A boy, his sister and a sword: why the 2019 series won over people who never watch anime.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba started in 2019 and quickly became the anime everyone seemed to be talking about. Here are eight reasons it deserves the attention, one on each slide.
Reason 1 - A brother who will not give up
Tanjiro Kamado comes home to find his family slaughtered and his sister Nezuko turned into a demon. He sets out to cure her, not to take revenge, and that kindness drives everything.
It is a simple goal, and the series never loses sight of it. Every road Tanjiro takes is a road back to his sister.
Reason 2 - Animation that stops you
ufotable draws every sword stroke as a brushstroke of water or fire, hand-drawn characters inside digital effects. Episode 19 is the one people show their friends.
Even the quiet scenes, snow in a mountain forest or lanterns in a city at night, look like paintings.
Reason 3 - Fights with a heart
Every battle is also the story of the demon Tanjiro faces and the person they used to be. He grieves for monsters while he fights them, and the show makes you grieve too.
It is the rare action anime where the villains get a moment of sympathy, and it is better for it.
Reason 4 - A demon who protects
Nezuko sleeps by day in a wooden box on her brother's back and fights at his side by night. A demon who refuses to eat people is the series' quiet heart.
She barely speaks, and she does not need to. Every scene with her says what the two of them mean to each other.
Reason 5 - Friends who steal scenes
Zenitsu panics at everything, and Inosuke wears a boar's head and challenges anyone he meets. Their comedy keeps a dark story from getting too heavy.
Both are much more than the joke, and watching them grow is one of the pleasures of the series.
Reason 6 - Swordsmen with style
The Hashira, the strongest swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps, each fight with a breathing style and a personality of their own. Meeting them is half the fun.
Water, flame, insect, mist: every style looks different on screen, so no two fights feel the same.
Reason 7 - Music that hits hard
Yuki Kajiura and Go Shiina wrote the score, and LiSA's opening “Gurenge” became a hit across Japan. The music knows when to roar and when to go quiet.
Turn the volume up for the big fights. The soundtrack is half of what makes them land.
Reason 8 - It keeps going
Season one is 26 episodes, and the film Mugen Train picks up right where it stops. In December 2020 it became the highest-grossing film ever released in Japan.
There is a lot more after that, so if the first season wins you over, you will not run out of Demon Slayer soon.
Where to watch
Streaming catalogues for Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba differ between the USA, the UK, Canada and Australia, and they change from month to month, so check the services you use.
Shop the Demon Slayer collection
Liked Demon Slayer? This is where it leaves the screen: every Demon Slayer design we carry, in one place.
Demon Slayer Geta Clogs and Socks - Cosplay Sandals$12.99
Anime & Manga Mini Katana Nichirin Sword Keychain$12.99
Anime & Manga Demon Kimono Haori$10.99
Anime & Manga Demon Keychains$9.99
Demon Slayer Kimetsu No Yaiba Stainless Steel Keychains$9.99
Anime Manga Demon Rings$9.99
Source: the Anime Crush Anime Guide.
