‘Demon Slayer’ Watch Order (Series & Movie, Chronologically) in 2023
In this article, we are going to give you the complete demon anime Demon Slayer watch order, including the series and the movies. You’re going to find out about the structure of the series and the order in which you should watch it. First, we will give you a short, concise, chronological watch order for Demon Slayer anime, and then, we will take a deeper look into why that is the right way to watch it.
Editor’s Note: This watch order is regularly updated to reflect the current state of the Demon Slayer anime, which is, at the moment, still ongoing.
Demon Slayer chronological watch order (at a glance)
Here is a chronological watch order for Demon Slayer anime:
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (Season 1)
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (Season 2 Mugen Train and Entertainment District Arcs)
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba To the Swordsmith Village
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (Season 3 Swordsmith Village Arc)
Now that you know in what order to watch Demon Slayer, let’s dive deeper into the article and further explain the reasoning behind this order.
How many seasons does Demon Slayer have?
The anime adaptation of Demon Slayer debuted on April 6, 2019, and ended its first season 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 seasons consisting of 10-15 episodes each, depending on the total count.
The second season of Demon Slayer began airing on October 10, 2021. Its first seven episodes were actually an episodic rerun of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train, the show’s first feature. This segment ended on November 28, 2021, with the season’s new content continuing on December 5, 2021. It has 18 episodes in total – 7 of which encompass the Mugen Train arc, with the remaining 11 dealing with the Entertainment District arc.
On February 3, 2023, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – To the Swordsmith Village was released based on the “Entertainment District” and “Swordsmith Village” arcs of the shōnen manga series “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.” It serves as a direct sequel to the second season of the anime television series and its second film adaptation.
The third season of Demon Slayer premiered on April 9th, which is currently ongoing and adapts the Swordsmith Village arc of the manga.
| Title | Episodes | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 26 | April 6, 2019 | September 28, 2019 |
| Season 2 | 18 (7+11) | December 5, 2021 | February 13, 2022 |
| Season 3 | TBA | April 9, 2023 | Ongoing |
Demon Slayer in order (fully explained)
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 in order:
1. Demon Slayer Season 1
| # | 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 |
2. 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.
3. Demon Slayer Season 2
As we’ve said, the first seven episodes are actually the Mugen Train movie retold in an episodic format. The actual season begins with episode 8 of the second season. This is the proper watching order (although you can skip the first seven episodes if you’ve seen the movie):
| # | Episode Title | Air Date |
|---|---|---|
| 27 | “Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku” Transcription: “En Bashira Rengoku Kyōjurō” (Japanese: 炎柱・煉󠄁獄杏寿郎) | October 10, 2021 |
| 28 | “Deep Sleep” Transcription: “Fukai Nemuri” (Japanese: 深い眠り) | October 17, 2021 |
| 29 | “Should Have Been” Transcription: “Hontō nara” (Japanese: 本当なら) | October 24, 2021 |
| 30 | “Insult” Transcription: “Bujoku” (Japanese: 侮辱) | November 7, 2021 |
| 31 | “Move Forward!” Transcription: “Mae e!” (Japanese: 前へ！) | November 14, 2021 |
| 32 | “Akaza” (Japanese: 猗窩座) | November 21, 2021 |
| 33 | “Set Your Heart Ablaze” Transcription: “Kokoro o Moyase” (Japanese: 心を燃やせ) | November 28, 2021 |
| 34 | “Sound Hashira Tengen Uzui” Transcription: “On Bashira Uzui Tengen” (Japanese: 音柱・宇髄天元) | December 5, 2021 |
| 35 | “Infiltrating the Entertainment District” Transcription: “Yūkaku Sennyū” (Japanese: 遊郭潜入) | December 12, 2021 |
| 36 | “What Are You?” Transcription: “Nanimono?” (Japanese: 何者？) | December 19, 2021 |
| 37 | “Tonight” Transcription: “Kon’ya” (Japanese: 今夜) | December 26, 2021 |
| 38 | “Things Are Gonna Get Real Flashy!!” Transcription: “Dohade ni Iku ze!!” (Japanese: ド派手に行くぜ‼) | January 2, 2022 |
| 39 | “Layered Memories” Transcription: “Kasanaru Kioku” (Japanese: 重なる記憶) | January 9, 2022 |
| 40 | “Transformation” Transcription: “Henbō” (Japanese: 変貌) | January 16, 2022 |
| 41 | “Gathering” Transcription: “Shūketsu” (Japanese: 集結) | January 23, 2022 |
| 42 | “Defeating an Upper Rank Demon” Transcription: “Jōgen no Oni o Taoshitara” (Japanese: 上弦の鬼を倒したら) | January 30, 2022 |
| 43 | “Never Give Up” Transcription: “Zettai Akiramenai” (Japanese: 絶対諦めない) | February 6, 2022 |
| 44 | “No Matter How Many Lives” Transcription: “Nando Umarekawatte mo” (Japanese: 何度生まれ変わっても) | February 13, 2022 |
4. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – To the Swordsmith Village
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – To the Swordsmith Village is a 2023 Japanese animated film that serves as a direct sequel to the second season of the Demon Slayer anime series and its second film adaptation. The film incorporates footage from the last two episodes of the second season and the first episode of the third season, and it received praise for its storytelling, animation, and fight sequences, grossing $56.1 million worldwide.
5. Demon Slayer Season 3
Demon Slayer season 3 premiered on April 9, 2023, and directly follows the events that occurred in the second season’s finale. If you’ve watched To the Swordsmith Village movie, you can skip the first two episodes. After Zenitsu and Inosuke are summoned to individual missions, Tanjiro is told to meet his swordsmith in the Swordsmith Village.
There, he meets Mitsuri Kanroji and Tecchin Tecchikawahara, who assures him that they will bring back his swordsmith to forge him a new sword, and he learns of a “secret weapon” hidden in the village that can make him stronger
| # | Episode Title | Air Date |
|---|---|---|
| 45 | “Someone’s Dream” Transcription: “Dareka no Yume” (Japanese: 誰かの夢) | April 9, 2023 |
| 46 | “Yoriichi Type Zero” Transcription: “Yoriichi Zeroshiki” (Japanese: 縁壱零式) | April 16, 2023 |
| 47 | “A Sword from Over 300 Years Ago” Transcription: “Sanbyaku-nen Ijō Mae no Katana” (Japanese: 300年以上前の刀) | April 23, 2023 |
| 48 | “Thank You, Tokito” Transcription: “Tokitō-kun Arigatō” (Japanese: 時透君ありがとう) | April 30, 2023 |
| 49 | “Bright Red Sword” Transcription: “Kakutō” (Japanese: 赫刀) | May 7, 2023 |
Do you need to watch Demon Slayer in order?
You should watch Demon Slayer anime in order. That said, you can skip the first seven episodes of the second season if you have watched the movie Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train because they retell the movie in an episodic format. The same goes for the third season of the anime. You can skip the first two episodes if you’ve watched the movie.
Is it necessary to watch the Demon Slayer movies?
It’s not necessary to watch the Demon Slayer movies since they are mostly several episodes of the anime put together in a full-length movie. If you plan on watching anime reguraly, you don’t have to watch the movies.
Will there be more Demon Slayer seasons?
Due to the popularity of the anime, there will most likely be more seasons of Demon Slayer. Demon Slayer is currently in its third season, adapting the Swordsmith Village arc. Since the manga is over, we can attest to the fact that there are more arcs to adapt in the following years.
