The cast of the upper rank demons for the fifth stage adaptation of Koyoharu Gotouge's popular manga "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba' Part 5: Attack on the Swordsmith Village," has been announced, revealing that Kazuki Kato will play Kokushibo, the Upper Rank One, and Kenji Urai will play Douma, the Upper Rank Two. Character visuals for Kokushibo and Douma have also been released. In the play, footage of the "Upper Rank Gathering" scene, in which the Upper Rank demons are summoned to the Infinity Castle by Muzan Kibutsuji, will be shown, with Kato, Urai, and Aoki Jin, who plays Akaza, the Upper Rank Three, appearing in the footage.
The production presentation for the play was held on January 20th, and the cast for the upper rank demons was announced. Kato, who plays Kokushibo, said, "I have appeared in several works based on Weekly Shonen Jump, but I am happy to be able to appear on stage this year in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. I was so moved when I saw the last production, Yukaku Sneak Peek, that I cried. There is a lot of pressure in jumping into this world, but although this time I will be appearing through video, I will do my best to fulfill my duties as Kokushibo and play a Kokushibo that does not disappoint the expectations of all my fans."
Urai, who plays Douma, said, "I'm a big fan of the original Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: Kimetsu no Yaiba anime and I never dreamed I'd be able to take part in this world, so when I received the offer I was in agony, and when I put on the hair, makeup and costume during filming I thought, 'dreams do come true.' And on a personal note, Douma is the role played by Mamoru Miyano in the anime, and I am honored to have had the opportunity to play Miyano's role on stage again. I reported this to him and he gave me his encouragement, so I will keep that in mind and do my best to play Douma in my own way."
Aoki, who plays Akaza, said, "When I appeared in 'Infinite Dream Train,' my scenes were condensed into about 15 minutes and I was constantly running so it was really hard, but going through that experience became a benchmark for me. I love the original work and was moved when I saw the premiere, so I prepared as best I could for the audition, so after my last time as Akaza, it's quite moving to be able to gather all my Upper Rank comrades on stage like this. This time I'm appearing through video, but with the help of my great seniors, I would like to convey the greatness and history of the Upper Rank demons."
Scriptwriter and director Motoyoshi Tsuneyasu said, "I can think of nothing more beautiful and enjoyable than coming face to face on stage with everyone who has been through all kinds of battlefields. I also feel like I am carrying a very big sash in my hands. One is the sash from the cast, staff, and previous director who have been with the series so far. The other is the sash of how to weave this story, which Koyoharu Gotouge sensei really poured his soul into writing. I have been discussing this with the staff for a year now, and I am really looking forward to getting started. I truly hope to be able to create a great play, so I will do my best."
In the new work, Tanjiro Kamado and his sister Nezuko fight fiercely to protect the village of swordsmiths that has been attacked by the Upper Rank demons. Motoyoshi will be in charge of the script and direction, and Shunsuke Wada will be in charge of the music. The play will be performed at the Tennozu Galaxy Theater in Tokyo from April 11th to 20th, and at the AiiA 2.5 Theater Kobe in Hyogo from April 25th to 27th.
Since the first series was released in 2020, the stage version has been performed with a second in 2021, a third in 2022, and a fourth in 2023.
The story of "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" is about Tanjiro Kamado, whose family was killed by demons, joining the Demon Slaying Corps to turn his sister Nezuko, who has turned into a demon, back into a human. The original was serialized in "Weekly Shonen Jump" (Shueisha) from 2016 to 2020. The total number of copies of the comics published is over 150 million.
The TV anime "Tanjiro Kamado, Unwavering Resolve Arc" aired from April to September 2019, and the movie version "Mugen Train" released in October 2020 was a huge hit, grossing approximately 40 billion yen, the highest ever box office revenue in Japan. The "Entertainment District Arc Arc" aired from December 2021 to February 2022, the "Swordsmith Village Arc" from April to June 2023, and the "Hashira Training Arc" from May to June 2024. There is also talk that the movie version of "Infinity Castle Arc" will be released in 2025.
