First, W you I love your content, then second: I'd think that Tanjiro and Nezuko might've gotten stronger from the fight, and also, Gyokko and hantengu were in a much smaller space (the village) so they weren't able to cause as much chaos as Gyutarro was able to. (That's just a theory I came up with, I actually don't know myself)
@@EgotisticalNarcissistliterally no. He is just a little bit weaker because daki is with her but he is upper moon 6 and there are no statements indicating he will be higher in the rankings..
One big reason why the demons seemed weaker than Gyutaro was also bc Tengen is at lower end of the Hashira in terms of power. Tokito is one of the strongest ones out there and the power difference shows in the fight. And he only started winning after getting that mark thing. Same thing with Love Hashira, she also got the mark but would have lost the fight if not for the team work between all of the others in the fight.
Muzan himself said that Daki was holding back Gyutaro and that he had more potential. If it wasnt for Daki, he would have been a higher upper moon. So thats why Tengen had so much trouble. Not only was he a lower Hashira, it was also like he was battling with a higher upper moon than n.6
As a manga reader, even before season 3 started I knew it wasn't going to be as compelling as the Entertainment District arc. To a certain extent, the animators kinda have to work with what they're given, but the final arc will be insane to see animated so I'm really looking forward to that
@@salierihiyajo6596 Probably, there's basically two arcs left after this, one of them being a training arc. Edit: looking back at how many chapters they have left to cover, maybe there will be two more seasons.
In my opinion, this season was meant to show the tipping of the power scale, which we would eventually be led in later seasons not to be the case. It greatly displayed the power of the Demon Slayer Mark, hence the swift disposal of Gyokko and partially that of Hantengu. Though we were able to constantly observed the Mark with Tanjiro, but he can only partially use it with Hinokami Kagura unlike the Hashiras who used it with their respective breathing technique that they have mastered.
Yeah, this is it. It's hard to say anything really without spoiling. The mark is so important and the primary reason why these upper ranks felt weaker. Can't wait for next season.
I agree but I also just think Gyuutaro’s poison lead to way more high stakes for the group. So it felt a lot more intense, and obviously visually they destroyed a whole district so each attack felt like it had a lot more weight behind it. Not saying UM6 is stronger then UM5 or UM4, but they just made the RLD arc a whole lot more edge of the seat because of how well they executed the strength of an UpperMoon. This season shows the turning point for the demon slayers but I also felt like there wasn’t as much threat of just instantly dying from 1 or 2 attacks.
Yeah, and remember the Golden Age of Demon Slayers where a lot of demon slayers manifested the demon slayer mark. I think that was the hardest time for Muzan and his minions because the demon slayers dominated them, until the demon slayers became aware of the side effect of manifesting the mark, which is early death, so a lot of them stayed away from doing that that's why in the current timeline the Hashiras didn't possess the mark. It is evident when you look at the retired hashiras because they managed to grow old. So, for a long time the hashiras didn't pursue manifesting the mark, and that's probably why the upper demon moons managed to eat a lot of hashiras before the current timeline. The whole arc aimed to show how OP the mark is, that's why the main villains were defeated a lot easier.
A big point of this arc was to show how incredibly strong the demon slayer marks are. Without his mark, Muichiro would’ve either lost, or struggled significantly harder against Gyokko. If Tengen was marked, he likely would’ve stomped Gyutaro with little difficulty.
I don’t think the writer explained that properly if that was “the big point of this arc” like the marks just appeared out of nowhere. Instead of putting backstories in the middle of every fight they would’ve taken the time to explain the marks. So I don’t think that was the point. The villains were just boring like charlie said. Not even a matter of how strong they were, their abilities were just silly.
the mark seemed more important in the manga. the entire reason it was easier was because of the marks and them just being better than before. i feel like it makes perfect sense in terms of difficulty.
8:05 Just a small correction. Gyokko didn't want to kill Haganezuka but rather injure him enough to make him lose focus because Gyokko felt insulted by his pride as an artist.
No spoilers but having read the manga, this season was definitely used as a stepping stone to show the Hashiras and Tanjiro’s progression with the marks. Without the marks Upper 4&5 would’ve bodied them, and it’s just spotlighting some much needed progression of strength for the fights to come. Think of this season as 1 step back to take 5 steps forward
Haven’t read but I felt like this was going on. Just doesn’t seem like they’ve done a phenomenal job making it clear to the audience the impact these marks have. I still don’t have a good idea of just what’s going on there. Maybe future seasons will make me feel differently but I doubt it. Still enjoy every second of this season tho.
Let’s hope the next season isn’t just the training arc and it’s infinity castle+hashira training arc. Then season 6 is sunrise countdown that would be perfect
One issue for me seemed like the leap in power through the seasons. Tanjiro was never mentioned to have ever tried/attempted to use the thunder breathing technique, yet he was still able to pull it off. Somehow Nezuko gained complete control over her most powerful state, even though last season she was foaming at the mouth to eat humans. I don’t know, it just seems like there was a whole other season in between the Entertainment District arc and the newest one.
I mean that's kind of Tanjiro's thing. He's been known to adapt when in dire situations just like the first time he uses hinokami kagura against Rui. Also, they did fight Gyutaro and Daki, that's worth quite a lot of experience for all of them
I think upper 4 and 5 weren't fleshed because they were just unredeemable evil. The upper 3 to 1 have amazing back stories and I'm sure you'll enjoy them. Also 4 and 5 feel a lot less threatening because Tengen(even if I love him) was in the lower echelon of hashiras. While here we have Muichiro and Mitsuri with a mark that skyrockets them to an immense power level
Thats not true at all, Muichiro won because Gyokko was caught up in his narcissism and arrogance and Mitsuri was crying when tanjiro left. Remember Tengen was poisoned and was on the verge of death that entire fight. No other hashira would be able to handle Gyutaros poison.
Charlie’s biggest criticism being the villains is a good sign that he is going to love Season 4. The final arc of Demon Slayer is absolutely insane in no small part to how devastatingly powerful and terrifying the villains are, especially Upper Rank 1.
@@xernade yeah I’m not gonna deny the fights will look awesome animation wise but that’s more the producers in the manga it wasn’t that special I think other series deserve this kind of treatment like psyren which never got a anime adaption
there are only 2 good villains in DS and even then they arent even that good compared to other shonen villains because they follow the same formula all other DS villains follow. I think he will enjoy the next season more because of said villain but after they are out of the picture those same criticisms will be there and prob be even worse because of the villains that come after
It’s definitely a “lesser arc” but it’s still really nice and it was really nice to finally see Muichiro finally animated but I was really waiting for the last episode. I’ve been waiting for the Nezuko scene to be animated for years and it was just so beautiful to finally see it. Such a great scene🥲
Muichiro's teleport-behind-you fighting style is a lot less fun to watch then Tengen and Mitsuri's styles though. I get he's super powerful, but he is not a lot of fun to watch
I wished they showed a better job in recreating Tokito’s “Obscuring Clouds” In the manga, they made it look and sound like an epic move but the anime kinda made it lame in comparison
It felt quite dangerous when they were fighting Hantengu’s different forms, but I agree that it didn’t feel nearly as desperate as Gyutaro. I loved the feeling in the previous season that they were being thrown into something they absolutely weren’t ready for, and had to go so far past their limits it left them inactive for months after. Here it always felt difficult, but manageable, especially when the Hatred form just started chucking wood dragons instead of using his full kit. I’m also starting to get a little sick of how indestructible the characters are. What’s the point of poisoning, stabbing or breaking their bones if they can just keep fighting anyway like they took no damage? It’s fine for momentary bursts of resolve, but when it lasts a really long time and leaves them with no permanent damage, it all feels a bit pointless. Now every time a character gets stabbed through the chest I’m not going to even think they lost the fight, let alone that they’re going to die. Even just some visible scars would be great.
Yeah, I can see that during this arc, but this is the last major arc without a character deaths (not spoiling who or how many), even the Hashira training arc has its fun little surprises.
And they put emphasis on characters injuries also. Tanjiros foot got turned into paste, and he just walks it off. He acknowledges it as if he's sprained his ankle... And Tanjiro was steal injured from Gyutaro. The kid turning out to only have his arm get cut and Nezuko being the one in a billion demon who's immune to sunlight also... God it was so bad
@@tramarthomas6105uh, who would have thought that the demon that defied Muzans control, that fought its own demon nature, has a power that actively damages demons and demons only, has been worked on by another demon to find a cure for which altered her cells, is immune to sunlight. Thats crazy.
Demon Slayer is probably one of the only shows where every episode feels high quality and like something you’d see in a theater. All of the fight scenes are so beautiful and blow you away
episode 7 was absolutely horrendous. the overall pacing was terrible. The show was enjoyable only because i abused my "skip 10 seconds forward" button. Its very pretty, voice acting top notch as usual too. But this season was soooo slow. the recycled flashbacks every single time were so annoying.
Without spoilers, anime only fans will be EATING. Next season, most likely just filler and my prediction is it won't be numbered but rather named like mugen train. After that comes season 4 and 5 where it's non stop insanity, hype, overpowered fights and incredible visuals. Get ready.
This arc is a lower point in the manga too. But the real point of this arc was to be a setup for the next arcs, by showing the marks and nezuko’s conquering of the sun. This season showed how much stronger tanjiro has gotten after fighting upper 6, hence the love hashira at the beginning saying something like “that experience must’ve been years worth of hard work.” And lets be honest, S2 was just TOO GOOD
Couldn’t have said it better myself, after the hashira training arc everything is going to pick up and feel like Entertainment District on roids tenfold.
I don’t think a lot of people picked up on the mark’s significance in the appearance on a swordsman, it’s key and it just shows you how masterfully crafted the manga was
Most people will say the swordsmith village is the weakest arc but it really is the calm before the storm. The next arcs (not including hashira training arc) are insane and it'll be great to see
I think the problem with the villains this season wasn't necessarily that they were "weak", but that they didn't use the typical combat method that we were used to seeing with previous enemies. Gyokko and Hantengu aren't combat-type demons that go 1v1 at their opponent, their style is more of deception and attrition. The reason why they are so easy to defeat once caught, is because their demonic blood techniques are based on sending "minions" to do the job for them. As a result, they are quite vulnerable once you isolate them.
I didn't even think about this but I like that pov. It's also possible that Daki herself is upper six but her brother is meant to be higher but since he wants to stay with daki he's being held back. Which honestly if daki was higher than 6 it would spoil her brother's strength
(NO SPOILERS) I read the manga, and I agree that upper moon 4 & 5 seem weaker, but I think this season was put into place to display how far the cast has come with combat skills, and unlocking their demon slayer marks. They DID struggle less, and that's the whole point of the season, it was a "power boost" basically. Also, every arc going forward not only returns the stakes, but presents even better ones.
I mean, it's meant to show the capability of the demon marks. Muichiro got bodied until the mark, and even the love hashira was about to die until the mark awakening, but even then, she needed help
Agreed. While reading the manga, tokito was hopeless until the mark. And while reading it, you can really sense the dread that he was about to die. I did not get that whilw watching the anime.
I think the Tengen vs Gyutaro showed how strong an Upper Moon are, if Gyutaro was supposed to be the weakest. This season shows how strong the Slayer's Mark is. Gyokko who is an Upper Moon 5 supposedly stronger than Gyutaro who is an Upper Moon 6, is taken out easily by Muichiro with a Slayer's Mark, even though he was struggling with Gyokko beforehand. Although, Kanroji struggling even when she has the Slayer's Mark, i think it's to show the power gap between the Upper Moons, starting with Hantengu. I also think that the backstory of each demons should be showed to the full extent, we can see how impactful the death of Gyutaro and Daki was after their backstory was shown.
Having a lore explanation doesn't change the fact it was less entertaining. The villains were just a big let down this season. Not only did they feel weak they also just weren't particularly cool or interesting. Upper moon 4 had some cool moments but vase guy was extremely lame the entire time even when he was winning I almost burst out laughing when his ultimate move was revealed to be turning things into fish.
@@benjaminandrews956yeah honestly after reading the manga i actually forgot the names of upper moons 4 and 5 going into the anime they were that forgetful. But Akaza, Doma and kokushibo are actually insane. Their backstory, strength and characters are a thousand times better than gyutaro and the final arc will be insane
Gyutaro was much more powerful than rank 6, as Muzan had already said Gyutaro's sister severely held him back. Gyutaro himself never directly consumed humans it was always Daki who ate them and Gyutaro got some nourishment....which is why Muzan says Daki was his weak point because if Gyutaro had actually got to/wanted to consume as many humans like the other upper ranks he would be placed much much much higher than 6.
@@bridledfury0412 gyutaro wasnt more powerful than rank 6... thats why he was placed at rank 6.... He had the potential to be higher but he was indeed held back as you stated.
It's odd because Gyutaro is probably rank 4 or higher if he really wanted to be and fought against Tengen who was nothing short of powerful but without the mark was quite a bit weaker than the others, where as Muichiro is literally a direct decendant of Yorichii and Mitsuri is just a powerhouse compared to the other Hashira, especially with the mark.
I think the one thing about this season is that there is a true evolution of the characters ability to adapt and overcome. Tanjiro is now able to not only use hinokami kagura with no drawback, but also bring forth his mark at will, as well as adapting his own version of zenitsu's godspeed technique. He has literally fought upwards from lower moon 1, killing him, lower 6, as well as 4, encountering 3 and also muzan himself. I feel like the demons felt weak because the strength of Tanjiro wasnt displayed properly. However I do agree that this arc is generally the weakest, but also more of a 'calm before the storm' setting.
Gyokko and hantengu were examples of hashira level slayers gaining their marks. Even so, both showcased how much they deserved their ranks. Gyokko would have killed any single slayer in this season alone with the water prison if his priorities were straight (he could've killed muichiro and then bothered haganezuka) Hantengu also shows that he's damn near impossible to beat alone.
