Demon Slayer Season 4

As the release date of the highly anticipated fourth season of Demon Slayer approaches, fans are undoubtedly anxious to see where Tanjiro and Nezuko’s tale will take us next. To a certain extent, we know what the season will offer based on the title of the arc – The Hashira Training Arc will showcase our heroes honing their combat skills to the next level, under the guidance of the highest-ranking Demon Slayers in the Corps, the Hashira. 

However, for readers of the manga (no spoilers for anime-onlys, don’t worry), the content of these chapters has left fans wondering about how the season will play out. Essentially, if the animated series follows the manga exactly, this season will be extremely short by the show’s usual standards. The Demon Slayer manga covers the Hashira Training Arc in around 9 chapters – in comparison, the Swordsmith Village Arc anime adaptation covered around 30 chapters in 11 episodes. With only 9 chapters to cover, many fans have questioned how exactly Studio Ufotable will manage to produce a whole season from this arc. 

That’s where this article comes in! Without drawing on any spoilers from the manga itself, this article is going to look at some of the potential ways that the anime showrunners can expand on the content of this season, listing some ideas for further developing side stories and characters who don’t get enough of a chance to shine in the strictly canon storyline – essentially, this is an article full of filler ideas, but the good kind! With that being said, let’s dive in! (Spoilers ahead for the first three seasons of the Demon Slayer anime!)

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More Hashira in Action

Image by Ufotable

While past seasons of Demon Slayer have showcased some of the power that the highest-ranking members of the corps have to offer, there’s undoubtedly more that fans are eager to see. Even if it’s in a less intense, training environment as opposed to the high stakes battles of the Mugen Train or the Entertainment District Arc, fans would be thrilled to see the powers of the mysterious Stone Hashira, Gyomei Himejima, or the merciless Serpent Hashira, Obanai Iguro showcased in the animated medium. As opposed to the likes of the Sound Hashira, Tengen Uzui, who had a whole season to demonstrate why he was deserving of the rank of Hashira, these characters have had little time thus far to flex their abilities. 

Fans’ desire to see the Hashira in action also extends to the ones we have gotten to see fight it out in prior seasons. The show’s stellar animation on behalf of Studio Ufotable makes watching any of these swordfighters in battle an absolute treat, and extra action scenes would surely be a welcome addition to the anime adaptation of the Hashira Training Arc. Love Hashira, Mitsuri Kanroji’s fluid battle scenes from the Swordsmith Village Arc were a season highlight for many, and watching Ufotable go to work with her uniquely flexible sword style one more time would be a gift any Demon Slayer fan is unlikely to deny. 

A showcase of more of the abilities of the Hashira throughout this season would be a delight for anime and manga fans alike, and could potentially add some excellent filler to an otherwise short season.

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Kyojuro Rengoku’s Relationships with the Hashira

Image by Ufotable

If Kyojuro Rengoku’s tragic death at the conclusive battle of the Mugen Train Arc made anything clear to Demon Slayer fans, it was that despite his limited screentime, the Flame Hashira was one of the most, if not THE most respected and beloved of all the Hashira. His popularity extended to both fans of the show, and his comrades within the Demon Slayer Corps, and it’s suffice to say that Rengoku left a big impression in a small amount of time. 

With that being said, perhaps due to his death early on in the show, we’ve seen little about how and why Rengoku came to be such an appreciated member of the Hashira. If there was any way to add content to the Hashira Training Arc in an emotionally effective and generally plot-relevant way, it would be to explore further the impact the Flame Hashira left on the Corps. In particular, his relationship with fellow Hashira such as Shinobu Kocho and Giyu Tomioka has mostly been left as a mystery to viewers thus far. Demon Slayer enjoys nothing more than a flashback, and a journey back in time to watch Rengoku develop into the respected Hashira he was before death would be time valuably spent.

Rengoku’s presence has been felt in a big way since his death on the show. A deeper look into his impact on the world around him beyond Tanjiro and the events of Mugen Train would be a much  appreciated addition to the Demon Slayer story for fans of the character.

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A Deeper Look at the Wind Hashira, Sanemi Shinazugawa

Image by Ufotable

Since his introduction in the first season of Demon Slayer, Sanemi Shinazugawa has left his mark on the story as the most undeniably rash and vicious of the Hashira. Considering his violent introduction to Tanjiro and Nezuko, outright stabbing the latter due to her demon status, Sanemi’s first impression was a nasty one, for both our protagonists and fans of the show alike. Despite his presumably excellent battle skills, many fans were left wondering about how a character of this nature could ever co-exist with his fellow Hashira. 

We learned little more about the character – that is until the Swordsmith Village Arc shined a light on his intensely tragic backstory – the death of his siblings, having to cut down his own mother, and his denouncement by the one brother he managed to protect, the equally brash Genya Shinazugawa. The Wind Hashira is confirmed to show up during Demon Slayer’s fourth season, and with our newfound knowledge, fans of the anime will likely view the character in a whole new light. Dedicating some time to getting to know this character all over again through a new lens will not be a misstep, and a deeper look into the psyche behind Sanemi’s hardened exterior would make for productive character development, while also pulling on viewers’ heartstrings – as Demon Slayer has always loved to do.

