Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Koyoharu Gotouge. It debuted on February 15, 2016 and was completed on May 18, 2020 after a total of 201 chapters that were collected in 23 tankōbon volumes. It was initially serialized by the famous Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine.
Demon Slayer follows Tanjiro Kamado, a young boy who wants to become a demon slayer after his family is slaughtered and his younger sister Nezuko is turned into a demon. It has become of the most popular manga and anime franchises in modern times and is often described as one of the best series of the 2010s. As of December 2020, the series is said to have grossed around $2.6 billion, which is an amazing feat for a series that lasted only four years as a manga and had only one season and just one anime movie.
In today’s article, we are going to give you the complete watching order for the Demon Slayer anime, the series and the movie included. You’re going to find out about the structure of the series and the order in which you should watch it so that you’re fully prepared if you decide to watch it. Enjoy!
How many seasons does Demon Slayer have?
The anime adaptation of Demon Slayer debuted on April 6, 2019 and ended on September 28, 2019 after a total of 26 episodes. All of the episodes aired as part of one single season that aired without any interruptions for almost six months; this is a bit atypical, as such anime series are usually split into two season consisting of 10-15 episodes each, depending on the total count. In that aspect, we can just conclude that Demon Slayer has one single season consisting of 26 episodes in total.
| Title | Episodes | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 26 | April 6, 2019 | September 28, 2019 |
The plot of the anime series, in short, is: “In Taishō-era Japan, Tanjirō is the eldest son of a family whose father has passed away. To meet his family’s needs, he left to sell coal in town. Despite the difficulties of life, they manage to find a little happiness in their daily life. One day, due to rumors circulating about a man-eating demon lingering around after dark, he is unable to return home and ends up spending the night with a good Samaritan in the city. Only, everything changes on his return when he finds his family massacred by a demon. Nezuko, one of his younger sisters, is the only survivor but she has also been transformed into a demon. Surprisingly, she still shows signs of human emotions and thoughts. It is a long journey that awaits the young hero and his little sister in order to find an antidote to make her human again and avenge the rest of her family.“
A sequel anime movie, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train, was released in 2020, but we’re going to give you more details on the movie up ahead.
As for the anime, it was exceptionally well received by critics.
Writing for Monsters and Critics, Patrick Frye wrote that the anime adaptation is “praised [for] the animation quality and flowing battle scenes that integrate digital effects seamlessly” while noting that “some fans have complained about weird story pacing issues thanks to flashbacks and some slow moments, but everyone agrees that once the action picks up, it’s amazing.” Writing for Anime News Network, James Beckett highlighted Episode 19 by noting it was “a thrilling showstopper of an episode, showing off ufotable’s considerable skills as producers of nearly unrivaled action spectacle.”
The anime series has been considered one of the best anime of the 2010s by Polygon. Austen Goslin wrote that “Few shows over the last 10 years have so clearly or unabashedly made fights their focus, and absolutely none of them have done it as well as Demon Slayer“. Crunchyroll listed it in their “Top 25 best anime of the 2010s”, with reviewer Daniel Dockery commenting, “From the top notch action choreography, to the understated (and sometimes not so understated) emotional moments, to the infinitely meme-able Inosuke, Demon Slayer can be a wonder to behold”. Writing for Comic Book Resources, Sage Ashford ranked it second on his list, praising its animation and protagonists, whom he called “the most likable male and female leads of the decade”. IGN also listed Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba among the best anime series of the 2010s. Japan Web Magazine ranked the series 1st on its list of “30 Best Anime of All Time”.
Demon Slayer: The Complete Watching Order
In this section, we are going to give you a full watching order for Demon Slayer. Since there isn’t much material to go through, you won’t have any trouble finding your way between the anime series’ episodes and the sequel movie.
This is how you should watch Demon Slayer:
Anime series
| # | Episode Title | Air Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | “Cruelty” Transcription: “Zankoku” (Japanese: 残酷) | April 6, 2019 |
| 2 | “Trainer Sakonji Urokodaki” Transcription: “Iku-shu Urokodaki Sakonji” (Japanese: 育手・鱗滝左近次) | April 13, 2019 |
| 3 | “Sabito and Makomo” Transcription: “Sabito to Makomo” (Japanese: 錆兎と真菰) | April 20, 2019 |
| 4 | “Final Selection” Transcription: “Saishū Sembetsu” (Japanese: 最終選別) | April 27, 2019 |
| 5 | “My Own Steel” Transcription: “Onore no Hagane” (Japanese: 己の鋼) | May 4, 2019 |
| 6 | “Swordsman Accompanying a Demon” Transcription: “Oni wo Tsureta Kenshi” (Japanese: 鬼を連れた剣士) | May 11, 2019 |
| 7 | “Muzan Kibutsuji” Transcription: “Kibutsuji Muzan” (Japanese: 鬼舞辻 無慘) | May 18, 2019 |
| 8 | “The Smell of Enchanting Blood” Transcription: “Genwaku no Chi no Kaori” (Japanese: 幻惑の血の香り) | May 25, 2019 |
| 9 | “Temari Demon and Arrow Demon” Transcription: “Temari Oni to Yajirushi Oni” (Japanese: 手毬鬼と矢印鬼) | June 1, 2019 |
