Each one of Demon Slayer’s seasons has given us episodes to laugh and cry about. While all of us can’t wait for the next season to drop and witness Ufotable’s animators go off, you might find yourself replaying episodes from previous seasons to scratch that itch.
It’s no secret that Demon Slayer is known for a lot of epic fight scenes, some of which are among the anime’s most memorable episodes. But animation aside, the best episodes in Demon Slayer include the ones that were important to the plot of the series.
10. Season 1, Episode 4: “Final Selection”
Tanjiro had to grow up too fast. His entire family was murdered by demons, and he was left with only his sister, Nezuko. As his bad luck would have it, Nezuko became a demon, too. But Tanjiro wasn’t going to give up finding a cure.
In this episode, Tanjiro finally graduates from Urokodaki’s training and will have to put his skills to the test. If he survives seven days among demons, he’ll make it into the Demon Slayer Corps. We all know what the outcome of this is, but what made this episode particularly great was seeing the fruit of Tanjiro’s training in the end.
9. Season 4, Episode 10: “Love Hashira Mitsuri Kanroji”
Every Demon Slayer fan loves Mitsuri. She was just a girl with simple aspirations, but her immense strength built her up to become the Love Hashira. Although her fight against Hantengu wasn’t extremely flashy, her backstory definitely won us over.
It was nothing tragic, and she was just a girl who wanted to have a boyfriend. But that wasn’t simple for a girl who was stronger than the (weak and insecure) men around her. She found acceptance from her family as well as the Demon Slayer Corps, which acknowledged both her talent and strength.
8. Season 1, Episode 17: “You Must Master a Single Thing”
Legends say that all the demons in the vicinity absolutely get clapped when Zenitsu falls asleep. Who would’ve known that Zenitsu, the crybaby of the series, was a terrific Thunder Breathing swordsman? The Spider Demon he went up against didn’t think so, but Zenitsu himself had no idea. This episode deepened our understanding of Zenitsu and why he turned into a completely different person when he was asleep.
The Spider Demon he went up against in this episode had to learn in the worst way possible, without Zenitsu knowing that he was apparently capable of mastering the First Form of Thunder Breathing “beyond perfection.”
7. Season 4, Episode 9: “Mist Hashira Muichiro Tokito”
Muichiro wasn’t the friendliest among the Hashiras. He also didn’t consider other people’s feelings and only cared about improving his skills so that he could kill demons efficiently.
But whether you loved him or hated him for being a little too coolheaded, Muichiro was a true prodigy. He may not be the strongest, but he was a quick thinker. Despite being poisoned and submerged underwater, Muichiro still found a way to defeat Gyokko in this episode without losing his cool. Instead of succumbing to fear, Muichiro only got stronger during this life-threatening encounter.
6. Season 1, Episode 22: “Master of the Mansion”
Nobody just meets the Hashiras and the head of the Demon Slayer Corps as a noob who just got in. But Tanjiro and Nezuko were summoned by Ubuyashiki, the Head of the Demon Slayer Corps, into his mansion for a trial.
What was supposed to be a peaceful trial was riled up by Sanemi, the Wind Hashira, who stabbed Nezuko in front of Tanjiro. Although bound by ropes, Tanjiro was able to knock Sanemi down and get his sister to safety, which impressed the Hashiras. It’s never a good idea to mess with other people’s siblings, demon or not.
5. Season 2, Episode 7: “Set Your Heart Ablaze”
Rengoku was the kind of character that everybody ended up loving by the end of Mugen Train. He was a dutiful son, a kind brother, a talented Flame Hashira, and a good teacher. There was nothing to hate about Rengoku, which made this episode of Demon Slayer particularly painful.
But as the Flame Hashira, Rengoku didn’t go down without a fight against Upper Moon Akaza. He was such a great swordsman that even Akaza acknowledged his strength and offered for Rengoku to be a demon so that he could get stronger.
4. Season 1, Episode 19: “Hinokami”
Tanjiro meant it when he said he would protect Nezuko, even if it meant charging into one of the lower moon demons with a broken blade. Even if Tanjiro’s motive to get into the Demon Slayer Corps was rooted in his love for his little sister, it was the events in this episode that showed how far Tanjiro was willing to go if it meant saving Nezuko.
Aside from the touching moment between Tanjiro and Nezuko, this episode also featured Tanjiro’s ability to incorporate his family’s Hinokami Kagura dance into swordsmanship. It was because of the Hinokami Kagura that Tanjiro was able to defeat the lower moon demon who held his sister hostage.
3. Season 3, Episode 9: “Once We’ve Defeated the Upper Rank Demons”
What’s better than defeating a lower moon demon? Trying to defeat two upper moon demons with four different breathing styles and the power of friendship. Tengen, along with Tanjiro, Inosuke, and a sleeping Zenitsu fought hard against Daki and her brother, Gyutaro.
But cutting both of their heads off proved to be difficult, even for Tengen, the Sound Hashira. Even if this episode ended in unnerving suspense, Tanjiro at least found a way to incorporate both the Water Breathing style and the Hinokami Kagura to sustain his powerful attacks.
2. Season 3, Episode 10: “I Will Never Give Up”
Demon Slayer fans were floored by Tengen’s final battle against Gyutaro in the Entertainment District Arc. Even after having one of his hands severed off, Tengen was fighting with all he had and using his mouth to wield his swords to defeat Gyutaro.
There were lots of explosions and irreparable damage done, but Tengen was able to defeat Gyutaro in the most flamboyant fight to have occurred in Demon Slayer. With how strong Tengen is, it’s no wonder that everybody in the fandom was asking to be Tengen’s fourth wife after this episode.
1. Season 4, Episode 11: “A Connected Bond: Daybreak and First Light”
The last episode of Demon Slayer’s Swordsmith Village Arc had us all ugly crying. Tanjiro had to make a hard choice between Nezuko and saving the fleeing swordsmith villagers against Hantengu. He stuck by to protect Nezuko from the sun, but Nezuko pushed Tanjiro away towards Hantengu to protect the villagers.
Most of us thought that Nezuko would be injured beyond recovery or, worse, dead. But miraculously, Nezuko was able to conquer the sun instead of burning away.
(featured images: Ufotable)
