Daemons of the Shadow Realm
Japanese manga series by Hiromu Arakawa
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Daemons of the Shadow Realm (Japanese: 黄泉のツガイ, Hepburn: Yomi no Tsugai; lit. 'Pairs from the Underworld') is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa. It has been serialized in Square Enix's shōnen manga anthology magazine Monthly Shōnen Gangan since December 2021. An anime television series adaptation produced by Bones Film premiered in April 2026.
| Daemons of the Shadow Realm | |
First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Yuru (center) and Daemons Left and Right in their statue form | |
| 黄泉のツガイ (Yomi no Tsugai) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Hiromu Arakawa |
| Published by | Square Enix |
| English publisher |
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| Imprint | Gangan Comics |
| Magazine | Monthly Shōnen Gangan |
| Original run | December 10, 2021 – present |
| Volumes | 12 |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Masahiro Andō |
| Produced by |
|
| Written by | Noboru Takagi |
| Music by | Kenichiro Suehiro |
| Studio | Bones Film |
| Licensed by | Crunchyroll |
| Original network | Tokyo MX, BS11, GTV, GYT, HTB, RAB, Miyatele, SAY, TUF, TeNY, SBC, TeleShizu, CBC TV, MBS, RNC, RNB, NKT, HTV, tys, RKB, kkt, KKB, QAB |
| Original run | April 4, 2026 – present |
| Episodes | 5 |
Synopsis
Set in a world where certain humans can control a duo of supernatural creatures called Daemons, the twins "born between day and night" in a premodern Higashi village, Yuru and Asa, are prophesied to wield great power. As a teenager, Yuru learns that he was separated from his sister at a young age, and that the Higashi village has been cut off from the now modern world (called "Lowlands" by the villagers) for centuries, where Asa grew up. Along the way to find each other, the twins learn of their abilities to control all Daemons and eventually discover they must unite to save the world from destruction.
Characters
Main characters
- Yuru (ユル)
- Voiced by: Kensho Ono[4] (Japanese); Ben Stegmair[5] (English)
- The elder twin. A blond-haired boy who embodies the Night and wields the Right and Left Daemons, which resemble powerful male and female oni warriors. Rescued from the village by Dera and Hanna during the massacre, his primary goal is to find his younger sister and parents, and uncover the cause of the conflict unfolding around them. Including finding out why his sister's comrades killed adults in his village and taking revenge on them. As someone who has spent his entire life in a village preserving the Edo-period way of life, Yuru acts like a traveler from the past, unprepared for modern life, yet quickly navigating complex situations thanks to his advanced hunting skills.
- Asa (アサ)
- Voiced by: Yume Miyamoto[4] (Japanese); Molly Zhang[5] (English)
- The younger of the twins. A masculine, tall girl who embodies the Day and whose Daemon is currently unknown. Although, in critical situations or matters, she displays a very tough character and a readiness for violence, in her personal life, she is also a reliable friend to Jin and Gabby, and has a pronounced brother complex towards Yuru due to their long separation. Although she actually left the village at a young age with her parents, a complete double of her with a more idealized personality and the ability to regenerate lived in the settlement in her place, who, after the events of the beginning of the story, is called "False Asa".
Humans
- Dera (デラ)
- Voiced by: Yuichi Nakamura[4] (Japanese); Jarrod Greene[5] (English)
- A middle-aged man with slightly gray hair, initially portrayed as a traveling merchant, who serves as a link between the villagers and the outside world. In reality, he is a member of a long line of skilled warriors, capable of defeating a group of soldiers unarmed, and sent by his family to rescue and protect Yuru from hostile or dangerous individuals seeking to exploit him. He works in tandem with Hanna, and occasionally flirts with her, half-jokingly convincing her to marry him as part of the cover story of his new young wife and stepmother to Yuru.
- Gabby (ガブちゃん, Gabu-chan)
- Voiced by: Misaki Kuno[4] (Japanese); Mikaela Krantz[5] (English)
- A teenage tomboy girl with blonde hair and a Daemon shaped like a floating forehead with eyes. Although she is initially introduced as a cynical and cruel killer who murders people regardless of gender or threat, she is also shown as convincingly not harming children, and acting like a normal teenager when interacting with her friends.
