Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentōshō

Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentōshō (鬼人幻燈抄, Kijin Gentōshō) is a Japanese historical fantasy novel series written by Moto'o Nakanishi and illustrated by Tamaki. It was serialized online between January 2013 and May 2016 on the user-generated novel publishing website Arcadia, and it later moved to the Shōsetsuka ni Narō website, where it was serialized between December 2015 and October 2016. It was later acquired by Futabasha, who have published fourteen volumes from June 2019 to November 2023. A manga adaptation with art by Yū Satomi is published by Futabasha since September 2021 and has been collected in eight tankōbon volumes. Both the original novel series and manga adaptation are licensed in English by Seven Seas Entertainment.^[3] An anime television series adaptation produced by Yokohama Animation Laboratory premiered in March 2025.

Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentōshō
First novel volume cover
鬼人幻燈抄 (Kijin Gentōshō)
Genre	Action[1] Historical fantasy[2] Supernatural[1]
Novel series
Written by	Moto'o Nakanishi
Published by	Arcadia (2013–2016) Shōsetsuka ni Narō (2015–2016)
Original run	January 2013 – October 2016
Novel series
Written by	Moto'o Nakanishi
Illustrated by	Tamaki
Published by	Futabasha
English publisher	NA: Seven Seas Entertainment
Imprint	Male
Original run	June 21, 2019 – November 22, 2023
Volumes	14
Manga
Written by	Moto'o Nakanishi
Illustrated by	Yū Satomi
Published by	Futabasha
English publisher	NA: Seven Seas Entertainment
Imprint	Action Comics
Magazine	Monthly Action Manga Action
Demographic	Seinen
Original run	September 9, 2021 – present
Volumes	8
Anime television series
Directed by	Kazuya Aiura
Produced by	Hiroyuki Aoi Akane Taketsugu Taisuke Hashirayama Gou Morita Yuki Ogasawara Fuuma Murakami Tomomi Asai Hirotaka Kaneko
Written by	Deko Akao
Music by	Ryuuichi Takada Keiichi Hirokawa Kuniyuki Takahashi
Studio	Yokohama Animation Laboratory
Licensed by	Sentai Filmworks SA/SEA: Medialink
Original network	Tokyo MX, MBS, BS Fuji
Original run	March 31, 2025 – present
Episodes	6

Plot

In the Edo period, within the secluded mountain village of Kadono, resided Jinta, a young man who served as the guardian to the shrine maiden known as Itsukihime. Originally an outsider, Jinta and his younger sister, Suzune, had sought refuge in the village after fleeing their previous home. Embracing his role, Jinta dedicated himself to protecting the villagers from various perils. One fateful day, he was tasked with confronting a mysterious demon lurking in the forest. Upon encountering the creature, Jinta experienced a supernatural event that profoundly altered his existence. This pivotal moment marked the beginning of his extraordinary journey across different eras, where he faced demons, deities, and individuals bound by enigmatic destinies. Throughout his odyssey, Jinta gradually uncovered a deeper connection to the supernatural realm, leading to revelations about his own existence.

Characters

Jinta (甚太) / Jinya (甚夜)

Voiced by: Taku Yashiro^[4]

Suzune (鈴音)

Voiced by: Reina Ueda^[4]

Shirayuki (白雪)

Voiced by: Saori Hayami^[4]

Dōga no Oni (同化の鬼)

Voiced by: Hiroshi Shirokuma^[5]

Tōmi no Kijo (遠見の鬼女)

Voiced by: Yui Kondo^[5]

Kiyomasa (清正)

Voiced by: Kentarō Kumagai^[6]

Chitose (ちとせ)

Voiced by: Haruka Shamoto^[6]

Natsu (奈津)

Voiced by: Saya Aizawa^[7]

Zenji (善二)

Voiced by: Hiromu Mineta^[7]

Jūzō (重蔵)

Voiced by: Masaki Aizawa^[7]

Kihei Restaurant Owner (喜兵衛の店主, Kihei no Tenshu)

Voiced by: Yōji Ueda^[7]

Ofū (おふう)

Voiced by: Ai Kayano^[7]

Naotsugu Miura (三浦直次, Miura Naotsugu)

Voiced by: Seiichiro Yamashita^[7]

Yotaka (夜鷹)

Voiced by: Hitomi Nabatame^[7]

Somegorō Akitsu (秋津染吾郎, Akitsu Somegorō)

Voiced by: Kōji Yusa^[7]

