I just finished the first season of Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba), and we have a lot to talk about! In this review, I’ll share my opinions on the overall aesthetic, emotional impact, characters, and pacing! I hope you enjoy it and I can’t wait to hear what you think!
I will try not to spoil as much as possible, but I will comment on the synopsis and the characters. If you’ve already seen the first season of Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba), let me know what you think in the comments or on social media!
Promotional image for the first season of Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba)
Synopsis
Demon Slayer Season 1 introduces us to Tanjiro Kamado , a young boy who lives with his mother and siblings in the mountains. Since the death of his father, he has become the man of the house. He is responsible for providing for his family, which he does by selling charcoal to people in nearby villages.
One day he sells as usual and begins to return home during the night, but darkness forces him to take temporary shelter in a stranger’s house. The kind stranger warns him that it is not safe to walk in the mountain at night because of the demons that lurk there!
Tanjiro returns home to find his entire family violently massacred, with his younger sister Nezuko being the only one to survive the attack. Unfortunately, her joy was short-lived, as she only survived by turning into a demon herself.
The sight of his family enrages Tanjiro and he vows to avenge them. Feeling a sense of devotion, hope, and loneliness, he accepts Nezuko in her new form. After all, despite being a demon, she is now all he has left.
This tragedy prompts him to join a group of low-key individuals, the Demon Slayer Corps, and train in hopes of becoming stronger and hunting down the demon that slaughtered his loved ones.
What do I think of the synopsis?
The premise of the story doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it piques my interest in that I’m extremely curious about what Tanjiro is up against, how strong he can get, and if Nezuko is going to pull through.
The Visual Impact of Demon Slayer
It’s no secret that Demon Slayer has epic visuals, and uses vibrant colors and effects. The art style is particularly recognizable and I personally love the thick stroke the animators use!
Ufotable uses a lot of 2D and 3D animations, which isn’t to everyone’s taste, but to be honest, I think it adds character to the series! The use of 3D gives the scenes a sense of scale and depth which has a really cool impact – especially during combat or when introducing a new environment.
Characters
Many different characters are introduced over the course of the season and each has a unique and recognizable design. The beginning mostly focuses on Tanjiro, but once you get through a few episodes the world opens up wide.
A poster for Season 1 of Demon Slayer, with the characters included.
As Tanjiro makes the final selection under the guidance of Urokodaki, the former Water Hashira, he encounters others who do the same along the way. You can get a glimpse of the characters we met in the poster above!
I liked most of the characters, but I had a hard time with Zenitsu for a while! I found him irritating and he took up way too much screen time crying and screaming, so if I had to choose, he would be my least favorite.
My favorite characters are Inosuke and Nezuko ! Inosuke is a unique and cool character, with awesome techniques. I like Nezuko because she shows great strength and willpower, and her visual design makes her cute and likeable.
From left to right: Inosuke, Zenitsu, Nezuko and Tanjiro .
The first season focuses on the development of the four main characters, having them encounter various demons that test their strength. Tanjiro pursues them as a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, but also in an effort to get closer to the demon who killed his family. I thought some demons looked cool and unique and some were mega creepy!
The main antagonist’s reputation is built through flashbacks from the perspective of the demons we encounter. Tanjiro does eventually meet this character, but we don’t get to see his full strength then – it’s something I hope to see in future seasons!
There are a lot of characters you will meet in the first season, but to leave some mystery, I won’t comment further!
Pacing
Season 1 went by quickly and there was no time when I thought it was dragging on. Each arc served a purpose and managed to pack in a lot without feeling like knowledge overload. The first season has 26 episodes and once you get past the long openings and endings, the episodes go by really fast.
The way the first season ends makes sense and segues well into the second (the Mugen Train arc) – I wanted to continue! I found that the ranking systems, lore and techniques are all well explained and the season ends with a good hook – so overall I would agree that it has a good pace!
Impact
As Demon Slayer is a shounen, it’s full of action and adrenaline-pumping scenes and fights, but despite that, it definitely has its emotional moments! The main impact for me came from Tanjiro because his character is very emotional. The first season begins with a life-changing event that dictates its story, we see his pain so viscerally it’s hard not to be affected.
Even in times when I expected Tanjiro to crumble, he finds the greatest strength and compassion, even for his enemies. The writing even managed to make me feel a little sorry for the demons through his actions. Still, his sensitivity and confidence in showing his feelings really struck me and made it more impactful. These are the qualities that made me appreciate the demon slayer a little more!
Soundtracks
Let’s be honest, even if you’ve never watched Demon Slayer, you probably know the soundtrack as the opening is so iconic!
Mega talented singer LiSA performs Demon Slayer’s opening song “Gurenge”. You can listen to the song and watch the opening animation below…
LiSA also sings on the ending song in collaboration with FictionJunction, you can listen to her and watch the ending animation here…
Which is your favourite? Let me know in the comments!
Summary
Overall, I recommend Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba) to most anime fans!
It’s very light on power systems compared to other shounen such as Jujutsu Kaisen – which makes it really easy to understand. There are a few details about sword techniques and demon slayer rankings, but nothing too difficult to figure out. The characters are visually very interesting and have diverse personalities, which I think will appeal to a wide audience.
As for the story, it doesn’t dwell too much on a single arc, which helps keep the interest going, but I wonder if it’s not a bit rushed?
If you generally enjoy more complex and technical series, I think Demon Slayer might feel simple or cliché due to its use of tropes. But I think that’s what makes it a good series to watch on repeat, so it all depends on what mood you’re in!
Overall it was a good series, with good characters with diverse skills and lots of interesting enemies. I recommend Demon Slayer if you like combat, great effects, and building friendships. It’s not the best shounen I’ve seen, but it holds its own with cool visuals and unique characters!