‘Demon Slayer’ Season 4 Has Been Disappointing, but It Nails This Character

The Big Picture

• Season 4 of
  Demon Slayer
  begins slow but redeems itself with a jaw-dropping finale featuring Muzan’s true power.
• Fans finally get a taste of Muzan’s deadly strength as he faces off against the Hashira in a thrilling showdown.
• The “Hashira Training Arc” sets the stage for the upcoming “Infinity Castle Arc” trilogy, leaving viewers eager for more.

The ambitious animation studio Ufotable has made a groundbreaking achievement since its critically acclaimed diamond, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, became one of the best anime of the 2010s. Gifting fans of Koyoharu Gotouge‘s manga with stunning animation and impeccable voice acting, the series has released four action-packed seasons and a handful of spin-off movies. But even with its grand reputation, Season 4, the “Hashira Training Arc,” was surprisingly underwhelming until its final episode came to shock and awe.

The “Hashira Training Arc” marks the last season before Demon Slayer finally comes to a close with the recently announced film trilogy set for the “Infinity Castle Arc.” Unlike earlier arcs, Season 4 is disappointingly slow and tedious compared to its normal, thrilling pace. This time, the story shifts away from fighting to solely focus on Tanjiro and members of the Demon Slayer Corps’ special training under each of the Hashira. It becomes apparent that some episodes are purely fillers for an anime that is so rich in plot and adrenaline-fueled. However, Season 4’s finale, “The Hashira Unite,” saves the show by reminding us that Muzan Kibutsuji (Toshihiko Seki) is much more lethal than we thought.

Muzan Kibutsuji’s Startling Strength Redeems ‘Demon Slayer’ Season 4

The “Hashira Training Arc” picks up right where the “Swordsmith Village Arc” left off after Nezuko (Akari Kitō) has beaten the sun. Naturally, Tanjiro Kamado (Natsuki Hanae) requires intense healing time from his battle with Upper-Rank Four demon Hantengu in Season 3. But now, there’s an air of great concern lurking around the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters. Nezuko’s achievement of conquering the sun is the Demon King’s next object of desire, and the Hashira start preparations for the grand battle of defeating Muzan Kibutsuji once and for all!

To become stronger, fitter, and more agile, the Hashira agree to train the lower rank members through a series of specialized exercises. Season 4 mainly shows Tanjiro completing each stage of training, moving up the levels, and eventually graduating from the last course taught by the strongest Hashira, Gyomei Himejima (Tomokazu Sugita). Pacing-wise, the arc feels slow throughout the training sessions, failing to deliver any pivotal knowledge besides the intricate reveal of Gyomei’s backstory. While the electrifying anime does need moments of rest, the latest episodes are sprinkled with childish humor and skippable scenes, which all fail to move the story forward enough.

In spite of an overall bland Season 4, the finale turned things around with a jaw-dropping, near-perfect episode. Rather than turning out another filler, the last episode, “The Hashira Unite,” rescues the season with the long-awaited entrance of Muzan. When the Demon King finally discovers the location of Kagaya Ubuyashiki’s (Toshiyuki Morikawa) base, the fate of the Demon Slayer Corps’s leader looks rather grim. Muzan tries to intimidate Kagaya as they have a long discussion about the fate of demons and humans. Muzan’s immortality dream is revealed only before Kagaya unexpectedly bombs himself along with his family for the sake of the Hashira’s chance to swoop in.

What the final episode nails is reminding fans about the extent of Muzan’s great power and the fear he controls. Only an ounce of Muzan’s strength has been teased throughout Demon Slayer. The Demon King has been searching for the Blue Spider Lily, disguising himself as a husband and child, and taking demons under his wing for hundreds of years. Little is known of the extent of his skills until his origin story is revealed in Season 3, Episode 11, giving a glimpse of spine-chilling, murderous talents. The past seasons showcase the cold-hearted Muzan striking terror in his Twelve Kizuki by toying with their bodies with minimal effort; however, his true powers are kept in the dark.

The “Hashira Training Arc” finally gives fans a riveting taste of how deadly Muzan Kibutsuji is when the titular villain is temporarily shattered to pieces after Kagaya’s explosion. His body regenerates at an alarming rate, much faster than the third Upper Moon, Akaza, ever could. The first Hashira to attack the barely wounded Demon King is Gyomei, who manages to slice off Muzan’s head with one swing of his spiked flail. But the Demon Slayers soon realize that Muzan is just too strong to be killed by a beheading. The only way to defeat the Demon King is to fight him off until the sunrise.

The Final Episode Ignites the Torch for ‘Demon Slayer’s Infinity Castle Movie Trilogy

“The Hashira Unite” is the epic showdown the “Hashira Training Arc” needed to prove that Demon Slayer is still an anime of high praise. Towards the end of the episode, the Hashira unite at the destroyed Ubuyashiki Mansion, only to find Muzan partially paralyzed from a special blood art planned by Kagaya. Fire engulfs them, although just as their master predicted, the Demon Slayers are ready to take down the villain who started the years-long battle. But not everything goes to plan. Muzan seems to be at his weakest, so Tanjiro and the Hashira leap in together for an attack, falling for Muzan’s trick.

It turns out Muzan already knew the location of all the Hashira and demon slayers. The portal to the Infinity Castle opens underneath everyone, and the members forcefully plunge into the secret hideout, including Zenitsu (Hiro Shimono) and Inosuke (Yoshitsugu Matsuoka). It is unknown how Muzan controls the rate at which the Infinity Castle moves around, but he evidently can overpower the Corp with his knowledge of a layout so foreign to them. The final moments are all the more heart-stopping and nail-biting like the anime’s prior seasons. Muzan is shown to be unfazed, and the excitement of Tanjiro and the others stuck in his domain puts a wide smile on his face. The stakes are at the highest level imaginable, as the demon slayers are nearly oblivious to Muzan’s powers just as much as the viewers are.

Demon Slayer fans have been waiting for Muzan’s center stage for quite some time, and he emerged into the finale not only as the ultimate boss but as everyone’s worst nightmare. Fawning over a villain might not be super common, but Muzan Kibutsuji becomes the show stealer with his impenetrable strength and supreme scheme put into motion. The Demon King was always one step ahead of the demon slayers, making their fate in his domain terrifying to visualize. The impending greatness of the “Infinity Castle Arc” will only make Muzan’s character an even greater evil. Season 4 may have started out sluggish, but in its concluding minutes, the show lives up to the hype while leaving viewers impatient for the last trilogy of movies for the hallmark anime.

Demon Slayer is available to stream on Crunchyroll in the U.S.

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