Come on, Tanjiro… just fight!
Waiting for a new series of your favourite show can make or break your year, and Demon Slayer has kept fans on the edge of their seats waiting for season 4. Last time we saw them, Tanjiro, Genya, and Nezuko were chasing the real body of Upper Moon 4, and things are taking another turn in the Hashira Training Arc.
With Season 4, Demon Slayer is taking things back to anime basics by delivering a foolproof storyline fans are guaranteed to love – an elaborate training programme. School stories have historically been a hit across manga and anime, with franchises like My Hero Academia and Jujutsu Kaisen each keeping obvious character progression at their core.
While the latter two shows have built their brand off the back of committing to their characters levelling up in a familiar setting, Demon Slayer picks and chooses when it wants to use the blueprint. It’s finally using this in a new way in season 4, returning to its season 1 roots by shifting the focus back to the Hashiras.
Tanjiro has been so hellbent on avenging his sister that the Hashiras have spent the last two seasons lurking somewhere in the background. Now that the Hashira Training Arc movie has revealed something huge – spoiler, Nezuko is cured! – a greater threat looms, meaning the Hashiras need to share as much wisdom with the demon slayers as possible.
However, all this excitement comes with a catch. Season 4 isn’t exactly off to a snappy start, teasing a satisfying school story in between wasting far too much time. Instead of driving the action forward with tension, suspense and a sprinkling of mystery, new episodes are heavily relying on filler scenes… and that isn’t good.
It only takes a quick Reddit search to see that most Demon Slayer fans who paid to see the Hashira Training Arc movie in cinemas felt a bit short-changed. Fusing together the season 3 finale as a recap and teasing the start of season 4 Episode 1, the film gave away very little action, instead using its time to remind fans of things they already knew.
Annoyingly, it seems like new episodes are also getting off to the same start. Once again, fans see the Hashiras summoned to the Ubuyashiki Mansion, hinting at longtime tension between the group but not explaining why. Long and drawn-out visual fillers see different members of the gang suspended in different emotional states… which is all well and good, but what’s it adding?
Even hardcore Demon Slayer fans will likely come up with the same answer to that question – nothing. Instead of building on its dynamic storytelling from earlier seasons, season 4 so far feels like a step backward, losing the sharp grip it once had.
This hits particularly hard because the Hashira Training Arc is the one that shows the most promise out of them all. Of course, the structure of it is a popular one, but the substance is packed with things to explore. Each of our Hashiras embodies their own unique skillset, ready to offer up something new to Tanjiro’s next level of education.
We’ve also got the new dynamic between Tanjiro and Nezuko, with it being unclear just how badly Nezuko has been affected by her transformation. Our beloved Hashiras must have complex and intriguing backstories, and we’d like to see them. Basically, no matter where the anime can direct its attention, there’s satisfying gold to be found.
But for some reason, Demon Slayer doesn’t seem to be seeing what’s right in front of it. In each franchise, there’s likely going to be a lull or a point of no return. In order to avoid season 4 being the moment fans switch off, the show needs to cut back on the gimmicks and get straight into the heart of the story. If not? Goodbye renewal, hello cancellation.