Demon Slayer Has 23 Manga Volumes — And the Series Is Complete
Here’s the quick answer: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba has 23 manga volumes and 205 chapters. The series is finished — it wrapped up in May 2020. Every single volume is available right now in English from Viz Media (the official English publisher), so there’s no waiting for new releases.
If you’re new to manga (Japanese comics, read right-to-left), here’s how the format works: each chapter is a single installment of the story, like an episode of a TV show but in comic form. A volume is a collected book containing several chapters — usually around 9 or 10 per volume. Demon Slayer’s 205 chapters are collected across those 23 volumes.
Demon Slayer follows Tanjiro Kamado, a boy who becomes a demon slayer after his family is massacred and his younger sister Nezuko is turned into a demon. Created by Koyoharu Gotouge, the series was originally published chapter-by-chapter in Weekly Shōnen Jump — Japan’s most popular manga magazine — from February 2016 to May 2020. With over 220 million copies in circulation worldwide, it’s one of the best-selling manga series of all time. The English volumes started releasing in July 2018, and the full set has been available for years now.
Whether you’re jumping in after watching the anime or starting fresh with the manga, here’s everything you need to know about the volumes — what they cover, how they map to the anime adaptation, and where to buy them.
Which Manga Volumes Match Each Anime Season
Demon Slayer has a hugely popular anime adaptation, and if you’ve been watching it, you might want to know exactly which manga volumes each season covers. The anime’s Infinity Castle movie trilogy (three films covering the final story arc) won’t finish until around 2029, but the manga tells the complete story right now — from Tanjiro’s very first mission all the way to the final battle against Muzan. Here’s the full breakdown:
| Anime Season | Manga Volumes |
|---|---|
| Season 1 (26 episodes) | Volumes 1–7 |
| Mugen Train Movie | Volumes 7–8 |
| Season 2 / Entertainment District (11 episodes) | Volumes 8–11 |
| Season 3 / Swordsmith Village (11 episodes) | Volumes 12–15 |
| Season 4 / Hashira Training (8 episodes) | Volumes 15–16 |
| Infinity Castle Movie Trilogy | Volumes 16–23 |
You’ll notice some volumes overlap between seasons. Volume 7 bridges Season 1 and the Mugen Train Movie, and Volume 15 bridges the Swordsmith Village and Hashira Training arcs — Hashira being the elite warriors of the Demon Slayer Corps, the strongest fighters in the organization. This is normal — anime seasons don’t always break at neat volume boundaries.
Where to Start Reading After the Anime
If you’ve been watching the anime and want to read ahead, this depends on where you stopped:
- After Season 4 (Hashira Training): Pick up at Volume 16, Chapter 134. This is where the Infinity Castle arc begins — the massive final battle that the movie trilogy is adapting.
- After Infinity Castle Movie 1: The first movie covers roughly through Chapter 157. Pick up at Volume 18, Chapter 158 to continue from there.
Reading ahead means you can finish the entire story right now instead of waiting until roughly 2029 for the final movie. That’s a long wait — and honestly, the manga is so good you’ll probably be happy you didn’t hold off.
If you haven’t seen the anime at all, just start with Volume 1 — the manga is the original version of the story and stands perfectly well on its own.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Vol (16-23) 8 Book Collection Set
Box Set vs. Individual Volumes vs. Digital — Buying Guide
There are three main ways to get the Demon Slayer manga volumes, and the best option depends on how much of the story you want to own and how you like to read.
Complete Box Set (Best Value for the Full Collection)
The Demon Slayer Complete Box Set includes all 23 volumes plus an exclusive double-sided poster and a special booklet. The retail price is $244.99, but it’s almost always discounted online — you can typically find it for around $130.
At that price, you’re paying roughly $5–6 per volume instead of $9.99 each. That’s a massive saving if you want the complete physical collection. The box itself also looks great on a shelf, which is a nice bonus.
This is the way to go if you’re planning to read the whole series from the beginning or want a complete set for your manga collection.
Demon Slayer Manga Box Set Kimetsu no Yaiba (Volumes 1-23)
Individual Volumes (Best for Picking Up Where the Anime Left Off)
Each Demon Slayer volume has a retail price of $9.99. Buying all 23 individually at full price would cost $229.77 — more than the discounted box set — so this option makes the most sense if you only need specific volumes.
If you’ve watched through Season 4 and just want to read ahead of the movies, you only need Volumes 16–23 (8 volumes, roughly $80 at full price). That’s a pretty reasonable price to find out how the story ends without waiting years.
If you just want to sample the series, Volumes 7–8 (the Mugen Train arc) work as a compelling, relatively self-contained story and make a great entry point to see if you enjoy the manga format.
