Viz Media has acquired North American and select international streaming rights to the animated version of Rumiko Takahashi’s The Demon King, with the series launching April 4 on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Latin America.
The series will be broadcast for the first time on NHK General Television in Japan on the same day, and will also be distributed on Hulu in Japan from April 5th. This program is scheduled to be broadcast for two consecutive seasons without a break in the middle of the season.
The anime version, produced by Sunrise and released by Bandai Namco Filmworks last July, was announced as part of publisher Shogakukan’s broader celebration of its 100th anniversary. Mr. Takahashi serialized “Mao” in Shogakukan’s Weekly Shonen Sunday in May 2019, and as of February 2026, 27 volumes of the manga have been published. Viz Media, which has held the English manga license in North America since 2021, began simultaneous release of English chapters in May 2023 in parallel with Japan Publishing.
A dark paranormal fantasy that spans two eras, “Mao” follows Nanoka Kiba, a middle school student who is transported to Japan’s Taisho era after revisiting the shopping district where she survived a mysterious accident in her childhood eight years ago. There she meets Mao, a brooding Onmyoji mystic who has spent nine centuries under a life-altering curse. Her pointed questions cause Nanoka to see her own strange existence in a whole new light. The two form an uneasy alliance to confront dark forces that are intertwined with their destinies.
Takahashi is one of the most prominent commercial figures in the manga world, and his representative works include “Urusei Yatsura,” “Ranma 1/2,” “Maison Ikkoku,” and “Inuyasha.” She has won the Shogakukan Manga Award twice, for “Urusei Yatsura” in 1981 and “Inuyasha” in 2002, and has been inducted into the Eisner Award Hall of Fame. Many of her works have been adapted into anime, live-action series, and films, and her body of work has collectively become known as “Rumik World.”
Teruo Sato, who directed season 1 of “Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon”, will direct the new series, with Yuko Kakihara in charge of series composition, and Yoshito Hisinuma, also a veteran of “Yashahime” and “Inuyasha,” in charge of character design and chief animation director. Further credits include art direction: Hiroshi Kato and Izumi Yasuki, color design: Masumi Otsuka, CG direction: Tomohiro Fujie, director of photography: Akane Fushihara, editor: Kazuhiro Arai, sound direction: Hiromi Kikuta, and music: Hide Kanematsu. This series is produced by the Demon King Production Committee.
Boy group Kis-My-Ft2 will perform the opening theme “Heart Loud” and True will perform the ending theme “Juai”.
The main character, Mao, will be voiced by Yuki Kaji, and Nanoka Kiba will be played by Natsumi Kawaida. Supporting actors include Hiro Shimono as Momoka, Toshiyuki Toyonaga as Kamon, Momoka Terasawa as Otoya, Kazuyuki Okitsu as Shiranui, Motoko Kumai as Fune Uozumi, Yoko Hikasa as Tenko, Risa Shimizu as Sana, Rena Ueda as Yurako, and Takashi Matsuyama as Byoki.
Viz Media’s rights cover television, home video, electronic sell-through and video on demand in North America, Latin America and Australia/New Zealand.
