The “Hashira Training” Arc is the calm before the storm – I knew going into it that it was a big set-up before the final battle, so I kept my expectations low. As a result, I had a decent time with this solid batch of episodes.
Some parts were definitely better than others, though – how would I rank all eight episodes?
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OK
8 – To Bring a Smile to One’s Face (Ep 4)
None of the episodes this arc were bad, but a lot of them blended together into a forgettable mush – so much so that picking a least favourite episode proved quite the challenge.
I guess I’d pick episode four which saw Tokito training the corps members a bit too hard. The paper airplane competition was nice, albeit a bit random.
7 – The Strongest of the Demon Slayer Corps (Ep 6)
The Stone Hashira’s endurance training was by far the least entertaining of the lot, seeing Tanjiro and company (now joined by Inosuke once again) standing around for minutes at a time.
Tanjiro moving the boulder was a good scene, but the real kicker was the reveal that the demons have been tracking corps members in secret.
6 – Fully Recovered Tanjiro Joins the Hashira Training!! (Ep 3)
Tanjiro returns to training, and the first bout of trials come from ex-Hashira (and one of my favourite characters) Tengen Uzui.
It’s a fairly tame episode, but I liked the end scene where the corps rally behind Tanjiro during their fight with Tengen.
Good
5 – Water Hashira Giyu Tomioka’s Pain (Ep 2)
The second episode of the season slowed things down dramatically, but I enjoyed the focus on Giyu’s backstory.
Tanjiro bugging Giyu was lots of fun, and the revelation that Giyu’s childhood best friend died in Final Selection was heart-breaking.
4 – I Even Ate Demons (Ep 5)
In a season as slow as this, I think “I Even Ate Demons” suffers from having too much going on in quick succession.
Tanjiro completes Kanroji’s flexibility training, then Iguro’s sword-precision training, but can’t complete Shinazugawa’s training as he gets kicked out for protecting Genya. Zenitsu returns too, which I was a bit mixed on as he’s not my favourite character.
These were all good scenes and ideas, don’t get me wrong, but they crammed it all in too quickly and didn’t give it the breathing room it deserved.
3 – Stone Hashira Gyomei Himejima (Ep 7)
It’s backstory time again – this time we find out Stone Hashira Gyomei Himejima raised orphans, is blind, and killed his first demon bare-handed to protect a little girl. What a badass.
There’s also a brief Giyu vs Shinazugawa spar, Zenitsu receives a secret message that dampens his mood, and Muzan infiltrates the Ubuyashiki residence to set up the big finale.
2 – To Defeat Muzan Kibutsuji (Ep 1)
“To Defeat Muzan Kibutsuji”, the opening episode of the arc, peaked early with Shinazugawa’s and Iguro’s demon assault. The animation is superb, and the Infinity Castle tease got me excited.
In the rest of the episode the Hashira try to get marks and begin their training regiments, Tengen Uzui makes a triumphant return, and Lady Tamayo is asked to help in the battle against Muzan.
Amazing
1 – The Hashira Unite (Ep 8)
As soon as “The Hashira Unite” finished, I rushed to YouTube to watch everyone else’s reactions. That’s how you know you’ve got a banger episode.
I loved every minute of it, from the opening confrontation between Muzan and Ubuyashiki to the twist ending that saw everyone get pulled into the Infinity Castle. The next arc can’t come soon enough.
Season Rating: C
I’m not going to pretend this was a strong season (in fact, it was the weakest arc by a country mile), but it was a necessary step in the story and I enjoyed certain parts of it.
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Matt Has An Opinion 
I do agree that this is one of the weaker seasons (especially since only a handful of chapters were adapted). I’m also curious about your thoughts that the final arc will be a movie trilogy starting later this year
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I haven’t read the manga so I don’t know what the Infinity Castle Arc entails, but I’m not necessarily opposed to a movie trilogy. I trust the producers and animators to make each film worthwhile – the only problem will be the agonising wait between installments!
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