One moment it's gently snowing down outside the beautiful Ubuyashiki mansion, with a surreal atmosphere between a relentlessly powerful demon and a dying human. In the next chilling few seconds, an impeccable spectacle of a nuclear explosion rises from the heart of the mansion, engulfing the beings inside in vivid glimmers of fire.
It was just another day that a "Demon Slayer" season finale aired and Crunchyroll servers went down in an orderly fashion; nothing unusual. With a cruising season filled with backstories and hearty moments, the fourth season of "Demon Slayer" wrapped up the season yesterday with an absolute banger — leaving viewers in a trance and overwhelmed with awe, to say the least. Fans are left baffled and wanting more after the end of yet another season of the show. With a trilogy of films already announced, and a very strong spoiler alert, let's take a while to digest what the new season brought about this time.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. The season began and ended at the same place - the Infinity Castle. From the Hashira training arc to the Infinity castle arc is an array of episodes focusing on the preparation for the upcoming madness. It is safe to say that slow and cute episodes of "Demon Slayer" are long gone while intense battles with stellar animation await. It will be a long time before we see Tanjiro and Giyu casually having a soba eating competition again, or Muichiro and him flying paper planes together.
The fourth season starts with our faithful heroes of the last finale recovering. As is customary, Tanjiro wakes up after what feels like ages of sleep and proceeds to chomp down on food limitlessly. The others are either recovered or recovering with Nezuko, who just conquered the sun, seen learning to talk. Back at the Hashiras' meeting, the goal is simple and straightforward - defeating Demon King Muzan Kibutsuji. And what do they need for that? The Demon Slayer mark. And what do they do to get that? Train hard. Leaving no stone unturned, the entire Demon Slayer Corps undergoes strenuous training. Additionally, the demon herself, Tamayo is being brought to join forces. That's essentially what the season was supposed to be about: The Hashira Training arc.
For the most part, the eight-episode season starts slow and dedicates a separate episode for the Water, Sound, Mist, and Stone Hashira, and a combined one for the other three. After the premiere episode sets the stage for preparations for war, the second episode is calm and quiet like the Water Hashira Tomioka Giyu it is based on. It is a nice little homage to the first season, where Tomioka helped Tanjiro channel his pain into strength. This time, the reverse happens with the return of Sabito.
With a change of pace, Tengen's training is 'all about the basics'! Tanjiro cruises through most of the training thus far meeting Muichiro in smiles. The fifth episode covers the training of the Love Hashira, Snake Hashira, and Wind Hashira. Instead of focusing on one story, it flashes through three Hashira trainings, and Tanjiro is finally finding it a bit challenging. Tanjiro gets amid the Shinazugawa brothers fighting and the monotone of the training arc is disrupted with a little melodrama to break the sameness. We then get an outlook into the story of the mysterious Stone Hashira. This is also where "Demon Slayer's" beloved trio of Inosuke, Zenitsu, and Tanjiro finally unite to train together.
Meanwhile, Muzan is on the move in search of the demon that conquered the sun. Did you almost forget about Nezuko? Sometimes it felt like the creators did too this season. On the other hand, in all seriousness, there is an aching and challenging turn to see the goofy and cowardly Zenitsu completely change forever. It's only when the Wind Hashira, Shinazugawa, squashes a demon's eye and an elegantly evil whiff fills the air that the Hashiras realize they are under attack.
The finale episode skipped the opening song; yes it was just that intense. With just one more backstory of Ubuyashiki, Muzan is seen mocking the weak and dying Ubuyashiki. This is where we witness the Demon King in action, or rather, in a stretched-out, stylish walk to finally meet Kagaya Ubuyashiki. It is hard to look away from the sheer aura the bright pink-eyed Muzan radiates in the course. Breaking away from the lightness of the season, and after a philosophical banter between Muzan and a dying Ubuyashiki, while his two kids are playing catch, it's explosively revealed that Kagaya Ubuyashiki just used himself and his wife and children as bait in an attempt to defeat Muzan. Ubuyashiki placed his trust in Himejima, who makes a dramatic entrance to behead Muzan.
As Muzan rapidly regenerates faster than any other demon ever, the Hashiras and Tanjiro are in a desperate chase, visibly exasperated as they try to reach their master. With striking blows from the Stone Hashira and blood demon art from Tamayo, Muzan is stuck. Just as they prepare for a dragged-out battler till the sunrise, we see Muzan flash a smirk as he claps to open the Infinity Castle. Bewildered, the Hashiras and Tanjiro fall into the castle while Inosuke and Zenitsu readily fall for whatever is ahead.
As dazzling as the finale is, the season has its ups and downs. Even though it was supposed to focus on training, an overpowering emphasis was put on backstories, at times diverging away from the training itself. In comparison to the manga, the absence of focus on Nezuko besides the occasional mentions is noticeable. Just when you think her voice actor will finally have words to say, Nezuko disappears. Besides Tamayo, the female roles remain fairly unexplored this season including those of Nezuko, Nakime, Amane Ubuyashiki, Shinobu Kocho, and Kanao Tsuyuri despite plot developments involving the last two. Despite being the upper-rank demon of the season, the peculiar biwa player Nakime is given little importance. It's a good thing, though, that the finale is pleasantly amazing, making up for the rest of the season's pace.
If you thought you were done being surprised for the season, you wouldn't be alone. As Mitsuri and Tanjiro share a Taisho period secret after the credits have rolled, everyone, including them, is caught off guard when Rengoku's voice chimes in from backstage. The Flame Hashira too sends his best wishes. Between fluctuating pace, Season 4 just ended on a grand note with a finale episode which was everything you could wish for, and more.
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