Why This Demon Slayer Arc Is the Anime's Best (2024)

The breathtaking adventure of Demon Slayer features a handful of short but exciting story arcs as protagonist Tanjiro Kamado treks across Taisho-era Japan to find a cure for his sister Nezuko's demonic status. Each story arc in Demon Slayer has plenty to offer, including meaningful stakes and drama, cool new characters, and, of course, excellent action sequences. One of the first standout story arcs was the Mugen Train arc, where Kyojuro Rengoku died fighting Akaza, but the next arc managed to be even better.

The Entertainment District story arc was the second half of the anime's second season, and it had everything that makes the Demon Slayer anime so interesting. The Entertainment District story arc ushered in some incredible characters, had an astonishing and well-animated final battle, and even expanded on the anime's world and combat system in simple yet effective new ways with Tengen Uzui and his three kunoichi wives. All that set a high bar that the Swordsmith Village arc didn't clear, and Season 4's arc must pull out all the stops if it's going to top the Entertainment District arc.

Tengen Uzui and His Three Wives Were a Welcome & Fascinating Inclusion to Demon Slayer

It's normal for shonen action anime series to regularly expand upon their combat systems to add new weapons, new techniques, and more to keep things fresh and fun. Demon Slayer does that slowly but surely by introducing new breathing techniques with flashy visuals to match. In the Entertainment District story arc, Tengen Uzui marked the debut of Sound Breathing as a flashy Hashira, but that wasn't his only trick.

Tengen wasn't just a trained swordsman like the other Hashira — he was also a trained ninja, providing a whole new way for people like him to fight demons and other foes. Tengen and his three kunoichi wives Makio, Suma, and Hinatsuru used all kinds of weapons and cunning stealth/trickery to get the edge on Daki and Gyutaro, which the Upper Moon 6's members were not ready for.

Tengen's unique fighting style made him a crafty and skilled investigator while searching the crowded entertainment district for the Upper Moon 6, making him the perfect man for the job, even more so than more skilled or stronger Hashira like Gyomei Himejima. For once, it took more than swordsmanship and shonen-style grit to take down a Kizuki — Demon Slayer's heroes needed ninja skills, giving the Entertainment District a fresh feel to it.

Also, some flashbacks showed what a unique culture the ninjas of Japan have, being reclusive shinobi clans who, by tradition, reduce women to male ninjas' assistants and child-bearers. Tengen, being a good-hearted shonen hero, defied that system and treated his beloved wives as equals and friends, not just living tools. For all his arrogant flashiness and his temper, Tengen was a noble hero, just like Tanjiro himself.

Demon Slayer's Heroes Showed New Levels of Strength in the Entertainment District Arc

As expected, the shonen protagonists of Demon Slayer get stronger, tougher, and more skilled with each passing story arc to entertain viewers and create a sense of progress. Tanjiro practically broke the internet when he first used the Hinokami Kagura technique while fighting Rui in Mount Natagumo's forest, and he and his friends showed a new level of teamwork when they took on Enmu, the Lower Moon 1, in the Mugen Train story arc.

However, Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke needed Kyojuro Rengoku to finish the fight for them when Akaza, the wicked villain, showed up, so Tanjiro stopped growing for a moment and became an observer. Such was not the case in the excellent Entertainment District story arc, where Tanjiro and his friends were in the thick of the action from start to finish, with or without Tengen and his wives to back them up. Not only did the heroes deal the final blow alongside Tengen to show their ever-greater strength, they pushed their respective techniques to the next level.

Tanjiro, for example, proved that his Hinokami Kagura wasn't just a fluke and started using it repeatedly and at will while fighting Daki, and it's always a good sign when the shonen hero starts using their best move like that rather than stumbling upon it in battle. That led to Tanjiro's best-animated fight to date as he and his friends pushed Daki to her limit, showing even greater teamwork than when they fought Enmu in the previous arc.

Similarly, Zenitsu started using Thunder Breathing in new ways, able to perform straightfoward charges not just once, but several times in a row, all while changing direction. At lightning speed, Zenitsu bounced around the battlefield, his fighting style totally transformed. It was no longer enough for Zenitsu to surprise everyone and charge forth once to take off a demon's head — he needed to stay moving and take advantage of Thunder Breathing's extreme mobility. That, too, helped the Entertainment District arc present Demon Slayer's best-animated fight to date.

