Demon Slayer: A training arc that stretches too far

2024 has brought us some memorable anime renewals, and while Demon Slayer's latest season might not take the top spot, it remains a fan favourite. The fourth season focuses on the elite warriors, known as the 'Hashira', as they strive to reach their full potential, while others work to become stronger in preparation for the final battle against the demons. Fittingly, this season is titled the 'Hashira Training Arc.'

If someone wanted to simplify it, they could say this season is all about the main character, Kamado Tanjiro, training alongside others and the Hashira to get stronger, which perfectly sums it up. Although this part of the story was relatively brief in the manga, covering just a few chapters, Studio Ufotable extended it into a full 10-hour season.

In this season, we see Tanjiro training under the guidance of Giyu, Obanai, Sanemi, Muichiro, and other Hashira. The season also delves into the backstories of various characters, adding some depth to what could otherwise be a thin plot. Surprisingly, these additions are enjoyable and don't feel like a waste of time.

One of the key appeals of Koyoharu Gotoge's *Demon Slayer* manga is its concise and fast-paced narrative, focusing on the major moments without dragging on. In contrast, Ufotable's anime adaptation has stretched brief and ordinary scenes into visually stunning displays, though the show sometimes struggles to offer more than just spectacle. The previous season extended its runtime with prolonged fight scenes filled with visual effects and chaotic camera work that made the action hard to follow.

As the series approaches its end, Ufotable has opted to expand the calm before the storm, rather than limiting it to a brief training montage at the start of a grand action sequence. 

While the Hashira Training Arc had the potential to provide more insight into the elite Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps before their likely demise in the upcoming arc, this opportunity is mostly squandered. Aside from two exceptions, we learn little about most of the Hashira. The episode centered on Himejima, the Stone Hashira, at least offers a dramatic flashback, though the show's reliance on flashbacks has become increasingly predictable.

Giyu's flashback, on the other hand, ties back to the first season in an interesting way, reintroducing one of the series' earliest tragic characters, Sabito. But the bulk of the season is spent on repetitive training montages between Tanjiro and the Hashira, most of whom remain as one-dimensional as their breathing techniques. 

This doesn't even touch on the unnecessary mini-quests Tanjiro takes on to cheer up Hashira, like challenging Tokito to a paper plane contest to make him more friendly toward the other recruits. When half an episode is dedicated to two characters folding paper and tossing air planes, it's a clear sign that the show is stretching things too far.

If 'Demon Slayer' had a more developed ensemble cast, the slice-of-life approach in the Hashira Training Arc might have been more engaging, similar to how 'Jujutsu Kaisen' could have benefited from such an approach between Seasons 1 and 2. 
However, with the focus mainly on Tanjiro and minimal character development for others—many of whom were quickly killed off—the arc feels like too little, too late. It's especially frustrating that Nezuko, the character needing more focus, is barely present.

Nezuko only appears briefly in that episode, delivering just seven words of dialogue, most of which are played for humor. Despite being portrayed as a crucial character throughout four seasons, 'Demon Slayer' repeatedly fails to show why Nezuko matters or to deepen our connection to her.

In the finale, we finally see the main antagonist, Muzan Kibutsuji, take action. However, instead of an epic battle, we get a prolonged, visually stunning yet ultimately pointless sequence of Muzan slowly making his way to the Demon Slayer Corps leader's house, showcasing wasted potential.