REVIEW: ‘Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Hashira Training Arc’ Is Unnecessarily Long But Delivers At The End

After the revelation that his sister Nezuko can walk in the sunlight, Tanjiro Kamado and the Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps must prepare to protect her from Muzan Kibutsuji. Demon Slayer Season 4 follows their training as they get ready for the final battle against the ultimate foe.

Demon Slayer Season 4 starts off by talking about the threat Kibutsuji poses. There are some harrowing battle sequences in the first episode where we get to see how dangerous this is going to be. Even members of the Hashira are not up to the task yet, so they have to train to get better.

If the Hashira are not strong enough, then the main protagonist Tanjiro certainly won’t be either. After recovering from his injuries sustained after beating two Upper Rank demons, Tanjiro sets off on a quest to train alongside the Hashira. It’s important to note that Tanjiro is not a Hashira himself, but he is a cut above the average Demon Slayer Corps member.

Tanjiro’s training follows a repetitive pattern in Demon Slayer Season 4. He arrives at a Hashira‘s home or training location, there are flashbacks about his interactions with them and their specific pasts, and then he has to overcome specific challenges. Along the way, he also inspires the average trainees fighting alongside him and pushes them to be the best they can be.

There are some really great character moments spread throughout that do help enhance the series. Seeing Tanjiro overcome challenges is good, but this season also serves as a way for him to find his place in the world. He is not as powerful as the Hashira, but people still look up to him. He realizes this and leans into it, motivating those around him.

Demon Slayer Season 4 also helps flesh out the Hashira. We get to see their own motivations and where they still need to improve heading into the fight with Kibutsuji. They are not perfect, powerful leaders. They have plenty of flaws too. The moments where we see these flaws may be limited, but it is great to see everyone involved improving along the way.

In and of itself, this pattern is totally fine. The issue is that six of the eight episodes are all virtually the same thing. The only difference is the Hashira Tanjiro is training with. That same repetitive pattern starts to get tiresome by the third time. By the sixth, it is almost entirely unbearable. Stories that take a while to develop can be great, but this season just feels like it is dragging on just to justify a few more episodes.

The attempts at comedy are particularly grating this season as well. The same bits are played out in several episodes, sometimes multiple times in the same episode. Just when things are supposed to be serious, there are sharp tonal shifts that completely take viewers out of what is happening. It is fine to have some levity in these serious moments, but the way Demon Slayer Season 4 does it is just egregious.

The one saving grace for the middling episodes is that they look good. The team at ufotable has always delivered great animation and there are some really beautiful moments interspersed throughout the season. The actual combat during training is fun to watch, even if there was not nearly enough of it shown.

Then, just as the series is starting to feel unwatchable, Demon Slayer Season 4 delivers a fantastic final episode that makes up for most of the sludge in the middle. The confrontation between Kibutsuji and Ubuyashiki in the final episode is incredibly dramatic and intense. The idea of what eternity really is and the two different philosophies is a great moment that drives the meaning of the series forward.

There is also some amazing combat between Kibutsuji and those allied against him. The final battle itself is still to come in a three-part movie series to wrap up the story, but the start is brutal. It is made clear, after so much time spent talking about it, that Kibutsuji really is as dangerous as he has always seemed.

Much of the build-up in Demon Slayer Season 4 was needed in order for the finale to pay off, but it did not need to be as long as it was. Fewer episodes would have helped with the pacing without taking away from the impact of the finale episode. Less focus on attempted comedy too would have made the journey more enjoyable, but the balance has always been off throughout the series.

Demon Slayer Season 4 really struggles throughout the season but does ultimately land the ending and sets up for an epic finale that will hopefully be more enjoyable than this season.

Demon Slayer Season 4 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.