Demon Slayer – Season 2 (Mugen Train Arc) Episodes Ranked

After many years of waiting patiently, Demon Slayer Season 2 finally released on Netflix. It had a bit of a slow start, but it was oh so worth it by the end. How would I rank every episode?

As a point of reference, I haven’t seen the Mugen Train movie – although I think it’s pretty much exactly the same thing.

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OK

7 – Deep Sleep (Ep 2)

The real first episode of the Mugen Train arc, and it wasn’t what I hoped it would be.

Tanjiro and the gang interacting with Rengoku for the first time is fun, but it goes on for waaaaay too long and their reactions were far too over-the-top. I get that it was just an exaggerated dream sequence, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.

Good

6 – Should Have Been (Ep 3)

Once the dreaming began, the Mugen Train arc started to get far more interesting.

It’s fascinating to see inside the psyche of these characters, and the visuals could be phenomenal. Same as with “Deep Sleep”, it still feels like the story beats are being dragged out way too much.

5 – Insult (Ep 4)

Some more dream drama, and it starts to get properly good.

Tanjiro needing to kill himself to get out of the dream is an incredibly dark turn, and the reveal that the demon has infested the entire train is a shocking one.

Great

4 – Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku (Ep 1)

A season opener that didn’t focus on Tanjiro and the gang at all was a bold move, but Rengoku is charismatic enough to carry the episode on his back.

It’s a really fun vignette to kick things off, with some great action scenes and character-building moments. It’s a shame the pace slowed right down after this, but the beginning was great.

3 – Move Forward! (Ep 5)

The culmination of four episode’s worth of story, Tanjiro and Inosuke finally getting the better of the sleep demon was a sight to behold.

Inosuke stopping Tanjiro from accidentally killing himself in the real world was an underrated moment, and the visual spectacle of the train’s neck being sliced didn’t disappoint. I was surprised, therefore, when there were still two episodes to go. Speaking of which …

Amazing

2 – Akaza (Ep 6)

The final two episodes were when the Mugen Train Arc went from decent to utterly jaw-dropping.

Akaza, the Upper Three Demon, comes out of nowhere, and his fight with Rengoku has some of the best choreography and visuals I’ve even seen. Both sides bring their A-game, and the animators show off all of the demonic and flame abilities.

“Akaza” was the episode that reminded me why I love this show so much. You can feel the immense creativity in every frame, and the storytelling is next-level. Most people would likely rank this first, but there’s one other episode I enjoyed even more.

1 – Set Your Heart Ablaze (Ep 7)

“Akaza” may have provided the blood-pumping action, but it was “Set Your Heart Ablaze” that had the drama and the heart.

Rengoku’s sacrifice is bittersweet, and his words of wisdom to Tanjiro really tugged on my heartstrings. The true stand-out, however, is Tanjiro himself – his cry to Akaza, labelling the demon a coward and praising Rengoku’s victory, is probably my favourite Demon Slayer moment thus far, and the voice acting really hit me in my core. Anime at its very best.

Season Rating: B+

There was a bit of a lull near the start, but once the Mugen Train Arc picked up it became an incredible spectacle. Season 3 can’t drop on Netflix sooner!

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