Thank you. They needed almost every single character just to fight this field mouse, and then Gyokko was just pissed that bro wasn't paying attention him. He could've EASILY took his head clean off or something while he was so zoned in, but his pride was hurt lmao
Also people seem to forget the fact that Tanjiro's nose really carried them. They'd all have died long before Zohakuten showed up if it wasn't for it. Both UM 5 and UM 4 are insanely strong, they just were mismatched against the cast. (Marks too, like you said I dont know why people forget about it)
This arc was more so catered to show Tanjiro’s progression in combat and endurance, show how effective the demon slayer marks really are and that Nezuko conquered the sun (therefore ensuing Muzan’s burning desire to hunt them down). I believe what’s to come will make up for this slow point and I guarantee majority of the passion, love and budget will be on the Infinity Castle arc. Personally, that was the high point in the manga and I am sure myself and others cannot wait for everyone to experience the beauty that Ufotable can conjure up here. Also, a lot of animes have their slow points and breathing room, and a lot are used by filler too. However this arc does well in the narrative department and some important points do happen despite it being not as enthralling as the previous season - as well at the weaker use of villains here. Despite that, it still keeps its charm. There is still time to build up to an engaging finale here, which I’m sure we will not be let down!
Exactly! It’s hard to have to wait weeks to get through each episode but in reality this season is probably one that needs to be done in one sitting. I feel like a lot of the frustrations can be attributed to the flow of the show since it was not so chapter focused rather, more like we need to cut this show into 30 minute segments because we sell anime not 5 hr movies kind of flow.
Tanjiro's progression has nothing to do with him getting hit by full burst bloodlusted lightning attack from the fifth strongest demon in the world MULTIPLE times and the show doesn't give a shit, he just shrugs it off basically. it lost all sense of tension and the villain lost his on-screen presence with that. compare this to the last arc when one nick from gyutaro's sickle was game over and the show had great intensity because of it. Gyuutaro, and since I've read the manga, the top 3 all have upper moon auras. These two buffoons feel like susumaru or the drummer demon
right, the mark is really a power boost, maybe some people missed that, there were no marks on previous season, really. only tanjiro had it like once or two on the previous season, the sound hashira not even showing any mark or had it lol. that's why the fight was pretty long and difficult on previous season
This is one of those arcs that gets better after you learn the mystery. As a book reader this arc was fantastic to see animated, especially knowing what happens
I would have like to have seen more Mitsuri vs. Upper 4s final form. I think that’s a big part of why upper 4 felt weak, we didn’t get to see much of his final form fighting the Hashira. The drum sound alone was so sick when you got to hear it, seeing more of that battle and even roping Muichiro into the fight with Mitsuri after taking out Upper 5 could have done so much for the season.
I 100% agree. Gyokko, Hantengu, and the 4 clones all felt underwelming. But as soon as Zohakuten (the final form) showed up... Man, he has an amazing theme song too. I wish he was the main body instead of the cry baby.
people calling gyokko weak but plot armor saved tokito, if he wasn't focused on the swordsmith he wouldve killed the child when he gave tokito air and wouldve been able to most likely kill mitsuri in his final scale form with the help of hantengu.
There's a couple of important things to remember here. Without spoiling much Muichiro isn't a normal Hashira and if he was in the fight with UM6 that fight might have also ended much sooner than it did. He has essentially more potential than any Hashira in the current cast. The fight went the way it did only to show how powerful he actually is and to also show later on in the next seasons how strong the other UMs are (keep this in mind when watching season 5). I do feel like UMs 4 & 5 were essentially throwaway UMs but this was also the fight the Hashira unlocked their marks and red blades to also show how powerful they become when they do. Also to note it was 2 Hashira vs 2UMs with the help of Tanjiro which at this point is essentially close to Hashira level, Nezuko, and Genya so the power between these characters at this point in the story is much higher than in season two where it was just 1 Hashira, and the full cast but without all the skills they learned (main one being Tanjiro unlocking his mark). I wouldn't take this as UM5 was so weak but rather that Muichiro was so strong when he regained his memories and unlocked his mark. Next season will mostly be filler if I'm thinking of what it is correctly but after that the real battle begins and don't worry no other villain that is fought will feel like they did in this season.
Important arc for sure but comprared to what has happened and what will happen. They feel super weak. But give me a week UM instead of a whole new random group to show how much the characters have grown.
It is stated in the manga that Gyutaro was held back immensely by Daki's dependence and that without her he'd be higher in the ranks. So in all actually he was probably more dangerous than both rank 5 and maybe even the ultimate form of 4. Tanjiro and the others have more experience at this point too so it makes some sense they weren't pressed as badly as with Gyutaro.
aint no way someone just commented " Gerald Cleveland replied: "This was never stated, you are listening to half wanked arguments in TikTok. and then deleted it cause he knew how much of a retrd he is XDDDD and yes it was stated both in manga and anime ^^
@@nxtrm9326actually they are partially correct it’s never stated that specifically Gyutaro would be any higher that UM6. What IS stated is that he was held back in his potential but there is no statement saying he would be higher in rank without Daki.
For me, the most frustrating part of the season was the overuse of flashbacks. There were a couple episodes where they absolutely teased us by having a sick fight going on at the start, but then the vast majority of the episode is flashbacks. I don't mind flashbacks all the time, but they really messed with the pacing of the show and made it a lot more frustrating when you waited a week for the next episode to finally see that fight and it ends up being more flashbacks from another character. I know anime often loves to do the flashbacks as a way to make you care about characters, but i much prefer when they do major character building outside of the fights because of how much it takes away from the hype they built getting to the fight. I like story as much as the next guy, but we all wanna see a bunch of kickass uninterrupted fight scenes. Like, the love hashira had a nice enough backstory, but I cant help but feel like they could have just worked that in as her talking about herself to tanjiro at the beginning of the season versus doing it in the middle of the fight. Her backstory doesn't exactly feel like the type where remembering it would power her up somehow in a fight.
This!!! I felt like every single episode had a flashback if not 2. I really enjoyed the use of flashbacks in the backstory of the demons, especially in Entertainment District. It adds a compelling element to Tanjiro's compelling character. However, it felt as if 20% of the season were flashbacks. It was extremely distracting, and predictable every time
11 episodes to an arc that brings upfront not only so many new characters but two new demons and a new and relevant location with lore attached to it… honestly two extra eps just to flash out things and maybe a lil less jokes and the pacing would have felt better.
I like to see season 3 as a necessary build up arc for the final season, it builds a lot of hype with more info about the universe. Next season is gonna be awesome for sure
@@eastwick90 I might be wrong, but I think it will probably be two cour like the first season. I don't know if it's confirmed tho, I'm just guessing based on what I remember from the manga
@@eastwick90 yes and no, the training arc is very short so it will likely be part of s4 with the next big arc. It wouldnt be a full season only 3-5 eps max
This season reflected Tanjiros progression in the story, his power scaling has been developing through the story especially with being able to activate his mark. All hashiras being able to activate their mark is the foundation for the future arcs that will take place
Well upper 5 looks weak because that's how much better Muichiro is over Tengen. If Muichiro faced upper 6 he would of killed him faster than he did upper 5. This is not my opinion, this is undisputable facts I read in the Manga
@@chipmunk1227 keep in mind muichiro would hv to kill gyutaro and Daki simultaneously and he’s not resistant to gyutaros extremely potent poison. I’d say muichiro would hv a harder time fighting gyutaro than gyokko and believe it or not. Even lose just because of that poison because remember tengen has resistance and inosuke as well. Also, considering if muichiro was there instead of tengen, he would not activate mark as tanjiro legit activated it at the end giving muichiro no time to activate it (cause you know sun breather needs to activate it so others can)
This season felt like a breather season even though we had two upper moons to fight but It felt like it focused on setting up some new elements like Tokito's mark and Muzan's goal being revealed at the end
Which imo is kinda bad, you’d think this season would feel even more intense because of the fact that they have to fight 2 more upper moons that are supposed to be stronger
@@xDbrad it really all depends on how they do it. Like a set up arc can also be really good under different circumstances Like this season probably would’ve felt a lot better if the two demons were more interesting/ intimidating.
@@shironasama0445to be fair to Charlie this arc is meant to be short. It’s the calm before the storm and is basically just setting up the infinity castle arc and all the fights that happen in it.
one thing i love about demon slayer is that the demons like akaza and gyutaro felt so threatening that one good hit from them was fatal, and these demons from the new season did not give the same feeling even a little bit
I would say it’s because the demon slayers were much more experienced and stronger than before. Especially Tanjiro and Nezuko who got huge power boosts from fighting Upper 6 so fighting upper 4 was a lot easier. Also muichiro was just super gifted and op asf with the mark activated so he killed upper 5 easily
@@vincentwitt1810 i agree, it does make sense that they would all be better suited to fight demons given that they have more experience and have grown stronger. but it just didn’t quite feel like the enemies strength scaled along side the heroes.
Muzan did said that Gyutaro was supposed to be higher but his sister held him back. Also the rank isn't balanced at all, just wait for Upper Rank 3, 2 and 1. They are disgusting powerful it makes all the previous upper rank looks like a joke
the marks are a big thing, muichiro wouldn’t have smacked gyokko so fast without the mark, and if you think about it it’s clear to see how gyokko and hangengu can be very dangerous and how they deserve their ranks, the demon slayers just had big power boosts basically
True I absolutely agree with it. Gyotaro felt like much of a threat than the this season's upper moon. The skills, intimidation and the overall stakes in the season felt like another level.
fun fact: it was said that, gyutaro had so much potential that if he wasn't held back by his sister, he would've easily climbed the ranks and earned himself the spot of upper 4. which i fully support, because this man was a genuine menace.
Upper 5 not 4 Tengen was almost on par with him without a mark Mitsuri is always said to be stronger than Tengen and with mark still wasn’t able to solo 4
I'm seriously wondering where people keep getting this info from lol. Just cause it was said he had potential doesn't mean he's stronger than the others at all
Swordman village arc is a pretty mild arc in Kimetsu, especially following Entertainment District arc. The good thing is this is the only mild arc and the next few till the end arc is really good.
The thing I REALLY appreciate about Demon Slayer is the author didn't let it drag on. They knew the story they wanted to tell, and they told it in 230 chapters. Most battle Shonen last like 500-900 chapters and suffer greatly for it. But Koyoharu knew where she wanted the story to go from the start, and didn't pull any punches along the way to get to that conclusion. And as much as I was so happy my boy Muichiro do his thing... This arc was has always been a step down from the Entertainment District arc. Luckily things pick up quite a bit here after the Hashira Training Arc.
@@Deenuhhh Yes. I did. Personally I feel on every level the Entertainment District Arc is better outside of maybe the emotional impact of the finale of this season. By in large the animation quality was a step down and frankly this arc's villains don't feel nearly as threatening or menacing as Gyutaro did. And Muichiro is literally my favorite Hashira. I'm not saying this season is bad. I'm saying last season was a masterpiece, and had one of the greatest anime fights of all time to cap it off. Your recency bias is showing, and that's fine. But to say that Entertainment Arc is worse than Swordsmith Village Arc is just an awful take.
"Most battle Shonen last like 500-900 chapters and suffer greatly for it." ok not including mha name 3 that suffer greatly. ur talking straight out of ur ass
The Sword Smith Village arc to me was just purely based on progress on helping Nezuko become human again and also getting rid of the less important Upper Moons for the Infinity Castle. Gyutaro (Upper Moon 6) could of easily been a higher rank if his sister Daki (also Upper Moon 6) didn't held him back, Muzan even said so. Muzan also said that Gyutaro still had too much humanity because he cared for his sister so much.
Exactly this is what I was thinking plus every demon has a weakness and definitely the other 2 would have been somehow difficult to handle if not for certain knowledge
Doesn’t mean he’s stronger than any of the upper ranks and regardless would die easier if he didn’t have his sisters head to keep him alive. Hints to why he panicked and was hoping his sister wasn’t beheaded to SAVE him from dying.
@@Anchorin Also, Tengen notes that they’ve dispersed their power into two bodies instead of Gyuutarou absorbing Daki into himself. So if he had absorbed Daki, becoming just one demon, he would individually be stronger. But I still don’t know where people are getting this idea that without Daki he’s “Upper 4 level” - because Muzan certainly never said that, unless it’s somewhere in the manga. And I don’t think it’s right to say he would be a higher rank without his sister. Tengen is one of the weakest Hashira, both Muichiro and Mitsuri outclass him in speed and strength BEFORE gaining the mark. That’s why the Upper Moons this season *feel* weaker, but they certainly aren’t weaker.
@@InvisibleTacoMan THANK U. FINALLY FOUND SOMEONE THAT SAID IT lol. it blows my mind the takes people are having. last season they seemed so strong cuz tengan is the weakest hashira compared to um 5 fighting a literal prodigy who has the most potential out of any hashira. ON TOP OF THE FACT its like people just forgot the middle of this season when the copies of um4 were just dog walking everyone lol. hell um4 dog walked everyone the entire time until the very end and was LITERALLY killing mitsuri when the sun plus his main body killed him
Summed it up perfectly. Even if this season was weaker, it's still a quality show. If the training arc is next, I wonder if we'll get a filler arc following before the giant finale arc
@CeedayGaming I'll send myself to the shadow realm before I even entertain the thought that anything you pull out your ass can be as entertaining as Charlie's
Throughout the season I kept waiting for that moment where the stakes ramped up and things got really tense but it never came. The closest it got was the final episode, but that was more of a character driven moment than a high action, edge of your seat moment. Like at the end of both the demon fights, they show that the Hashiras are on the edge and fully worn out, but as the fights were actually happening we never really see or feel that tension at all.
With a ending like that the anime isn’t getting any better, and if we’re being honest demon slayer is only popular because of the fights and good animation
I think what makes hantengu so dangerous isn’t necessarily his physical strength, but simply his versatility and how hard it is to kill him. Yes every single one of his clones is probably weaker than any other upper rank demon individually, but the trick is w him is that unless you have the see through world or figure out what’s going on, it doesn’t matter how much you kill his clones you’ll eventually burn out from exhaustion and he will simply outlast you in a fight unless you got multiple people.
