Demon Slayer popcorn bucket sells out to huge crowds at Universal Studios Japan

Fans lined up for hours for this anime character, and a lot of them had to return home empty-handed.

Just a few weeks ago, Universal Studios Japan announced they would be teaming up with anime juggernaut Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba to create a new pop-up restaurant and AR coaster, with a few special extras for fans along the way.

One of those special extras would be an exclusive “popcorn bucket” featuring Nezuko, the sister of series protagonist Tanjiro. Nezuko became a demon after a fateful attack and now spends her days resisting the urge to bite people by wearing a bamboo muzzle and sleeping in a box to shield her skin from the demon-burning rays of the sun.

The USJ popcorn bucket created in her honour pays attention to all these character details, and comes filled with Honey Plum flavoured popcorn for the princely sum of 3,700 yen (US$33.65).

The Demon Slayer collaboration debuted to the public today, and the popcorn buckets went on sale one day earlier, on 16 September. So as soon as the gates opened on 16 September, fans made a beeline for the popcorn cart where the special Nezuko Popcorn Bucket was being sold.

It didn’t take long for Nezuko’s fans to swarm the area, and soon photos began popping up on social media, showing just how many were keen to get their hands on those special popcorn buckets.

▼ Long lines began to form at the popcorn cart in the morning.

禰豆子ポップコーンバケツ、大行列です#USJ #鬼滅の刃 pic.twitter.com/RhuWo8ybld

— じょーたく (@jo_taku150) September 16, 2021

▼ The buckets were so popular they were limited to three per customer.

禰豆子ポップコーンバケツは3700円。1人3つまで！#USJ #鬼滅の刃 pic.twitter.com/NprKqH1ocO

— じょーたく (@jo_taku150) September 16, 2021

▼ The next day, as stock began to run low, the limit was reduced to one box per customer.

禰豆子のポップコーンバケツ 今日は1人1個しか買えない
#ユニバ #usj #USJ #鬼滅の刃 #禰豆子ポップコーンバケツ pic.twitter.com/aIeY9dI58O

— ともちん【ユニバ︎9.17】 (@hatsukoi_8251) September 17, 2021

▼ Some fans lined up for five hours to purchase the beautifully designed popcorn bucket.

禰豆子のポップコーンバケツ羨ましい〜
1個1個手塗りって職人凄いな(´Д` )

買うのに5時間待ちだってさ。#USJ鬼滅の刃 #usj pic.twitter.com/nbQFIi3bFb

— 江戸川のアイツ (@apex_conan) September 17, 2021

▼ However, by 10:30 a.m. on 17 September, the popcorn bucket had sold out for the day.

鬼滅の刃 禰豆子ポップコーンバケツ 9.17 10:30時点で本日の販売終了です
#ユニバ #usj #USJ #ユニバ鬼滅の刃 #禰豆子ポップコーンバケツ pic.twitter.com/2Ci96nKjAS

— ともちん【ユニバ︎9.17】 (@hatsukoi_8251) September 17, 2021

That meant that fans who’d lined up for several hours, like this customer, had to return home empty-handed.

目的は禰󠄀豆子のポップコーン！！！
5時間待ちだそうです
喉乾いた〜#鬼滅の刃 #ユニバ #USJ鬼滅の刃 #USJ #YouTubeはじめました #チャンネル登録お願いします ！ pic.twitter.com/aGUnjaaiMq

— ままいちゃんねる(オタ活) (@mamai_tube) September 17, 2021

While the large majority of fans were earnestly purchasing the product for themselves, it didn’t take long for the popcorn buckets to appear online, where resellers were selling them for twice the retail price.

禰豆子のポップコーンバケツ…転売すごいな…
そりゃ待ち時間4時間とかになるわ…#USJ pic.twitter.com/Q8QKlqdpxz

— ゆにば好きのあやや＊゜ (@usj_oor_mfs_bkw) September 17, 2021

Resales are always inevitable whenever customers are allowed to purchase more than one item, so it wasn’t surprising to see Nezuko pop up at a jacked-up price point after her sell-out day at USJ.

Thankfully, the theme park aims to have more in stock from tomorrow, when hopefully more genuine Demon Slayer fans will be able to purchase the highly sought-after popcorn bucket…and not have to make do with Nezuko’s phallic bamboo tube at the Asakusa Demon Slayer store afterwards.

Source: Hachima Kikou
Images: Press Release
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Credit: