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The road to a happy ending is paved in sorrow.
Guides by Trent Cannon,
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Why the finales of My Hero Academia, Jujutsu Kaisen, and One Piece feel like the end of an era in manga!
Season four ofDemon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba set the stage for one of the biggest endings in manga history. With the Infinity Castle Arc getting split into a trilogy of films, we’re in the homestretch in the war against Demon Lord Muzan. The story has had its ups and downs, but which Demon Slayer arcs are the best, and which aren’t really worth revisiting before the grand finale?
We’ll be tackling that very question here, with some warnings – we’ll be going beyond the anime and discussing some manga-only moments in this list so be ready for some spoilers if you’re not careful.
Every Demon Slayer arc, ranked
There are 12 arcs in the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba manga, with all but the final two already making their anime appearance. Some of them are blink-and-you’ll-miss-them moments while others are longer and more drawn out. All of them, however, contribute to the story of Demon Slayer so you shouldn’t try to skip any.
12. Kidnapper’s Bog Arc
We know we said you shouldn’t try skipping any Demon Slayer arcs, but we could make an exception for this one. It is the shortest arc in both the manga and the anime. Its only real accomplishment is to give you a general idea of what life as a Demon Slayer is like for Tanjiro and Nezuko, but it does so without any emotional or plot progression. There are some fun moments, like when Nezuko bursts out of her box and kicks a demon in the head, but this is really just two episodes of wasted potential.
11. Rehabilitation Training Arc
It is tough to knock this arc because it is the first time we get to see most of the Hashira on screen. These big, colorful characters are incredibly important to Demon Slayer’s story, but they don’t get to do much here beyond weighing up Nezuko’s fate. Beyond that, the arc spends a lot of time delving into the nature of breathing techniques and a bit of lore about the Demon Slayer Corps in general. It is fun to watch but it feels like it is mostly setting up the next big arc, Mugen Train.
10. Asakusa Arc
The best part of this arc happens right at the beginning as Muzan Kibutsuji, disguised as a human, transforms a passing human into a demon simply to distract Tanjiro. It is horrifying how simple the process is and how feral the demon immediately becomes, but the rest of the arc doesn’t live up to that moment. The fight at Tamayo’s mansion is fun but, again, just sets up bigger and better fights later in the series.
9. Final Selection Arc
This is the first arc of the series and, as such, it spends a lot of time with world-building. Establishing the fact that demons exist and there is an entire corps of Demon Slayers running around Taisho Era Japan. It also suffers from spending too much time on the tragic backstories of the demons Tanjiro kills, something that most Demon Slayer arcs are guilty of. Still, we love Urokodaki as a mentor and there is a genuine sense of danger in the Final Selection exam, making this a solid opening to the series.
8. Tsuzumi Mansion Arc
On the trail of the Upper Ranked demons, Tanjiro happens upon a mysterious mansion that is inhabited by demons. The demon at the heart of the ever-shifting mansion serves as a reminder of how strong demons can be – Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Zenitsu are barely able to take him down with their combined strength and he can’t compare to even the weakest of the Upper Ranked demons. This arc serves as a good introduction to Inosuke and Zenitsu, who will become Tanjiro and Nezuko’s closest allies, but their best work is still to come.
7. Mount Natagumo Arc
Demon Slayer loves to give its villains a tragic backstory, which shows the humanity that these demons once held, but it doesn’t always work as a storytelling device. The Mount Natagumo Arc, which follows a family of Spider Demons as they terrorize a mountainside, suffers the most from this trope, which is a shame because the horror elements of the rest of the story are fantastic to watch. The fights are intense and the monster designs are really fun – if the pacing was a bit better this would be a contender for the best Demon Slayer arc.
6. Hashira Training Arc
This arc was adapted into season four of the Demon Slayer anime and it does a lot of things right. We get to know the Hashira as a group for the first time, with the group taking on the task of training the rest of the Demon Slayer Corps ahead of the final confrontation with Muzan. It provides a unique take on the training arc that Shonen anime love so much, but there is a real sense that the manga is in a holding pattern, letting us come down from the epic highs of the Swordsmith Village Arc before the real fight begins.
5. Swordsmith Village Arc
As he seeks a replacement sword, Tanjiro journeys to the Swordsmith Village only to discover that it has been discovered by two Upper Ranked demons. The fights that follow are spectacular, but the highlight of the arch is Love Hashira Mitsuri Kanroji, who is as powerful as she is beautiful. The ending of this arc, which shows that Nezuko has developed the ability to survive in the sunlight, kicks off the final battle against Muzan that has been building all along.
4. Mugen Train Arc
There is a reason this arc was adapted into the highest-grossing Japanese movie of all time – it is a spectacle from start to finish. There are some pacing issues, with the Upper Three demon showing up at the last second to steal the show, but the visuals are worth the build-up. Plus, we absolutely love seeing Kyojuro Rengoku, the Flame Hashira, in action.
3. Infinity Castle Arc
We’ve had a few glimpses of the Infinity Castle before, but this is the first time the manga shows just how terrifying it is. With all of the Hashira and the Demon Slayer Corps in tow, Tanjiro and the others dive into the heart of Muzan Kibutsuji’s lair to face the Upper Ranked demons all at once. The fights are so harrowing that most will not survive the encounter, but the fate of the world rests on whether they can defeat the Demon Lord and his minions once and for all.
2. Entertainment District Arc
The bright lights of the Entertainment District make for one of the best fights of the entire series, with Tanjiro and his friends going undercover as women as they search for the wives of Sound Hashira Tengen Uzui and the demon at the heart of the recent disappearances. What follows is not just a great fight but a beautiful parallel for Tanjiro and Nezuko’s relationship. The demons, Gyutaro and Daki, are a dark reflection of the heroes, making this a tragic backstory that actually contributes to the story as a whole.
1. Sunrise Countdown Arc
Say what you want about Demon Slayer but it manages to save the best for last. Muzan Kibutsuji is the final enemy before the Demon Slayer Corps and their only hope is to hold him off until the sun finally rises. In an intense, emotional ending, Tanjiro becomes a demon himself, only to regain his humanity thanks to his sister and all his friends cheering him on. It is rare for the ending of a manga to be the best part of the series but Demon Slayer pulls it off.
Why the finales of My Hero Academia, Jujutsu Kaisen, and One Piece feel like the end of an era in manga!
Trent Cannon: Trent is a freelance writer who has been covering anime, video games, and pop culture for a decade. (He/Him)
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