I don’t know for certain but I think the way Upper 4 & 5 were handled is to show the power gap that happens when the marks appear. Makes me feel like the good guys have gotten so strong that they can just handle the demons easier, but I doubt it’ll be this way with the last 3 Uppers.
@@blaer5by sheer dumb luck, tanjiro was able to awaken his mark, and marks resonate with other high level slayers making it easier to awaken theirs. Basically on s2, tanjiro met these conditions. High body temp due to poison and high heart beat due to adrenaline. Just think of these marks as rashes due to infection while having a fever.
@RiptideRambo these Hashira are levels above even Daki was said to even kill Hashira which any Hashira now one shots and Upper 1 says Stone Hashira is strongest person he has fought in hundreds of years
Hot take maybe but I think the upper moon demons were meant to feel weak to demonstrate the power of the marks the mist and love hashira’s developed. Those marks are going to be significant next season.
What I felt with the new Upper Moons was that they were there not to be menacing or threatning, but to show how far the main cast had progressed from season 2. Gyutaro and his sister were BODYING them all left, right, and center. But our main cast was still pretty green, while Tengen is a bit on the weaker side of the spectrum of the hashiras so of course he'd struggle. These new guys, like I said, really were just there as sort of cannon fodder to show how strong they all got (I honestly still find the vase dude absolutely creepy as fuck though. If crrepyness won you battles he'd be unstoppable xD).
@sammy_miyata4184 It would of been good to show his back story and lean into the horror elements a bit more. Perhaps he goes around and is murdering a bunch of the sword smiths and leaves gruesome art and then it becomes a mystery. Demon slayer is always peak when they lean into horror elements because it makes the demons terrifying. An example is the end of this season with Muzan how he just murders the two servants in cold blood
@@harrisonsloan6036 THIS. This is why this season felt so uninspired to me. I was expecting more mystery and horror elements with the isolated setting we got. Infinity train and red light district had a bit of that but man this season had the perfect setting for it.
Something I’d like to say about the villains is to look at the fights that happened in a form of growth for the characters in strength. Yes their backstories were weak, but in regards to power they are used as stepping stones. It is also important to realize when compared to other Hashira tengen falls towards the bottom where as Mitsuri and Muichiro are in the half/upper half in terms of strength not to mention the demon slayer mark and what that truly does. I believe that this will most definitely be one of those seasons that gets looked back on once the show is over and gets more praise than what it’s being given currently. I have read the manga so knowing what takes place after definitely gives me a better outlook on this season so it’s understandable that people may have viewed this season as weaker compared to others.
You're wrong. Tengen is one of the strongest Hashira, it just so happens that Gyutaro is stronger than both Hantengu and Gyokko. It is said that Gyutaro is heavily held back by his sister, but in that battle in the Entertainment District arc, he went with all he had. Also, Tengen didn't have the demon slayer mark.
@@enricosaez3345 ur wrong have u not read the book or not follow the author there’s a ranking of hashiras and tengen is in the low rank he’s not as strong as rengoku or as strong the mist hashira it’s all canon too just search it up on Google
@@enricosaez3345 Tengen is definitely not one of the strongest, he’s bottom 3 hashira. Gyutaro being stronger than upper 4 and 5 has no substantial evidence other than the “he was being held back by his sister” claim which doesn’t really amount to much. Mitsuri and Muichiro only won because they were unlocked the slayer mark. Tengen didn’t have the slayer mark which is why upper moon 6 felt so much stronger in comparison to upper 4 and 5. Had Tengen unlocked the mark, he would have had a MUCH easier time with gyutaro.
I think a lot of the reason the enemies felt weaker was because the characters, especially with their marks, drastically got stronger, but I was also totally pissed with how little Gyokko was dived into character-wise and I was a little annoyed that the concept of emotion demons with different elemental powers (which could be fucking epic) was eventually just sorta stomped all over lol
i dont mean to spoil but gyokko’s story wasn’t dived into because he was terrible when he was human too basically, they mention his story in a guidebook or something i forgot where i saw it
@@stefanghiulamila829 so was the fear dude too though. Like I think they tried to imply something was wrong with his brain with how his head looked but they didn’t really explain anything and most people probably didn’t even think hard enough about it and just thought he was a bad guy that lied about what he did cuz he was a rat.
I think the absolute WILD FIGHT of the entertainment district arc was big for the fact this is the first time a upper demon was defeated. This season, the demons SEEMED weaker but this was to show the power of marked hashira and Tanjiro learning hinokama kagura well.
NOT TO MENTION tengan was also the weakest hashira mixed with the fact we were literally told how much stronger um6 would have been without his sister holding him back which was the entire point of their back story as humans AND demons
@@SageO6PathzGON Not stronger, but more effective, losing daki isn't a power boost, but it would have allowed him to win even if u remove the double beheading. If the fight started out with gyutaro instead of daki, tanjiro would have gotten one tapped, and the rest would follow fast.
The reason they were able to kill them so quickly compared to last season is becuase they used their demon marks which makes them stronger and because everyone else powered up before the fight it felt underwhelming but it didnt help how the villians were a bit boring
Yeah Muichiro and Mitsuri were stronger than Tengen normally but with the demon slayer marks it takes them to a new level. They just had too many things to cover in a short season which made it seem like the demons were weaker than they actually were.
gyutaro is a very hostile and an up close fighter. it’s really hard to catch a break when the person you’re fighting is legitimately trying to kill you with every swing.
I think the main issue was the pacing. The upper moon 4 fight did feel intense until all momentum is lost by cutting to a character trapped in a bubble. Then they try showing how powerful marked Hashiras are by easily defeating and fending off Upper Moons. But instead it just makes them appear super weak.
@@carloscalderon2808 I get that their intention was to show how strong Muichiro's blood line is. But because we never see Upper Moon 5 fight anyone else beside a few villagers, that he also fails to kill, it makes it seem like he's just weak. And I read the manga. I'm just saying that's how it came across. These upper moons weren't nearly as terrifying as Daki and Gyutarru. And when the Hashiras show up they are both treated like jokes. The tone was just way too light-hearted compared to the last two seasons.
I felt like the upper rank 4 and 5 were easier to show how much stronger tanjiro is getting. Like if in session 2 it had been 2 badass hashira against upper rank 6, that fight would feel a similar difficulty as the season 3 fights, now that tanjiro is basically a hashira and growing fast. That's how it came off to me
@@deftcgwell you’re definitely wrong, he had help from both nezuko and genya the whole time. Tanjiro is strong and vastly improving but he isn’t hashira level yet
@@deftcg idk I dint really have an issue with power levels this season but everyone sees it their own way so w/e. It was a blast to watch, not disappointed at all.
@jesusblanco7657 I'd say he is. The bar for hashira is killing any twelve moon, not just an upper moon (as those haven't changed in longer than any human has been alive, before they are killed in the story). I'd say tanjiro is definitely stronger than the spider demon at this point. Ez solo
to be fair, it is said that the only reason gyuutaro was so low in rank was because of his attachment to daki. he is said to be easily one of the most powerful demons out there, more so than gyokko and hantengu.
Thats actually false, he maybe had more potential than upper 5 and upper 4 and if he lived longer than maybe he would have risen in rank however the gyutaro we saw fight against tengen was weaker than upper 5 and upper 4.
this season felt more world-building than anything and it kinda shows the progress tanjiro has made in his strength that he's able to get through a fight with an upper rank
That's what I've been saying plus there's also the fact that they didn't have to worry about beheading them at the same time like last season, also Kanroji and Tokito are some of the strongest hashira according to the Master Kagaya (especially Tokito) so of course they had the upper hand. Though I guess I understand why not everyone is okay with good guys who don't have a difficult time in the "hard" fights.
@@Dr.VeritasRatio yeah it's understandable that it's not as entertaining if they aren't seeing huge fights that have higher risks but the higher upper ranks have that covered. these 2 did their jobs as "filler" to progress the story, it'd be pretty pointless if they didn't show how much stronger tanjiro has gotten since his last battle, he feels completely different and that's kinda the point
@@AdamNicholsMusicyea each upper moon should bring new stakes to the fight and honestly make the fights much more difficult than the last, even if our hero’s are growing in battle experience and strength. 1 HP fights every fight from now on
I agree upper 5 was a little underwhelming but upper 4 was actually pretty cool with his multiple personalities, each of which emboding a specific emotion. Some people might not like that his main body is characterized by fear and so is very small and weak but considering fear is the most primal emotion, fundamentally concerned with survival, it makes sense that he would be that way
@@adityapshetty8653 sure but I would imagine fear to be the first emotion to exist in terms of our evolution. i mean im no biologist but that would make sense since it is directly related to survival, often times as an instinctual response to danger.
There's an interesting theory that the kanji for 'fear' in Hantengu is 怯, but it might actually stand for 卑怯 as in cowardice. For all of his life, he did shitty things and completely avoided the repercussions of his actions. Even in his demon form, he just let his clones do all the work but the real him was nothing but a pathetic little coward.
Charlie really pointed out all of the negative things about the season that I had in mind when watching the season as well. The uppermoons were kind of disappointing, especially uppermoon 5.
To be honest I think that was with intention. Understand gyokko lost cos he deeply underestimated muichiro and primarily focused on cussing him out along with breaking haganezuka’s focus. If he took it seriously then maybe he would’ve fought better. I understand ur feeling tho but I think it was meant to be considering his character. It was befitting for him to die a kinda unsatisfying death. Also this season as a whole I can agree that it wasn’t as good as its predecessors but i think it’s simply cos up until ep11 the story was kinda world building along with introducing the different powers the slayers could achieve. Ep 11 was where the story really develops. And now with the new systems introduced it swiftly sets up for the hashira training arc
I don't think he was underwhelming because Tokito is a certified Hashira who learned to use the same ability that Tanjiro has been using to make fights easier, plus as the flashback showed he seems to have kill drive when it comes to demons further increasing him own power, so it kinda makes sense he would utterly destroy him. But alas I do understand not liking quick fights.
A lot of upper moons are used like stepping stones unfortunately. Best to turn your brain off and enjoy the spectacle. Demon slayer never has/never will slay it in the writing category.
@akirakurusu1888 you could argue that tengen was way more powerful and experienced over tokito and gytoro (who is defo considered the weakest of upper moons) managed to nearly kill him. Imo they made rengoku and tengen look weak compared to tokito.
This battle is the first battle where the team never suffered a major loss. It kind of also showcased how powerful those markings are as well as the level of these hashiras when fighting
I think this season was meant to be a tanjiro training arc as well. To show the progress he made while regenerating. And to put what he learnt during the gyutaro fight.
Absolutely hit it on the head, this season didn't feel like it had any stakes. I wasn't afraid of four and five, because they weren't really characters. They felt like monster of the week rather than an actual big bad. I felt like there was some potential there with 4, I really thought they were going to build up that he considers himself a hero to the poor defenseless demons that are just trying to survive which I think would have been really fucking cool. Having Tanjiro meet the demon equivalent of himself, one who just wants to protect but will kill in order to do that but everything just ended up feeling bleh
This season was a bit rough, maybe because ss2 was too good. However, despite all the long flashback, the sudden death of the stronger upper demons, it still has a good animation + story. Definitely be crazy for the next season tho because we are seeing the “good” upper demons now
The reason the demons did not feel like as big of a threat is because both of the hashira this season used basically a power up called a demon slayer mark that makes them 100 times stronger at the cost of their lifespan and in the previous season tengen did not activate his mark
@@jimb0072 the movie was leagues above because there wasnt flashbacks killing the pacing every 20 seconds. the new season reminded me on naruto shippuden.
I think the biggest problem was that there seemed to be no introduction to these new characters. Not only that, but the wasn‘t event a story unlike Entertainment District, where at the start they only tried to save Tengens wives, not knowing an upper moon kidnapped them. Obviously that‘s not the animators fault, but nevertheless it made the entire fights anticlimactic, because I the show didn‘t give me a chance to emotionally connect with the characters and their mission. Well.. they didn‘t have a mission, it just happened.. like that
yeah it was just narratively a bit weak, goes to village get sword, demon appears. When they discover Daki is the one kidnapping, there is horror themes which I feel is a great thing to lean into because it makes the demons super intimidating, its like one wrong move and you are dead. Then it takes all of Tanjiros effort to just attempt to get Daki for Tengen to come in and destroy her, but then he can barely keep up with Gyutaro. Basically there is alot of easy comparisons to see how strong they are. This season Tanjiro wipes the floor the upper moon 4 and then he needs to activate his power. Same with upper moon 5.
I will say that after surviving the Entertainment District fight, the main trio + Nezuko were meant to have gained the equivalent of around 5 to 10 years of combat experience. So on the one hand I kind of get why this season's fights seemed WAY more manageable for them. But at the same time it would have been so much cooler to see the emotion demons coordinating their attacks more. They could have been actual MENACES if they weren't standing around for so much of their fight T^T I also consider it a tragedy that we didn't get to see Zohakuten in action more because he finally felt more threatening and then we kept cutting away from that fight 😭😭
I think there could be an argument that narratively, this was the strongest season. Just in terms of sheer bombs dropped. I did think that upper 4 was hard to listen to and he made the season tough to sit through at times but I feel like the show progressed a lot here and I’m super excited for the next one.
I don't even think the villains were weak, I think the fact that tanjiro and friends can basically take like a thousand life threatening injuries, getting gashed by talons, exploded eardrums, a crushed foot and so on and so fourth, it makes it hard to tell narratively what attacks are meant to be big problems and which can be shrugged off
Probably my biggest criticism of this show. At this point I just roll my eyes whenever Tanjiro goes "Argh I have been critically wounded" or "Argh I can't feel my X but I have to do this!" and then whoosh, perfectly normal.
As someone who already read the manga, the review makes sense. It's definitely more of a set-up for the next arc as two key factors are now in play which will make the upcoming arcs much more epic. (I'm trying to make it as vague as possible but I feel like I messed up somehow 😅)
I agree with absolutely everything you said here, glad to know I am not the only one who thought that about the villains, and the last episode was my favorite episode from Demon Slayer in general.
