Daemons of the Shadow Realm, written and illustrated by
Hiromu Arakawa, was officially announced in the August 2021 issue of
Square Enix's
shōnen manga anthology magazine Monthly Shōnen Gangan in celebration of the 20th anniversary of Arakawa's previous work, Fullmetal Alchemist (2001–10).[2] The series started serialization in the same magazine on December 10, 2021.[3][4] Square Enix has collected its chapters into individual tankōbon volumes. The first volume was released on June 10, 2022.[5] As of May 11, 2024, seven volumes have been released.[6]
In July 2022, Square Enix Manga & Books announced that they licensed the series for English publication, with the first volume released on April 25, 2023.[7]
026. "The Hunted and the Hunter" (逃亡者と追跡者, Tōbōsha to Tsuisekisha)
027. "Killer and Cleaner" (殺し屋と始末屋, Koroshiya to Shimatsuya)
028. "Zashiki-warashi and Higashi Village" (ザシキワラシと東村, Zashikiwarashi to Higashi Mura)
Chapters not yet in tankōbon format
These chapters have yet to be published in a tankōbon volume.
"The Kagemori Brothers and the Kuroya Siblings" (影森兄弟と黒谷姉弟, Kagemori Kyōdai to Kurotani Kyōdai)
"Emotion and Reason" (情と理, Jō to Kotowari)
"Higashi Village and Nishino Village" (東村と西ノ村, Higashi Mura to Nishino Mura)
"Gravedigger and Cleaner" (墓掘りと掃除屋, Hakahori to Sōjiya)
This
incomplete list is frequently updated to include new information.
Reception
The series ranked 19th on the 2022 "Book of the Year" list by Da Vinci magazine.[20] It ranked 15th in the 2023 edition of
Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! list of best manga for male readers;[21] it ranked second on the 2024 edition.[22] It ranked second in the Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics of 2023 list;[23] it was ranked third in the 2024 list.[24] It won
Rakuten Kobo's first ever E-book Manga Award in the "I Want to Read it Now! Featured Manga" category in 2023.[25][26] It ranked second in the 2023
Next Manga Award in the print manga category.[27] The series won the seventh
Tsutaya Comic Award's grand prize in 2023.[28] It was nominated for the 17th
Manga Taishō in 2024, and placed second with 73 points.[29][30] It has been nominated for the 48th
Kodansha Manga Award in the shōnen category.[31]
Francesco Cacciatore of Screen Rant named Daemons of the Shadow Realm as one of the best new manga titles to debut in 2021, highlighting the potential the manga shows despite only having one chapter released by the end of the year. Additionally, Cacciatore likened Daemons of the Shadow Realm to
Koyoharu Gotouge's Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba due to both series featuring a brother and sister pair as protagonists.[32] Carlyle Edmundson of Screen Rant compared the concept of Tsugai present in the manga to that of
Stands seen in
Hirohiko Araki's JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series.[33]