Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Announces Historic Collaboration With the MLB, Teasing Anime's Global Growth

Published Mar 3, 2025

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A new one of the most popular shōnen series among fans. Its blend of action and well-written characters have made it some of anime's greatest as viewers tune in to catch new episodes. This has led to the franchise branching out over the years, and their latest collab is the most shocking yet.

On Sunday, March 2nd, the official X page for Major League Baseball announced an official collaboration is in the works with the Demon Slayer franchise. This news was met with a resounding shock from anime and baseball fans alike. The two properties are from completely different worlds, with one being an uber-popular multimedia anime franchise, and the other being a major sports organization. However, due to some perfect timing, this odd collaboration has surprisingly been a long time coming.

Demon Slayer Teams Up with Major League Baseball, and It Actually Makes Sense

It Was Only a Matter of Time

From a distance, it would seem that Demon Slayer's team-up with Major League Baseball is an odd one. After all, the storyline of the series has nothing to do with the sport whatsoever. However, it's the timing of the MLB's collaboration with the series that makes things clearer. The next film in the Demon Slayer franchise, Infinity Castle, is on the horizon. The series has already proven itself to be a global icon following an impressive worldwide box office with Mugen Train, the first film in the series. So, announcing a collaboration with Demon Slayer works due to the much-anticipated Infinity Castle coming soon.

So, it's only been a matter of time at this point for the US to feature anime in a team-up like this. However, why baseball? The answer is actually pretty simple. Baseball is actually incredibly popular in Japan. In fact, it's considered the most observed sport in the country, making it far more celebrated than in the US, which has American Football as the most popular. This makes Major League Baseball the perfect organization in the US to do official collaborations with anime. Demon Slayer is ultimately just a start, and if this does as well as fans hope, it could spark an entire new subculture for the MLB by creating other anime events.

How Will the MLB's Collab with Demon Slayer Work? We Have an Idea

Could the MLB be Looking to the NFL for Inspiration?

The true question on fans' minds when it comes to this collaboration is how exactly it's going to work. There are currently no details on what's to come. However, there's actually an idea of what viewers can expect when the Demon Slayer team-up comes around. For a while now, the NFL has been featuring famous cartoon characters like SpongeBob SquarePants and The Simpsons in special events, where they either commentate on live games or play the game themselves. It's entirely possible that the MLB could do the same thing with Demon Slayer, featuring them in the stands or sitting in a box with some announcers as their English VAs commentate on the game.

The full details will eventually be shared by the MLB in time, so until then, it's all just speculation. However, this team-up with a major American sports organization is a huge leap forward for anime. It shows just how much the Japanese industry continues to globally expand. If this collaboration between Demon Slayer and Major League Baseball ends up being a success, it will be exciting to see how the sport will continue to tap this new market while attracting an entire new set of fans to the sport.

Source: MLB