When it comes to the fight between the love hashira and the upper 4, I was expecting something like season 2. They do a huge battle and show off their abilities, but it was imo too much focus on tanjiro and him finding the main body. Upper 4 looked really strong but our hero’s were able to take hit after hit and keep fighting without punishment. That’s where I think it lost the tension
I definitely think they’re getting prepared to show us some bomb ass seasons in the future. I think this season mostly serves to give context and help us understand the characters and story better. I’m excited to see how this unfolds, and what they will show us later on
What made Gyutaro seem so strong was his menacing persona and the way he engaged each character in a vicious and targeted way. With Hantengu's fighting style relying on summons while he evaded the demon slayers he was never gonna feel as menacing or villainous as Gyutaro. Gyokko also suffered from this with his scenes mostly centred around his summons and evasion game with little 1-on-1 fighting. I do still think both villains were amazing in their own right, but they were understandably less intense than Gyutaro with the fights feeling more like a big puzzle than an epic battle. I still think S3 was amazing. I can count loads of hype moments and interesting plot points and it's a shame that a lot of people are looking down on it for not being similar to S2. I don't really think another season mostly centred around an intense chain of fights with a demon that relies on hand-to-hand combat would have been the right direction for the story to go in directly after S2.
Don't think so, I think what made Gyutaro a lot more of a threat was mostly the fact that everyone there was weaker and therefore death was a lot more likely. Tengen's a weaker hashira, Nezuko wasn't in the fight at all with Gyutaro and Tanjiro was fighting an upper rank for the first time. The hand to hand thing is true though, feels a lot less up close and personal and therefore less dangerous.
What people like charlie were *probably* upset about (since I can't speak on his behalf), was how much more human gyutaro felt in comparion to number 5 and 4. He was given various traits that allowed him to relate to the viewers, showing how demons were at some point human in the past. Which made the final struggle between tengen, tanjiro, and crew, feel much more like a struggle from both sides to keep the edge. It made the final scenes of gyutaro and daki embracing their demise feel warranted after the ultra final climax of the season. It was a triumph, which is what made it feel so big Upper rank 5 was built up and torn down as quickly as he was introduced to us in the series, very little effort put into fucking him up after muichiro escapes from the water vase. The hashira just eviscerates upper rank 5 after gaining some random ass mark, and nothing of note ever comes from him besides developing muichiro's character. And upper rank four is not much better either, since the only things we get from him is a few mini flashbacks here and there. But what does make him better is that we get to at least understand his nature by the end, and what caused him to become the creature that he was at that present moment; understanding the character made the final battle between him and tanjiro just that much more intense, seeing upper rank 4 repeatedly attempt to knock tanjiro out of the way through various methods with varying levels of success was something that completely in character for that guy, something that you know he would try to do based on what you already know about him. Overall, I think it's the presentation with the "big" bads of the seasons that made it feel weaker than other seasons and the movie
100% agreed, the whole arc just seemed like proving a point that its time for the slayers to fight back, to the point where the upper ranks are just used as fodder for character development, the most climactic point of the whole arc was what happened at the end. Still entertaining because demon slayer IS a great show, but little to no tension.
This season felt like a huge setup for the absolute madness of next seasons, which is why it felt so weak. Especially the demons, since they feel so inconsenquential when face against the newly introduced power up of demon slayer marks. Aside that the animation really leveled up.
The fight felt too fast. I was literally holding my breath when everyone looked like they were killed by Gyutaro but now, Tanjiro seems like he has random ace cards that he can use. And the fact that Tanjiro just randomly remembers Zenitsu talking about thunder breathing and uses a new move. How he randomly just has his sword turn into blood red by nezuko. How his injuries seemingly disappear from time to time, only coming back for a brand new move to be unveiled. The best part of this whole season was definitely Tanjiro's panic attack, the depiction of it had all the viewers panicking as well.
this season was meant to be a much more emotional season where it gives backstories and that last episode where nezuko conquered the sun with that ost playing was absolutely incredible. It was less action packed and the villains seemed weaker due to the slayer marks and it was definitely slower than S1 and S2 but it was still an amazing season
The reason why there isn't that much struggle as the last season is because I think this arc has the sole purpose to demonstrate how strong the slayer mark is
But there are plenty of ways to show the mark is strong. The problem is that season 2 is amazing and overshadowed season 3 hard. The upper ranked should be stronger than rank 6. The power scaling is wack.
@@aphrodite7194 Its been stated that Gyuutaro or whatever his name is was held back by his love for his sister, and he could likely be 4 or 5 if he fought alone.
@@aphrodite7194 the reason why season 2 is good is because the fight is evenly matched, so it looks like gyutaro is helluva strong opponent. Mui completely obliterated gyokko once he had his mark, it was a one sided fight cause of the mark
this season just felt too easy, the characters were pretty beat up but when you compare them to how the characters were left in the last season it is really hard to believe that both main villains were stronger than Gyutaro. I've read the manga tho and what they have in store for seasons 4 and 5 will blow you outta the water
The mist hashira absolutely dogging on upper 5 is not just a throwaway, there is a HUGE reason why he was able to dog that hard on him and that will be explored further in the next season.
That's just not how good storytelling is made. It doesn't matter if it's explored more later on, it should've at least been partially explored now. It was a throwaway in this sense, especially for such a cool looking character.
@@messedupperfect9367did you not watch the same anime as me? It was made absolutely 100% clear that his arrogance and delusion significantly hinderee his real powers and abilities, and that obviously caused him to lose quite fast. How is it bad writing? 😂
@@hogexd It's horrible writing, actually. This and most of the show in general has below average writing, even comparing it to other animes. Arrogance and delusion was a hindrance, yes, but it does NOT make up for the drastic change. I watched the same anime as you, I'm just not biased towards content I like, as that doesn't help anyone. If you truly like something, give it criticism. Even if it did make up for that much of a gap in his skill, it does not make up for the fact that the demon was a throwaway that deserved much more time in the spotlight. There is no reason to hype up these "super powerful" demons by giving them numbers just to make them die in one pitiful fight.
@@Axel_2K I understand this take, as someone who hasn't read the Manga, this makes a little more sense. It's still very underwhelming in my opinion, and doesn't make up for the demon being a throwaway, but I appreciate you telling me they'll go more into it.
btw idk if youll read this charlie but the reason season two fell like the villain was really strong was bc he was strong muzan eve. stated that he could be around hantagus level so with all the characters being weak it made sense this season was more about showing tanjiros progress as a demon slayer
i think it's crazy that they went from "we have never defeated an upper rank before, EVER" to, "oh, we killed 2 with just 2 hashiras and a guy with a demon sister"
Tbf isn't this generation of Hashiras supposed to be the strongest ones for quite a while. Also part of the reason they haven't killed any of the upper ranks could be that said Upper-ranks barely ever show themselves. I mean it took Ninja investigation to find 6 who seems like the most obvious of them and 4 and 5 wouldn't have revealed themselves if muzan wasn't getting so pissy thanks to tanjiro.
I think they did such a good job with the characters last season, that it just made this season not look as good. The end story of the demon siblings last season literally made me cry. not ashamed to say it
Yea I Agree how the villains were super weak.
Gyutaro seemed like much more of a threat than Gyokko & Hantengu combined
I’m not a manga reader but isn’t gyutaro only seen using half of his power
First, W you I love your content, then second: I'd think that Tanjiro and Nezuko might've gotten stronger from the fight, and also, Gyokko and hantengu were in a much smaller space (the village) so they weren't able to cause as much chaos as Gyutarro was able to. (That's just a theory I came up with, I actually don't know myself)
@@EgotisticalNarcissistliterally no. He is just a little bit weaker because daki is with her but he is upper moon 6 and there are no statements indicating he will be higher in the rankings..
One big reason why the demons seemed weaker than Gyutaro was also bc Tengen is at lower end of the Hashira in terms of power. Tokito is one of the strongest ones out there and the power difference shows in the fight. And he only started winning after getting that mark thing. Same thing with Love Hashira, she also got the mark but would have lost the fight if not for the team work between all of the others in the fight.
Muzan himself said that Daki was holding back Gyutaro and that he had more potential. If it wasnt for Daki, he would have been a higher upper moon. So thats why Tengen had so much trouble. Not only was he a lower Hashira, it was also like he was battling with a higher upper moon than n.6
As a manga reader, even before season 3 started I knew it wasn't going to be as compelling as the Entertainment District arc. To a certain extent, the animators kinda have to work with what they're given, but the final arc will be insane to see animated so I'm really looking forward to that
Is the next arc the final arc? or no?
@@salierihiyajo6596 Probably, there's basically two arcs left after this, one of them being a training arc.
Edit: looking back at how many chapters they have left to cover, maybe there will be two more seasons.
@@BadMelody. it’s 3. Hashira training, infinity castle and than sunrise countdown
The first fight of final arc is good. Later it's bad
@@Roy-zk5bdHashira training can he made into 1 episode man lmao
In my opinion, this season was meant to show the tipping of the power scale, which we would eventually be led in later seasons not to be the case. It greatly displayed the power of the Demon Slayer Mark, hence the swift disposal of Gyokko and partially that of Hantengu. Though we were able to constantly observed the Mark with Tanjiro, but he can only partially use it with Hinokami Kagura unlike the Hashiras who used it with their respective breathing technique that they have mastered.
Yeah, this is it. It's hard to say anything really without spoiling. The mark is so important and the primary reason why these upper ranks felt weaker. Can't wait for next season.
i agree they were weak at all they were ranked that way to show the strength & speed of the human characters
I agree but I also just think Gyuutaro’s poison lead to way more high stakes for the group. So it felt a lot more intense, and obviously visually they destroyed a whole district so each attack felt like it had a lot more weight behind it. Not saying UM6 is stronger then UM5 or UM4, but they just made the RLD arc a whole lot more edge of the seat because of how well they executed the strength of an UpperMoon. This season shows the turning point for the demon slayers but I also felt like there wasn’t as much threat of just instantly dying from 1 or 2 attacks.
Yeah, and remember the Golden Age of Demon Slayers where a lot of demon slayers manifested the demon slayer mark. I think that was the hardest time for Muzan and his minions because the demon slayers dominated them, until the demon slayers became aware of the side effect of manifesting the mark, which is early death, so a lot of them stayed away from doing that that's why in the current timeline the Hashiras didn't possess the mark. It is evident when you look at the retired hashiras because they managed to grow old. So, for a long time the hashiras didn't pursue manifesting the mark, and that's probably why the upper demon moons managed to eat a lot of hashiras before the current timeline. The whole arc aimed to show how OP the mark is, that's why the main villains were defeated a lot easier.
A big point of this arc was to show how incredibly strong the demon slayer marks are. Without his mark, Muichiro would’ve either lost, or struggled significantly harder against Gyokko. If Tengen was marked, he likely would’ve stomped Gyutaro with little difficulty.
@@riardomilos8014 nah nah inosuke solos
I don’t think the writer explained that properly if that was “the big point of this arc” like the marks just appeared out of nowhere. Instead of putting backstories in the middle of every fight they would’ve taken the time to explain the marks. So I don’t think that was the point. The villains were just boring like charlie said. Not even a matter of how strong they were, their abilities were just silly.
@@josephballin9852inosuke is the weakest mf in demon slayer bruh dont play
the mark seemed more important in the manga. the entire reason it was easier was because of the marks and them just being better than before. i feel like it makes perfect sense in terms of difficulty.
@@ga69y nah nah inosuke solos muzan trust
I actually agree. It felt a little anticlimatic. But, I feel like this is really setting up for the next season.
The final season, we only got 1 and half arcs left
it's purely setup for the last 3 arcs
Yesss thiisssss although it was still good holy shit I havr no doubt the next season shits gokma get crazy
@mike fun 3? You mean 2? The "training" Arc and then the final battle arc
@@wheresprototype3507infinity castle amd sunrise countdown
8:05 Just a small correction. Gyokko didn't want to kill Haganezuka but rather injure him enough to make him lose focus because Gyokko felt insulted by his pride as an artist.
But there was no excuse for not killing the kid lol
And the fact that he couldn't even get him to bother, show how terrible Gyokko's writing really is
Gyokko is a sadist. Just look in his "art", he kept some of them alive because it amusing.
@@TryingIGuessKotetsu didn't die because he was carrying Rengoku's sword hilt on his chest.
Haganezuka just took all those slashes like it was a scab.
No spoilers but having read the manga, this season was definitely used as a stepping stone to show the Hashiras and Tanjiro’s progression with the marks. Without the marks Upper 4&5 would’ve bodied them, and it’s just spotlighting some much needed progression of strength for the fights to come. Think of this season as 1 step back to take 5 steps forward
thanks for the clarification
Haven’t read but I felt like this was going on. Just doesn’t seem like they’ve done a phenomenal job making it clear to the audience the impact these marks have. I still don’t have a good idea of just what’s going on there. Maybe future seasons will make me feel differently but I doubt it. Still enjoy every second of this season tho.
Let’s hope the next season isn’t just the training arc and it’s infinity castle+hashira training arc. Then season 6 is sunrise countdown that would be perfect
I don’t tanjiro used the mark this season and I feel like the mark on muichiro was out of place and poorly used in his fight.
^^^ as a fellow manga reader I can confirm
One issue for me seemed like the leap in power through the seasons. Tanjiro was never mentioned to have ever tried/attempted to use the thunder breathing technique, yet he was still able to pull it off. Somehow Nezuko gained complete control over her most powerful state, even though last season she was foaming at the mouth to eat humans. I don’t know, it just seems like there was a whole other season in between the Entertainment District arc and the newest one.
Yeah.. agreed, everything was just so random lol
yeah, but i feel that happens every season. Also there's always some taken in story between seasons, so who knows they must've trained
the excuse mitsuri used was that upper ranks are worth a ton of XP and killing gyutaro made tanjiro level up like 5 times
@@clayless8701 I think she explicitly said that fighting an upper rank is worth 10 years of experience.
