“Blade of demon destruction”, did you know that’s what “Kimetsu no Yaiba” actually means, sounds dramatic and intense right? Well, it actually is, In fact, ‘Demon Slayer’ is one of the most intense and fanatic anime of its era. I don’t know how many times I’ve persuaded my friends and colleagues by using the same sentences “Bro you must watch this” or “Bro this is something you can’t miss”.
Because it is so good. For starters, unlike traditional anime, you won’t have to wait for ten episodes to get hooked. Initial 5 minutes into the first episode, and you wouldn’t want to move an inch after that. And that’s what happened to me when I started to watch Demon Slayer. Before I could realize it, I binge-watched the whole season.
ALSO READ: Want to read Jujutsu Kaisen manga online? Here are the best platforms
Demon Slayer: A basic overview
Okay! Let’s talk about it: Demon Slayer is the first anime series to sit in the top 10 positions for Oricon’s manga chart. Furthermore, it was the second best manga selling for 2019, wherein around 10.8 copies were sold worldwide. The plot of this animated series revolves around Tanjiro Kamado and his sister Nezuko Kamado. It starts unfolding from the very first episode, and will take you on a roller coaster ride.
As if this was not enough, you will experience a visual orgasm with its euphoric graphics, especially in fighting scenes. The director and animators used and interspersed every element (earth, water, fire, air) scrupulously so that it will give you a visual orgasm (chuckles…). There are so many things I wanna talk about right now. But I’m trying really hard not to reveal much about the story and plot (ahhhhhh…). Anyway, let’s talk about the history first.
History of Demon Slayer (from where it all started)
Demon Slayer is not only a fantasy but set veraciously by writers with real Japanese history. Coming back to the topic, it all began in the Heian Era nearly a thousand years ago. A common man who was barely clinging to life due to a terminal disease gave up all hopes of living a normal life until a mysterious doctor started experimenting with medicines made of extremely rare Blue Spider Lily.
But the young man had no patience to wait and see the results of the medication. He wanted to be up and about as quickly as possible. For that, he killed the doctor who was treating him. After that, he realized immediately after that the medication was not only working but gave him horrifying and mysterious powers which lead him to be the ultimate evil of the Demon Slayer world, ‘Muzan Kibutsuji’.
Then came his hunger for supreme immortality
Muzan was nearly immortal except for the fact that he couldn’t withstand sunlight. He started his expedition of searching for Blue Spider Lily and simultaneously spreading his monstrosity in the world of humans. He also created more demons , hoping to achieve the only thing, ‘power to withstand sunlight’, which will make him truly immortal by all means.
After all the havoc reigned by Muzan, humans finally decided to fight back, but they were far from standing firm in front of a cunning and malevolent enemy like Muzan Kibutsuji. Therefore, Yorichika Ubuyashiki (who is the grandfather of Tanjiro Kamado) finally created the first ever breathing style, ‘Water Breathing,’ which was used to fight demons (as per the manga).
Turned out this was not enough to defeat all the demons, then appeared a mysterious but apocryphal swordsman ‘Yoriichi Tsugikuni’ known for his exceptional & nonpareil abilities, who created the infamous ‘Sun Breathing’ technique (which was later called the mother of all breathing techniques since it was the most powerful one). Yoriichi then created a powerful group named ‘Demon Slayer Corps’. This was the first time ever in history that humankind had the upper hand against Muzan Kibutsuji.
What is so special about Demon Slayer?
Apart from an enthralling storyline, makers invested a whopping amount of US$80,000 – $90,000 (¥9-10 million) per episode for season 2, which is way higher than the traditional way of anime making. And these are not just the numbers we are talking about; you can clearly see a huge difference in visuals, too. Isn’t that something?
Well, that’s exactly the reason why Demon Slayer looks outlandish: multi-layer animation, pro-longed fighting scenes with vigorous colors, and meticulous backgrounds. Not only that, but this animation style is also known for its fluid and fierce fighting scenes, wherein creators have used all the elements like earth, fire, water, and air. Surplus, the visuals maintain a lot of attention to the details with a great sense of stability throughout the series, and that’s what creates an immersive experience for cinema nerds.
Famous Characters from Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
There are SO MANY! This anime series boasts a lot of diverse and captivating characters, and you can’t really pin down one character, so we decided to go with multiple characters (big smirk…); if you go into the detail, you can make separate series on each individual with their seat arresting screen presence and personalities.
Inosuke Hashibira
To be honest, he is one of my favorite characters in the whole series; he is tough, resilient, and might seem a bit eccentric at first glance, but wait until he unleashes his full potential; that definitely will take you by surprise. In fact, Inosuke seems insensitive and has a big mouth, but somehow, it rubs off on you and starts growing on you, and before you realize you’d wanna see more of it. I think one of the biggest reasons is his comical timing and big mouth yet innocent dialogue throughout, even during intense battles (yes, I have a wicked sense of humor, too :D…).
