REVIEW: ‘Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Hashira Training Arc’ — Episode 5

Tanjiro’s training with the Hashira continues as he and the rest of the Demon Slayer Corps prepare to face off against Muzan Kibutsuji. In Demon Slayer Season 4 Episode 5, “I Even Ate Demons,” Tanjiro heads to train with the Love Hashira, Mitsuri Kanroji.

The Hashira Training Arc has followed a pattern so far and Demon Slayer Season 4 Episode 5 is no different. Tanjiro reunites with an old friend who then trains him in their specific discipline. This episode opens with Tanjiro meeting Mitsuri and there is a cheerful reuniting. Mitsuri makes Tanjiro pancakes and feeds them to him. It’s a lighthearted intro to the next step of Tanjiro’s objective before the training begins.

Tanjiro and the other trainees are then forced to change into ballet uniforms and undergo dance training. While it is silly and a bit over the top, there is at least some semblance of an explanation. The idea is that they will fight better if they are more limber and flexible. It makes sense, but the tonal approach to the start of the episode is at odds with the high stakes set at the start of the season.

This is a trap Demon Slayer consistently falls into, but it gets more egregious as the season progresses. It is completely fine to have comedic relief in the midst of stress and grief, those moments can help break up the dourness and keep viewers and characters grounded and engaged. The problem is that too much of that can be incredibly grating.

Just when it seems like Demon Slayer Season 4 Episode 5 is going to be all fun and games, Tanjiro abruptly leaves Mitsuri to begin training with the Serpent Hashira Obanai Iguro. Obanai’s training consists of tying up trainees onto wooden posts and swinging swords through the small gaps left between them. This is a great test for Tanjiro because he cares so much about other people that he hesitates when their lives are in danger.

Seeing Tanjiro struggle is important because none of this is supposed to be easy for him. He is not an all-powerful Hashira, so he has to work extra hard to get up to their level. He is also learning to balance his selflessness with the ability to do whatever it takes to achieve his goal. Yes, he has to fight and be able to defeat powerful demons, but at the same time, he wants to protect the people he cares about in the process.

One of the better scenes in the episode is when one of the trainees asks Tanjiro why he is still working so hard when the others are taking a break. He responds that he doesn’t want to make trouble for the trainees, and his drive encourages them to continue training too. It is another chance for Tanjiro to inspire the people who are going to fight alongside him.

After training with Obanai, Tanjiro heads to train with the Wind Hashira Sanemi Shinazugawa. He meets Zenitsu along the way who, in typical Zenitsu fashion, is going absolutely overboard with his reaction to how challenging the training is. This is the first time during this arc that Tanjiro has been training alongside his friend, so it slightly mixes things up.

The problem is that, even with slight changes, it all feels so repetitive. The only difference here is they are training under a different Hashira, but the loop is still the same. Tanjiro joins other trainees with an impossible task, he keeps working hard to encourage them, and then they overcome the challenge. The purpose of their training gets pushed aside and the threat of Muzan Kibutsuji is virtually nonexistent

There are a few more emotional moments to help try to make this all feel important, like when Genya tells Sanemi that he ate demons to continue fighting. There is a dramatic confrontation where Tanjiro defends his friend and shows how powerful the training has made him. The issue is that this scene does not have any real consequences other than forcing Tanjiro to move on to a different Hashira. Nothing changes between Genya and his brother and it all just feels like pointless padding.

If there is any saving grace in Demon Slayer Season 4 Episode 5, it is in the visuals during the training scenes. The handful of fighting scenes during the training, specifically when Tanjiro is with Obanai, are incredibly satisfying to watch. Movements are fluid and exciting, making it a bummer to see so little of them. It would be nice to see more action so that ufotable can flex their creative muscle more.

Demon Slayer Season 4 Episode 5 is well-made but follows a familiar pattern that is starting to get exhausting. The stakes are supposed to be high, but it is hard to feel that pressure when the series does everything it can to avoid really focusing on it.

Demon Slayer Season 4 Episode 5 is streaming now on Crunchyroll, with new episodes every Sunday.