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Author and illustrator Koyoharu Gotouge’s Demon Slayer is one of the most popular anime and manga series in recent years. Originally beginning as a manga in February 2016, it has been praised for both its on-paper and small-screen forms. While not quite on the level of Dragon Ball Z and the Big 3 shonen, it can nevertheless be credited with reigniting Western interest in anime and manga.
One key reason behind Demon Slayer’s popularity is how cruel and unforgiving it can be. It can be brutal in its representations of death and danger.
Likewise, Demon Slayer fans know that no character is safe from being severely injured if not killed outright. One such character whom they are especially worried about meeting such a fate is Murata, the lovable tag-along introduced in the first season.
After making no appearance during the Swordsmith Village arc, fans are curious as to what Murata’s status is.
Murata’s absence in Demon Slayer season 3 thankfully not indicative of his status in series
What happened to Murata? Explained
As mentioned above, the beloved Demon Slayer side character, Murata, was first introduced in the anime’s first season, appearing steadily throughout the second half. More specifically, he appears during the Mount Natagumo and Rehabilitation Training arcs, the last two in the anime’s premiere season.
However, two full anime seasons have premiered since then, with Murata being neither mentioned nor seen. Fans have become distraught over the character's status, questioning whether or not he was killed offscreen during this time.
Despite the series’ cruel and unforgiving nature and fans’ worst fears, Murata is alive and well during the events of the third season and associated manga story arc. In fact, anime fans can expect to see him reappear in future iterations of the series.
As for what Murata is up to in the meantime, it’s hard to say. While it’s possible the anime will add some sort of backstory for what he had been up to, the original manga provides essentially no concrete commentary on how he occupied his time. The most likely general answer, however, is that he continued training to be the best fighter he could after being inspired by Tanjiro Kamado and friends.
This is somewhat further supported by his unflinching willingness to play a fairly vital role in the series' final arcs. With this in mind, the best answer to what happened to Murata after season one is that he continued training to prepare for any and all challenges ahead of him.
Be sure to keep up with all Demon Slayer anime and manga news, as well as general anime, manga, film, and live-action news as 2023 progresses.