| 10 | “Together Forever” Transcription: “Zutto Issho-ni iru” (Japanese: ずっと一緒にいる) | June 8, 2019 |
| 11 | “Tsuzumi Mansion” Transcription: “Tsuzumi Oyashiki” (Japanese: 鼓お屋敷) | June 15, 2019 |
| 12 | “The Boar Bares its Fangs, Zenitsu Sleeps” Transcription: “Inoshishi wa Kiba wo Muki, Zenitsu wa Nemuru” (Japanese: 猪は牙を剥き、善逸は眠る) | June 22, 2019 |
| 13 | “Something More Important Than Life” Transcription: “Inochi Yori Daiji-na mono” (Japanese: 命より大事なもの) | June 29, 2019 |
| 14 | “The House with the Wisteria Family Crest” Transcription: “Fuji no Hana no Kamon no Ie” (Japanese: 藤の花の家紋の家) | July 6, 2019 |
| 15 | “Mount Natagumo” Transcription: “Natagumo-zan” (Japanese: 那多蜘蛛山) | July 13, 2019 |
| 16 | “Letting Someone Else Go First” Transcription: “Jibun dewa nai Dareka wo Mae e” (Japanese: 自分ではない誰かを前へ) | July 20, 2019 |
| 17 | “You Must Master a Single Thing” Transcription: “Hitotsu no Koto Kiwame ke” (Japanese: 一つのこと極めけ) | July 27, 2019 |
| 18 | “A Forged Bond” Transcription: “Nisemono no Kizuna” (Japanese: 偽物の絆) | August 3, 2019 |
| 19 | “Hinokami” Transcription: “Hinokami” (Japanese: ヒノカミ) | August 10, 2019 |
| 20 | “Pretend Family” Transcription: “Yose Atsume no Kazoku” (Japanese: 寄せ集めの家族) | August 17, 2019 |
| 21 | “Against Corps Rules” Transcription: “Tairitsu Ihan” (Japanese: 隊律違反) | August 24, 2019 |
| 22 | “Master of the Mansion” Transcription: “Oyakata-sama” (Japanese: お館様) | August 31, 2019 |
| 23 | “Hashira Meeting” Transcription: “Chūgō Kaigi” (Japanese: 柱合会議) | September 7, 2019 |
| 24 | “Rehabilitation Training” Transcription: “Kinō Kaifuku Kunren” (Japanese: 機能回復訓練) | September 14, 2019 |
| 25 | “Tsuguko, Kanao Tsuyuri” Transcription: “Tsuguko Tsuyuri Kanao” (Japanese: 継ぐ子 栗花落カナヲ) | September 21, 2019 |
| 26 | “New Mission” Transcription: “Aratanaru Nimmu” (Japanese: 新たなる任務) | September 28, 2019 |
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train is the sequel movie to the Demon Slayer anime series, continuing the plot from the last episode. It premiered on October 16, 2020 in Japan and was directed by Haruo Sotozaki from a screenplay officially credited to the Ufotable company. It was a massive hit, breaking several box office records and becoming the highest-grossing film of all time in Japan, the highest-grossing anime film and Japanese film of all time, the highest-grossing animated film of 2020, the fourth highest-grossing film of 2020, the seventh highest-grossing traditional animated film, and the 15th highest-grossing non-English film; the film earned more than $388 million globally. Due to its success, it was submitted for the 93rd Academy Awards in the best animated feature category. The following paragraphs will present the plot of the movie.
Tanjiro, Nezuko, Zenitsu, and Inosuke board a train to meet the Flame Hashira Kyōjurō Rengoku and aid him in his mission to find a demon that has killed over 40 demon slayers on a train. All of these deaths have been reported as disappearances. Shortly after boarding the group is attacked by demons, which Rengoku easily kills, but once their tickets have been verified by the collector, everyone falls sound asleep and Enmu, Lower Rank One of the Twelve Kizuki, orders four passengers, all of who suffer from severe insomnia, to approach the sleeping demon slayers and use some magic ropes to enter their dreams with orders to destroy their spiritual cores so that they can never wake up again. In exchange for their cooperation, Enmu will allow them to have a peaceful dream.
While they are sleeping, Tanjiro dreams of reuniting with his deceased family, Zenitsu of going out with Nezuko, Inosuke of going on a cave exploration mission with his friends as a henchman, and Kyōjirō of meeting his brother. Tanjiro realizes he is dreaming and looks for ways to wake up. He achieves this after being instructed by a vision of his father to kill himself in a dream.
At the same time, Nezuko uses his blood demon art to burn the ropes and wake up passengers affected by Enm’s abilities. Fearing that Enmu would not allow them to have their sweet dreams, the passengers attack Tanjiro – however, the only exception of his attackers is the one who entered his dream, as he was moved by the warm scenery he found inside it and is immediately knocked out by Tanjiro.
While Nezuko awakens the others, Tanjiro confronts Enmu. Tanjiro kills himself every time Enmu forces him to sleep in his dream until he finally beheads Enmu. However, the demon does not die, revealing that he has fused his head with the train itself. Kyōjurō asks Inosuke to help Tanjiro find the demon’s neck, while he, Nezuko, and Zenitsu stay behind to protect the other passengers.
Tanjiro and Inosuke find Enmu’s real neck in the engine room, and Tanjiro pulls him apart, kills the demon, and stops the train. Akaza, the Upper Moon Three, appears soon after, however, and attacks the demon slayers, Kyōjurō deciding to fight him alone after Tanjiro is seriously injured.
The two meet and Kyōjurō is mortally wounded when Akaza runs his hand through Hashira’s flame stomach. Kyōjurō, however, asserts himself against the demon and manages to injure Akaza’s neck while attempting to deliver the final blow. Akaza must flee when the sun rises, but not before being injured by Kyōjurō, who cuts off his arms, and Tanjiro, who throws his sword at Akaza and impales him. Tanjiro angrily treats the demon as a coward for running away and declares Kyōjurō the real winner of the fight. When the Hashira and the rest of the Demon Slayer Corps are informed of Kyōjurō’s death, Tanjiro and his companions mourn the death of Flame Hashira.
And that’s it for today. We hope you had fun reading this and that we helped solve this dilemma for you. See you next time and don’t forget to follow us!