Demon Slayer‘s fourth season, the Hashira Training arc, has officially begun with its double-length first episode. Here’s everything a fan needs to know in order to tune in and watch Demon Slayer: Hashira Training Arc episode #2.
New episodes of Demon Slayer are currently being released on Crunchyroll on Sundays, at 10:45 AM Pacific Time (1:45 PM Eastern Time). That means that Episode #2 of Hashira Training Arc will be released on Crunchyroll on May 19, 2024, at 10:45 AM Pacific Time. Episodes debuting at this time will only be available in Japanese with subtitles. An English dub for Demon Slayer: Hashira Training Arc has been confirmed, but as yet there is no information on when the dub will be released. An announcement about the dub release is likely to come soon, however, so fans won’t have to wait too long.
In episode 1 of the new season, Demon Slayer‘s Hashira had a meeting to discuss recent developments, including the defeat of Upper Four and Upper Five demons, as well as the reveal of Demon Slayer marks on Mitsuri Kanroji and Muichiro Tokito. Tokito was able to relay the conditions which he was experiencing when the Slayer mark appeared, giving the other Hashira a target to aim for in order to unlock their own marks. With the group in agreement that Muzan was likely to make a big move soon, they decided that some high-intensity training was in order.
The Hashira Training is for both the benefit of the lower-ranked Demon Slayers and the Hashira themselves; taking on swarms of lower ranks is likely to push their bodies to the point where they might manifest their own marks, while the lower ranks themselves gain experience battling powerful opponents. While Tanjiro is still recuperating from his injuries throughout the first episode, Zenitsu and the others have all been drafted into the training, which has so far been extraordinarily strenuous. There is one Hashira, however, who’s not taking part in the training…
It’s the Water Hashira, Giyu Tomioka, who has so far not been taking part in the Hashira training, as he continually insists that he is not the Water Hashira. Tanjiro will pay a visit to Tomioka at the request of Kagaya Ubuyashiki in an attempt to convince him to join in the training with the others, but the Water Hashira will insist that he has no part in such training. As it turns out, Tomioka has been harboring a dark secret all this time, and it will take some effort on Tanjiro’s part to get that off his chest. Can Tanjiro convince Tomioka to help out, or is the Water Hashira relinquishing his title for good?
Now able to be up and about, Tanjiro will no doubt join in the training soon enough alongside his comrades. Tanjiro still has plenty of room to grow from this training, and if Demon Slayer‘s heroes are to stand a chance in the final battle, they’ll have to seize upon this opportunity to reach new heights.
Demon Slayer: Hashira Training Arc is a training arc as its name implies, so it makes sense that the first episode of the season would start off on a quieter note. Episode #1 of Hashira Training Arc was all about setting up the conflicts and characters that will come to define the rest of the season. This focus on setup infamously led to the Demon Slayer: To The Hashira Training movie to feel like it ends on an anti-climax. It’s a testament to how much presentation and structure matter that the events depicted work much better as the beginning of a season than they do as the end of a film.
Beyond the setup though, what makes this first episode work so well as seeing all of the characters together. The Hashira are so iconic to Demon Slayer, so getting to see them all together and acting as a team is a genuine treat. Additionally, not all of the Hashira featured have had nearly as much screen time as the others. Gyomei is the strongest Hashira in Demon Slayer, but he hasn’t had his time to shine yet, so the promise of seeing more of him is definitely enticing.
Beyond the Hashira, Demon Slayer’s main cast of characters is just incredibly likable, so it’s great to see old favorites reunited. Tanjiro and Zenitsu have a great dynamic, with the latter bringing some much-needed levity and comedy to this darker time in Demon Slayer’s story. All of this adds up to making episode #1 of Demon Slayer: Hashira Training Arc a solid start to the new season. Fans certainly have a lot to look forward to with Demon Slayer: Hashira Training Arc episode #2!