It has been announced that "Demon's Crest" (KADOKAWA), the latest novel series by Reki Kawahara, known for popular light novels such as "Accel World" and "Sword Art Online(SAO)," will be adapted into an anime in 2026. The anime will be directed by Shinji Ushiro as general director and Kenichiro Komaya as director, with Eiji Umehara handling series composition, Yukiko Horiguchi as character designer, and Yuki Hayashi and Naoyuki Chikatani composing the music. Production IG will produce the anime. It has also been announced that Haruka Konomi Inagaki Inagaki will voice his twin sister Sawa Ashihara.
The film depicts a death game set in a "new world" of mixed reality (MR), where the game world and reality merge. In 2031, elementary school students who participated in a test play of the world's first full-dive VRMMO-RPG, "Actual Magic (AM)," lose consciousness after playing. When they wake up, they find themselves in a "new world" where the game world and reality have merged...
Kawahara commented, "Death games, MMORPGs, closed spaces, virtual worlds, friendship and conflict, hope and despair, clashes of thoughts and emotions. 'Demon's Crest' is packed with all the things I love. It wasn't an easy job to turn all of that into a single story, but after a long, long period of preparation, we've finally reached the time to announce it. This animation, which we created together with so many staff and cast members, is sure to make your hearts both hot and cold. I hope you'll dive into Altea with Yuma and Sawa and see their survival through to the end."
Shiraishi, who plays the role of Ashihara Yuma, said, "I am deeply honored to be involved in a work by Kawahara Reki. This work is a story about a death game that takes place inside MR. The characters are elementary school students... and they desperately face one difficulty after another! Yuma, whom I play, is a kind-hearted boy who cherishes the people around him. He is a very reliable presence in serious battle scenes, but I think his occasional absentmindedness is endearing. I apologize for making this personal, but... this is the first time I have played a male protagonist, so when I was told, 'You have passed the audition for Yuma,' I was surprised, but also incredibly happy! I will do my best as Yuma so that everyone who is looking forward to the anime can immerse themselves in the thrilling and exciting story, so please look forward to it!"
Inagaki, who plays the role of Sawa Ashihara, sent the following message: "Congratulations on the anime adaptation of 'Demon's Crest'! The long, long days of Yuma and his friends are finally about to begin...! I am very happy and honored to be able to play Sawa! Sawa is the twin sister of the Ashihara siblings, and although she is responsible and acts aloof, she is actually a girl who cares deeply for her brother and gets jealous easily. And it seems that she has some kind of secret...? The world is irresistible for game lovers, and the story is quite dense, with each student in the class having their own story! The anime will have some different developments from the original work, and we have been recording while constantly wondering what will happen next...! I hope you will all cheer on Yuma and his friends as they struggle for their friends in a tense situation where you don't know what will happen! Please look forward to the broadcast!"