I mean that's kind of Tanjiro's thing. He's been known to adapt when in dire situations just like the first time he uses hinokami kagura against Rui. Also, they did fight Gyutaro and Daki, that's worth quite a lot of experience for all of them
I think upper 4 and 5 weren't fleshed because they were just unredeemable evil. The upper 3 to 1 have amazing back stories and I'm sure you'll enjoy them.
Also 4 and 5 feel a lot less threatening because Tengen(even if I love him) was in the lower echelon of hashiras. While here we have Muichiro and Mitsuri with a mark that skyrockets them to an immense power level
Tengan was banging up an upperrank with 1 arm and 1 eye Mitsuri was about to die until tanjero killed the main demon
@@cameron28t98 tengen lost his arm and eye to that same upper moon lmao
@@cameron28t98hmmm compelling argument
Thats not true at all, Muichiro won because Gyokko was caught up in his narcissism and arrogance and Mitsuri was crying when tanjiro left. Remember Tengen was poisoned and was on the verge of death that entire fight. No other hashira would be able to handle Gyutaros poison.
@@AGreenApple_ thank you for explaining better than me bro you said what I was trying to
Charlie’s biggest criticism being the villains is a good sign that he is going to love Season 4. The final arc of Demon Slayer is absolutely insane in no small part to how devastatingly powerful and terrifying the villains are, especially Upper Rank 1.
dont lie the final arc was very disappointing a lot of unexplained plot and dont get me start at the ending....
Lot of plot armor coming
@@xernade The best fights definitely, the best writing tho?...
@@xernade yeah I’m not gonna deny the fights will look awesome animation wise but that’s more the producers in the manga it wasn’t that special I think other series deserve this kind of treatment like psyren which never got a anime adaption
there are only 2 good villains in DS and even then they arent even that good compared to other shonen villains because they follow the same formula all other DS villains follow. I think he will enjoy the next season more because of said villain but after they are out of the picture those same criticisms will be there and prob be even worse because of the villains that come after
It’s definitely a “lesser arc” but it’s still really nice and it was really nice to finally see Muichiro finally animated but I was really waiting for the last episode. I’ve been waiting for the Nezuko scene to be animated for years and it was just so beautiful to finally see it. Such a great scene🥲
@CeedayGamingno one
Muichiro's teleport-behind-you fighting style is a lot less fun to watch then Tengen and Mitsuri's styles though. I get he's super powerful, but he is not a lot of fun to watch
@@kingsleycy3450he has potential to be better in the last arc
nah it was not good
I wished they showed a better job in recreating Tokito’s “Obscuring Clouds”
In the manga, they made it look and sound like an epic move but the anime kinda made it lame in comparison
It felt quite dangerous when they were fighting Hantengu’s different forms, but I agree that it didn’t feel nearly as desperate as Gyutaro. I loved the feeling in the previous season that they were being thrown into something they absolutely weren’t ready for, and had to go so far past their limits it left them inactive for months after. Here it always felt difficult, but manageable, especially when the Hatred form just started chucking wood dragons instead of using his full kit. I’m also starting to get a little sick of how indestructible the characters are. What’s the point of poisoning, stabbing or breaking their bones if they can just keep fighting anyway like they took no damage? It’s fine for momentary bursts of resolve, but when it lasts a really long time and leaves them with no permanent damage, it all feels a bit pointless. Now every time a character gets stabbed through the chest I’m not going to even think they lost the fight, let alone that they’re going to die. Even just some visible scars would be great.
Bro really said characters being indestructible lol. Just wait it all goes down hill from here
Yeah, I can see that during this arc, but this is the last major arc without a character deaths (not spoiling who or how many), even the Hashira training arc has its fun little surprises.
And they put emphasis on characters injuries also. Tanjiros foot got turned into paste, and he just walks it off. He acknowledges it as if he's sprained his ankle... And Tanjiro was steal injured from Gyutaro. The kid turning out to only have his arm get cut and Nezuko being the one in a billion demon who's immune to sunlight also... God it was so bad
@@tramarthomas6105uh, who would have thought that the demon that defied Muzans control, that fought its own demon nature, has a power that actively damages demons and demons only, has been worked on by another demon to find a cure for which altered her cells, is immune to sunlight. Thats crazy.
I was kinda feeling the same way. It feels like there are no stakes.
Demon Slayer is probably one of the only shows where every episode feels high quality and like something you’d see in a theater. All of the fight scenes are so beautiful and blow you away
Yeah and the characters make it unbearable
But it sucks that that’s just about all it has. You know how this will end from the first episode.
one piece wano + weekly anime
episode 7 was absolutely horrendous.
the overall pacing was terrible.
The show was enjoyable only because i abused my "skip 10 seconds forward" button.
Its very pretty, voice acting top notch as usual too. But this season was soooo slow. the recycled flashbacks every single time were so annoying.
High quality in terms of animation, not story haha 😂
That hard opening of all the upper moons meeting was just immaculate. Now I wonder how the next “meeting” will go with Muzan
There won't be one
@@chairjacker whos gonna tell him 🗿
Without spoilers, anime only fans will be EATING. Next season, most likely just filler and my prediction is it won't be numbered but rather named like mugen train. After that comes season 4 and 5 where it's non stop insanity, hype, overpowered fights and incredible visuals. Get ready.
@@Wegboe hashira training arc is not gonna be like mugen train thats for sure, max of 2-3 episodes, probably a 1 hour special 1st episode
I don’t think he needs another meeting lol. He’s found what he’s been looking for.
This arc is a lower point in the manga too. But the real point of this arc was to be a setup for the next arcs, by showing the marks and nezuko’s conquering of the sun. This season showed how much stronger tanjiro has gotten after fighting upper 6, hence the love hashira at the beginning saying something like “that experience must’ve been years worth of hard work.” And lets be honest, S2 was just TOO GOOD
Couldn’t have said it better myself, after the hashira training arc everything is going to pick up and feel like Entertainment District on roids tenfold.
@@miscellaneous9506 Fuck yea, I can't wait... literally I can't wait it's going to take them a looong time to animate all that
@@PrinceFloof I'm waiting to see muzen's reaction to screwing himself over, the last fight with him is pure insanity.
I don’t think a lot of people picked up on the mark’s significance in the appearance on a swordsman, it’s key and it just shows you how masterfully crafted the manga was
I was actually gonna say this 🤣
Most people will say the swordsmith village is the weakest arc but it really is the calm before the storm. The next arcs (not including hashira training arc) are insane and it'll be great to see
I'm sorry but I've heard this opinion last season. So I guess people will use this argument until season 69
The ending is just awful
@@rubensiregar6890 No you didnt, people have been saying this next season would be weaker for years
Demon Slayer is always mid. This is the most animation-carried anime I've ever seen
@@rubensiregar6890 burh season 2 was insanely good though that doesn't make any sense
I think the problem with the villains this season wasn't necessarily that they were "weak", but that they didn't use the typical combat method that we were used to seeing with previous enemies. Gyokko and Hantengu aren't combat-type demons that go 1v1 at their opponent, their style is more of deception and attrition. The reason why they are so easy to defeat once caught, is because their demonic blood techniques are based on sending "minions" to do the job for them. As a result, they are quite vulnerable once you isolate them.
So they ARE weak.
@@Xerczar Weak physically, but with a more sophisticated demon blood technique. Like i say, they are great deceivers, not fighters.
@@estrellaescobar5723 Yeah like they are more difficult to fight, but are easier to take out once you've found their weakness.
@@Xerczarit’s like how Superman is strong asf, but when you put kryptonite in front of his face he becomes weak
I didn't even think about this but I like that pov. It's also possible that Daki herself is upper six but her brother is meant to be higher but since he wants to stay with daki he's being held back. Which honestly if daki was higher than 6 it would spoil her brother's strength
(NO SPOILERS)
I read the manga, and I agree that upper moon 4 & 5 seem weaker, but I think this season was put into place to display how far the cast has come with combat skills, and unlocking their demon slayer marks. They DID struggle less, and that's the whole point of the season, it was a "power boost" basically. Also, every arc going forward not only returns the stakes, but presents even better ones.
Yup. This season is one of the weakest arcs in the manga. From here it’s only gonna go up
I mean, it's meant to show the capability of the demon marks. Muichiro got bodied until the mark, and even the love hashira was about to die until the mark awakening, but even then, she needed help
steaks?
Agreed. While reading the manga, tokito was hopeless until the mark. And while reading it, you can really sense the dread that he was about to die. I did not get that whilw watching the anime.
@@_JoeVersteaks
I think the Tengen vs Gyutaro showed how strong an Upper Moon are, if Gyutaro was supposed to be the weakest. This season shows how strong the Slayer's Mark is. Gyokko who is an Upper Moon 5 supposedly stronger than Gyutaro who is an Upper Moon 6, is taken out easily by Muichiro with a Slayer's Mark, even though he was struggling with Gyokko beforehand. Although, Kanroji struggling even when she has the Slayer's Mark, i think it's to show the power gap between the Upper Moons, starting with Hantengu. I also think that the backstory of each demons should be showed to the full extent, we can see how impactful the death of Gyutaro and Daki was after their backstory was shown.
Having a lore explanation doesn't change the fact it was less entertaining. The villains were just a big let down this season. Not only did they feel weak they also just weren't particularly cool or interesting. Upper moon 4 had some cool moments but vase guy was extremely lame the entire time even when he was winning I almost burst out laughing when his ultimate move was revealed to be turning things into fish.
@@benjaminandrews956yeah honestly after reading the manga i actually forgot the names of upper moons 4 and 5 going into the anime they were that forgetful. But Akaza, Doma and kokushibo are actually insane. Their backstory, strength and characters are a thousand times better than gyutaro and the final arc will be insane
Gyutaro was much more powerful than rank 6, as Muzan had already said Gyutaro's sister severely held him back. Gyutaro himself never directly consumed humans it was always Daki who ate them and Gyutaro got some nourishment....which is why Muzan says Daki was his weak point because if Gyutaro had actually got to/wanted to consume as many humans like the other upper ranks he would be placed much much much higher than 6.
@@bridledfury0412 gyutaro wasnt more powerful than rank 6... thats why he was placed at rank 6.... He had the potential to be higher but he was indeed held back as you stated.
@@bridledfury0412that's your headcannon gyutaro
Current gyutaro was a simple um6 demon
It's odd because Gyutaro is probably rank 4 or higher if he really wanted to be and fought against Tengen who was nothing short of powerful but without the mark was quite a bit weaker than the others, where as Muichiro is literally a direct decendant of Yorichii and Mitsuri is just a powerhouse compared to the other Hashira, especially with the mark.
I think the one thing about this season is that there is a true evolution of the characters ability to adapt and overcome. Tanjiro is now able to not only use hinokami kagura with no drawback, but also bring forth his mark at will, as well as adapting his own version of zenitsu's godspeed technique. He has literally fought upwards from lower moon 1, killing him, lower 6, as well as 4, encountering 3 and also muzan himself. I feel like the demons felt weak because the strength of Tanjiro wasnt displayed properly. However I do agree that this arc is generally the weakest, but also more of a 'calm before the storm' setting.
Gyokko and hantengu were examples of hashira level slayers gaining their marks. Even so, both showcased how much they deserved their ranks. Gyokko would have killed any single slayer in this season alone with the water prison if his priorities were straight (he could've killed muichiro and then bothered haganezuka) Hantengu also shows that he's damn near impossible to beat alone.
Thank you. They needed almost every single character just to fight this field mouse, and then Gyokko was just pissed that bro wasn't paying attention him. He could've EASILY took his head clean off or something while he was so zoned in, but his pride was hurt lmao
Also people seem to forget the fact that Tanjiro's nose really carried them. They'd all have died long before Zohakuten showed up if it wasn't for it. Both UM 5 and UM 4 are insanely strong, they just were mismatched against the cast. (Marks too, like you said I dont know why people forget about it)
Same with gyutaro if he poisoned anybody else aside from the ninja hashira with extreme resistance
muichiro would’ve been fine with a normal sword
@@Donovarkhallum it also makes you wonder why Tengen didn't get a mark in that entire struggle
This arc was more so catered to show Tanjiro’s progression in combat and endurance, show how effective the demon slayer marks really are and that Nezuko conquered the sun (therefore ensuing Muzan’s burning desire to hunt them down). I believe what’s to come will make up for this slow point and I guarantee majority of the passion, love and budget will be on the Infinity Castle arc. Personally, that was the high point in the manga and I am sure myself and others cannot wait for everyone to experience the beauty that Ufotable can conjure up here.
Also, a lot of animes have their slow points and breathing room, and a lot are used by filler too. However this arc does well in the narrative department and some important points do happen despite it being not as enthralling as the previous season - as well at the weaker use of villains here. Despite that, it still keeps its charm. There is still time to build up to an engaging finale here, which I’m sure we will not be let down!
Exactly! It’s hard to have to wait weeks to get through each episode but in reality this season is probably one that needs to be done in one sitting. I feel like a lot of the frustrations can be attributed to the flow of the show since it was not so chapter focused rather, more like we need to cut this show into 30 minute segments because we sell anime not 5 hr movies kind of flow.
Tanjiro's progression has nothing to do with him getting hit by full burst bloodlusted lightning attack from the fifth strongest demon in the world MULTIPLE times and the show doesn't give a shit, he just shrugs it off basically. it lost all sense of tension and the villain lost his on-screen presence with that. compare this to the last arc when one nick from gyutaro's sickle was game over and the show had great intensity because of it. Gyuutaro, and since I've read the manga, the top 3 all have upper moon auras. These two buffoons feel like susumaru or the drummer demon
@@goofygoober875 Welcome to anime, lol
right, the mark is really a power boost, maybe some people missed that, there were no marks on previous season, really. only tanjiro had it like once or two on the previous season, the sound hashira not even showing any mark or had it lol. that's why the fight was pretty long and difficult on previous season
honestly the entertainment district is the high point of the manga and anime. everything after is pretty rushed and underwhelming.
