Fans of Zenitsu Agatsuma and Inosuke Hashibira will be dismayed with the announcement that Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Season 3 will adapt the manga’s “Swordsmith Village” arc. Zenitsu and Inosuke both performed admirably in the “Entertainment District” arc, contributing significantly to the struggle against Gyutaro and Daki. That’s why the absence of Tanjiro Kamado’s travelling companions and closest pals for the whole of Season 3 is extremely sad. Zenitsu and Inosuke will not surrender to Tanjiro and the eponymous town of the arc in the next Demon Slayer plot, implying that anime viewers have seen the last of them for a long time.
Season 3 has yet to get a release date or even a rough estimate of when the anime will return as of this writing. Seasons 1 and 2 were separated by two years, though some of this may be related to the creation of the Mugen Train film, so it may be some time before the Demon Slayer returns. Without getting into specifics, based on the manga, Zenitsu and Inosuke would presumably not receive major screen time again until a possible fourth season. Fans of the characters will, unfortunately, have to wait several years before seeing the Thunder and Beast Breathing swordsmen again.
The “Swordsmith Village” arc of Demon Slayer spends time with various characters from the series. To avoid a potentially damaging overabundance of characters, Zenitsu and Inosuke were cast aside. Zenitsu and Inosuke’s appearances in Season 3 will be brief at best, barring major alterations to the source material. Sure, it’s a letdown, but it explains why Zenitsu and Inosuke battled so hard against Gyutaro and Daki – it was their final battle. Either way, they’re both so badly hurt that they could use a break, considering Zenitsu has two broken legs and Inosuke was stabbed in the chest.
To be fair, the “Entertainment District” arc’s conclusion is the ideal spot to get away from Zenitsu and Inosuke for a time. Each of the fan-favorite characters grew tremendously in Season 2, so there won’t be anything in their separate arcs to look forward to when they return. Zenitsu overcame his terrible fear of demons by confronting Daki alone multiple times throughout the war. Inosuke has grown into a dependable and skilled demon slayer, whose repulsive powers have saved numerous lives in Daki’s food storage, including that of two of Tengen’s wives.
That’s not to say Zenitsu and Inosuke aren’t interesting or relevant characters for the show anymore. Only that now is the ideal moment to concentrate on other Season 3 characters worth recognising. Kill the demon, heal at Butterfly Mansion, and train.” To keep the series from getting monotonous, two of the main characters are sidelined in order to focus on other secondary characters. Zenitsu and Inosuke will be out of the spotlight for a while, which will help the series feel fresh again when they return.
Tengen Uzui would not have survived the conflict with Upper-Rank Six without the help of Tanjiro, Nezuko, Zenitsu, and Inosuke. The cost of winning in the “Entertainment District” arc was high, so it’s a great time for some characters to rest. Because Tanjiro and Nezuko are the series’ primary protagonists, they can’t be left out of the upcoming narrative. While it’s sad that Zenitsu and Inosuke got the short end of the stick in this regard, their Season 2 performances were just epic enough to keep fans happy for the duration of their Demon Slayer absence.
