The anime is based on Reki Kawahara’s novel series.
A new teaser trailer revealed that the “Demon’s Crest” (alternative name: Devil’s Crest) anime is set to premiere in 2026. Although the exact release date remains unknown, the main cast, staff, and other details of the series have been revealed.
Demon’s Crest anime cast, staff, and other details
The two main characters of the anime are:
- Haruka Shiraishi as Yuma Ashihara
Cast comment (machine translated):
I'm Haruka Shiraishi, and I'll be playing the role of Yuma Ashihara! I feel incredibly honored to be involved in a work by Reki Kawahara. This story is about a death game that takes place within VR. The characters are elementary school students... and they desperately face one difficulty after another! Yuma, the character I'll be playing, is a kind-hearted boy who cherishes those around him. He's a very reliable presence in serious battle scenes, but I think his occasional absentmindedness is quite endearing. I apologise for making this personal, but... this is my first time playing a male lead, so when I was told, “You've 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 suspenseful story, so please look forward to it!
- Konomi Inagaki as Sawa Ashihara
Cast comment (machine translated):
Hi, I'm Konomi Inagaki, and I'll be playing the role of Sawa Ashihara! Congratulations on the anime adaptation of “Demon's Crest”! So, the long, long days of Yuma and his friends are finally about to begin...! I'm so happy and honoured to be able to play Sawa! Sawa is the twin sister of Yuma, and although she's responsible and acts aloof, she's actually very caring and jealous of her brother. And it seems she has a secret...? The world is irresistible for game lovers, and the story is quite dense, with individual stories for each of the students in the class! The anime has some different developments from the original, and we've been recording while constantly wondering what will happen next...! I hope you'll cheer on Yuma and his friends as they struggle for their comrades in a tense situation where anything can happen! Look forward to the broadcast!
Kenichiro Komaya directs the Demon’s Crest anime at Production I.G, with Shinji Ushiro overseeing as the chief director. Eiji Umehara handles series composition while Yukiko Horiguchi designs the characters. Yūki Hayashi and Naoyuki Chikatani compose the music for the series. The show will also be featured at the Warner Bros. Japan booth in the AnimeJapan2026 event taking place on 28 and 29 March.
The anime is based on a popular light novel series written by Reki Kawahara and illustrated by Yukiko Horiguchi. It began publishing under ASCII Media Works’ Denegeki Bunko imprint in November 2022. A webtoon adaptation by TOmoe began in the same month on Akatsuki’s HykeComic platform. Yen Press publishes the novels in English and describes the story as:
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!