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Figuring Out Gyomei Himejima

Image by Ufotable

As of yet in the Demon Slayer animated series, we know little to nothing about the incredibly mysterious Gyomei Himejima. So little is known about the Stone Hashira, in fact, that it almost makes him an unsettling character – potentially a gentle giant, potentially a monstrous force of great power. What we do know, however, is that Gyomei is seemingly endlessly swallowed by an overwhelming sense of grief and sorrow, brought to tears by the simplest of scenarios. Amongst the Wind Hashira’s anger, the Love Hashira’s optimism, and the Mist Hashira’s general indifference (at least in the first season of the show) the Stone Hashira’s perpetual pity for others around him made him stand out from his very first appearance in the first season.

Promotional material for Demon Slayer’s fourth season has thus far implied that Gyomei will have a large role to play in the events of this arc. He kneels front and center on the season’s official poster, and appears to head a Hashira meeting in a short clip from the season’s official trailer. A character shrouded in so much mystery being so openly pushed to the forefront for the first time so far in the show is certainly an exciting prospect for fans of the anime. What sort of relationships has Gyomei developed with his fellow Hashira thus far? How will he interact with the returning Zenitsu Agatsuma and Inosuke Hashibara? What is his connection to Genya Shinazugawa, who was seen to be accompanying him when news broke of Rengoku’s death? And importantly, what is the extent of the Stone Hashira’s strength in battle? These are all questions that fans hope will see time dedicated to them as the Hashira Training Arc commences.

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The Next Step for Muzan Kibutsuji

Image by Ufotable

If fans know anything about Demon Slayer’s central antagonist, Muzan Kibutsuji, it is that he does not like to lose. Furthermore, if the finale of the series’ first season and the premiere of the Swordsmith Village Arc are anything to go by, Muzan specifically hates to lose members of his Twelve Kizuki, the Upper and Lower Twelve Demon Moons. The death of Lower Moon Five, Rui, was enough to enrage the Demon King to the point of disbanding the Lower Moons entirely, resulting in most of their deaths at his hands. Fans also got a glimpse at Muzan’s rage after the defeat of the Upper Six Siblings, Daki and Gyutaro, in the Entertainment District Arc. Thus, we can only imagine his thoughts after losing not one, but two of his Upper Moons during the events of the Swordsmith Village Arc. 

With that being said, we did get to spend some time with Muzan after the deaths of Gyokko and Hantengu. After discovering her invulnerability to sunlight, the Demon King has set his sights solely on capturing and absorbing Nezuko in order to become immortal. However, the shape that his plans will take is, as of now, a mystery to viewers. With his Upper Moon ranks whittled down to a remaining three, Doma, Akaza, and Kokushibo, fans are anxiously awaiting more from the Demon King’s side of the story. In a season that, so far, seems solely focused on our protagonists, learning more about our antagonist, his reaction to the loss of more of his Twelve Kizuki, and the next step for him and his remaining demons would be a welcome addition to the Hashira Training Arc. No good season is complete without a little tension!

With that being said, it’s a possibility that Studio Ufotable may opt to stick strictly to manga material, in which case, we’re in for a very short season. Should they opt, however, to expand on the content of Koyoharu Gotouge’s source material, I hope to see some of the above ideas explored, to really flesh out the world of Demon Slayer before the anime heads into it’s fifth, and presumably final, season down the line.

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When does Demon Slayer Season 4 come out?

Image by Ufotable

Fans can expect the fourth season of Demon Slayer to hit their screens on May 12 2024. The premiere episode will be a one-hour special according to the season’s official promotional trailer. An episode count has not been announced yet, but viewers can expect episodic releases weekly from May 12. For fans lucky enough to catch it, this one-hour special was released in theatres alongside the finale of the Swordsmith Village Arc, in a cinematic experience titled To The Hashira Training. Though the special is not available to be viewed as of right now on streaming platforms, not to worry! The wait is short, and if previous seasons of the beloved anime are anything to go by, it will be worth it! An official release date for those of you looking to watch the animated series in its English dub has not been announced yet, but if traditional industry trends are anything to go by, we should expect to see the first episode premiere in English sometime in June.

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Where to watch Demon Slayer Season 4?

Image by Ufotable

According to the anime streaming service, Crunchyroll will exclusively air the Hashira Training Arc from its premiere date. You can also find all of the anime’s prior seasons on Crunchyroll. There has been no news thus far about any other streaming platforms taking on the season, but as Crunchyroll is an essential for many anime fans, this will likely come as no surprise. For Netflix users, though there has been no official announcement as to when the season will land on Netflix, you can catch the first three seasons of Demon Slayer over there. So, for those of you in need of a refresher or a catch up before the fourth season’s premiere, Netflix is indeed an option. Regardless of where you choose to watch, May 12 is the date! Time to get excited!

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