- Hana (ハナ)
- Voiced by: Miyuri Shimabukuro[6] (Japanese); Meggie-Elise (English)
- A young woman who helps Dera protect Yuri and wields two Daemons in the form of a cat and a dog with reconnaissance and search skills. Although she sincerely helps protect the boy, she reluctantly accepts the cover story of being Dera's young, new wife, even though she actually dreams of Jason Statham as her ideal man.
- Jin (ジン)
- Voiced by: Junichi Suwabe[6] (Japanese); Jerry Jewell (English)
Daemons
- Left (左, Hidari)
- Voiced by: Takako Honda[6] (Japanese); Colleen Clinkenbeard[5] (English)
- Formerly the left statue in the settlement, she now takes the form of a muscular, tall woman reminiscent of an oni. Like Right, she values strength and communicates in an old-fashioned manner, but in contrast, she has a more phlegmatic personality.
- Right (右, Migi)
- Voiced by: Rikiya Koyama[6] (Japanese); Bill Butts[5] (English)
- Formerly the right statue in the settlement, he now takes the form of a large, very muscular man reminiscent of an oni. He possesses the mentality of an old-fashioned, communicative warrior who relishes battle, but is completely devoted to his master's commands.
- Gabriel (ガブリエル, Gaburieru)
- Voiced by: Ayumu Murase[7] (Japanese); Nic Hamill and Amanda Gael[5] (English)
- The Daemon of Gabby: A flying jaw with eyes that can expand and bite off chunks of flesh from enemies, or shield its owner. As implied in one conversation, Gabriel is actually two Daemons combined to form a jaw, not a single creature.
Media
Manga
Written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa, Daemons of the Shadow Realm was officially announced in the August 2021 issue of Square Enix's shōnen manga anthology magazine Monthly Shōnen Gangan in celebration of the 20th anniversary of Arakawa's previous work, Fullmetal Alchemist (2001–10).[8] The series started serialization in the same magazine on December 10, 2021.[9][10] Square Enix has collected its chapters into individual tankōbon volumes. The first volume was released on June 10, 2022.[11] As of March 12, 2026, 12 volumes have been released.[12]
In July 2022, Square Enix Manga & Books announced that they licensed the series for English publication, with the first volume released on April 25, 2023.[13]
Volumes
| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | June 10, 2022[11] | 978-4-7575-7962-0 | April 25, 2023[14] | 978-1-64609-186-7 | ||
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| 2 | September 12, 2022[15] | 978-4-7575-8100-5 | September 12, 2023[16] | 978-1-64609-222-2 | ||
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| 3 | February 10, 2023[17] | 978-4-7575-8401-3 | December 12, 2023[18] | 978-1-64609-244-4 | ||
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| 4 | June 12, 2023[19] | 978-4-7575-8608-6 | April 6, 2024[20] | 978-1-64609-259-8 | ||
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| 5 | September 12, 2023[21] | 978-4-7575-8786-1 | August 6, 2024[22] | 978-1-64609-299-4 | ||
| 6 | January 12, 2024[23][24] | 978-4-7575-8877-6 978-4-7575-8878-3 (SE) | November 5, 2024[25] | 978-1-64609-310-6 | ||
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| 7 | May 11, 2024[26] | 978-4-7575-9184-4 | March 4, 2025[27] | 978-1-64609-382-3 | ||
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| 8 | September 12, 2024[28] | 978-4-7575-9412-8 | July 1, 2025[29] | 978-1-64609-383-0 | ||
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| 9 | March 12, 2025[30] | 978-4-7575-9733-4 | December 9, 2025[31] | 978-1-64609-428-8 | ||
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| 10 | July 11, 2025[32] | 978-4-7575-9950-5 | April 7, 2026[33] | 978-1-6460-9498-1 | ||
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| 11 | November 12, 2025[34] | 978-4-301-00162-1 | — | — | ||
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| 12 | March 12, 2026[12] | 978-4-301-00381-6 | — | — | ||
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^ "White" pronunciation preceding the wine-whine merger
Chapters not yet in tankōbon format
These chapters have yet to be published in a tankōbon volume.
