A global phenomenon, the Demon Slayer anime debuted its season 3 premiere in theaters. The show, which originates from the hit manga, follows a boy named Tanjiro Kamado who becomes a demon slayer after his sister, Nezuko, becomes a demon herself. Tanjiro’s goal is to find a cure for Nezuko who, despite being a demon, shows restraint to hurt humans and particularly protects her brother.
Along the way, Tanjiro finds friends in other demon slayers within the Demon Slayer Corps, such as Zenitsu and Inosuke. Together, they take on demons and eventually find themselves up against some of the strongest demons—the Twelve Kizuki. Split between upper and lower ranks, the Twelve Kizuki are in direct order of the Demon King Muzan Kibutsuji.
After the turning of Nezuko, Tanjiro dedicates his life to killing Kibutsuji. Fortunately, he is not alone. At the top of the Demon Slayer Corps are the Hashira—the best/most skilled demon slayers in the corps. Together they battle and kill demons, aiming to wipe out the Twelve Kizuki and finish off the Demon King.
Demon Slayer Season 3 – spoiler free review
The Swordsmith Village arc kicks off with a bang, and being able to see this animation on the big screen is an absolute delight. Demon Slayer has never been a slouch on the animation side. The elements of blades slashing on our screens is beautiful to see. The world in this episode feels much grander than usual.
The stunning animation seen at the very beginning is a wonderful blend of classic 2D animation and modern 3D animated styles. The early settings are intentionally uneasy and distorting. The animators perfectly capture the upside down reality where the strongest of demons thrive.
This arc also has some of the funnier moments in the anime yet. Although fans of Inosuke and Zenitsu may be disappointed with the little amount of screen time the characters get, there is plenty of comedic relief to go around. We see minor returning characters get some spotlight in this premiere; offering some good chuckles throughout.
Demon Slayer leans on the typical anime and manga tropes at times. The visual gags of the single dotted eyes on Nezuko and Tanjiro never fail to lighten the mood. Plus, with the inclusion of the love Hashira, Mitsuri Kanroji, the show runners are not afraid to take a go at the somewhat elicit visuals she brings, that come straight off the pages.
The season starts off strong as it continues the longer, overarching, plot with Muzan Kibutsuji. It then lays the foundation of Tanjiro heading to the Swordsmith Village to get a new sword after his was chipped during the battle in the season 2 finale.
Though the hour plus long runtime of this cinematic event does include the final two episodes to season 2 (the Entertainment District arc), I believe it is worth seeing in theaters if you are a Demon Slayer fan. Being able to see the final battle of the Entertainment District arc on the big screen is really enjoyable and extraordinarily fun with the right crowd.
What makes Tanjiro Kamado a great character?
Tanjiro is one of those special characters that is easy to connect to. The thing that makes him great isn’t his battle skills, but his heart. Often times, I like to think of him as a Steve Rogers of this universe—a character who looks for the best in everyone.
After Nezuko turned into a demon, I was waiting for his character to snap. But that time for him to turn angry at the world and everything around him never came. Instead, he continues to show that his heart is always in the best place possible.
This is why Tanjiro is rapidly becoming one of my favorite characters, in any medium. He brings a hope and ideal to what you want your best self to be. Even when things get tough, and you fail at what you’re striving for, Tanjiro shows why nobody should ever give up, and to always keep fighting. He fights for his sister, his friends, and everyone else around him—never himself.
Demon Slayer is currently available on Crunchyroll and Hulu, with season 3 officially heading our way in April. Keep updated on the Agents of Fandom socials for more!
