Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Hashira Training Arc Review: A Mind-Blowing Experience
After all is said and done, fans of Demon Slayer now eagerly await the Infinity Castle Trilogy. Welcome to the Cozy Tavern! Today, we’ll dive into the Demon Slayer: Hashira Training Arc, offering my overall thoughts on this season and what’s to come. I’ll also give it a rating, but the focus will be on the arc itself. I must admit, I’m unsure how I feel about the Infinity Castle Arc being split into three movies, but I’m still excited nonetheless—especially after that thrilling final episode! What an amazing way to end this arc, and potentially the Demon Slayer TV series as a whole. While I have many questions about how the upcoming arcs will be adapted, I’m looking forward to seeing how it all unfolds.
A Season with Highs and Lows
Overall, I enjoyed this season of Demon Slayer more than I expected. I would say it was slightly better than the previous season, although not by a huge margin. However, I understand why some fans might feel differently. The Hashira Training Arc was a short sequence in the manga, serving as a setup for the final arc. Yet, Ufotable, the animation studio behind Demon Slayer, expanded this relatively brief portion of the story into nearly 10 hours of anime, all before announcing that the series would conclude with a trilogy of films.
Because of this decision, the season often felt like it was biding time, which made the pacing feel slow and somewhat frustrating. The anticipation for the grand finale is palpable, but this particular arc dragged in places, making it clear that the anime was stretching the content to fill an entire season.
The Good: Strong Visuals and Moments of Intensity
Despite its issues, several aspects of this season stand out. Ufotable’s animation remains as beautiful as ever, with fluid combat sequences, intricate character designs, and stunning landscapes. The opening sequence features Wind Hashira Sanemi and Serpent Hashira Obanai chasing a demon into the Infinity Castle. This was a gripping moment, though the fact that they kept the event to themselves felt somewhat strange. I suspect this scene was added solely for the anime to spice things up, as it doesn’t appear to have much bearing on the rest of the season.
One of the key discussions early on revolves around the strange marks that have appeared on Tanjiro, Mitsuri, and Muichiro, which signify a power-up for Demon Slayers, similar to those from the Sengoku era. This sets the stage for the main plot of the season: the Hashira training Tanjiro and the others in preparation for the final battle with Muzan Kibutsuji, the series’ main antagonist.
The Bad: Pacing and Padding
The majority of the season consists of training sequences, which, unfortunately, don’t always feel necessary. The first six episodes could easily be summarized as “Tanjiro trains with the Hashira to get stronger,” and that alone would capture the essence of the season. This repetitive structure contributes to the feeling that the season is padded. While some training arcs can be engaging, this one felt drawn-out and uninspired at times.
A particularly frustrating moment occurs when an entire half-episode is dedicated to the characters folding paper airplanes. Yes, you read that correctly—paper airplanes. This level of filler content significantly slows down the pacing, leaving viewers feeling as if the story is stalling.
Giyu and Gyomei’s Backstories: Tragedy on Repeat
One of the more engaging aspects of this season is the deep dive into the backstories of various characters, particularly Giyu Tomioka, the Water Hashira, and Gyomei Himejima, the Stone Hashira. Giyu’s past is explored in detail as we learn that he feels immense guilt for the death of Sabito, the same Sabito who helped train Tanjiro in the first season. This connection was a nice callback and provided some emotional depth to Giyu’s character.
Similarly, Gyomei’s tragic backstory is revealed in Episode 7. Gyomei was once a monk who cared for children at a temple, but one of the children made a bargain with a demon, resulting in the deaths of all the other children. Gyomei was blamed for the incident and imprisoned, which led to his trust issues. While Gyomei’s backstory was undoubtedly heartbreaking, it’s hard not to notice that Demon Slayer has a pattern of giving almost every character an immensely tragic past. This repetition of trauma can sometimes make these stories feel less impactful.
Muzan’s Confrontation and the Final Battle Setup
The season’s highlight comes when Muzan Kibutsuji finally confronts Kagaya Ubuyashiki, the head of the Demon Slayer Corps. Kagaya reveals that his illness is due to a curse placed on his family by Muzan’s demonic actions, as they are part of his bloodline. Despite this revelation, Muzan remains focused on his goal of finding Nezuko. Kagaya, in a final act of defiance, detonates his mansion in an attempt to slow down Muzan, allowing Tamayo, the demon doctor working with Tanjiro, to inject Muzan with a drug that could potentially turn him human.
As Muzan begins to recover from the attack, Gyomei appears to confront him but fails to land a decisive blow. Sensing danger, Muzan opens portals to the Infinity Castle, dragging Tanjiro, the remaining Hashira, and several other Demon Slayers into the eerie and foreboding dimension. This sets the stage for what promises to be a high-stakes final battle in the upcoming films.
Conclusion: A Season with Potential, but Hampered by Padding
The Hashira Training Arc is a classic case of an anime season stretching a small section of the source material beyond its limits. While there are certainly moments of excitement and emotional depth, the pacing issues and filler content make it difficult to fully engage with the season. That being said, the final episode delivered intensity and intrigue, leaving fans eagerly anticipating the conclusion of Demon Slayer in the upcoming film trilogy.
Rating: 7/10 – A solid season with great moments, but dragged down by unnecessary padding.