- "Grudge and Resentment" (怨みとつらみ, Urami to Tsurami)
- "Cleanup and Farewell Letter" (後片付けと置き手紙, Atokatazuke to Okitegami)
- "Departure and Escape" (家出と逃亡, Iede to Tōbō)
- "Night and Sea" (夜と海, Yoru to Umi)
Anime
An anime television series adaptation was announced during Crunchyroll's panel at Anime Expo in July 2025.[35] The series is produced by Bones Film and directed by Masahiro Andō, with Noboru Takagi handling series composition, Nobuhiro Arai designing the characters, and Kenichiro Suehiro composing the music.[36] It premiered on April 4, 2026, on Tokyo MX and other networks, and is scheduled to run for two consecutive cours.[37] The opening theme song is "Tobu Toki" (飛ぶ時; 'Time to Fly'), performed by Vaundy, while the ending theme song is "Tobō yo" (飛ぼうよ; 'Let's Fly'), performed by Yama.[6] Crunchyroll streams the series.[38] Muse Communication licensed the series in Southeast Asia.[39]
Episodes
| No. | Title [40][41] | Directed by [40] | Written by [40] | Storyboarded by [40] | Animation directed by [40] | Original release date [42] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Asa and Yuru" Transliteration: "Asa to Yuru" (Japanese: アサとユル) | Koji Nagatomi | Noboru Takagi | Masahiro Andō | Yoshiyuki Itō | April 4, 2026[43] | |
|
A woman gives birth to twin babies, the children are born divided day and night have the power to control daemons. Yuru trains himself to be a hunter for his remote mountain village, while his twin sister Asa lives in captivity due to village tradition. Despite the village struggling financially, Yuru refuses to leave the village like his parents did in order to stay with Asa. However, one day, the magical barrier protecting the village is suddenly shattered as a military force attacks, slaughtering many of the villagers as a young girl with supernatural powers named Gabby leads the charge to capture Yuru. Yuru takes a secret passage to the village keep to protect Asa, only to see her killed by a woman who claims that she is the real Asa. A traveling merchant, Dera, kills most of the soldiers and evades Gabby, whose powers stem from a Daemon she controls. Upon reaching the keep, Dera is ordered by the village elder to escape with Yuru. Dera complies and takes Yuru to the statues of the village's twin guardian deities, Left and Right. Using a special medallion and Yuru's blood, Dera awakens Left and Right, who are both Daemons. They destroy the two military helicopters attacking the village, and pledge their fealty to Yuru. | |||||||
| 2 | "Right and Left" Transliteration: "Migi to Hidari" (Japanese: 右と左) | Shōji Ikeno | Noboru Takagi | Masahiro Andō | Hiroki Kanno, Mio Araki & Maho Satsuki | April 11, 2026 | |
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Yuru orders Left and Right to help him and the village. Right leaves to save the surviving villagers while Left battles Gabby's Daemon, giving Yuru the opportunity to wound Gabby with his bow. The second Asa catches up with them and saves Gabby, while Right arrives and confirms this Asa is the real one. Asa explains that she escaped the village with their parents ten years ago, and the villagers created an imposter Asa in a bid to keep Yuru from leaving the village as well. Happy to see that Yuru is actually alive, Asa agrees to a truce and withdraws with Gabby. They are evacuated by their associate Jin, who is concerned when he hears Dera is involved. Dera leads Yuru away from the village and links up with his partner Hana, explaining they are both Daemon retainers and the forces that attacked them were likely from the rival Kagemori clan. After a rare encounter with the Daemon Oshirasama, Yuru is taken to a modern city at the foot of the mountain. | |||||||
| 3 | "Dera and Hana" Transliteration: "Dera to Hana" (Japanese: デラとハナ) | Kōsuke Shimotori | Noboru Takagi | Jong Heo | Ayumi Abe & Tsubasa Hatashima | April 18, 2026 | |
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The group stops at a rest stop to catch their breath. Since his cover has been blown, Dera suggests to Hana that they pose as a married couple with Yuru as their child to make it easier to hide. Yuru privately asks Left and Right if Asa's story is true, and they confirm they witnessed his parents flee the village with Asa while standing guard at the village entrance. As the group leaves the rest stop, Dera explains the Kagemori clan consists of villagers who split off to live in the modern world. Furthermore, Left and Right explain that Yuru and Asa are twins who "divide day and night", meaning they are prophesized to bring great upheaval to the world. As one of the twins, Asa has apparently already mastered the power of "Break", the ability to destroy any object she wishes, while Yuru's power has yet to manifest. Dera also points out Yuru's mother was a hiker who got lost and accidentally wandered into the village. Eventually, the group decides to settle down in Guntama Prefecture. As they get accustomed to life in the modern world, Yuru declares to Left and Right that he will find Asa so he can get answers about what happened to their parents. | |||||||
