October 2020, reaching Indian screens in August 2021.
Expanding on the narrative, the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Mugen Train Arc, a gripping seven-episode adaptation of the Mugen Train film, premiered in October 2021. Following this success, the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc (Kimetsu no Yaiba: Yūkaku-hen) television anime took the stage in December 2021 with a one-hour special. Crunchyroll catered to Indian audiences by adding Hindi and Indian English dubs for both seasons, further enriching the experience for fans in the region.
