Cool Pokemon Art Gives Demon Slayer’s Tanjiro a Pokemon Team

An artist has drawn Demon Slayer main protagonist Tanjiro Kamado teaming up with several iconic characters from Game Freak’s beloved Pokemon franchise. The two Japanese media properties are often seen together in fan art.

Written and illustrated by Koyoharu Gotouge, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is a manga series that follows the story of Tanjiro Kamado, a teen who becomes a demon hunter following the death of his family. Pokemon, meanwhile, started out as an RPG series for the original Nintendo Game Boy that, much like Demon Slayer, has branched out into other forms of media like anime. One artist who is seemingly a fan of both franchises has created impressive illustrations that feature characters from both Demon Slayer and Pokemon.

In a recent post on the Pokemon subreddit, user xthememoryshopx showed off their two drawings of Demon Slayer‘s Tanjiro being accompanied by the Water-types Psyduck, Polywhirl, Squirtle, and the latter’s final evolved form, Blastoise. The pieces, one shaded and one unshaded, also featured a Demon Slayer Water Breathing Technique that took on the form of the large, serpent-like Pokemon, Gyarados. Xthememoryshopx, who asked community members which of the two pieces looked better, received praise for both drawings.

Demon Slayer and Pokemon Collaborations

Other artists have created works that featured characters and elements from both Demon Slayer and Pokemon. Another Reddit user, abz-art, drew the Pokemon Snorlax as a Demon Slayer Corps member, for instance. In the world of Koyoharu Gotouge’s popular shonen series, the Demon Slayer Corps is an organization that has protected humanity from demons since ancient times. Among its members are the Hashira, or Pillars, the highest-ranking demon slayers in the group.

Demon Slayer and Pokemon were among the highest-selling media franchises in Japan in 2023, according to data provided by Japanese analytics giant Oricon. As they are popular, it is not unusual to see both properties participating in all sorts of collaborations. Examples include the crossover between Demon Slayer and gaming brand ASUS that featured a special edition headset, as well as the Pokemon X Hatsune Miku collaboration called Project Voltage.

The Demon Slayer manga ended its run back in 2020, but the series continues to release projects. A Mario Party-style Demon Slayer game for the Nintendo Switch titled Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Sweep the Board! launched on April 25. A Demon Slayer film, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – To the Hashira Training, was also released in February. Meanwhile, the next entry in Game Freak’s long-running series, Pokemon Legends: Z-A, is set to launch in 2025. The title, part of the franchise’s current ninth generation of games, will be set in Lumiose City, which is based on the French capital of Paris.

Demon Slayer

Based on Koyoharu Gotouge’s shonen manga, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is an action anime set in Japan during the early 20th century. Seeking revenge for the murder of his family while also looking to save his sister, Tanjiro joins the Demon Slayer Corps as they try to eradicate Demons led by Muzan.

Release Date

April 6, 2019

Main Genre

Animation

Studio

ufotable

Japanese Title

Kimetsu no Yaiba

Based On

Manga

Creator

Koyoharu Gotoge