On Feb. 15, 2016, a new manga called “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” was released. At first, this manga didn’t get much attention; however, in 2019, it was adapted into an anime. It is available to watch on Crunchyroll, Hulu, Funimation, and Netflix.
The first season is called “Tanjiro Kamado, Unwavering Resolve Arc.” We are introduced to the main character, Tanjiro Kamado, who is a young 13-year-old boy who lives with his family and sells charcoal. The Kamado family is very closely knit, and this can be seen throughout the series.
To sell coal, Tanjiro heads down the mountain he lives in and into the village. However, on his way back home, he is stopped by a neighbor, Old Man Saburo, who makes him stay at his house due to the dangers at night. Saburo explains to him the dangers of demons and how they come out at night to consume people, while also explaining how there are people called “Demon Slayers” who kill these demons.
As Tanjiro heads up the mountain to his house in the morning, he picks up the scent of blood. When he gets home, he comes back to the gruesome scene of his family, who were murdered. The only person left alive was his younger sister, Nezuko.
As Tanjiro discovers the scene, his sister wakes up from being unconscious. However, it is revealed that she had been turned into a demon.
As Tanjiro struggles to keep Nezuko from hurting him, a Demon Slayer named Giyu Tomioka (the Water Breathing Hashira) comes to save Tanjiro. (A Hashira is the highest and most powerful Demon Slayer rank that serves the Demon Slayer Corps).
Tanjiro is able to convince Giyu to allow Nezuko to live because she saved Tanjiro from getting hurt by Giyu. This proves that she found her humanity and doesn’t want to hurt anyone like other demons do. Tanjiro is then sent by Giyu to Mount Sagiri, where he will train to become a part of the Demon Slayer Corps. Through the rest of the season, we are taken on an adventure with Tanjiro as he trains his hardest to pass the Final Selection Exam to be a Demon Slayer, while also caring for Nezuko.
Due to his sister being a demon, Tanjiro’s sole reason for becoming a Demon Slayer is to find a cure for her and turn her back into a human.
Two years after the first season was released, the second season of Demon Slayer came out. This season was separated into two parts: the “Mugan Train Arc,” which was released on Oct. 10, 2021, and the “Entertainment District Arc,” which started on Dec. 5, 2021 and ended on Feb. 13, 2022.
In the first part, the “Mugan Train Arc,” Tanjiro is accompanied by Zenitsu Agatsuma and Inosuke Hashibira, two Demon Slayers who passed the Final Exam and became very close friends with Tanjiro.
They are assigned to go fight with Kyojuro Rengoku, the fire Hashira. Rengoku is a character who is loved by all. He is loved by those he saves, and by those who work with him; this includes the other Demon Slayer Corps members and the trio of Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Zenitsu.
Rengoku is the most enthusiastic of all the Hashira, has the purest of hearts, and loves to protect others. A quote that can perfectly describe his character is, “Set your Heart Ablaze.” Tanjiro often recites this quote to give himself an extra boost to defeat demons and surpass his limits.
Rengoku's character made a big impact on the anime and left a lot of people loving his character. Many people were fixated on Rengoku's character and how amazing a Hashira he was. He was able to brighten up any place he went to, and everyone loved him. Sadly, at the end of this Arc, he died due to a higher-ranking demon.
Although Rengoku’s character has passed, he always makes a comeback in the other Arcs. This is often as a memory, a flashback, or even a ghost to help the other Demon Slayers persevere in their battles.
In the second part of season two, the “Entertainment District Arc,” we meet another Hashira named Tengen Uzui (the Sound Breathing Hashira).
At first, the trio didn’t like Tengen at all, but they soon warmed up to him and got to see what an amazing Hashira he is.
This Arc is very comedic compared to all the others because we get to see the trio disguise themselves as women in order to find a higher-ranking demon. We also get to see how flashy Tengen's fighting style is.
A “Demon Slayer” fanatic, Immanuel Jauregi (who I know personally), stated, “My favorite season is the ‘Entertainment Arc.’ It's my favorite because of the fact that it’s what made me love ‘Demon Slayer’ even more. The animation was just beyond extraordinary.”
He also says, “My favorite character has to be Tanjiro. The reason is because he’s one of the purest main characters you can ever know. He shows pity to demons and pushes his limits to save everyone the best he can. He also cares for everyone, and he shows it throughout the entire anime how pure of heart he truly is.”
The third season, the “Swordsmith Village Arc,” was released on April 9, 2023. It is where we get introduced to two more Hashira: Muichiro Tokito, a Mist Breathing Hashira, and Mitsuri Kanroji, a Love Breathing Hashira. In this Arc, the trio fights alongside these Hashira to defeat two higher upper-ranking demons.
An interview with a Canyon student Maria Coronel, whose favorite season is the third, explains, “Season three gives us one of the best endings of all the seasons, along with the backstory and tons of screen time of my favorite character!” She continues, “Mitsuri is one of the sweetest characters in the Demon Slayer universe, but she is also super strong and agile, which is why she became a Hashira. I also love her hair color!”
The fourth season came out on May 12, 2024. This season is called the “Hashira Training Arc.” In this Arc, everyone who is a part of the Demon Slayer Corps is training to take down the demon king, Muzan Kibutsuji.
All the Hashira appear in this season as mentors who are helping the Demon Slayers train to become more powerful. This season is also comedic, but it has fewer fighting scenes compared to the other seasons.
Beginning this year, Demon Slayer is coming out with a trilogy to end the anime. The first movie is called, “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba-The Movie-Infinity Castle,” which came out on Sept. 5, 2025. This movie is phenomenal and should definitely be watched by all. The fighting scenes and animation are beyond beautiful, and the backstories are amazing.
This movie, so far, has already surpassed the box office record and has made a powerful impact on the anime community. The next two movies, which are set to come out in 2027 and 2029, are sure to be a big hit and surpass the box office as well.
Haven’t watched the anime yet? No big deal! You have more than enough time to catch up in a flashy way before the anime comes to its final closing end.
