Demon Slayer Popularity Sparks Shoplifting Concerns

Demon Slayer is still on the high of its success last year. No one could have expected how popular the anime would become in 2019, but it entered the new year at the top. Over in Japan, Demon Slayer is making all the sales, but it turns out success is truly a double-edged blade.

After all, Demon Slayer may be making lots of money, but it is losing a fair bit from thieves who want in on the critical darling.

Over on Twitter, WSJ_manga shared some concerning news about Demon Slayer. It was there they posted a photo taken in Japan from a bookstore and translated the shop’s note about new security measures for Demon Slayer.

“There’s been an unfortunate situation we’d like to touch upon today. According to this notice a shop put up in Japan, there have been people shoplifting Kimetsu no Yaiba volumes recently. Their policy now is: if people wish to buy KnY volume(s), they must ask the cashier for it,” the page shared.

For fans, this kind of news is a bit heartbreaking. Demon Slayer started up as an underdog series that hit fame in the last 16 months of so. Last year, the manga sold more than One Piece to break the latter’s streak. It is hard to overstate the importance of that milestone, but Demon Slayer did it. Now, it seems some fans are overly eager to catch up on the manga, and that has led them to taking volumes illegally. And should you ask Nezuko how she feels about that, well – she would not be too happy.

What do you make of this shoplifting wave…? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba debuted in February 2016. You can read its synopsis here: “Since ancient times, rumors have abounded of man-eating demons lurking in the woods. Because of this, the local townsfolk never venture outside at night. Legend has it that a demon slayer also roams the night, hunting down these bloodthirsty demons… Although their lives may be hardened by tragedy, they’ve found happiness. But that ephemeral warmth is shattered one day when Tanjiro finds his family slaughtered and the lone survivor, his sister Nezuko, turned into a demon. To his surprise, however, Nezuko still shows signs of human emotion and thought… Thus begins Tanjiro’s request to fight demons and turn his sister human again.”