Highlights
- New season of Demon Slayer starts off with Lady Tamayo making a dangerous decision to join forces against Muzan.
- Viewers get a glimpse of the new intro and ending themes by My First Story x Hyde, showcasing exciting training sequences.
- Tanjiro’s meeting with Giyu reveals emotional turmoil and personal stakes behind the actions of Demon Slayer Corps members.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Demon Slayer episode 57, “Water Hashira Giyu Tomioka’s Pain” available to stream on Crunchyroll.
The new season of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba begins in earnest this week on Crunchyroll. While the hour-long season premiere technically was released last week, in some ways it was a holder from something fans already saw if they attended Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba – To the Hashira Training movie that was released a few months ago in theaters.
Chances are, many Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba fans did opt to buy movie tickets for that, and thus the wait for new content was extended. We are now at the point where all the viewers are on the same page, so let’s see what the show has to give.
An Ominous Note
The episode opens with Lady Tamayo being confronted by the crow at the end of the previous episode. He informs her of the current situation with Nezuko, the Demon Slayer Corps, and asks if she will join them in their effort to defeat Muzan. While her servant feels this is not a great idea, Tamayo is wise enough to see that this time is different: Muzan will no longer hide in the shadows now that he knows Nezuko can not be hurt by the sun. This is the last thing he needs to be immortal, so the stakes are high. Despite knowing that this will be dangerous, she tells her servant to pack up; the two of them will be making a journey to meet up with the Demon Slayer Corps.
New Theme Song
This is also where viewers get to see the new intro, Mugen by My First Story x Hyde. My First Story x Hyde also performs the ending theme Tokoshie. Predictably, the opening theme shows a lot of training sequences (both the mundane and the sword play variety). Muzan is also featured heavily, as major confrontations with a couple of major characters are teased at. The ending sequence looks at more atmosphere shots like a burning candle and the training building, before focusing on the (now larger) cast of characters.
No Training for Tanjiro Yet
Though many of the other members of the Demon Slayer Corps have started their training, Tanjiro (who has just recovered from his most recent battle) won’t be joining them just yet. He has received a letter from Kagaya, who is now so sick in bed that he can no longer move. Kagaya asks in his letter that Tanjiro is to go meet with Giyu. The purpose of the meeting is to recruit Giyu for training purposes, and see if he will join them for the final battle against Muzan. While Giyu is aware of the conflict that is taking place, he refuses to head back for training. He is primarily concerned that there is no Water Hashira to guard his temple. Thus, in his mind, he can not afford to leave.
Things Are More Complicated Than that Though
Turns out, the real reason Giya doesn’t want to join the training is that he feels he is not a worthy enough swordsman to join the Demon Slayer Corps. Years ago, he failed to protect someone who was close to him (and someone who viewers from the first season may recognize), and he has had sevear survivors guilt ever since. He doesn’t feel that as someone who failed to protect his friend was worthy of being trained with the Demon Slayer Corps, and believes he is unworthy to be given the chance at passing Final Selection. Tanjiro assures Giya that they have more in common than he realizes; for Tanjiro also feels like a failure, but that he must continue to do right by the people he failed so long ago.
Still Lite on Action
Aside from some of the brief action sequences that take place during Giya’s flashback, this is another episode that may try to the patience of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba fans. Thankfully, the character development is strong with this one, as we not only find out more about a character that has largely been in the background, but we find out the surprising connection between said character and Tanjiro. These revelations show that the franchise not only excels as an excellent action series, but as an effective character drama as well. It’s episodes like these that Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba fans secretly cling to, because the characters aren’t mere characters: they feel like real people we would love to know in real life.
Despite how much we have commented on the lack of action in this new season so far, it is a good reminder that once in a while, it is good to slow things down and remind ourselves that there are personal and emotional stakes at play here. Some of the final revelations are especially poignant, and fans of the series thus far should greatly appreciate them. There is a sense by some fans that this season may be slowing down too much. However, for those who love these characters more than the action, they are in for a nice surprise with this episode.
New episodes of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
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