Japan, Taisho era (1912-1926). The main character, Tanjiro Kamado, lives in a house on a mountain in the outback, is the eldest son and part-time head of the family, since his father died. Tanjiro has a mother, three brothers and two sisters, they earn from the production and sale of coal, and it is Tanjiro who sells it. One day, a teenager goes down to the village to sell coal, but ends up late and stays the night with an old man who persuaded him not to go home so as not to run into demons. Kamado does not believe in demons until he returns and sees that the demons have killed almost his entire family, leaving only his sister Nezuko alive, who retained human consciousness. After his sister’s failed attack on his brother, in which the demon hunter Giyu Tomioka intervened, and meeting with the swordsman trainer Sakonji Urokodaki, Tanjiro decides to find a means that will make Nezuko human again, and for this he needs to become a demon slayer.
History of creation
Demon Slayer Blade (or Demon Slayer) is a shonen manga in the fantasy action genre that was released from February 15, 2016 to May 18, 2020. Its author, Koyoharu Gotoge (pseudonym), began with short stories (one-shots) in a magazine, one of which, Kagarigari, became the basis for Blade. The manga was published in the Weekly Shonen Jump magazine, its first issue amounted to more than 3 million copies, which made the “Blade” one of the top sellers. In 2018, the studio ufotable announced the creation of an anime adaptation, directed by Haruo Sotozaki. With the release of the film adaptation, the total circulation of the manga exceeded 150 million, however, Gotoge did not stop there and, fueling the audience’s interest in the series, released short spin-offs in collaboration with illustrator Ryoji Hirano.
How many episodes and movies are there?
The Demon Slayer consists of 23 volumes (205 chapters). At the moment, based on the manga, a series of the same name has been released, consisting of 55 episodes (the first episode was released on April 23, 2019, the last on June 11, 2023), each averaging 23 minutes, and three films: “Kimetsu no Yaiba: Kyoudai no Kizuna ”, 2019, “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train”, 2021, “Kimetsu no Yaiba: Katanakaji no Sato-hen”, 2023. Although the manga is completed, Haruo Sotozaki announced the continuation of the series, because not all volumes were embodied on the screen.
Arches
An arc is a series, scenes or episodes that are sequentially connected by a plot. Within the framework of one story, there can be several arcs, as for the “Blade”, where every few consecutive episodes are one storyline. There are several such arcs: final selection (episodes 1-5, setting, Tanjiro trains and enters the Demon Slayer Corps), swamp of kidnappers (episode 6-7, Tanjiro’s first task), Asakusa (episode 8-10, Tanjiro goes on a mission to a busy Tokyo area), Tsuzumi Mansion (episode 11-14, Tanjiro and Zenitsu fight the demon in the revolving house), Mount Natagumo (episode 15-21, Tanjiro fights the spider demons and goes on the trail of Muzan Kibutsuji, who may know how to help Nezuko), recovery training (episode 22-26, Tanjiro’s trial and mastering the breath of full concentration), Endless Train (episode 27-33, fighting demons on the train where everyone falls asleep, Tanjiro meets his family), Red Light District (34-44 series, Tanjiro and his friends go to the quarter of corrupt women, where people began to disappear) and the village of Blacksmiths (episode 45-55, the battle between Tanjiro and the demon Gyutaro). The last two by the release date of the film one way or another almost completely repeat the arcs of the same name, and “The Bond of Brother and Sister” – the arc of the final selection.
How to watch?
Since the films differ little from the corresponding series, except for some details, for a more complete immersion, we recommend watching them not after the series, but during. Thus: episodes 1-5, Brother and Sister Bonds, episodes 6-33, Endless Train, episodes 34-45, Blacksmith Village. When re-watching anime, you can experiment and watch films before the accompanying arcs in the series (in this case, “Infinite Train” is best watched between episodes 27 and 28) or even start films after the series.
Enjoy watching!
- The Final Selection Arc – Episodes 1-5
- Kidnapper’s Bog Arc – Episodes 6-7
- Asakusa Arc – Episodes 8-10
- Tsuzumi Mansion Arc – Episodes 11-14
- Mount Natagumo Arc – Episodes 15-21
- Rehabilitation Training Arc – Episodes 22-26
- Mugen Train Arc – Episode 27
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train
- Mugen Train Arc, continued – Episodes 28-33
- Entertainment District Arc – Episodes 34-44
- Demon Slayer: Kimestu no Yaiba – To The Swordsmith Village
- To the Swordsmith Village Arc – Episodes 45 – 55