| 4 | "Jin and Yuru" Transliteration: "Jin to Yuru" (Japanese: ジンとユル) | Koji Nagatomi | Shingo Irie | Koji Nagatomi | Kana Miyai | April 25, 2026 | |
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Dera and Hana rent out an apartment and Hana introduces her own Daemons, Kotetsu and Jiro. At the Kagemori mansion, Gabby is still recovering from her wounds while Asa is ordered to stay put for her own protection. Jin is assigned to search for Yuru and uses a sample of Asa's blood to draw Left and Right's attention. He also uses a body double created by his Daemon, Scavenger, to lure Yuru into a trap. Realizing Yuru is missing, Dera and Hana have Kotetsu and Jiro track him down and are shocked that he's gone all the way to Tokyo. Despite Yuru being taken prisoner, Left and Right attack Jin and his men, who fight back with a combination of conventional weapons and their own Daemons. Yuru takes advantage of the distraction to take Jin hostage, and asks him if the Kagemori were really responsible for the attack on the village. Jin claims responsibility, and Yuru barely manages to maintain self control not to kill him, instead demanding that he meet face to face with Asa. | |||||||
| 5 | "Hare and Tortoise" Transliteration: "Usagi to Kame" (Japanese: 兎と亀) | Shōji Ikeno & Ai Hasegawa | Chiaki Konaka | Hideyo Yamamoto | Mio Araki, Maho Satsuki, Hiroki Kanno & Kana Miyai | May 2, 2026 | |
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Jin agrees to Yuru's demands and convinces him to come to the Kagemori manor. Dera and Hana track Yuru's location to the manor, and Dera heads out to retrieve him. Asa gladly greets Yuru, who still tries to maintain his distance and asks her what happened to their parents. Asa and Jin explain that after leaving the village, their parents left Asa in the Kagemori Clan's care while they decided to travel to Okinawa. However, during the flight, both parents along with their bodyguard disappeared without a trace. Yuru suspects betrayal from the Kagemori, but Asa declares she trusts them because they have protected her against assassins sent from the village. Suddenly, two unknown Daemons attack the manor, targeting both Yuru and Asa. Determined to stand and fight, Yuru obtains and bow and arrows from Jin and fires at the attacking Daemons. | |||||||
| 6 | "The Kagemori Clan and the Unknown Assailants" Transliteration: "Kagemori-ke to Nazo no Shūgeki-sha" (Japanese: 影森家と謎の襲撃者) | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | May 9, 2026 | |
Reception
By March 2026, the manga had over six million copies in circulation.[44] The series ranked 19th on the 2022 "Book of the Year" list by Da Vinci magazine.[45] It ranked 15th in the 2023 edition of Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! list of best manga for male readers;[46] it ranked second on the 2024 edition.[47] It ranked second in the Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics of 2023 list;[48] it was ranked third in the 2024 list.[49] It won Rakuten Kobo's first ever E-book Manga Award in the "I Want to Read it Now! Featured Manga" category in 2023.[50][51] It ranked second in the 2023 Next Manga Award in the print manga category.[52] The series won the seventh Tsutaya Comic Award's grand prize in 2023.[53] It was nominated for the 17th Manga Taishō in 2024, and placed second with 73 points.[54][55] It has been nominated for the 48th Kodansha Manga Award in the shōnen category.[56]
Francesco Cacciatore of Screen Rant named Daemons of the Shadow Realm as one of the best new manga titles to debut in 2021, highlighting the potential the manga shows despite only having one chapter released by the end of the year. Additionally, Cacciatore likened Daemons of the Shadow Realm to Koyoharu Gotouge's Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba due to both series featuring a brother and sister pair as protagonists.[57] Carlyle Edmundson of Screen Rant compared the concept of Tsugai present in the manga to that of Stands seen in Hirohiko Araki's JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series.[58]