This is one of those arcs that gets better after you learn the mystery. As a book reader this arc was fantastic to see animated, especially knowing what happens
I would have like to have seen more Mitsuri vs. Upper 4s final form. I think that’s a big part of why upper 4 felt weak, we didn’t get to see much of his final form fighting the Hashira. The drum sound alone was so sick when you got to hear it, seeing more of that battle and even roping Muichiro into the fight with Mitsuri after taking out Upper 5 could have done so much for the season.
I 100% agree. Gyokko, Hantengu, and the 4 clones all felt underwelming. But as soon as Zohakuten (the final form) showed up... Man, he has an amazing theme song too. I wish he was the main body instead of the cry baby.
people calling gyokko weak but plot armor saved tokito, if he wasn't focused on the swordsmith he wouldve killed the child when he gave tokito air and wouldve been able to most likely kill mitsuri in his final scale form with the help of hantengu.
Fax
yes, i was looking for last episode to see more desperate fight with stakes, not only cut to mitsuri and zohakuten death without saying a word
They didn't even let her behead him. Literally she was saved at the end, even though she got the power up mark the Most guy and Tanjiro got.
There's a couple of important things to remember here. Without spoiling much Muichiro isn't a normal Hashira and if he was in the fight with UM6 that fight might have also ended much sooner than it did. He has essentially more potential than any Hashira in the current cast. The fight went the way it did only to show how powerful he actually is and to also show later on in the next seasons how strong the other UMs are (keep this in mind when watching season 5). I do feel like UMs 4 & 5 were essentially throwaway UMs but this was also the fight the Hashira unlocked their marks and red blades to also show how powerful they become when they do. Also to note it was 2 Hashira vs 2UMs with the help of Tanjiro which at this point is essentially close to Hashira level, Nezuko, and Genya so the power between these characters at this point in the story is much higher than in season two where it was just 1 Hashira, and the full cast but without all the skills they learned (main one being Tanjiro unlocking his mark). I wouldn't take this as UM5 was so weak but rather that Muichiro was so strong when he regained his memories and unlocked his mark. Next season will mostly be filler if I'm thinking of what it is correctly but after that the real battle begins and don't worry no other villain that is fought will feel like they did in this season.
Makes sense ig still felt very week though....
Important arc for sure but comprared to what has happened and what will happen. They feel super weak. But give me a week UM instead of a whole new random group to show how much the characters have grown.
If Muichiro fought Gyutaro Muichiro would die in the first minute
@@Derpster_ that is extremely big cap lol
@@Derpster_bro what are you smoking
Tanjiro really popped off this season, he really showed why he’s the main character
Fr. He has gotten a lot more confident in his abilities which I like to see.
@@CplblueHe was always confident. He also aware of what he could do at the moment. He just wasn't up to par for a lot of the fights.
bro was grinding since season 1
Ikr, I mean, look at the amount of Plot Armor he had
@@ContagiousSpongeHad awesome plot armor lol.
It is stated in the manga that Gyutaro was held back immensely by Daki's dependence and that without her he'd be higher in the ranks. So in all actually he was probably more dangerous than both rank 5 and maybe even the ultimate form of 4. Tanjiro and the others have more experience at this point too so it makes some sense they weren't pressed as badly as with Gyutaro.
This was never stated
@@mark-jy9yj yes it was.
@@mark-jy9yj its also stated in the anime
aint no way someone just commented "
Gerald Cleveland replied: "This was never stated, you are listening to half wanked arguments in TikTok.
and then deleted it cause he knew how much of a retrd he is XDDDD
and yes it was stated both in manga and anime ^^
@@nxtrm9326actually they are partially correct it’s never stated that specifically Gyutaro would be any higher that UM6. What IS stated is that he was held back in his potential but there is no statement saying he would be higher in rank without Daki.
I feel that Uzui Vs. Gyutaro was an amazingly animated fight, and Zankyou Sanka is my favorite opening of the series. It just hits so well with me.
Glad to hear i'm not the only one who felt everything came kind of easily and was underwhelmed by most things this season
For me, the most frustrating part of the season was the overuse of flashbacks. There were a couple episodes where they absolutely teased us by having a sick fight going on at the start, but then the vast majority of the episode is flashbacks. I don't mind flashbacks all the time, but they really messed with the pacing of the show and made it a lot more frustrating when you waited a week for the next episode to finally see that fight and it ends up being more flashbacks from another character. I know anime often loves to do the flashbacks as a way to make you care about characters, but i much prefer when they do major character building outside of the fights because of how much it takes away from the hype they built getting to the fight. I like story as much as the next guy, but we all wanna see a bunch of kickass uninterrupted fight scenes. Like, the love hashira had a nice enough backstory, but I cant help but feel like they could have just worked that in as her talking about herself to tanjiro at the beginning of the season versus doing it in the middle of the fight. Her backstory doesn't exactly feel like the type where remembering it would power her up somehow in a fight.
This!!! I felt like every single episode had a flashback if not 2. I really enjoyed the use of flashbacks in the backstory of the demons, especially in Entertainment District. It adds a compelling element to Tanjiro's compelling character. However, it felt as if 20% of the season were flashbacks. It was extremely distracting, and predictable every time
11 episodes to an arc that brings upfront not only so many new characters but two new demons and a new and relevant location with lore attached to it… honestly two extra eps just to flash out things and maybe a lil less jokes and the pacing would have felt better.
if you read the manga then you wouldnt be complaining cause all it did was show backstories
I agree
They need to fill that 20 minutes runtime
I like to see season 3 as a necessary build up arc for the final season, it builds a lot of hype with more info about the universe. Next season is gonna be awesome for sure
Isn’t next season just a training arc? Atleast from what im hearing
Really this season was really a build up around the markings that tanjiro, love hashira, and mist hashira received
@@eastwick90 I might be wrong, but I think it will probably be two cour like the first season. I don't know if it's confirmed tho, I'm just guessing based on what I remember from the manga
@@eastwick90 yes and no, the training arc is very short so it will likely be part of s4 with the next big arc. It wouldnt be a full season only 3-5 eps max
Too bad I watched the manga, I would've had more fun if I didnt
I think the final episode was completely incredible, and it definitely makes S4 very exciting
This season reflected Tanjiros progression in the story, his power scaling has been developing through the story especially with being able to activate his mark. All hashiras being able to activate their mark is the foundation for the future arcs that will take place
Soon Tanjiro will be able to suplex the literal moon with his ass cheeks, I'm calling it.
@@JimmyPizzaDeliverywhat ☠️ bros trying too hard lol
@@JimmyPizzaDeliverynah he ain't saitama
Well upper 5 looks weak because that's how much better Muichiro is over Tengen. If Muichiro faced upper 6 he would of killed him faster than he did upper 5. This is not my opinion, this is undisputable facts I read in the Manga
@@chipmunk1227 keep in mind muichiro would hv to kill gyutaro and Daki simultaneously and he’s not resistant to gyutaros extremely potent poison. I’d say muichiro would hv a harder time fighting gyutaro than gyokko and believe it or not. Even lose just because of that poison because remember tengen has resistance and inosuke as well. Also, considering if muichiro was there instead of tengen, he would not activate mark as tanjiro legit activated it at the end giving muichiro no time to activate it (cause you know sun breather needs to activate it so others can)
This season felt like a breather season even though we had two upper moons to fight but It felt like it focused on setting up some new elements like Tokito's mark and Muzan's goal being revealed at the end
Which imo is kinda bad, you’d think this season would feel even more intense because of the fact that they have to fight 2 more upper moons that are supposed to be stronger
@@MouthDrops You're not wrong, setting up stuff is good but not when it's the main point of an arc
@@xDbrad it really all depends on how they do it. Like a set up arc can also be really good under different circumstances
Like this season probably would’ve felt a lot better if the two demons were more interesting/ intimidating.
time for season 4s moist meter, cant wait!
too short to be moist metered
@@jake2736 he said on his stream that he didnt like the season and it was too short
@@noname-gq7zgWhat the fuck Charlie? That last episode was absolutely incredible. He should at least review it
@@shironasama0445to be fair to Charlie this arc is meant to be short. It’s the calm before the storm and is basically just setting up the infinity castle arc and all the fights that happen in it.
one thing i love about demon slayer is that the demons like akaza and gyutaro felt so threatening that one good hit from them was fatal, and these demons from the new season did not give the same feeling even a little bit
I would say it’s because the demon slayers were much more experienced and stronger than before. Especially Tanjiro and Nezuko who got huge power boosts from fighting Upper 6 so fighting upper 4 was a lot easier. Also muichiro was just super gifted and op asf with the mark activated so he killed upper 5 easily
@@vincentwitt1810 i agree, it does make sense that they would all be better suited to fight demons given that they have more experience and have grown stronger. but it just didn’t quite feel like the enemies strength scaled along side the heroes.
Muzan did said that Gyutaro was supposed to be higher but his sister held him back. Also the rank isn't balanced at all, just wait for Upper Rank 3, 2 and 1. They are disgusting powerful it makes all the previous upper rank looks like a joke
the marks are a big thing, muichiro wouldn’t have smacked gyokko so fast without the mark, and if you think about it it’s clear to see how gyokko and hangengu can be very dangerous and how they deserve their ranks, the demon slayers just had big power boosts basically
True I absolutely agree with it. Gyotaro felt like much of a threat than the this season's upper moon. The skills, intimidation and the overall stakes in the season felt like another level.
fun fact: it was said that, gyutaro had so much potential that if he wasn't held back by his sister, he would've easily climbed the ranks and earned himself the spot of upper 4. which i fully support, because this man was a genuine menace.
Upper 5 not 4 Tengen was almost on par with him without a mark Mitsuri is always said to be stronger than Tengen and with mark still wasn’t able to solo 4
source: gotoge revealed it to me in a dream
I'm seriously wondering where people keep getting this info from lol. Just cause it was said he had potential doesn't mean he's stronger than the others at all
Fun fact = someone on youtube or tiktok said it and i didn’t fact check
Source: I made it the fck up
Swordman village arc is a pretty mild arc in Kimetsu, especially following Entertainment District arc. The good thing is this is the only mild arc and the next few till the end arc is really good.
The thing I REALLY appreciate about Demon Slayer is the author didn't let it drag on. They knew the story they wanted to tell, and they told it in 230 chapters. Most battle Shonen last like 500-900 chapters and suffer greatly for it. But Koyoharu knew where she wanted the story to go from the start, and didn't pull any punches along the way to get to that conclusion.
And as much as I was so happy my boy Muichiro do his thing... This arc was has always been a step down from the Entertainment District arc. Luckily things pick up quite a bit here after the Hashira Training Arc.
you really watched the ending of this arc and said its a step down lol
@@Deenuhhh Yes. I did. Personally I feel on every level the Entertainment District Arc is better outside of maybe the emotional impact of the finale of this season. By in large the animation quality was a step down and frankly this arc's villains don't feel nearly as threatening or menacing as Gyutaro did.
And Muichiro is literally my favorite Hashira. I'm not saying this season is bad. I'm saying last season was a masterpiece, and had one of the greatest anime fights of all time to cap it off. Your recency bias is showing, and that's fine. But to say that Entertainment Arc is worse than Swordsmith Village Arc is just an awful take.
@@Deenuhhh A good finale does not equal to the season being good overall.
@@Brkncntrllrthe finale took this season for being below average to being garbage in my opinion
"Most battle Shonen last like 500-900 chapters and suffer greatly for it." ok not including mha name 3 that suffer greatly. ur talking straight out of ur ass
The Sword Smith Village arc to me was just purely based on progress on helping Nezuko become human again and also getting rid of the less important Upper Moons for the Infinity Castle.
Gyutaro (Upper Moon 6) could of easily been a higher rank if his sister Daki (also Upper Moon 6) didn't held him back, Muzan even said so. Muzan also said that Gyutaro still had too much humanity because he cared for his sister so much.
Exactly this is what I was thinking plus every demon has a weakness and definitely the other 2 would have been somehow difficult to handle if not for certain knowledge
Doesn’t mean he’s stronger than any of the upper ranks and regardless would die easier if he didn’t have his sisters head to keep him alive. Hints to why he panicked and was hoping his sister wasn’t beheaded to SAVE him from dying.
@@realme-tq4cq He gave off one of his eye and gave daki half of his power not to mention he needs to control daki while fighting tengen and tanjiro
@@Anchorin Also, Tengen notes that they’ve dispersed their power into two bodies instead of Gyuutarou absorbing Daki into himself. So if he had absorbed Daki, becoming just one demon, he would individually be stronger.
But I still don’t know where people are getting this idea that without Daki he’s “Upper 4 level” - because Muzan certainly never said that, unless it’s somewhere in the manga. And I don’t think it’s right to say he would be a higher rank without his sister. Tengen is one of the weakest Hashira, both Muichiro and Mitsuri outclass him in speed and strength BEFORE gaining the mark. That’s why the Upper Moons this season *feel* weaker, but they certainly aren’t weaker.
@@InvisibleTacoMan THANK U. FINALLY FOUND SOMEONE THAT SAID IT lol. it blows my mind the takes people are having. last season they seemed so strong cuz tengan is the weakest hashira compared to um 5 fighting a literal prodigy who has the most potential out of any hashira. ON TOP OF THE FACT its like people just forgot the middle of this season when the copies of um4 were just dog walking everyone lol. hell um4 dog walked everyone the entire time until the very end and was LITERALLY killing mitsuri when the sun plus his main body killed him
Summed it up perfectly. Even if this season was weaker, it's still a quality show. If the training arc is next, I wonder if we'll get a filler arc following before the giant finale arc
I loved season 3, and God damn can it hit you in the feels. Episode 11 especially.
I loved the episode. The season was alright I liked the previous one more.
Read the manga next season is gonna make yall cry.....
