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Demon Slayer's Swordsmith Village arc has ended, and reactions and reviews are already coming in via social media at a record pace, even breaking Crunchyroll's servers for a while, despite the arc having barely been over for a day. Many opinions have already formed regarding Demon Slayer's latest arc, especially in the wake of the finale.
In short, for some, the arc was a continuation of the goodness that Ufotable brought, while others think it's a step down from the Entertainment District Arc. This review will showcase the strengths and weaknesses of this particular Demon Slayer season overall and explain the downturn in some fan opinions despite the series being good.
Disclaimer: The following article will contain major spoilers for the Demon Slayer anime's latest season and the manga likewise. The opinions expressed therein are exclusive to the author.
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Demon Slayer's Swordsmith Village Arc in review
Arc summary
Following the events of Demon Slayer's Entertainment District Arc, the Upper-Rank Kizuki demons were summoned after well over a century. Following a tense meeting, the Upper Rank 5 and 4 (Gyokko and Hantengu) were sent out to confirm hearsay regarding Tanjiro and the Blue Spider Lily that Muzan covets to conquer his sun weakness.
Meanwhile, Tanjiro awoke from a two-month coma following the fight with Gyutaro. Bereft of a sword, given his master's impatience with him, he and Nezuko journeyed to the top-secret Swordsmith Village in the mountains in hopes of getting him a new blade and further training.
Tanjiro met the Love Hashira Mitsuri Kanjoli, the loud and stubborn Genya Shinazugawa, and the rather cold Water Hashira Muichiro Tokito, alongside several swordsmiths. After a hard training session with a doll based on legendary swordsman Yoriichi Tsugikuni, Tanjiro gained a new sword.
But the relaxation and training were cut short when the two demons (Gyokko and Hantengu) invaded the village. After a series of grueling battles with the two demons, Gyokko was decapitated by Muichiro. Hantengu required the full capabilities of Mitsuri, Genya, Nezuko, and Tanjiro to finally kill.
The Arc's strengths
Specific strengths of this arc include a formal introduction to the Love and Water Hashiras after a frosty first meeting during the Rehabilitation Training Arc and a further role for the hotheaded Genya after Tanjiro broke one of his arms during the Final Selection Arc.
The long and short of their characters are these:
- Muichiro has traumatic amnesia owing to a demon consuming his family and likewise not being able to save his brother, even hoping for death as he couldn't move after killing the demon.
- Genya likewise has family trauma owing to his brother killing his mother, who was turned into a demon, and he only found out about it later in life after attacking his brother.
- Mitsuri had image problems and societal pressure, she felt like she had to hide her strength and eating habits until she became a Demon Slayer and found that affection in the people she saved.
Other strengths include Ufotable's animation. The fight scenes and details on characters in the humorous moments and the action moments are perfect, or nearly so in any case. The animation is crisp, and even the use of 3D animation is really well integrated. Considering Ufotable did the Fate series, this is to be expected.
The finale cannot be overstated in terms of how much fans feel Ufotable nailed the emotions. The animation, the music, the voice acting, and the storytelling all came together to make fans cry and blow them away with the most anticipated moment: Nezuko's sunlight immunity and ability to talk being restored after she was presumed dead.
The Arc's Weaknesses
A weakness of the arc is that it's mostly fighting after episode 2, dealing with two Upper-Rank demons. This is after barely getting any time in this secret village with talented swordsmiths, with only Kotetsu and Hotaru Haganezuka aiding the heroes substantially. Zentisu and Inosuke's absences are likewise called out, as many fans prefer them over Tanjiro.
Likewise, this Demon Slayer arc had complaints even before the anime adapted it. A big one was that the Hashira didn't measure up to Tegen Uzui's boastful explosiveness, and the Upper Moon demons felt too much like gimmicks instead of actual characters in their own right, like the previewed Upper Moons or prior demons like Gyutaro and Daki.
On a related note, some felt the story was too short to justify spending an entire arc there, and the fights felt lackluster compared to the Entertainment District's highs. Some have likewise complained that Tanjiro's being able to copy Zenitsu's Thunderclap and Flash technique after no practice is a bit of a cheap upgrade.
Criticisms specific to the anime adaptation are usually that some didn't enjoy the cliffhangers or awkward pauses for humor moments that offset the tone and the lack of twists. Many, however, feel the changes in the anime adaptation, like the final conversation between Muichiro and Gyokko, the addition of music, and the voice acting, override many of those criticisms of the overall story.
Final thoughts
The prior arcs of Demon Slayer had bittersweet tones to them: the Mugen Train arc saw the loss of Rengoku, the Entertainment District arc saw the heroes badly injured and knocked out, and even as far back as the Final Selection Arc saw Sabito and Makomo dead all along and aiding Tanjiro as spirits.
The Swordsmith Village arc, by contrast, features a very rare happy ending for the heroes. It's more than deserved, given all the death, pain, and misery Tanjiro and Nezuko have been through since the start of their journey. New friends were made, demons were slain, and Nezuko is now able to talk and wander in the sunlight.
In short, nobody important died aside from the demons, and several important things happened during this arc: Muichiro regained his memories, Nezuko walked in the sun, two Upper Rank demons were killed, Nezuko's blood helped reverse Muzan's demon transformations, and Muzan learned about Nezuko from Hantengu before he died. Most importantly, Tanjiro and Nezuko are able to rest easily, and the audience is likewise.
The Swordsmith Village arc may feel decidedly shorter than the Entertainment District Arc due to the fights taking up most of the time, but the amount of character development for the Hashira, the music, the reveals of Demon Slayer Marks, and Nezuko walking in the sun more than made up for any shortcomings.
To put the Swordsmith Village Arc into perspective, it's considered the worst arc Demon Slayer has by fans. The anime adaptation, however, has more than made up for the weaknesses this story had. Despite most of it being fight scenes, the anime weaves backstories, emotional moments, tension, and drama into them.
Some fans may call it a filler arc if not for the finale, but that's because they aren't looking at it properly. Nobody feels left out or useless, everyone contributes something, and the events and developments have far-reaching ramifications for the Demon Slayer's future.
