Demon Slayer Tamagotchi Review – Raise Your Own Demon Slayer!

The Demon Slayer Tamagotchi is part of Bandai’s Tamagotchi Nano series. It is perfect for fans of the popular Demon Slayer manga and anime. You do not have to be a Tamagotchi collector or even familiar with the electronic toy to enjoy playing with it.

I was provided with the original and Hashira Version Demon Slayer Tamagotchi devices from Bandai for review purposes. My opinions are my own.

I have been a Tamagotchi fan since 1997 and currently have 18 devices that I have collected over the years. As far as Nanos go, I have the Gudetama, Pac-Man, Hello Kitty, and Evatchi along with the Demon Slayer device. Although they all have their similarities, they differ in what they have for food and treats along with the games they play.

With some Nanos you raise the actual thing, like the Gudetama. With others, like the Pac-Man and Hello Kitty you are raising a Tamagotchi with the help of Pac-Man and Hello Kitty respectively. I don’t really prefer one style over the other, but I feel like raising the actual thing rather than a Tamagotchi is more fun. The Demon Slayer Tamagotchi is like the Gudetama and you actually raise a Demon Slayer that evolves based on how you play with it.

The Demon Slayer Tamagotchi has a whopping 14 device shells to choose from. I have the Tanjirotchi shell which is currently available in the United States through Amazon, Hot Topic, and GameStop. I also have a Tengentchi shell of the Hashira Model. The Hashira Gathering Version is available for pre-order now on Amazon and will be released on August 1, 2021. The cost for both versions is $24.99. Please keep in mind that the Demon Slayer Tamagotchi that you raise may not match with the shell that you choose. There are several factors that will determine which Demon Slayer Breath user that you will end up with.

Before pulling out the tab and getting your Demon Slayer Tamagotchi started, you will want to download the English instructions as these devices are the Japan releases and the instructions included are all in Japanese. You may download the instructions through Bandai’s website. Thankfully the devices themselves are picture-based so there aren’t any menu options that English speakers would not be able read. To get the most out of your device I would recommend reading the instructions in full, especially to know how to play the 3 training games.

Like other Nano devices, you have the option of feeding either regular food (rice ball) to fill up their hunger gage or a treat (green tea) to fill up their happiness gauge. While you will need to feed them four of each food item to fill up these gauges, there is no physical gauge that you are able to see. If your Demon Slayer has a fully depleted food or happiness gauge it will beep. If you miss the beeping, pressing the C button will let you know what it needs. For more tips on how to determine whether your Tamagotchi needs its food or happiness gauge filled, you can check this Wiki page under the “Buttons” section.

The games on the Demon Slayer device are skill-based rather than chance-based like some Tamagotchi devices. I prefer these types of games as they are more fun and frankly, easier to win. The three games included vary depending on if you have the original or Hashira Version. The three games in the original version are splitting stones which involves hitting the A or B button when the sword is on the center of the stone, gourd breaking which involves hitting the A button repetitively, and medicated water where you need to push the A or B buttons as they appear on the screen.

The games on the Hashira Version involve the same mechanics but with different graphics. There is physical training which involves pressing the A or B button when the “!” appears, boulder lifting which requires hitting the A button repetitively for 15 seconds, and a total concentration contest where you need to push the A or B buttons as they appear on the screen.

Sometimes games on Tamagotchi devices are not that fun to play or it feels like you are just “grinding” to keep your Tamagotchi character happy. With Nanos, their happiness gauge can always be filled with treats without negatively affecting their evolution. With the Demon Slayer in particular, evolution is based on how well you feed it and keep it happy, but also the number of trainings and what types, along with how many perfect scores help determine what evolution you will end up with.

There is one more aspect of the Demon Slayer device that determines the evolution and that is the demons that show up on your screen randomly, especially at night. Your device will not beep at you to let you know that a demon has approached, so you will want to make sure to check it periodically. If a demon stays on the screen too long, your Demon Slayer will become injured. If you see a demon on your screen, you will just need to press the A button to defeat it.

Overall, the Demon Slayer Tamagotchi devices are very easy and fun to play with. I’ve been running 2 of the Demon Slayer devices along with two other Nanos, a Digimon X, and a Teku Teku Angel pedometer digital pet this past week without too much issue. Also, the latest they seem to go to sleep, at least with Kinoe who I got on my original version and Mitsuri Kanroji who I got on my Hashira Version, is 10pm. They wake around 7am in the morning. The devices say they are recommended for ages 6+, but I wouldn’t recommend that considering how small the devices are and when the Tamagotchi goes to bed.

Usually, I just need to check on a Nano about once an hour, maybe every two hours and feed it a rice ball or two and give it a green tea or two and it’s happy. The more you play the training games with it, determines different evolutions, but it isn’t something that is needed to be done constantly to keep your Demon Slayer happy. What is fun about the Demon Slayer Tamagotchi other than just the normal gameplay is that periodically (it seems like about once an hour or so) an animation will play on the screen based on the anime. It’s a cute little added thing that I haven’t seen on a lot of the other Nanos.

I highly recommend the Demon Slayer Tamagotchi to anyone who is a fan of the anime, especially if you also enjoy Tamagotchi. It’s a great blend of the two franchises and is fun to play with without being high maintenance. And if you’re not familiar with Tamagotchi, this is a great introduction to these fun little devices as well!

Author: Jessica Rae

Jessica has a BA in music with an emphasis in voice and spends her day typesetting, editing, writing, and moderating webinars. Jessica primarily reviews anime and comic book series. She also offers insights on various movies, books, games, and other geeky topics.

Twitter

Help support independent journalism. Subscribe to our Patreon.

Copyright © The Geekiary