Highlights

• Demon Slayer Season 4 sets the stage for the Hashira Training Arc, building anticipation for bigger battles ahead.
• Muzan's plan to devour Nezuko adds urgency to the Demon Slayer Corps' training as a major conflict looms.
• Despite the slow pace of its debut, Demon Slayer still has viewers excited for what's to come, with hints of new action on the horizon.

WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Demon Slayer episode 56, “To Defeat Muzan Kibutsuji” available to stream on Crunchy Roll.

When it comes to anticipating new seasons of hit anime, few are as eagerly anticipated as Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. A smash hit whose popularity exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic, each new season has been more anticipated than the last. This season is no different, as it marks the beginning of the Hashira Training Arc.

While each new season promises bigger, more elaborate action sequences than the last, viewers may want to temper their expectations a bit here (despite it being a double-length premiere).

Previously on Demon Slayer…

The previous season finale ended with Tanjiro saving the Swordsman Village from a gang of demons. During this confrontation, it is discovered that Nezuko is immune to sunlight and therefore no longer needs to be kept in the box during the day. What's more, she is learning to speak a little more and has been fully accepted as a member of the Demon Slayer Corp. Armed with a new sword, it is decided by the Demon Slayer Corp that this is now their best chance to defeat Muzan once and for all, but they will need more proper training to do so.

The configuration

What the Demon Slayer Corps don't know (though they have suspicions) is that Muzan is now fully aware of Nezuko's power. Having lived in the shadows for generations, his last major obstacle to becoming invincible is being immune to the sun. Now that he is aware of Nezuko's immunity, he makes it his mission to devour her and become the strongest demon in the world. Now it is time for the Demon Slayer Corps to become strong enough to defeat Muzan when the inevitable attack comes.

Training begins

The first episode of the show is titled To defeat Muzan Kibutsuji. And while that title might suggest a big showdown with the series' main antagonist, the reality is that it's more of a promise of something that will (hopefully) happen next season. That's not to say that the episode doesn't start off with some intrigue, as we begin the story with Wind Hasira Sanemi and Serpent Hashiro Obanai (two members of the Demon Slayer Corp) investigating what appears to be an abandoned castle. Once inside, however, they discover that the castle is infested with many of Muzan's demons, and an epic battle ensues. As the battle ends, a woman who may have important information about the demons is discovered, and they must decide what to do with her.

At the Demon Slayer Corp headquarters, Shinobu is talking to the other demon slayers while Tanjiro recovers. They recognize that while Nezuki is a good asset to the Corps, she will become a target for Muzan. It is decided that more training will be needed to better prepare the new recruits for the upcoming battle. Even though several high-level demons have been killed, the costs have been high and Shinobu is unsure if they will survive a large-scale attack. For now, preparations must begin if they are to withstand Muzan's next attack.

Later, with Tanjiro recovering, it's time to start training. Before you get too excited, know that they're going over the basics: running, climbing, and basic sparring. There are no new attacks learned or anything major. Viewers are basically watching the characters go through training in the second half of this double-episode premiere.

Why does this look familiar…?

For those of you who are thinking “This all sounds familiar,” it is. If you are one of the fans who went out to see Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – For Hashira training in theaters, so (minus a new animated scene here and there) you've already seen it. For viewers who have seen the movie, you won't be getting a true new episode of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba for another week. This is the downside of these compilation films: you have to wait a little longer to get the new stuff.

To conclude

Despite a really cool action scene at the beginning of the episode (a sequence that was NOT in the manga, it's worth mentioning), the season premiere of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba It’s a very slow setup. Plus, anyone who saw the movie a few months ago knows that this won’t be the only one. The opening was probably added to spruce up an episode that was largely just a bunch of characters sitting around talking about something that’s going to happen. Look, we’re not going to say it doesn’t have its place, but office meetings are pretty exciting in the real world; they’re not much better in a fantasy world, either.

That said, despite the slower-than-usual pacing, the episode still does a good job of building anticipation for what’s to come. The question that has to be asked is how much build-up will we get? By necessity, the Hashira Training Arc was the slowest arc in the manga. While this is intentional, one has to wonder how this will play out in anime form (especially if the rumors of filler episodes come to fruition in an attempt to extend the anime’s life). This isn’t a bad The way the season started is underwhelming in itself, and fans may need to be prepared that the next big action sequences could be a long way off.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Season 4 can be streamed on Crunchy Roll