Demon Slayer Takoyaki Octopus Balls Are the Strangest New Anime Merchandise This Summer

The anime goods collaboration we've all been waiting for!? The Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba anime has been a major hit in 2020, consistently trending on Netflix, and Tanjiro's face is now plastered all over Japan. Demon Slayer's rise happened like many before it, with an increasingly popular Shonen Jump manga exploding onto the screen with a colorful anime. But part of what has made Demon Slayer stand out in the past months is the intense merchandising and completely ubiquitous product tie-ups, which seem to surpass all but the most long-standing anime classics. Demon Slayer goods come in all shapes and sizes, from Kimetsu no Yaiba t-shirts and hair dye, to cough drops and makeup brushes, and now... takoyaki. Good old octopus balls, an Osaka delicacy, and popular fast food across Japan.

These Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba takoyaki are being made in collaboration with Gindaco (sometimes written Gindako), the largest takoyaki chain in Japan. The special campaign will span about three months, with the release of takoyaki featuring three different specialty toppings themed after popular Demon Slayer characters. Each of these limited-time-only takoyaki offerings come in specially-illustrated boxes of 8, for 880 yen, and they'll be available while supplies last.

The first round of specialty Demon Slayer takoyaki are based, no surprise, on main character Tanjiro! Each of the toppings seem to be based mostly on visuals, with only minor references to personality traits or preferences, so these are "Tanjiro Kamado's Charcoal Grill Style Soboro (Ground Chicken) Takoyaki, with Jet-Black Charcoal Sauce." While the chicken seems to be more for substance and flavor than anything else, the green scallions and dried seaweed plus the black charcoal sauce piled on top of the takoyaki area clearly meant to reflect Tanjiro's iconic happi jacket. We can't deny the reference to Tanjiro's origins, however, as part of a family of charcoal burners! Available from Sep. 8, 2020, these charcoal-flavored takoyaki are available while supplies last.

The second specialty item, available starting the first of October, is "Nezuko's Reward Cheese Mentaiko (Spicy Cod Roe) Takoyaki, with Bakketsu Ketchup." The cheese and pink mentaiko look like they're just meant to resemble Nezuko's kimono, but... what is bakketsu ketchup, you may ask? Well bakketsu (爆血) literally means exploding blood! (No need to worry, obviously these takoyaki won't explode in a burst of blood!) The ketchup is named after one of Nezuko's more flashy skills, clearly seen during the gang's fight with the Spider Family of demons―her ability explode her blood into flames.

The last of the specialty flavors, the "Definitely Delicious Rengoku Onion Chili Takoyaki, with Rengoku Powder" will go on sale on November 2nd. While these are clearly based on Kyojuro Rengoku's look, what exactly that Rengoku powder will taste like is... unclear. What is the flavor of Kyojuro Rengoku? I guess we'll just have to get ourselves an order of the takoyaki this November to find out.

All customers who order a special demon slayer product will receive a limited-edition card featuring one of 16 images from the anime (again, while supplies last), but there are ways to indulge your Demon Slayer addiction even if none of the specialty flavors sounds good to you. Alongside the Demon Slayer toppings, Gindaco is also offering special Demon Slayer takeout boxes. The limited-edition boxes hold 24 standard takoyaki, and they feature pretty adorable illustrations of Tanjiro, Nezuko, Zenitsu, and Inosuke happily munching away on octopus balls. Alongside the boxes themselves, customers will also receive a plastic folder, with one of a few images in the same series.


So, who else is craving takoyaki now? We'll just have to make our own to tide us over, while we wait for each of the specialty takoyaki items to come out over the next three months. Tune in next time for the tragic results of our Japankuru takoyaki parties!? For more updates and info from Japan, follow Japankuru on twitter, instagram, and facebook!