Here in the Spring 2024 anime season, the fourth season of Demon Slayer will begin streaming, and fans can't wait for another adventure with protagonist Tanjiro Kamado and all his friends. On May 12th, fans will begin the Hashira training arc on the eve of the final battle against the demon king Muzan Kibutsubji anad his remaining Upper Moons, but first, fans ought to look back on how far the series has come.
Across the span of three entire seasons, Demon Slayer fans watched Tanjiro, Nezuko, Zenitsu, and the others grow up and become true heroes against Muzan's hordes, and they have been through a lot, from tough training to surviving the Mugen Train trip and visiting the swordsmith village. Ten particular episodes stand out as the highlight of those past adventures, with incredible fights, astonishing plot twists, and hard-hitting drama to keep the story moving. With any luck, Season 4's best episodes will be on par with these fan-favorite episodes and keep Demon Slayer going strong to the very end.
10 "Cruelty" Launches Tanjiro's Adventure With a Gruesome Slaughter
The very first episode of the Demon Slayer anime started the story with a heartbreaking bang. Protagonist Tanjiro Kamado was a 13-year-old boy in the year 1913, living an ordinary life selling charcoal to support his mother and younger siblings. One night, while Tanjiro was away, Muzan slaughtered the Kamado family in their home.
"Cruelty" showed how much of an emotional impact the Demon Slayer anime can have on fans, from the loss of Tanjiro's family to Nezuko's transformation into a demon and her fight against her own brother. It was only thanks to Giyu Tomioka's arrival and Nezuko's willpower that Tanjiro survived that tragic day, and Tanjiro found a new mission: to cure Nezuko of her demon status no matter what. She was all he had left of his family, after all.
9 "Final Selection" Shows What a Strong Yet Kind Swordsman Tanjiro Is
After an episode of rigorous training with Sakonji Urokodaki, Tanjiro was 15 years old and felt ready for the final selection exam for the demon slayer corps. And, of course, that test was a personal one because Tanjiro was fighting to succeed where the ghosts of Sakonji's previous students had failed. Tanjiro hoped to do them all proud and become a fine demon slayer.
In "Final Selection," Tanjiro fought demons on equal grouns for the first time, and it was inspiring yet also terrifying to see. The climax arrived when Tanjiro fought and defeated a monster dubbed the Hand Demon, and of all things, Tanjiro wept for that demon as it died. Unlike other demon slayers, Tanjiro saw the humanity buried in those creatures, giving them an emotional farewell salute as they died.
8 "Hinokami" Set a New Standard For Shonen Anime Choroegraphy
Near the end of Demon Slayer's first season, Tanjiro's trio of shonen heroes ended up in Natagumo Forest, where they fought the Lower Moon 5, Rui, and his found family of spider-themed villains. Those were the best combat episodes of Season 1, and many fans agree that the episode "Hinokami" was the highlight of that adventure.
By that episode, Tanjiro Kamado was ready to tap into the hidden power of Hinokami Kagura, a rare and devastating demon slayer art that can turn the tables on the Kizuki. With stellar animation backing him up, Tanjiro took the fight to Rui in a whole new way and nearly defeated him, an empowering moment that Demon Slayer fan would never forget.
7 "Akaza" Pits Kyojuro Rengoku Against His Greatest Nemesis
The Mugen Train story arc depicted Tanjiro's squad fighting the Lower Moon 1, Enmu, who tried to assassinate them in their dreams. When the team awakened, they fought Enmu once again, and then slew him. The dust barely settled on the crashed Mugen Train when a much deadlier foe arrived, the Upper Moon 3, Akaza.
The episode "Akaza" showed off the incredible power of an Upper Moon, a being far too powerful for Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Zenitsu to fight at the time. Instead, it fell to the Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku, to take on Akaza in a vicious duel to the death. The two of them were true equals, but Kyokuro was slowly falling behind, creating dire tension about what would happen next.
6 "Set Your Heart Ablaze" is Kyojuro's Swan Song Against the Upper Moons
The final episode of the Mugen Train arc featured the explosive final showdown between Akaza and Kyojuro Rengoku. Up until that point, the Demon Slayer anime had given the nine Hashira an aura of invincibility, but that illusion was shattered when Akaza dealt a mortal blow to Kyojuro. Although Kyojuro had used his strongest and fanciest form to fight back, he had clearly lost the fight.