Individual volumes are available at most bookstores, comic shops, and online retailers. They’re easy to find — Demon Slayer is one of the most widely stocked manga series out there.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Vol. 2
Digital (Most Affordable Way to Read)
If you’re not set on owning physical copies, digital is by far the cheapest option. The Viz / Shonen Jump app — Shonen Jump is the same magazine that originally published Demon Slayer in Japan — costs just $2.99 per month and gives you access to the entire Demon Slayer library, plus hundreds of other manga series. That’s the price of a single volume spread across an entire month of unlimited reading.
Manga Plus by Shueisha also offers selected chapters for free, which is a great way to sample the series before committing to anything.
Digital is the best choice if shelf space is limited, if you want to try before you buy, or if you just want the most budget-friendly way to read the complete story.
Note: Prices listed are in USD for the US market. International readers should check local retailers for regional pricing and availability.
All 12 Demon Slayer Manga Arcs at a Glance
Demon Slayer’s 23 volumes span 12 story arcs. An arc is a self-contained story segment within the larger series — think of it like a season of television, but defined by plot rather than episode count. Here’s every arc with its chapter range, volume range, and a quick description of what happens — no major spoilers, just enough to know what you’re getting into. If you’re brand new to the series, starting with Volume 1 and reading straight through is the simplest approach.
| Arc | Volumes | What Happens |
|---|---|---|
| Final Selection Ch 1–9 |
Vols 1–2 | Tanjiro trains under the master swordsman Urokodaki and passes the exam to join the Demon Slayer Corps |
| Kidnapper’s Bog Ch 10–13 |
Vol 2 | Tanjiro’s first solo mission — the shortest arc at just 4 chapters |
| Asakusa Ch 14–19 |
Vols 2–3 | First encounter with Muzan Kibutsuji, the original demon and the series’ main villain |
| Tsuzumi Mansion Ch 20–33 |
Vols 3–4 | Introduces Zenitsu and Inosuke, the two fellow fighters who become Tanjiro’s closest allies |
| Mount Natagumo Ch 34–45 |
Vols 4–6 | The Spider Demon family battle; the Hashira (elite Demon Slayers) make their first appearance |
| Rehabilitation Training Ch 46–53 |
Vols 6–7 | Recovery and advanced combat training at the Butterfly Mansion |
| Mugen Train Ch 54–66 |
Vols 7–8 | The Infinity Train mission with Flame Hashira Rengoku |
| Entertainment District Ch 67–97 |
Vols 8–11 | Undercover mission in Yoshiwara with Sound Hashira Uzui |
| Swordsmith Village Ch 98–127 |
Vols 12–15 | Defending the swordsmiths alongside Mist and Love Hashira |
| Hashira Training Ch 128–136 |
Vols 15–16 | All Hashira prepare the Demon Slayer Corps for the final battle |
| Infinity Castle Ch 140–183 |
Vols 16–21 | The longest arc — all-out war inside Muzan’s fortress (44 chapters) |
| Sunrise Countdown Ch 184–205 |
Vols 22–23 | The final confrontation with Muzan and the series epilogue |
A few things stand out from this breakdown. The first seven volumes cover a lot of ground — five separate arcs — while the later arcs tend to be longer and more focused. The Infinity Castle arc alone spans six volumes and 44 chapters, making it by far the longest stretch of the series. That final run from Volume 16 onward is incredibly intense and barely lets up.
Are the Demon Slayer Manga Volumes Worth Reading?
Short answer: absolutely, whether you’re coming from the anime or picking up the manga for the first time. Here’s why.
You get the complete story right now. The anime’s Infinity Castle trilogy won’t wrap up until around 2029. If you pick up the manga volumes, you can finish the entire series in a few weekends. At 23 volumes, it’s a very manageable commitment — much shorter than most long-running shonen series.
Gotouge’s art style hits different. The original manga art has a rawer, more expressive quality — especially in the emotional scenes. The brushwork feels almost traditional Japanese in places, and it gives the horror elements a different kind of edge that the anime studio ufotable’s polished CG can’t quite replicate. If you haven’t seen the anime, the manga’s art stands on its own as some of the most distinctive in modern shonen manga.
The volumes include content you won’t find in the anime. The manga includes extra character backstory, internal monologue, and bonus pages that the anime either condenses or skips entirely. Small moments between characters, additional context for villain motivations, and Gotouge’s charming author commentary between chapters all add up to a richer experience.
The pacing is in your hands. You can linger on a page that hits hard or tear through an action sequence at your own speed. Some of Demon Slayer’s most devastating moments land even harder on the page because you can sit with them as long as you need to.
Whether you start from Volume 1 for the full experience or jump in at Volume 16 to read ahead of the movies, you’ll find something in the manga volumes that the anime alone can’t give you. And honestly? At this point, the complete box set is such a good deal that it’s hard to say no.