The Entertainment District story arc also marked the first major usage of the demon slayer mark, with Tanjiro using his own while fighting Gyutaro in the arc's final clash, which subtly but clearly explained how Tanjiro miraculously found the strength to finish off his powerful opponent. That was another key development that was expanded upon with Mitsuri and Muichiro in the Swordsmith Village arc and the current Hashira Training story arc.

Daki and Gyutaro Had Personal Depth as a Tragic Brother/Sister Duo

The Demon Slayer anime sets itself apart from most other shonen action series by making not just a few, but most of its villains sympathetic with their deeply human flaws, insecurities, and tragic backstories. That trend started with the hand demon and continued with the likes of Kyogai and Rui, and it reached a whole new level in the Entertainment District story arc. Daki and her brothre Gyutaro weren't the first demons to get sob stories, but they did get the most substantial backstory, which made them far more than a monster of the week duo.

Their shonen-style flashback made it clear that Gyutaro and his sister, then known as Ume, clung tightly to one another in the face of poverty and hardship all their lives. They were like a dark reflection of Tanjiro and Nezuko, something that wasn't lost on Gyutaro. Daki and Gyutaro also had a vivid and fairly realistic depiction as a brother/sister duo, and not just because they fought together as the Upper Moon 6. It was different than Yahaba and Susamaru back in Season 1, since as siblings, Daki and Gyutaro perfectly understood one another, flaws and all.

They often argued and criticized one another, but they were also fiercely protective, especially Gyutaro, the big brother. Siblings are often a curious mix of being annoyed by constant exposure to each other's faults and problems, but also supporting and loving one another as family, and that was 100% the case for Daki and Gyutaro. By contrast, the other Moons are largely solitary and stand on their own. Rui was a partial exception with his found family, but Daki and Gyutaro were on a whole new level.

Tengen Uzui's Survival Created a New Kind of Tension and Danger in Demon Slayer

Being a bloody action series, Demon Slayer must create tension, high stakes, and tragedy by killing off its heroes, from the nine elite Hashira to "jobber" or redshirt demon slayers, such as those who got slaughtered in Mount Natagumo's forest. The previous arc, the Mugen Train story arc, created a powerful emotional impact when Kyojuro Rengoku lost his life fighting Akaza, but the Demon Slayer anime would have sabotaged itself if it used that plot device too often.

If the Entertainment District also killed off Tengen Uzui, then his and Kyojuro's deaths would each feels a little less impactful and memorable. It might have even felt exploitative for the anime to repeatedly make fans love and then kill off various Hashira. Instead, the Entertainment District story arc compromised and badly injured Tengen to the point that he was forced to retire from active duty before his time, making his fate bitterswwet rather than predictably tragic.

That allowed Kyojuro's death to remain iconic while also gving Tengen a grim yet fascinating position to be in. He could no longer fight, but there was still the immense surprise and relief, and that meant he was ready to help train other demon slayers in the future. Sure enough, the current Hashira Training story arc shows Tengen overseeing the training program's first phase, giving him something fun to do as a former Hashira.

Tengen's survival also allowed him to feel even closert to his three wives while also allowing Nezuko to be a hero in a more constructive way, with Nezuko using her fire to burn away Tengen's poison to save him. In that way, the Entertainment District arc's final battle ended with an appropritate cost but still had a positive spin, creating a sense of accomplishment while also humbling the flashiest Hashira. Not just any shonen can end in such an intriguing way, but the Entertainment District arc made it look easy.

Demon Slayer

TV-MA

Anime

Action

Adventure

When Tanjiro Kamado returns home to find his family was attacked and killed by demons, he discovers his younger sister Nezuko was the only survivor. As Nezuko slowly becomes a demon, Tanjiro sets out to find a cure for her and become a demon slayer so he can avenge his family.

Release Date

April 6, 2019

Cast

Natsuki Hanae , Zach Aguilar , Abby Trott , Yosh*tsugu Matsuoka

Main Genre

Anime

Seasons

3

Studio

ufotable

Creator

Koyoharu Gotouge

Streaming Service(s)

Crunchyroll , Hulu , Amazon Prime Video , Netflix