Shortly after the TV series completed airing, the manga ended an 11-year-streak held by One Piece to become Japan’s best-selling manga of the year in 2019, according to the Oricon chart. Based on the pure artistry of its battle scenes alone, Demon Slayer began to be regarded as one of the best action anime of all time.

The TV series, produced by the Japanese studio Ufotable, was instantly praised by fans and critics alike for the stunning animation of the fight sequences. While the print volumes saw moderate success in Japan during its first years of serialization, its popularity surged in 2019-the same year that the 26-episode television adaptation of the manga aired. The series first appeared in a 2016 issue of the manga magazine, and ran periodically until its final volume was released in 2020. “In addition, there are a number of memorable lines filled with originality in Demon Slayer.”ĭemon Slayer was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump-a long-running manga magazine that has published some of the most iconic series, from Naruto and Dragon Ball to One Piece and Yu-Gi-Oh!. “Their characters are all unique, yet still rooted in reality, and that’s a very difficult balance to strike,” Ohnishi says. Ohnishi cites Gotouge’s strong sense of integrity and dedication to their work, and says the mangaka is “very aware of how readers are responding to their work.” Asked about the most impactful element of Gotouge’s writing and art, Ohnishi references the strong characters and dialogue.

For instance, Oda Eiichiro-the creator of One Piece-has shared about sleeping regularly from 2 AM to 5 AM to work on his manuscript. Though Gotouge’s schedule has not been shared before, the daily work routines of manga authors are reputed to be rigorous. “But through hard work and perseverance, they were able to grow considerably as a mangaka.” “I have known Gotouge sensei since the start of their career, and they were not necessarily without fault at the beginning,” Kohei Ohnishi, an Editor-in-Chief of Weekly Shonen Jump who edits Demon Slayer, tells TIME. Despite not much about Demon Slayer’s author being known to the public, those who collaborate closely with Gotouge are familiar with their work ethic. The mangaka, or manga creator, has not publicly revealed their identity, and instead uses the pen name Gotouge and appears as an avatar of an alligator in glasses when making announcements about the series.

Koyoharu Gotouge (recently featured as a part of the 2021 TIME 100 Next) wrote and illustrated Demon Slayer.

Demon slayer by koyoharu gotouge