The Case for a Full Blown Demon Slayer RPG

The Case for a Full Blown Demon Slayer RPG

• Demon Slayer: The Hinokami Chronicles immerses fans in thrilling battles and character growth, perfect for a video game adaptation.
• A potential Demon Slayer RPG could allow players to level up characters, choose abilities, and explore an open-world setting.
• By incorporating a morality system where players can choose to be a swordsman or a demon, the RPG could offer depth and unique gameplay.

Demon Slayer is one of the most successful anime and manga franchises today. Its story follows a colorful cast of characters, led by siblings Tanjiro Kamado and Nezuko Kamado, traveling across Japan to find and kill demons that are terrorizing villages. What Demon Slayer does right is immersing fans throughout the whole journey, from the funny moments to the arduous training arcs to the earth-shattering battles. There’s no shortage of excitement in the franchise, making it the perfect subject for a video game.

In 2021, SEGA and CyberConnect2 released Demon Slayer: The Hinokami Chronicles, which has a story mode that covers the first two Demon Slayer arcs, “Tanjiro Kamado, Unwavering Resolve” and “Mugen Train.” This action-adventure game allows players to explore different locations and enter fight boss battles. Although Hinokami Chronicles has RPG elements, it’s more known for its PvP arena, and fans deserve a full-blown RPG that explores the entire Demon Slayer universe.

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A Demon Slayer RPG Can Up the Ante in Immersive Gameplay

In the beginning, Demon Slayer highlights an underdog story, as fans watch Tanjiro train to become a great swordsman and earn his spot in the Demon Slayer Corps in order to turn Nezuko human again. As the story progresses, fans get invested in the growth of Tanjiro and his allies’ skills as they face stronger demons each time.

A Demon Slayer RPG can definitely highlight this by letting players level-up Tanjiro, or a custom character, from being a trainee to a Hashira (the highest Demon Slayer Corps rank). Having a custom character also opens up the possibility of choosing their preferred Breathing Technique, and building on it using a skill tree. That way, players will feel like Tanjiro unlocking impressive new moves in the middle of battle. The RPG could take it to the next step and let players customize their sword too.

This could also open the door for an open-world Demon Slayer RPG, where players can interact with NPCs and accomplish side quests. The series explores several locations, like the Entertainment District and Swordsmith Village, where Tanjiro and the gang face strong demons. Before facing boss enemies, players should be free to explore and level up their stats and reputation, which is what the Persona and Like A Dragon franchises do so well.

The Ability to Choose Between Good and Evil

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With popular anime like Dragon Ball and One Piece making their mark in the RPG world, Demon Slayer’s challenge is to stand out from the rest. One way it can do that is to let players choose their class, swordsman or demon, at the start of the game.

Interestingly, this is a concept that Roblox introduced in the fan game Demon Slayer RPG 2, where players can take different paths depending on their class. This mechanic could also work in a full-blown Demon Slayer RPG to add a demon’s perspective. It can play around the possibility of becoming one of the Twelve Kizuki demons under Muzan Kibutsuji, or simply turn into a good demon like Nezuko fighting side by side with Tanjiro.

Arkane Studios’ Prey also comes to mind when it comes to choosing one’s alliance, as players can choose to become a human or a Typhon. But instead of picking a class in the beginning, they can determine their fate based on the abilities they upgrade in the skill tree. With Demon Slayer highlighting multiple techniques of swordfighters and demons, the RPG can give players a choice to combine abilities or fully lean onto one side. This morality system will definitely add more depth to the possible Demon Slayer RPG, and hopefully, encourage fans to invest in the characters’ story.

Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles

Platform(s)PS4ReleasedOctober 16, 2021Developer(s)CyberConnect2Publisher(s)SegaGenre(s)FightingMetascore70Split Screen OrientationN/A (Shared Screen)Number of Players1-2Local Co-Op Support1-2 Players See at Playstation Store Expand