Yoriichi Tsugikuni
Suddenly, this is intense now, well, that’s exactly what you gonna feel the moment you hear this name while watching the show because, as I mentioned earlier, he created the “Sun Breathing” (the mother of all breathing). Additionally, he is the only one who ever came close to beating Muzan Kibutsuji without breaking a sweat. Although there is a lot of mystery around this name, slight glimpses of the past, which you will see every now and then in the series, along with what he was capable of, will definitely give chills down your spine.
Nezuko Kamado
Damnn, she is cute! That’s usually the first reaction :D. For an introduction, she is the sister of our leading character “Tanjiro Kamado”. Though she might seem like a sidekick at first, trust me, she is on a completely different level when it comes to determination and compassion. Despite witnessing the horror caused by Muzan and being cursed to be a demon herself, she has never attempted to feed on human flesh, which seems to be the favorite food of demons; instead, she decided to fight against demons with her brother Tanjiro.
Kyojuro Rengoku
This character had a very short screen time but his passion for life took all the limelight in season two. Rengoku’s sheer determination towards his duties and protecting his loved ones will leave one in awe. On the other end, his demise while fighting Upper Moon Rank 3 “Akaza” has to be the most heart-wrenching scene in the entire anime series, which will stay with you till the end. Rengoku gracefully embraced death with a broad smile on his face just by knowing the fact that he was able to protect his juniors (whispering – the rumor is, “the creators killed his character due to high-end graphics”, that can’t be true, right?).
Tanjiro Kamado
Our main protagonist is a pure gentleman with tremendous capabilities and “Hanafuda” earrings (I’ll leave this one for your guys to watch). If I ever have to explain what sheer will can do, I will suggest you watch Tanjiro’s character because even after being scolded and beaten down so many times, this guy doesn’t give up. On top of that, unlike other demon slayers, Tanjiro understands demons’ emotions, too; yes! He kills them but with utter kindness. To sum it up, Tanjiro is one of the characters who sees good in everything and everyone.
What’s happening right now?
Recently, creators have released “Swordsmith Village Arc,” which is the 9th story arc of “Demon Slayer”. The first episode was a banger with a screen time of about 1 hour, which was released in theatres worldwide due to the hype of last season’s final fight (Gyutaro vs. Tengen), many anime fans called it the fight of the decade or the best fighting sequence in anime, in my opinion, the fighting sequence lived up to the hype and we would love to see more of it.
Currently, our lead character, Tanjiro Kamado, and his demon sister, Nezuko Kamado, travel to Swordsmith Village to repair his damaged sword, where Tanjiro encounters the mist hashira Muichiro Tokito and the infamous love hashira Mitsuri Kanroji. The moment we thought finally some peace for our main protagonist, a different chain of events began, and before you realized it, the village was under attack by upper moon demons.
By the way, just before the attack, Tanjiro finds something prodigious, a doll with six arms. It was made 300 years ago in the image of Yorrichi Tsugikuni himself. I leave the rest for you guys to watch because not everything can be defined by words. Additionally, towards the end of Swordsmith Village Arc, Nezuko could not only speak but grew resistant to sunlight, which definitely caught Muzan’s attention.
Future of Demon Slayer
Since Muzan knows that Nezuko can withstand sunlight, he is going to chase her down. This will definitely make Tanjiro’s life tougher than before, as if it’s not already. Things will only get intense and mean from where we see them right now.
Though the recent manga chapter of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba brought out the long-awaited prodigious ending. However, it also suggested a new storyline wherein we see that all of the characters from the first 204 chapters have already re-incarnated in their native families and are living a peaceful live in modern Tokyo, in fact, our beloved Tanjiro Kamado has re-incarnated as Sumihiko Kamado with the same look and scar.
There is no confirmation about the spin-off yet however it definitely opens up a lot of space for debate. In my opinion, something is cooking for sure, and as you see the same look and scars it only indicates their hidden powers as they had in previous lives. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind a modern-day spin-off for Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.
Conclusion
Although the manga has ended for the stupendous Demon Slayer anime series. And there is no official date for the next season. Just like you all, I’m still waiting for the Demon Slayer Season 4, expected to debut in 2024. After reading and watching Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, I’ve come to realize the value of seeing the good in everyone every time. Another takeaway for me was the meaning of friendships and relationships in life. It is far greater than we realize (trying not to cry in my article…). I will conclude it by saying that “this anime is prodigious and will stay with you for a very long time in a positive manner”.
