Japan’s Demon Slayer Marathon Revives TV Era

Japan is giving Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba fans something increasingly rare in the streaming age: a full television rebroadcast from the very beginning.

Starting April 5, Fuji TV will air the entire anime series in sequence, offering viewers a free, nationwide chance to relive Tanjiro Kamado’s journey, an experience Western audiences have largely been priced out of.

Fuji TV Announces Full-Series Rebroadcast

According to Oricon, Fuji TV confirmed that it will begin a weekly marathon titled “TV Anime Demon Slayer Series Complete Rebroadcast” on April 5 at 9:30 a.m.

The broadcast will start with Season 1, officially known as the Tanjiro Kamado, Unwavering Resolve Arc, which originally premiered in 2019. Episodes will air in chronological order, allowing both longtime viewers and newcomers to revisit the story from its emotional opening chapters.

In a statement, Fuji TV explained that the initiative is designed to give audiences an opportunity to reflect on Tanjiro’s journey and the evolution of the Demon Slayer Corps so far.

Notably, this rebroadcast shifts the anime into a Sunday morning times lot, far removed from the late-night slots typically associated with its original run.

A Shift in Time and in Strategy

Historically, Demon Slayer aired late at night in Japan, targeting older teens and adult viewers. Moving the series to a 9:30 a.m. Sunday slot signals a broader, family-friendly positioning.

The timing is strategic. The announcement follows the record-breaking box office performance of the first installment in the upcoming Infinity Castle movie trilogy. Renewed interest in the franchise appears to have created the perfect moment for a television-wide reintroduction.

Rather than relying solely on streaming subscriptions, Fuji TV is leaning into traditional broadcast power, something still influential in Japan’s media ecosystem.

Why the U.S. Doesn’t See This Kind of Marathon

While Demon Slayer is widely available internationally on platforms such as Crunchyroll and Netflix, access comes behind a paywall. Neither service currently offers the series through a free, ad-supported tier.

In the United States, the anime aired on Adult Swim’s Toonami block for its first three seasons. However, those runs were staggered and delayed compared to Japan’s schedule. They also did not constitute a start-to-finish, weekly rebroadcast event.

Bringing a similar marathon to U.S. broadcast television would require renegotiating linear television rights with Aniplex (a Sony subsidiary) and Crunchyroll. Streaming rights and traditional broadcast rights are licensed separately, making such arrangements complex.

More importantly, cost has become a significant barrier.

The Licensing Hurdle

Jason DeMarco, co-creator of Adult Swim’s Toonami programming block, has publicly acknowledged that the franchise’s explosive growth made it difficult for Western television networks to secure timely rights.

Following the unprecedented success of Demon Slayer: Mugen Train, licensing fees rose sharply. The film became one of the highest-grossing anime movies of all time, dramatically increasing the brand’s market value.

As a result, it took nearly two years after the film’s release for the series to debut on Toonami in 2023. Subsequent seasons also arrived more than a year after their original Japanese airings.

The economics simply don’t favor large-scale rebroadcast events in Western markets, at least not under current licensing structures.

Demon Slayer Takes Over One Piece’s Former Slot

The 9:30 a.m. Sunday slot on Fuji TV carries historic weight. For nearly two decades, it was home to One Piece, one of the longest-running anime series in history.

However, One Piece recently shifted to a nationwide late-night broadcast at 11:15 p.m., aiming to better align with its long-standing fan base. That move opened the door for new titles, including To Be Hero X and Si-Vis: The Sound of Heroes.

Now, Demon Slayer steps into that prominent space.

Interestingly, One Piece is also scheduled to return from a planned production hiatus on April 5, the same day the Demon Slayer rebroadcast begins. Upon its return, One Piece will adopt a seasonal release format rather than its traditional year-round weekly schedule, prioritizing higher production values.

The timing underscores a broader shift in Japan’s anime broadcasting strategy, where quality and event-style programming are increasingly emphasized.

Japan’s Free Access Model vs. Western Streaming

Japan has recently experimented with creative ways to keep legacy franchises accessible.

During One Piece’s production hiatus, fans were offered the “ANYTIME ONE PIECE” livestream—a continuous 24/7 YouTube stream cycling through episodes from the East Blue saga through the Egghead arc.

This kind of free, open-access initiative stands in contrast to North America’s subscription-driven model. Western streaming platforms have largely phased out free tiers for premium anime properties, focusing instead on bundled subscriptions.

Fuji TV’s Demon Slayer marathon fits within that broader Japanese approach: leveraging broadcast television to sustain franchise visibility while theatrical installments drive box office revenue.

Industry Impact and What It Signals

The decision to air the complete Demon Slayer series on free-to-air television reinforces several key industry trends:

• Event-driven programming still matters. Linear TV can generate collective viewing experiences that streaming algorithms cannot replicate.
  
• Franchise synergy is central. The rebroadcast aligns with the ongoing Infinity Castle film rollout.
  
• Regional models differ sharply. Japan’s broadcast-first strategy contrasts with the West’s subscription-dominant system.
  

For Western broadcasters, the situation presents a dilemma. While anime’s popularity continues to surge globally, the escalating cost of top-tier licenses makes large-scale television events financially risky.

Unless licensing structures evolve or ad-supported streaming returns for premium anime titles, full-series rebroadcasts like this are likely to remain largely exclusive to Japan.

Looking Ahead

As anime continues to expand its global footprint, distribution strategies are diverging rather than converging.

Japan’s willingness to reinvest in free broadcast accessibility highlights the enduring cultural power of appointment television. Meanwhile, North American audiences remain tied to subscription ecosystems where access depends on licensing deals and platform negotiations.

For now, Japanese viewers can tune in every Sunday morning beginning April 5 and follow Tanjiro’s journey from its humble beginnings once again.

For fans elsewhere, the Demon Slayer marathon serves as a reminder: in some parts of the world, television still has the final word.

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