@CeedayGaming I'll send myself to the shadow realm before I even entertain the thought that anything you pull out your ass can be as entertaining as Charlie's
@@Purplecreature36000 fr no one is ready for the IC arc
I'm still in tears🤧
Throughout the season I kept waiting for that moment where the stakes ramped up and things got really tense but it never came. The closest it got was the final episode, but that was more of a character driven moment than a high action, edge of your seat moment. Like at the end of both the demon fights, they show that the Hashiras are on the edge and fully worn out, but as the fights were actually happening we never really see or feel that tension at all.
Season 3 of demon slayer is like calm before a storm next arcs are going to go crazy
Season 3... does that mean mugen train arc doesn't count as a season?
@@Chaelimity it was part of season 2
Oh, I see. Thanks for the info 👍
As someone who reads the manga, it’s such a charm to see it all animated so beautifully. No spoilers but it will get so much better!
It will get better before it gets worse again
@@user_1O7 Yup, shame the show really dunks itself down the crapper with the ending pace.
Really hope they change the ending tbh, I don’t want everyone to die 🥲
With a ending like that the anime isn’t getting any better, and if we’re being honest demon slayer is only popular because of the fights and good animation
@@zachfogle3693 I want them to keep the deaths honestly, it gave the final battle some stakes...
I think what makes hantengu so dangerous isn’t necessarily his physical strength, but simply his versatility and how hard it is to kill him. Yes every single one of his clones is probably weaker than any other upper rank demon individually, but the trick is w him is that unless you have the see through world or figure out what’s going on, it doesn’t matter how much you kill his clones you’ll eventually burn out from exhaustion and he will simply outlast you in a fight unless you got multiple people.
Honestly I see this season as being chill. With a crazy season 2 and devastating movie. I like that this season is pretty chill for the most part
The animation and sound design was actually my favorite parts of this season! I love the direction they’re going in
The animation downgraded
@@TheMissingDislikeButtonupgraded* the choreography downgraded
Been waiting all day for this review
I don’t know for certain but I think the way Upper 4 & 5 were handled is to show the power gap that happens when the marks appear. Makes me feel like the good guys have gotten so strong that they can just handle the demons easier, but I doubt it’ll be this way with the last 3 Uppers.
It definitely won't be this way fighting the last three, which will be exciting
@@blaer5they didn’t have the plot armor they died before they could reach the mark
@@blaer5by sheer dumb luck, tanjiro was able to awaken his mark, and marks resonate with other high level slayers making it easier to awaken theirs. Basically on s2, tanjiro met these conditions. High body temp due to poison and high heart beat due to adrenaline. Just think of these marks as rashes due to infection while having a fever.
Tengen is considered second weakest Hashira Muichiro is considered 3rd strongest by most people
@RiptideRambo these Hashira are levels above even Daki was said to even kill Hashira which any Hashira now one shots and Upper 1 says Stone Hashira is strongest person he has fought in hundreds of years
Hot take maybe but I think the upper moon demons were meant to feel weak to demonstrate the power of the marks the mist and love hashira’s developed. Those marks are going to be significant next season.
What I felt with the new Upper Moons was that they were there not to be menacing or threatning, but to show how far the main cast had progressed from season 2. Gyutaro and his sister were BODYING them all left, right, and center. But our main cast was still pretty green, while Tengen is a bit on the weaker side of the spectrum of the hashiras so of course he'd struggle. These new guys, like I said, really were just there as sort of cannon fodder to show how strong they all got (I honestly still find the vase dude absolutely creepy as fuck though. If crrepyness won you battles he'd be unstoppable xD).
@sammy_miyata4184 It would of been good to show his back story and lean into the horror elements a bit more. Perhaps he goes around and is murdering a bunch of the sword smiths and leaves gruesome art and then it becomes a mystery.
Demon slayer is always peak when they lean into horror elements because it makes the demons terrifying. An example is the end of this season with Muzan how he just murders the two servants in cold blood
@@harrisonsloan6036 THIS. This is why this season felt so uninspired to me. I was expecting more mystery and horror elements with the isolated setting we got. Infinity train and red light district had a bit of that but man this season had the perfect setting for it.
Exactly, they were plot devices, not characters.
Something I’d like to say about the villains is to look at the fights that happened in a form of growth for the characters in strength. Yes their backstories were weak, but in regards to power they are used as stepping stones. It is also important to realize when compared to other Hashira tengen falls towards the bottom where as Mitsuri and Muichiro are in the half/upper half in terms of strength not to mention the demon slayer mark and what that truly does. I believe that this will most definitely be one of those seasons that gets looked back on once the show is over and gets more praise than what it’s being given currently. I have read the manga so knowing what takes place after definitely gives me a better outlook on this season so it’s understandable that people may have viewed this season as weaker compared to others.
You're wrong. Tengen is one of the strongest Hashira, it just so happens that Gyutaro is stronger than both Hantengu and Gyokko. It is said that Gyutaro is heavily held back by his sister, but in that battle in the Entertainment District arc, he went with all he had. Also, Tengen didn't have the demon slayer mark.
@@enricosaez3345 ur wrong have u not read the book or not follow the author there’s a ranking of hashiras and tengen is in the low rank he’s not as strong as rengoku or as strong the mist hashira it’s all canon too just search it up on Google
@@jjaqueesasori2025was that not specifically physically?? As in not accounting technique breathing speed etc. ?
@@enricosaez3345 Tengen is definitely not one of the strongest, he’s bottom 3 hashira. Gyutaro being stronger than upper 4 and 5 has no substantial evidence other than the “he was being held back by his sister” claim which doesn’t really amount to much. Mitsuri and Muichiro only won because they were unlocked the slayer mark. Tengen didn’t have the slayer mark which is why upper moon 6 felt so much stronger in comparison to upper 4 and 5. Had Tengen unlocked the mark, he would have had a MUCH easier time with gyutaro.
@@jjaqueesasori2025 those rankings were in running speed and physical strength, not overall strength.
I think a lot of the reason the enemies felt weaker was because the characters, especially with their marks, drastically got stronger, but I was also totally pissed with how little Gyokko was dived into character-wise and I was a little annoyed that the concept of emotion demons with different elemental powers (which could be fucking epic) was eventually just sorta stomped all over lol
i dont mean to spoil but gyokko’s story wasn’t dived into because he was terrible when he was human too basically, they mention his story in a guidebook or something i forgot where i saw it
@@stefanghiulamila829 so was the fear dude too though. Like I think they tried to imply something was wrong with his brain with how his head looked but they didn’t really explain anything and most people probably didn’t even think hard enough about it and just thought he was a bad guy that lied about what he did cuz he was a rat.
If Tengen got a mark he beats Gyutaro easily he was on par with him base form Muichiro got bullied base form from Gyokko
Charlie forgot to mention the show's soundtrack. Demon Slayer's music was always good, but that piano solo in the final episode......chef's kiss
I think the absolute WILD FIGHT of the entertainment district arc was big for the fact this is the first time a upper demon was defeated. This season, the demons SEEMED weaker but this was to show the power of marked hashira and Tanjiro learning hinokama kagura well.
NOT TO MENTION tengan was also the weakest hashira mixed with the fact we were literally told how much stronger um6 would have been without his sister holding him back which was the entire point of their back story as humans AND demons
@@SageO6PathzGON Not stronger, but more effective, losing daki isn't a power boost, but it would have allowed him to win even if u remove the double beheading. If the fight started out with gyutaro instead of daki, tanjiro would have gotten one tapped, and the rest would follow fast.
Their deaths didn’t feel like they had any weight but the animation was phenomenal and Tanjiro using sun breathing has been quite nice
What is sun breathing he is using hinokami kagura right?
@@beleefd5411watch the show
@@beleefd5411did u watch the show?
@@beleefd5411 the answer to your question is yes
he didnt use sun breathing even once..
The reason they were able to kill them so quickly compared to last season is becuase they used their demon marks which makes them stronger and because everyone else powered up before the fight it felt underwhelming but it didnt help how the villians were a bit boring
Yeah Muichiro and Mitsuri were stronger than Tengen normally but with the demon slayer marks it takes them to a new level. They just had too many things to cover in a short season which made it seem like the demons were weaker than they actually were.
gyutaro is a very hostile and an up close fighter. it’s really hard to catch a break when the person you’re fighting is legitimately trying to kill you with every swing.
Don't try and defend this season
It was just so good, the last episode and that reveal made me cry haha
I think the main issue was the pacing. The upper moon 4 fight did feel intense until all momentum is lost by cutting to a character trapped in a bubble. Then they try showing how powerful marked Hashiras are by easily defeating and fending off Upper Moons. But instead it just makes them appear super weak.
Do you even know muichiro's family tree? If you have read the manga material then, 1 shotting any upper moon below 1-3 is realistic
@@carloscalderon2808 I get that their intention was to show how strong Muichiro's blood line is. But because we never see Upper Moon 5 fight anyone else beside a few villagers, that he also fails to kill, it makes it seem like he's just weak. And I read the manga. I'm just saying that's how it came across.
These upper moons weren't nearly as terrifying as Daki and Gyutarru. And when the Hashiras show up they are both treated like jokes. The tone was just way too light-hearted compared to the last two seasons.
@@tino7220 Yeah i think they should have made the Fight before getting the Mark a lot more harsh and then show how powerfull the mark was making them
i disagree, but eh i can understand
Seriously why did they have to trap him in a bubble for like 3 episodes
I felt like the upper rank 4 and 5 were easier to show how much stronger tanjiro is getting.
Like if in session 2 it had been 2 badass hashira against upper rank 6, that fight would feel a similar difficulty as the season 3 fights, now that tanjiro is basically a hashira and growing fast.
That's how it came off to me
tanjiro isnt hashira lvl yet
@@cloverlord6565 I could be wrong fs, I think he is
@@deftcgwell you’re definitely wrong, he had help from both nezuko and genya the whole time. Tanjiro is strong and vastly improving but he isn’t hashira level yet
@@deftcg idk I dint really have an issue with power levels this season but everyone sees it their own way so w/e. It was a blast to watch, not disappointed at all.
@jesusblanco7657 I'd say he is. The bar for hashira is killing any twelve moon, not just an upper moon (as those haven't changed in longer than any human has been alive, before they are killed in the story). I'd say tanjiro is definitely stronger than the spider demon at this point. Ez solo
we need a hashira training moist meter now
to be fair, it is said that the only reason gyuutaro was so low in rank was because of his attachment to daki. he is said to be easily one of the most powerful demons out there, more so than gyokko and hantengu.
Thats actually false, he maybe had more potential than upper 5 and upper 4 and if he lived longer than maybe he would have risen in rank however the gyutaro we saw fight against tengen was weaker than upper 5 and upper 4.
@@malachiblair780swear i thought muzan said he had the same power to be upper rank 4
@@malachiblair780 that's literally what he said, he just said a more simplified version of what you said lol
What is with the DS community and taking a character’s dialogue about talent and potential and trying to make it be about power?
@@brycekang6610nah he never said that. Thats just a made up rumour.
this season felt more world-building than anything and it kinda shows the progress tanjiro has made in his strength that he's able to get through a fight with an upper rank
That's what I've been saying plus there's also the fact that they didn't have to worry about beheading them at the same time like last season,
also Kanroji and Tokito are some of the strongest hashira according to the Master Kagaya (especially Tokito) so of course they had the upper hand.
Though I guess I understand why not everyone is okay with good guys who don't have a difficult time in the "hard" fights.
@@Dr.VeritasRatio yeah it's understandable that it's not as entertaining if they aren't seeing huge fights that have higher risks but the higher upper ranks have that covered. these 2 did their jobs as "filler" to progress the story, it'd be pretty pointless if they didn't show how much stronger tanjiro has gotten since his last battle, he feels completely different and that's kinda the point
@@samopalnone of the upper ranks should be "filler"
@@AdamNicholsMusic I understand. I'm just using that word as a stand-in. it's like 4am and I can't think of the right word LOL
@@AdamNicholsMusicyea each upper moon should bring new stakes to the fight and honestly make the fights much more difficult than the last, even if our hero’s are growing in battle experience and strength. 1 HP fights every fight from now on
I agree upper 5 was a little underwhelming but upper 4 was actually pretty cool with his multiple personalities, each of which emboding a specific emotion. Some people might not like that his main body is characterized by fear and so is very small and weak but considering fear is the most primal emotion, fundamentally concerned with survival, it makes sense that he would be that way
Aren't all emotions primal
@@adityapshetty8653 sure but I would imagine fear to be the first emotion to exist in terms of our evolution. i mean im no biologist but that would make sense since it is directly related to survival, often times as an instinctual response to danger.
There's an interesting theory that the kanji for 'fear' in Hantengu is 怯, but it might actually stand for 卑怯 as in cowardice. For all of his life, he did shitty things and completely avoided the repercussions of his actions. Even in his demon form, he just let his clones do all the work but the real him was nothing but a pathetic little coward.
The arc makes sense in context with the rest of the series, it's a lot of explanation and buildup for some of the key mechanics like the marks.
Charlie really pointed out all of the negative things about the season that I had in mind when watching the season as well. The uppermoons were kind of disappointing, especially uppermoon 5.
To be honest I think that was with intention. Understand gyokko lost cos he deeply underestimated muichiro and primarily focused on cussing him out along with breaking haganezuka’s focus. If he took it seriously then maybe he would’ve fought better. I understand ur feeling tho but I think it was meant to be considering his character. It was befitting for him to die a kinda unsatisfying death. Also this season as a whole I can agree that it wasn’t as good as its predecessors but i think it’s simply cos up until ep11 the story was kinda world building along with introducing the different powers the slayers could achieve. Ep 11 was where the story really develops. And now with the new systems introduced it swiftly sets up for the hashira training arc
I don't think he was underwhelming because Tokito is a certified Hashira who learned to use the same ability that Tanjiro has been using to make fights easier, plus as the flashback showed he seems to have kill drive when it comes to demons further increasing him own power, so it kinda makes sense he would utterly destroy him.
But alas I do understand not liking quick fights.
