Watch: Aimer performs ‘Demon Slayer’ OP on The First Take

Demon Slayer fans won’t want to miss Aimer performing her chart-topping single Zankyosanka on The First Take. Translated as “Reverberant Melody,” the song was featured as the opening theme song of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc. Aimer released the track alongside the season’s end theme, “Asa ga Kuru (Morning is Coming),” last month.

The First Take is a YouTube channel that features popular Japanese musicians performing any song they want in one take. The channel describes the project as: “A microphone and a white studio. And 1 rule. You’ve got 1 TAKE. Perform anything you like.” 

Many artists take the opportunity to perform acoustic renditions of their songs. Aimer is accompanied by live horns and piano in her performance. She’s previously performed her hit single Kataomoi accompanied solely by an acoustic guitar on the channel. The project has many anime themes as well, including compelling arrangements of Ling tosite sigure’s “unravel” (from Tokyo Ghoul) and SPYAIR’s “Imagination” (from Haikyu!!). Aimer has herself performed the theme songs for many anime, including Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn and Bleach.

And there’s even more for Demon Slayer fans. LiSA performed season one’s theme “Gurenge” on the channel in 2019 in a recording viewed over 100 million times. In addition, she returned to give a particularly emotional performance of Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train’s theme, “homura.” The song has been hugely popular around the world, even with the U.S. Secretary of State, and was certified  Platinum by The Recording Industry Association of Japan both on streaming and as a physical release.

We’ll get to hear Aimer sing Zankyosanka one more time when the Entertainment District Arc extended finale airs this weekend.