Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba and Witch on the Holy Night to Take Part in Awa Odori Festival, Fans Thrilled by ufotable's Original Poster Art: 'Exceeded All Expectations'

It has been announced that the anime Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba and the theatrical anime Witch on the Holy Night, set to open in theaters on November 20, will take part in Awa Odori, the traditional summer festival held in Tokushima Prefecture over five days from August 11 to 15. To mark both works' participation, ufotable, the animation studio behind both productions, has released original poster art, and fans have been thrilled by its quality.

In addition, for the second year running, the "Kimetsu-ren" dance troupe will be formed again on August 14, performing a dance procession at the venue. Hiro Shimono, who voices Zenitsu Agatsuma, and Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, who voices Inosuke Hashibira, have been confirmed to take part in this year's "Kimetsu-ren 2026." The two will join the corps members to help liven up Awa Odori.

Also, during the Awa Odori festival period, a stamp rally will be held using original Awa Odori illustrations drawn over the years for TYPE-MOON x ufotable works, including the theatrical film The Garden of Sinners, as well as the anime Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. Participants who collect all the stamps will receive a card featuring this year's "2026 Awa Odori" illustration, and the event will also sell merchandise featuring this year's artwork as well as drinks that come with a novelty item.

The original poster art for these two works and the event announcement drew a flood of comments on social media. For the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba poster, fans were thrilled by the detailed depictions of the characters, with comments such as, "Last year's was amazing, so my expectations were high, but this exceeded them," "Isn't this the first time Zenitsu has been placed as the biggest, most eye-catching figure in a group illustration?," "Chibi Nezuko is too cute...," "No way, Giyu with his arms out playing the flute, I love it so much," "Is Rengoku holding a taiko drum this year...?," and "Seeing everyone from Demon Slayer having fun makes me really happy."

The poster for Witch on the Holy Night also drew a wave of reactions praising the work's beautiful atmosphere, with comments such as, "This original art by ufotable, the transparency really matches the mood of the work," "No way... there's no way Alice can raise her arms above her shoulders...!," "I can tell Aoko is really feeling it lol," "Tobimaru is way too handsome," and "I'm so moved to see everyone here, when they haven't even appeared in the movie's promotional videos yet." Excitement continues to build ahead of the August event.

(C)Koyoharu Gotoge / SHUEISHA, Aniplex, ufotable
(C)奈須きのこ・TYPE-MOON / アニプレックス・ノーツ・ufotable