Sword Art Online creator Reki Kawahara and Production I.G are ready to torment a whole new group of gamers for our entertainment. A mysterious company invites a group of innocent people to participate in a new full-dive VRMMORPG. Something goes wrong, and now everyone is in trouble. People even start dying left and right, despite their new video game-like powers. Wait, that’s just Sword Art Online. Well, Devils’ Crest (originally titled Demons’ Crest) merges the real world and game world, and the cast is all in elementary and above grades, so that’s new. SAO fans and newcomers alike should find much to enjoy in Kawahara’s new death game series. It’s the same thing in a new setting, and I’ve been enjoying it so far.
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Devils’ Crest News, Cast, Staff
Reki Kawahara’s new death game starts on November 6th, 2026. Shinji Ushiro and Kenichiro Komaya are on hand to direct, Eiji Umehara is penning the series, and Yuki Hayashi and Naoyuki Chikatani provide those sweet anime tunes. Production I.G, which is no stranger to high-tech and video game settings, is producing this series.
Three of the death game players are as follows:
- Yuuma Ashihara — Haruka Shiraishi (Chitose Shirakawa in The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten). Yuuma is an avid gamer and the party’s Monster Tamer.
- Sawa Ashihara — Konomi Inagaki (Copano Rickey from Uma Musume Pretty Derby). Sawa is Yuuma’s younger twin sister and the party’s Mage.
- Minagi Sano — Satomi Amano (Hotaru Shiragiku from The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls Theater). Minagi is their closer friend and the party’s Priest.
Production I.G will animate the anime adaptation, which has an official website and Twitter (X) accounts promoting Devils’ Crest. You can find more information about the series and the key visuals at those sites.
Devils’ Crest Invokes a Death Game in Real Life
Sword Art Online fans can jump in without worry; this really is just more SAO in a new setting. Sure, there are differences here and there, but the basic premise remains the same. The trailer shows the events of the first couple of chapters, highlighting the bright adventures Yuuma and his friends find in the online game. Reki Kawahara didn’t try very hard with the online game title Actual Magic, did he? The wearable “Crest” computer-like devices and the full-dive Caliculus pods that people use to play the game are cool, though.
The offline sections are dark as anything, as we can see in the trailer. It’s a nice contrast with the game world, but gosh, is it dark. It’s fine for a horror scene, like when the mutated Sumika Watamaki shows up to make everyone soil themselves in fear. Other than that, the trailer looks great, and Production I.G has a great track record. I kind of hope they actually show us what the “Cave of Malice” sub-quest is. Yuu went in 10 levels shy with only a cute bunny for help, then the story skips after he cleared the stage and obtained the reward.
A Closer Look at Devils’ Crest
Devils’ Crest light novel summary:
Sixth-grader Yuuma Ashihara and his twin sister, Sawa, are playing Actual Magic, a brand-new virtual reality MMORPG, when it suddenly begins fusing with the real world. Amid all the chaos and confusion, it becomes clear that death is lurking around every corner, including when Yuuma runs into his classmate Sumika. Before, she was one of the cutest girls in his class, but she’s since undergone a terrible metamorphosis — into one of the game’s horrifying monsters! From the author of Sword Art Online and Accel World comes a story beyond VR and AR, where gaming and reality are one and the same…and staying alive is just the beginning!
Reki Kawahara and Yukiko Horiguchi released the original Demons’ Crest light novel series on November 10th, 2022. ASCII Media Works published four volumes in the Dengeki Bunko imprint. Koroku Takano joined the writing team, and TOmoe provided the art for the manga adaptation, which debuted on November 6th, 2022. Akatsuki and Media Factory published one volume in HykeComic and MF Comics.
Will you watch the premiere of Devils’ Crest in November? Have you been following Reki Kawahara’s death games series? Would you like to get locked into an online game? Let us know in the comments below.
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Summer is so hot, no one wants to go outside. Instead, you should stay indoors where it’s cool, and browse the J-List website. We’ve got a new general sale, giving you 15% off all in-stock products shipping from Japan. So start browsing our newest manga and doujinshi, amazing artbooks, “dolphin polishers” and more!
