Ahead of the Spring 2026 anime season, we got to watch the first episode of Daemons of the Shadow Realm, the latest anime from Bones, the studio behind My Hero Academia and Gachiakuta.
What makes this show even more interesting for us is the fact that it’s based on the manga of the same name by Hiromu Arakawa, the creator of Fullmetal Alchemist. Given that Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood was produced by Bones, it’s fitting that the studio is once again in charge of animating Arakawa’s work.
Plenty of anime fans consider Fullmetal Alchemist to be one of the best shonen shows ever, and we definitely agree with this sentiment, given how consistently good Brotherhood was. As such, we have high hopes for Daemons of the Shadow Realm. And while we only got to see the first episode, we’re already hooked!
[Spoiler Warning: This review has some spoilers for the anime’s first episode.]
The first episode began with a quick scene of twins being born – Yuru and Asa – after which we skip to 15 years later, with the twins now being teenagers. We then see Yuru as he goes on a quick hunting trip, followed by a trip back home, where we get to see his quiet village.
Episode 1’s first 5-10 minutes are fairly quiet, as it establishes some of the characters and the rural, medieval Asian setting. Soon though, this quietness is broken by the sound of a jet engine, followed by an attack on the village by unexpected foes.
Yes, while this show starts with a fantasy setting, we quickly see that this world is not what it seems. If the attack wasn’t enough, we also see a character with a devastating ability, who proceeds to brutally kill members of the village. The show then continues to ramp up the action, as Yuru hurries to go back to the keep to save his sister.
It’s fair to say that the action in this episode is non-stop after the quieter start, and it’s made even crazier by the combination of violence and foes with special powers. Even though this combination may seem too much, the episode remained quite compelling overall, mostly because we were invested in finding out what’s going on in this world.
By the end of the episode, Yuru manages to unlock a power in the form of two “Daemons.” The episode then ends without going into much detail about what exactly is happening.
Even though there are plenty of things that haven’t been explained yet, we really are quite eager to know what is actually going on and what will happen next.
Daemons of the Shadow Realm – Initial Verdict
The crazy combination of elements, along with the brutal action in Episode 1, made for an entertaining watch. While it’s still way too early to call, we can already say that we’re looking forward to seeing what the next episodes of Daemons of the Shadow Realm will be. If the rest of the episodes live up to the first one, we have one heck of a show on our hands.
Daemons of the Shadow Realm will be streamed on Crunchyroll as part of the Spring 2026 lineup. Its specific release time will be shared soon.