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Demon Slayer first announced the third season of the anime to be in production in February 2022, releasing both a key visual and a promotional video regarding the next arc to be adapted.
Ufotable Studios has announced that new updates regarding season 3 will be revealed on December 10, 2022, ahead of Jump Festa 2023, where the series is getting a Jump Super Stage.
The panel guests scheduled to appear at the event include the voice actors for Tanjiro, Muichiro Tokito, and Mitsuri Kanroji. The influx of new updates has prompted fans to anticipate a 2023 release date and another official trailer for the upcoming Swordsmith Village arc of the anime.
This article revisits the manga and analyzes clues left in season 2 of the anime to determine what fans can expect from Demon Slayer season 3 episode 1.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the Demon Slayer manga.
Predicting how Demon Slayer season 3 episode 1 will introduce the Swordsmith Village arc
Introducing the Upper Moon demons
The final episode of the Entertainment District arc of Demon Slayer contained some rather overt clues as to how the upcoming arc would begin.
Season 2 episode 18 depicted the Upper Moon Six siblings, Gyutaro and Daki’s tragic backstory, and revealed the Upper Moon Two demon, Doma, who had turned them both into demons upon finding them half-dead on the road.
The final scene of episode 18, which is in keeping with the end of chapter 97 of the manga, showed Akaza being summoned to Muzan’s Infinity Palace. This alerted the demon that one of the Upper Moon had been killed by the demon slayers.
The Demon Slayer anime tends to maintain the chronology of the manga narrative. Therefore, it is likely that season 3 episode 1 will begin animating the arc with chapter 98, which introduces the Upper Moon demons gathered at the Infinity Palace.
Their interaction will not only provide fans with an idea of each demon’s personality but will also provide further insight into their relationship with each other and with their master, the Demon King Kibutsuji Muzan.
The scene is also integral for setting up the primary antagonists of the Swordsmith Village arc, Upper Moon Five Gyokko and Four, Hantengu.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni and Sumiyoshi
Demon Slayer season 3 episode 1 will probably move on from the Upper Moon demons’ audience with Muzan at the Infinity Palace to a flashback showing Yoriichi Tsugikuni’s friendship with Sumiyoshi.
The series is yet to reveal why Tanjiro’s father was able to perform the Hinokami Kagura dance and possessed the hanafuda earrings which were Yoriichi’s signature ornament.
But the flashback finally explores the link between Yoriichi and Tanjiro, revealing that the latter’s ancestor, Sumiyoshi, was a close friend of Yoriichi’s, and expressed the desire to pass on his stories to later generations, knowing that the legendary demon slayer had no successors.
The flashback also raised questions regarding Yoriichi’s life, as the Sun Breather mourned that he had been unable to protect any of his loved ones and achieved none of the things he was supposed to.
Sumiyoshi’s feelings of sorrow and grief for his friend were relayed to his descendant through his dreams, as Tanjiro woke up with tears in his eyes.
Tanjiro travels to the Swordsmith Village
It is possible that Demon Slayer season 3 episode 1 will have a one-hour runtime instead of the usual 23 minutes. The series has a tendency to dive headfirst into the action, getting the exposition out of the way in the first episode itself.
The first episode of the Swordsmith Village arc will likely attempt to cover chapters 98-100, showing Tanjiro’s recovery from the wounds he sustained in the battle against Daki and Gyutaro.
Zenitsu and Inosuke both depart on their individual missions, suggesting that they will not be at the center of the action anytime soon. Tanjiro’s habit of breaking his swords will finally push Haganezuka over the edge, leading to him refusing to fix the former's sword.
This will force the demon slayer to travel to the Swordsmith Village himself to appease the swordsmith and get his Nichirin sword fixed. The first episode of season 3 will likely end with Love Hashira Mitsuri Kanroji, who happens to be present in the village, enjoying a bath at the hot springs.
Final thoughts
The key visual and first official trailer for the Swordsmith Village arc revealed that the two Hashiras dominating this arc are Mist Hashira and Love Hashira, who, along with Tanjiro and Nezuko, will be forced to face off against the Upper Moon Four and Five, Hnatengu and Gyokko.
Muzan’s mission for the two Upper Moon demons suggests that the Swordsmith Village also holds the key to finding the elusive blue spider lily, which Muzan was shown seeking at the beginning of the Entertainment District arc.
The arc will also introduce Genya Shinazugawa into the series properly, setting him up to be an important character in the story later on.
