Does the anime’s premiere live up to the hype?

Hiromu Arakawa’s Fullmetal Alchemist is the quintessential gateway anime. Set in the heavily militarized nation of Amestris, the series follows alchemist brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric, whose desperate search for the Philosopher’s Stone ends up shaping the fate of the world. Arakawa’s manga was adapted into two separate television series — Fullmetal Alchemist (2003-2004), a character-driven slow-burn that diverges from the source material; and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009-2010), which faithfully recreates Arakawa’s lush thematic framework and worldbuilding.

This award-winning manga sets an extremely high bar for dark-fantasy shōnen thanks to its mature handling of themes like the tussle between science and faith and the double-edged nature of truth. For better or worse, anything Arakawa wrote after Fullmetal Alchemist was inevitably doomed to live in its shadow, including her ongoing manga, Daemons of the Shadow Realm.

The much-awaited first episode of Daemons of the Shadow Realm is set to premiere on April 4 on Crunchyroll. Bones Film, the studio that produced both versions of Fullmetal Alchemist, is bringing this mysterious world to life, with animation director Masahiro Andō (Princess Mononoke, Your Name) at the helm. Based on the premiere episode provided to critics, Daemons of the Shadow Realm has the potential to become the next big anime of spring 2026 thanks to its intriguing characters and a particularly effective twist. But while brand-new anime is chock-full of charm and intrigue, the enduring shadow of Fullmetal Alchemist might still loom large.

Can Daemons of the Shadow Realm match the success of Fullmetal Alchemist, or even surpass it? Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the anime’s highly anticipated premiere.

[Ed. note: This article contains spoilers for the Daemons of the Shadow Realm manga]

What is Daemons of the Shadow Realm about?

Image: Bones Film

Those acquainted with the first three chapters of the manga can attest to its irresistible supernatural premise. We open with the birth of twins Yuru and Asa, who seem to be tied to a mystical prophecy that’s kept hidden from the reader. After 16 years have passed, we see Yuru idling in the forests of Higashi Village with his pal Danji, occasionally helping fellow villagers. He meets up with his twin sister, Asa, who communicates with her brother from inside a locked, cage-like room. This immediately sets an ominous precedent, even when Yuru treats this separation without suspicion and promises Asa that he will never leave the village as long as she is here.

The premiere episode faithfully recreates these expository beats while building toward a climactic tragedy. After Yuru and Danji hear a fluttering sound they think is dragons, the quaint village is suddenly surrounded by violent outsiders. A bloody massacre unfolds, leaving Yuru frightened for his sister’s well-being. The horrific nature of this invasion is captured with unsteady perspective shots and close-ups of Yuru’s anguished face, along with the somber view of bodies littered everywhere.

Image: Bones Film

This drastic tonal shift reveals the “shadow realm” in question. We quickly learn that Yuru and Asa are destined to command supernatural creatures named daemons that can manifest in the real world. Several questions linger by the time the credits roll, pointing to a promising opening chapter that succeeds in piquing our interest.

This premiere is merely a glimpse into the ever-expanding world of the ongoing manga series, which has shaped up pretty well in Arakawa’s capable hands. It would be premature to predict whether Bones Film will succeed in translating this refreshing dark fantasy into a kinetic anime series, but the first season undoubtedly has its work cut out for it.

Image: Bones Film

Arakawa’s signature art style, which is partial to blonde-haired protagonists with wide eyes and exaggerated expressions, culminates in Yuru. Our brave new protagonist looks like he could be related to Fullmetal’s Alphonse (with a hairdo similar to Riza Hawkeye), and embraces a similar brand of honor that Edward upholds as an alchemist.

That said, Yuru inhabits a completely different world from the Elric brothers. He grew up in a secluded village with limited resources, where people barter essentials from a lone traveling salesman named Dera. Yuru is clueless about the world outside Higashi Village, which makes him a fish-out-of-water hero who must push the bounds of his comfort zone. While this is an endearing quality for a shonen protagonist, Daemons of the Shadow Realm runs the risk of being considered “bland” in comparison to the dizzying complexity that Edward and Alphonse display throughout Fullmetal Alchemist.

Some segments of the episode feature wonky animation that can feel fairly distracting with 3D CGI elements, but the rest is cohesive enough to amount to an exciting opener. Perhaps Daemons of the Shadow Realm can escape the lofty expectations tied to Fullmetal Alchemist by offering a shōnen experience that feels like a breath of fresh air. There’s hope that the anime’s accessible nature will work in its favor and impress viewers by indulging in an enigmatic shade of dark fantasy.

Daemons of the Shadow Realm premieres on April 4 on Crunchyroll.