Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba) author Koyoharu Gotouge is selected in the recently-published TIME “100 Next” list for this year. This makes him the first mangaka to be on the list, recognized as a phenomenal rising star in the entertainment industry.
TIME’s associate audience engagement editor Kat Moon describes the author’s inclusion in the list with a “surreal achievement“:
“For almost two decades, Spirited Away was Japan’s highest-grossing movie of all time.
That changed last year, when the animated film Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train logged the biggest opening weekend in Japan’s history and wound up grossing a record-setting $313 million—a surreal achievement that only deepened interest in the mysterious author and illustrator at the franchise’s heart.”
Moon also got in touch with Weekly Shonen Jump editor Kohei Ohnishi, who said that while Gotouge – his pen name – stays anonymous, his personality “shines through the series, in particular in Tanjiro’s ‘serious nature, honesty and strong sense of responsibility.’”
TIME Magazine started releasing its “100 Next” List in 2019 to highlight “100 rising stars who are shaping the future of business, entertainment, sports, politics, science, health and more”. The TIME “100 Next” list is separate from the TIME 100 list 15 years ago.
Serialized in Shonen Jump in 2016, Demon Slayer has been adapted into a 26-episode anime series aired in 2019. It was then followed with a movie adaptation in 2020, and an anime sequel slated for 2021.
It will also have a game for the consoles and PC’s this year!
Kimetsu no Yaiba tells the story of Tanjiro Kamado and his younger sister Nezuko. Tanjiro trains to be a demon slayer after demons slaughter his family. On his journey, he also tries to find a cure for his sister that turned into one.
Gotouge’s Demon Slayer franchise has also topped Pixiv and Nico Nico Pedia’s list of top 100 internet buzzwords since 2019.
Source: Shonen Jump Twitter, Time’s official website
Read more stories on Demon Slayer / Kimetsu no Yaiba here on Anime Corner.
©Koyoharu Gotoge / SHUEISHA