What Is the Next ‘Demon Slayer’ Manga Arc to Be Adapted into the Anime?

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is a manga series written and illustrated by Koyoharu Gotōge, whose publication began on February 15, 2016, in Shūeisha’s weekly Shūkan Shōnen Jump magazine and ended on May 18, 2020. An anime series adaptation was released on April 6, 2019, and ended on September 28 of that same year. The series consists of a total of 11 arcs (with the final one consisting of two larger sub-arcs), and so far, the series has – with the conclusion of Season 3 – adapted nine of them. So, with a fourth season officially confirmed, the fans have begun to wonder what lies ahead for their favorite heroes. In this article, we will tell you about the next anime arc that will be adapted – the short Hashira Training Arc.

With the conclusion of the Swordsmith Village Arc, Tanjiro and his friends reunited for short, nine-chapter Hashira Training Arc, which serves as the link between the exciting Swordsmith Village Arc and the series’ large final arc. This arc will provide us, for the first time, with detailed insight into the remaining Hashira. We will also get more focus on Sanemi and his relationship with Genya, something that has been touched upon in the third season of the show. A release date has not yet been confirmed.

The rest of this article will bring you all the known and unknown information related to the upcoming adaptation of the Hashira Training Arc of the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba series, which is set to be adapted in the upcoming fourth season of the series. You will find out everything we know about the upcoming season, focusing primarily on its plot and what you can expect from the season. The article will contain many spoilers, so be careful how you approach it if you don’t want to know what happens.

The short Hashira Training Arc is the next in line for an anime adaptation

As we have said, the Demon Slayer manga was published between 2016 and 2020. It had a total of 201 chapters which have been published in a total of 23 volumes. Now, what do 201 chapters amount to in terms of story arcs? The Demon Slayer manga is usually broken down into 11 major arcs, each with several smaller arcs. The structure of the anime has not closely followed this structure, with seasons usually combining more shorter arcs into one season.

The arcs are uneven and don’t contain the same number of chapters. The longest arc is the “Infinity Castle Arc,” which consists of a total of 47 chapters, while the shortest arc is the “First Mission Arc,” which has only four chapters. The “Hashira Training Arc,” which we have confirmed to be the next arc to be adapted, contains just nine chapters and is, in that aspect, one of the shorter arcs in the series, especially when compared to the preceding Swordsmith Village Arc, that had 28 chapters in total.

So, what happened in this arc? The story is, as the title reveals, focused on an event known as the Hashira Training, which is organized regularly. All demon slayers who participate in the Hashira Training, led by the Hashira themselves, will benefit from improved skills and physical condition. The Hashira divide up the training. Tengen Uzui first does fundamental endurance training using Sound Hashira. Then the Mist Hashira, Muichiro Tokito, practices fast movements, while the Love Hashira, Kanroji Mitsuri, practices flexibility.

Obanai Iguro, the Serpent Hashira, next focuses on reviewing sword techniques, followed by Sanemi Shinazugawa, the Wind Hashira, who teaches strikes, and Gyomei Himejima, the Stone Hashira, who teaches muscular development. Shinobu Kocho, the Insect Hashira, abstains from the training. With the exception of Tanjiro Kamado and Inosuke Hashibira, who see training as a chance to better themselves, most demon slayers see it as an endless road to hell.

The Hashira should generally assist each other in their training. Given that they are consistently attacked by waves of juniors who are ranked lower than themselves, even the Hashira are becoming better; hence this is seen as a win-win situation for both the Hashira and Demon Slayers.

This small arc will be a bonding experience. In the overall structure of the series, it is a so-called “rest arc,” a smaller narrative arc that is set between two major arcs, in this case, the Swordsmith Village Arc and the series’ large final arc. This is similar to the earlier “Rehabilitation Training Arc.”

In such arcs, the protagonists get a well-deserved rest but also do some training. This arc doesn’t really stray away from that formula, but we have to admit that the training segment is more pronounced in this arc than in any other similar arc. We will also find out what happened to the Swordsmith Village, as such arcs also reveal the consequences of the preceding events.

As you can see, you can expect a lot of character development in this arc. We are going to see Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke reunited, and we are going to see them train to become even better fighters and even more skilled ones in that aspect. We are also, for the first time, going to see more of each of the Hashira, including those that have only had brief appearances so far, like Gyomei and Obanai. We will also see more of Sanemi as the arc explores the relationship between him and his brother, a topic that has been touched upon in the third season.

As for the airing date, we don’t really know when the adaptation is going to air, but it has been officially confirmed by the producers. Seeing how it is going to be a short season and early rumors suggest that it is already in production, we might see the arc within the next year or even before that.