Media

Novels

No.	Original release date	Original ISBN	English release date	English ISBN
1	June 21, 2019[8]	978-4-575-24185-3	December 6, 2022[9]	978-1-68579-332-6
2	October 18, 2019[10]	978-4-575-24216-4	July 25, 2023[11]	978-1-68579-634-1
3	February 21, 2020[12]	978-4-575-24253-9	November 28, 2023[13]	978-1-68579-660-0
4	June 19, 2020[14]	978-4-575-24290-4	February 6, 2024[15]	979-8-88843-063-7
5	October 23, 2020[16]	978-4-575-24339-0	May 14, 2024[17]	979-8-88843-438-3
6	February 19, 2021[18]	978-4-575-24377-2	August 27, 2024[19]	979-8-89160-072-0
7	June 18, 2021[20]	978-4-575-24417-5	November 26, 2024[21]	979-8-89160-282-3
8	October 21, 2021[22]	978-4-575-24457-1	February 18, 2025[23]	979-8-89160-749-1
9	February 26, 2022[24]	978-4-575-24492-2	May 20, 2025[25]	979-8-89160-965-5
10	June 22, 2022[26]	978-4-575-24534-9	August 19, 2025[27]	979-8-89373-739-4
11	October 20, 2022[28]	978-4-575-24574-5	—	—
12	February 22, 2023[29]	978-4-575-24607-0	—	—
13	July 26, 2023[30]	978-4-575-24640-7	—	—
14	November 22, 2023[31]	978-4-575-24697-1	—	—

Manga

No.	Original release date	Original ISBN	English release date	English ISBN
1	September 9, 2021[32]	978-4-575-44004-1	January 24, 2023[33]	978-1-68579-333-3
2	March 10, 2022[34]	978-4-575-44015-7	May 2, 2023[35]	978-1-68579-515-3
3	September 8, 2022[36]	978-4-575-44024-9	October 3, 2023[37]	979-8-88843-021-7
4	March 15, 2023[38]	978-4-575-44034-8	March 19, 2024[39]	979-8-88843-384-3
5	September 13, 2023[40]	978-4-575-44041-6	September 3, 2024[41]	979-8-89160-198-7
6	February 29, 2024[42]	978-4-575-44047-8	January 28, 2025[43]	979-8-89160-661-6
7	September 11, 2024[44]	978-4-575-44060-7	September 9, 2025[45]	979-8-89373-329-7
8	March 19, 2025[46]	978-4-575-44077-5	—	—

Anime

An anime adaptation was announced by Futabasha on September 9, 2021.^[2] It was later revealed to be a television series produced by Yokohama Animation Laboratory and directed by Kazuya Aiura, with Deko Akao overseeing series scripts, Taro Ikegami designing the characters and Ryuuichi Takada, Keiichi Hirokawa, and Kuniyuki Takahashi composing the music.^[4] The series was originally scheduled to premiere on June 27, 2024,^[47][5] but was later delayed due to production delays, which eventually premiered on March 31, 2025, on Tokyo MX and other networks, and will run for two consecutive cours.^[48][a] The opening theme song is "Continue", performed by NEE,^[49] while the ending theme song is "Senya Ichiya" (千夜一夜, One Thousand and One Nights), performed by Hilcrhyme feat. Izumi Nakasone from HY.^[50]

Sentai Filmworks licensed the series in North America for streaming on Hidive.^[51] Medialink licensed the series in South, Southeast Asia and Oceania (except Australia and New Zealand) for streaming on Ani-One Asia's YouTube channel.^[52]

Episodes

No.	Title [53][54]	Directed by [b]	Written by [b]	Storyboarded by [b]	Original release date [55][a]
1	"Demons and Humans" Transliteration: "Oni to Hito to" (Japanese: 鬼と人と)	Unknown	Unknown	TBA	March 31, 2025 (2025-03-31)
2	"The Demon's Daughter" Transliteration: "Oni no Musume" (Japanese: 鬼の娘)	Unknown	Unknown	TBA	April 8, 2025 (2025-04-08)[a]
3	"The Devourer Part 1" Transliteration: "Musabori Kuu Mono (Zenpen)" (Japanese: 貪り喰うもの(前編))	TBA	TBA	TBA	April 15, 2025 (2025-04-15)
4	"The Devourer Part 2" Transliteration: "Musabori Kuu Mono (Kōhen)" (Japanese: 貪り喰うもの(後編))	TBA	TBA	TBA	April 22, 2025 (2025-04-22)
5	"The Garden of Happiness Part 1" Transliteration: "Kōfuku no Niwa Zenpen" (Japanese: 幸福の庭・前編)	TBA	TBA	TBA	April 29, 2025 (2025-04-29)
6	"The Garden of Happiness Part 2" Transliteration: "Kōfuku no Niwa Kōhen" (Japanese: 幸福の庭・後編)	TBA	TBA	TBA	May 6, 2025 (2025-05-06)

Reception

The novel series has over 230,000 copies in circulation.^[2]

Notes

1. From Episode 2 onwards, Tokyo MX lists the series premiere on April 7, 2025, at 24:00, which is effectively April 8 at midnight JST.
2. Production staff information is taken from the ending credits of each episode.