Then again, in Tanjiro's eyes, Kyojuro won a sort of moral victory over the Upper Moon 3, and then Akaza fled into the forest as the morning sun rose. The episode had a heartbreaking but also inspiring conclusion when Kyojuro shared some heartfelt final words with his young friends, allowing him to die in peace.
5 "Transformation" Makes Nezuko a Superstar Against Daki
The Entertainment Story arc led Tanjiro's team on a brand-new urban adventure with Tengen Uzui to back them up, and their next opponent was their scariest one yet, the Upper Moon 6, Daki. When the final fight started, Tanjiro's team was having a tough time, but then, to everyone's shock, Nezuko transformed into a more adult form.
In the episode "Transformation," Nezuko thrashed her Upper Moon opponent, but then she almost went berserk, and it fell to Tanjiro to restrain Nezuko's bloodlust, a stressful moment that had Nezuko in tears. Then, another plot twist arrived when Tengen beheaded Daki, only for Daki's brother Gyutaro to emerge from her body and reattch her head. The Upper Moon 6 was actually a brother/sister duo, making the fight that much tougher.
4 "Never Give Up" Shows Tanjiro's Incredible Grit While Fighting Gyutaro
"Never Give Up" is another popular action-oriented episode in Demon Slayer that has intense combat and inspiring humanistic themes. By that episode, the fight against Daki and Gyutaro had become positively desperate, and not even Tengen Uzui was able to stay on his feet. Worst of all, Gyutaro cruelly mocked Tanjiro, since they were both brothers protecting their younger sisters, but Tanjiro had seemingly failed.
However, Tanjiro still had some fight in him, no matter his exhaustion and injuries. He showed incredible grit and willpower as he rallied himself for one more exchange of blows, which shocked Gyutaro. Finally, Daki and Gyutaro were beheaded at the same time, only for Gyutaro to suddenly explode, putting the heroes in peril one more time.
3 "Bright Red Sword" Intensifies the Fight Against Hantengu and Gyokko
"Bright Red Sword" is one of several excellent action episodes in the Swordsmith Village story arc. In that episode, Tanjiro and his new Hashira allies leaped into action once the Upper Moons 4 and 5 confronted them, with Muichiro facing off against the fish and octopus-themed Gyokko. Elsewhere, Tanjiro and Genya took on Hantengu, who had more than one body.
This exciting episode got its name from the fact that Nezuko used her fire to turn Tanjiro's black blade red, which was reminiscent of the sword that almost killed Muzan some time ago. In this episode, Mitsuri Kanroji joined the fray with her cool whip-like sword, and then, to everyone's surprise, Genya Shinazugawa tapped into his half-other powers, resembling a demon.
2 "Mist Hashira Muichiro Tokito" Depicts Muichiro's Solo Victory Over Gyokko
For a time, the quiet himbo Muichiro Tokito was in dire straits while fighting Gyokko, and he almost drowned in a water vase. Then, Muichiro had a flashback about his tragic origins and awakened his demon slayer mark, allowing him to break free and resume the fight against Gyokko.
In "Mist Hashira Muichiro Tokito," the namesake hero pushed his aquatic foe to the limit, and not even Gyokko's final form was enough to stand up to Muichiro's blade. At last, the Mist Hashira was taking the fight 100% seriously, and he stunned everyone when he defeated an Upper Moon all by himself, a feat never before seen in Demon Slayer's main story.
1 "A Connected Bond: Daybreak and First Light" Concludes Season 3 With an Astonishing Plot Twist
The final episode of Season 3 was a moment of action, triumph, relief, and shock all in one package. Tanjiro was actually ready to sacrifice Nezuko to the morning sun so he could finish off Hantengu, but to Tanjiro's immense relief, Nezuko survived the sun, the first known demon to ever do so. The Upper Moons were slain, and no one on Tanjiro's side had been killed or even mortally wounded.
Tanjiro and his friends embraced happily to mark their stunning victory, and they departed the swordsmith village in high spirits. However, it wasn't all good news. Elsewhere, Muzan learned of Nezuko's inexplicable immunity to sunlight, meaning he set his sets on one goal: capturing her. That created some dire stakes for the next season.