A lot of upper moons are used like stepping stones unfortunately. Best to turn your brain off and enjoy the spectacle.
Demon slayer never has/never will slay it in the writing category.
@@mohammedmijan8270whatver reasons you give it doesn't take away from the fact it was lame. Felt no sense of danger like I did in season 2.
@akirakurusu1888 you could argue that tengen was way more powerful and experienced over tokito and gytoro (who is defo considered the weakest of upper moons) managed to nearly kill him. Imo they made rengoku and tengen look weak compared to tokito.
This battle is the first battle where the team never suffered a major loss. It kind of also showcased how powerful those markings are as well as the level of these hashiras when fighting
First and the last
*Timestamps for the video*
Start: 0:00
End: 12:14
No
Thank you
No
@@MidtownMadness1what do you mean no?
I think you missed the part where Charlie says "the"
I think this season was meant to be a tanjiro training arc as well. To show the progress he made while regenerating. And to put what he learnt during the gyutaro fight.
Absolutely hit it on the head, this season didn't feel like it had any stakes. I wasn't afraid of four and five, because they weren't really characters. They felt like monster of the week rather than an actual big bad. I felt like there was some potential there with 4, I really thought they were going to build up that he considers himself a hero to the poor defenseless demons that are just trying to survive which I think would have been really fucking cool. Having Tanjiro meet the demon equivalent of himself, one who just wants to protect but will kill in order to do that but everything just ended up feeling bleh
This season was a bit rough, maybe because ss2 was too good. However, despite all the long flashback, the sudden death of the stronger upper demons, it still has a good animation + story. Definitely be crazy for the next season tho because we are seeing the “good” upper demons now
The reason the demons did not feel like as big of a threat is because both of the hashira this season used basically a power up called a demon slayer mark that makes them 100 times stronger at the cost of their lifespan and in the previous season tengen did not activate his mark
When are you going to do the moist meter for season 4?
I never expected to enjoy this season NEARLY as much as the movie or entertainment district arc but it blew me away yet again.
Wait a fkijg minute I thought it was good but it is not comparable to those imo
@@jimb0072 Yeah i think he was just starving for DS content lol
Bro what? This was not as good as season 2 or Mugen Train
@@jimb0072 exactly, crazy
@@jimb0072 the movie was leagues above because there wasnt flashbacks killing the pacing every 20 seconds. the new season reminded me on naruto shippuden.
I think the biggest problem was that there seemed to be no introduction to these new characters. Not only that, but the wasn‘t event a story unlike Entertainment District, where at the start they only tried to save Tengens wives, not knowing an upper moon kidnapped them.
Obviously that‘s not the animators fault, but nevertheless it made the entire fights anticlimactic, because I the show didn‘t give me a chance to emotionally connect with the characters and their mission. Well.. they didn‘t have a mission, it just happened.. like that
yeah it was just narratively a bit weak, goes to village get sword, demon appears. When they discover Daki is the one kidnapping, there is horror themes which I feel is a great thing to lean into because it makes the demons super intimidating, its like one wrong move and you are dead. Then it takes all of Tanjiros effort to just attempt to get Daki for Tengen to come in and destroy her, but then he can barely keep up with Gyutaro. Basically there is alot of easy comparisons to see how strong they are. This season Tanjiro wipes the floor the upper moon 4 and then he needs to activate his power. Same with upper moon 5.
I will say that after surviving the Entertainment District fight, the main trio + Nezuko were meant to have gained the equivalent of around 5 to 10 years of combat experience. So on the one hand I kind of get why this season's fights seemed WAY more manageable for them. But at the same time it would have been so much cooler to see the emotion demons coordinating their attacks more. They could have been actual MENACES if they weren't standing around for so much of their fight T^T I also consider it a tragedy that we didn't get to see Zohakuten in action more because he finally felt more threatening and then we kept cutting away from that fight 😭😭
I think there could be an argument that narratively, this was the strongest season. Just in terms of sheer bombs dropped. I did think that upper 4 was hard to listen to and he made the season tough to sit through at times but I feel like the show progressed a lot here and I’m super excited for the next one.
I don't even think the villains were weak, I think the fact that tanjiro and friends can basically take like a thousand life threatening injuries, getting gashed by talons, exploded eardrums, a crushed foot and so on and so fourth, it makes it hard to tell narratively what attacks are meant to be big problems and which can be shrugged off
Probably my biggest criticism of this show. At this point I just roll my eyes whenever Tanjiro goes "Argh I have been critically wounded" or "Argh I can't feel my X but I have to do this!" and then whoosh, perfectly normal.
As someone who already read the manga, the review makes sense. It's definitely more of a set-up for the next arc as two key factors are now in play which will make the upcoming arcs much more epic. (I'm trying to make it as vague as possible but I feel like I messed up somehow 😅)
It tells you something when people don’t even realize that the season ended…
I agree with absolutely everything you said here, glad to know I am not the only one who thought that about the villains, and the last episode was my favorite episode from Demon Slayer in general.
When it comes to the fight between the love hashira and the upper 4, I was expecting something like season 2. They do a huge battle and show off their abilities, but it was imo too much focus on tanjiro and him finding the main body. Upper 4 looked really strong but our hero’s were able to take hit after hit and keep fighting without punishment. That’s where I think it lost the tension
Dude same, I thought the Mitsuri/Zohakuten fight would be fleshed out so much more T^T
blame the author. there's only so much the studio can add to make it better
@@RandomPerson-ui3xv I mean yeah ufotable is responsible for bringing the manga to the screen
I definitely think they’re getting prepared to show us some bomb ass seasons in the future. I think this season mostly serves to give context and help us understand the characters and story better. I’m excited to see how this unfolds, and what they will show us later on
You won't be disappointed what's to come, that's a promise
@RiptideRambo SPOILER ALERT FOR ANYONE 🚨🚨🚨🚨
@RiptideRambo read the manga but man you should put a warning or some 😂
@@Fixitflex manga is finished for 3years, only a bot has no idea whats happening there🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
@@PrinceFloofnah it's possibly going to be quite bad considering that the flash back is even worse in the arc
What made Gyutaro seem so strong was his menacing persona and the way he engaged each character in a vicious and targeted way. With Hantengu's fighting style relying on summons while he evaded the demon slayers he was never gonna feel as menacing or villainous as Gyutaro. Gyokko also suffered from this with his scenes mostly centred around his summons and evasion game with little 1-on-1 fighting. I do still think both villains were amazing in their own right, but they were understandably less intense than Gyutaro with the fights feeling more like a big puzzle than an epic battle.
I still think S3 was amazing. I can count loads of hype moments and interesting plot points and it's a shame that a lot of people are looking down on it for not being similar to S2. I don't really think another season mostly centred around an intense chain of fights with a demon that relies on hand-to-hand combat would have been the right direction for the story to go in directly after S2.
Don't think so, I think what made Gyutaro a lot more of a threat was mostly the fact that everyone there was weaker and therefore death was a lot more likely. Tengen's a weaker hashira, Nezuko wasn't in the fight at all with Gyutaro and Tanjiro was fighting an upper rank for the first time. The hand to hand thing is true though, feels a lot less up close and personal and therefore less dangerous.
What people like charlie were *probably* upset about (since I can't speak on his behalf), was how much more human gyutaro felt in comparion to number 5 and 4. He was given various traits that allowed him to relate to the viewers, showing how demons were at some point human in the past. Which made the final struggle between tengen, tanjiro, and crew, feel much more like a struggle from both sides to keep the edge. It made the final scenes of gyutaro and daki embracing their demise feel warranted after the ultra final climax of the season. It was a triumph, which is what made it feel so big
Upper rank 5 was built up and torn down as quickly as he was introduced to us in the series, very little effort put into fucking him up after muichiro escapes from the water vase. The hashira just eviscerates upper rank 5 after gaining some random ass mark, and nothing of note ever comes from him besides developing muichiro's character. And upper rank four is not much better either, since the only things we get from him is a few mini flashbacks here and there. But what does make him better is that we get to at least understand his nature by the end, and what caused him to become the creature that he was at that present moment; understanding the character made the final battle between him and tanjiro just that much more intense, seeing upper rank 4 repeatedly attempt to knock tanjiro out of the way through various methods with varying levels of success was something that completely in character for that guy, something that you know he would try to do based on what you already know about him.
Overall, I think it's the presentation with the "big" bads of the seasons that made it feel weaker than other seasons and the movie
Wut
Bro is defending season 3 like his life depends on it 😭🙏
100% agreed, the whole arc just seemed like proving a point that its time for the slayers to fight back, to the point where the upper ranks are just used as fodder for character development, the most climactic point of the whole arc was what happened at the end. Still entertaining because demon slayer IS a great show, but little to no tension.
This season felt like a huge setup for the absolute madness of next seasons, which is why it felt so weak.
Especially the demons, since they feel so inconsenquential when face against the newly introduced power up of demon slayer marks.
Aside that the animation really leveled up.
The fight felt too fast. I was literally holding my breath when everyone looked like they were killed by Gyutaro but now, Tanjiro seems like he has random ace cards that he can use. And the fact that Tanjiro just randomly remembers Zenitsu talking about thunder breathing and uses a new move. How he randomly just has his sword turn into blood red by nezuko. How his injuries seemingly disappear from time to time, only coming back for a brand new move to be unveiled. The best part of this whole season was definitely Tanjiro's panic attack, the depiction of it had all the viewers panicking as well.
that was a great aspect to comment abt ngl
power scaling is not the anime's strong point. Tanjiro will probably never use those random thunder breathing techniques ever again after this lmao
@@DuongDo633 It's not really specific to a thunder breathing technique. Rengoku did that too on rail tracks before in Season 2.
agree!! 100%
@MYTHICALNOVA2005am I... meant to care?
this season was meant to be a much more emotional season where it gives backstories and that last episode where nezuko conquered the sun with that ost playing was absolutely incredible. It was less action packed and the villains seemed weaker due to the slayer marks and it was definitely slower than S1 and S2 but it was still an amazing season
I feel like the nezuko scene was ruined for me because I was kinda annoyed while watching it because this season was disappointing.
Well it failed. Season 2 was much better in that. Especially Rengoku or the 6th upper moon defending his sister.
@@tomgu2285 I agree with Rengoku san
I loved the Nezuko part tho
Is not emotional is boring...
The reason why there isn't that much struggle as the last season is because I think this arc has the sole purpose to demonstrate how strong the slayer mark is
But there are plenty of ways to show the mark is strong. The problem is that season 2 is amazing and overshadowed season 3 hard. The upper ranked should be stronger than rank 6. The power scaling is wack.
@@aphrodite7194 Its been stated that Gyuutaro or whatever his name is was held back by his love for his sister, and he could likely be 4 or 5 if he fought alone.
Is such a turn off...
@@aphrodite7194 the reason why season 2 is good is because the fight is evenly matched, so it looks like gyutaro is helluva strong opponent. Mui completely obliterated gyokko once he had his mark, it was a one sided fight cause of the mark
@@gabrielpanagsagan9741 True, but there was no build-up to the mark, it just showed up during the fight. So the mark was the protagonist in season 3?
this season just felt too easy, the characters were pretty beat up but when you compare them to how the characters were left in the last season it is really hard to believe that both main villains were stronger than Gyutaro. I've read the manga tho and what they have in store for seasons 4 and 5 will blow you outta the water
The mist hashira absolutely dogging on upper 5 is not just a throwaway, there is a HUGE reason why he was able to dog that hard on him and that will be explored further in the next season.
That's just not how good storytelling is made. It doesn't matter if it's explored more later on, it should've at least been partially explored now. It was a throwaway in this sense, especially for such a cool looking character.
@@messedupperfect9367 with out getting into spoilers it was explored but just not directly
@@messedupperfect9367did you not watch the same anime as me? It was made absolutely 100% clear that his arrogance and delusion significantly hinderee his real powers and abilities, and that obviously caused him to lose quite fast. How is it bad writing? 😂
@@hogexd It's horrible writing, actually. This and most of the show in general has below average writing, even comparing it to other animes. Arrogance and delusion was a hindrance, yes, but it does NOT make up for the drastic change. I watched the same anime as you, I'm just not biased towards content I like, as that doesn't help anyone. If you truly like something, give it criticism. Even if it did make up for that much of a gap in his skill, it does not make up for the fact that the demon was a throwaway that deserved much more time in the spotlight. There is no reason to hype up these "super powerful" demons by giving them numbers just to make them die in one pitiful fight.
@@Axel_2K I understand this take, as someone who hasn't read the Manga, this makes a little more sense. It's still very underwhelming in my opinion, and doesn't make up for the demon being a throwaway, but I appreciate you telling me they'll go more into it.
Honestly the first part of episode one of season three will forever be my favorite moment in anime history.
btw idk if youll read this charlie but the reason season two fell like the villain was really strong was bc he was strong muzan eve. stated that he could be around hantagus level so with all the characters being weak it made sense this season was more about showing tanjiros progress as a demon slayer
i think it's crazy that they went from "we have never defeated an upper rank before, EVER" to, "oh, we killed 2 with just 2 hashiras and a guy with a demon sister"
I think that’s because when they killed upper 6, Muzan got pissed and sent 5&4 out to get them… and they just lost.
Tbf isn't this generation of Hashiras supposed to be the strongest ones for quite a while.
Also part of the reason they haven't killed any of the upper ranks could be that said Upper-ranks barely ever show themselves. I mean it took Ninja investigation to find 6 who seems like the most obvious of them and 4 and 5 wouldn't have revealed themselves if muzan wasn't getting so pissy thanks to tanjiro.
Ever? I could be wrong but im pretty sure they said in the last century.
idk the hate about the fish demon cgi, it felt more unnerving tbh
I think they did such a good job with the characters last season, that it just made this season not look as good. The end story of the demon siblings last season literally made me cry. not ashamed to say it
Yeah, Gyutaro Daki had way more charisma thus were way better antagonists
I feel like Gyutaro is even stronger than both of those upper rank demons bru