Summary

When it comes to manga and anime, whether it's safe for younger fans is often debatable and at the discretion of the adults in their lives. Despite sharing visual similarities with American comics and cartoons, manga and anime tend to address a lot of mature themes, even when the characters are middle or high school-aged. When it comes to Koyoharu Gotouje's Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, the very title should be a bit of a warning.

As Tanjiro undergoes training to become a member of the secret society of demon slayers, he comes head to head with dangerously overpowered enemies, like Muzan and his army of brutal demons. As he learns the various Breathing Style techniques that allow him to battle demons, the series' main protagonist comes up against a lot of terrifying situations that most children wouldn't be able to endure or even understand. While such storylines do teach bravery and heroism, it's important to consider a child's maturity before plunking them down with an episode of Demon Slayer. Here's a look at the various ratings across the series arcs, film and manga to provide some guidance.

Updated on August 23, 2023, by Ajay Aravind: Koyoharu Gotouge's Demon Slayer became an international sensation almost overnight, and is now considered one of the most popular animanga series in history. Like many Shonen narratives, Demon Slayer doesn't exactly shy away from exploring difficult themes and concepts, such as death, mourning, and loss.As such, we've updated this feature with more information about the Demon Slayer age rating.

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Where To Watch Demon Slayer

Tanjiro in the center with Tokito and Kotetsu on the right and left.

For those interested in diving into Demon Slayer for the first time, or who find themselves searching for the next season or movie, there are three major platforms where the series streams in the U.S. Netflix, Crunchy Roll and Hulu have English dubs of the first three seasons, incorporating Season 1's 26 episodes as well as "The Mugen Train" and "The Entertainment District" arcs. The most recent installment, "The Swordsmith Village" arc spans 11 episodes and is available to stream on both Crunchyroll and Funimation.

How Violent Is Demon Slayer?

As far as anime go, Demon Slayer is relatively violent and, at times, unnerving. People get possessed almost regularly in the series, including young children, which could be disturbing to younger viewers. Couple that with the abundance of scary demons and monsters that appear at regular intervals, and it could easily become the stuff of nightmares for a child. Despite being animated, the violence at times is very gruesome, with blood, gore, and brutal fighting all throughout the episode. Even deaths that occur through non-violent means have been known to be very bloody, which could provoke a lot of questions from young viewers who don't fully understand the concept.

To paint an accurate picture, when both the "Mugen Train" and "Swordsmith Village" arc films were released in theaters, they were given an R rating. This meant that no child under the age of 17 was permitted to enter the theater without a parent or guardian. R-rated films are often given this type of rating because of things like profanity, violence and/or nudity, so it's important to prescreen them before allowing young children to watch. As such, only a parent will truly know how their kid will react to the situations presented within Demon Slayer.

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What Is Demon Slayer's Age Rating On Netflix?

An angry Nezuko marches toward Daki

Netlfix's age rating for Demon Slayer covers a broad range of material, which garners it an overall TV-MA rating because of occasional nudity. Each individual season earns its own rating. The "Tanjiro Kamado, Unwavering Resolve" arc (Season 1 on Netflix) is rated TV-14 for fear, gore, violence and language. Not only did it introduce Tanjiro's devastating discovery of his massacred family, but there were some very disturbing scenes and imagery during the mountain training episodes. Further, several minor characters were violently killed throughout the season.

The series' second season, the "Mugen Train" arc is also rated TV-14 for fear, gore and violence, with many viewers noting that it contains some of the most frightening imagery in the entire series to date. Considered to be very emotional, there are a lot of devastating scenes that may be difficult or confusing for younger viewers to process. One incredibly dark scene features Tanjiro reunited with his dead family in a dream — and though they beg him to stay, he knows he can't.

Across the anime, a lot of innocent people die, and that's one thing Tanjiro simply can't deal with. In the "Entertainment District" arc his aggression and rage make for some heavy moments that elicit a rating of TV-14 for fear, gore, violence, language and self-harm. Further, Nezuko's growth spurt during the "Entertainment District" arc raises several questions regarding the show's sexualization of underaged characters. Although Nezuko does temporarily grow older, she takes on an appearance that can only be described as busty. Despite this contentious character design, Nezuko's abrupt maturation doesn't necessarily impact Demon Slayer's age rating.

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What Is the Demon Slayer Manga's Age Rating?

Akaza gets tortured while he's a human in Demon Slayer manga.

Published by Viz Media in the U.S., Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is Rated Teen. Viz Media's rating system breaks the details down, stating that the Teen-rated material may be suitable for both younger and older teen viewers. The website states that the show "may contain violence, infrequent use of strong language, suggestive themes or situations, crude humor, alcohol and/or tobacco use." However, some might argue that Demon Slayer's age rating should be Teen Plus on Viz, as it certainly "contains intense and/or gory violence."