The Demon Slayer Hashira Training Arc ends with an explosive finale that left fans, including myself, shocked and more hyped than ever for the continuation of the series.
This review will contain spoilers for parts of episodes seven and eight of the latest season.
The Finale
Episode eight came out Sunday, June 30th, and I can say with certainty that it is one of my favorite episodes of the entire show.
The season does a great job of taking its time with the training arc and letting the tension of what’s to come build as she saw one of the upper ranks spying and infiltrating the Ubuyashiki mansion. Episode seven ends with a dramatic entrance of Muzan as he finally faces Kagaya to kill him. However, he had one final trick up his sleeve as he blew up the estate in order to maim and distract Muzan for the assembly of the Hashiras. In a gut-wrenching scene, we see all the Hashiras and Tanjiro racing to the mansion to save their master, but to no avail.
However, it is revealed in a later scene that Kagaya entrusted the stone hashira in this ultimate sacrifice in order to defeat Muzan. Kagaya was extremely ill due to the family curse and would’ve passed on soon anyway, but it’s a heart-breaking scene nonetheless.
It was incredible to see the stone hashira fight after years of build-up and knowing very little about him and against Muzan of all demons. However, the fight is short-lived as all the hashiras are about to fight Muzan, and then he sends them all into the infinity castle. It shows an incredible scene of everyone in the Demon Slayer corps falling into it and their reactions. It’s a scene I’ve rewatched so many times I lost count because of how exciting and amazing it is.
Some notable mentions are Zenitzu’s reaction, where he finally gets serious and falls calmly into the castle in a great shot. It really showcases his growth throughout the series. He’s not scared or screaming or asleep, which has to do with the letter he received in the previous episode. While we don’t know the contents of the letter yet, it has shaken him to the point where he’s no longer messing around and he means business. It’s a great moment for him and his fight will undoubtedly be one for the books.
I also found Inosuke’s laughter from falling in to be funny and definitely in character for him, and serves as a juxtaposition of most characters’ reactions which are mostly confused and frightened.
Throughout the scene of the Demon Slayer corps falling in, there’s an incredible score that builds up the scene and gets you pumped for what’s to come when the Infinity Castle arc comes out. In the end, Muzan and Tanjiro say they will defeat the other and the screen fades from Tanjiro falling to the credits. This left me agape for a moment as the shock settled in that they were going to end the season right here. In fact, I was so distraught, that I finally cracked open my Demon Slayer manga collection and read the rest of the series.
I shed many tears reading through the final two arcs, so while I now know what occurs in the rest of the series, which I won’t divulge details here, I can say with sureness that the remainder of the show will be an incredible watch, doubly so in the hands of Ufotable and how well they’ve animated the series thus far.
Future Installments
Speaking of which, the Infinity Castle arc is confirmed by Crunchyroll to be released as a movie trilogy. While I have begrudging feelings about splitting this arc into three movies rather than a complete season, I know the final products will be well worth the wait. At the very least, I don’t have to sit in anticipation of what will happen next, I can simply enjoy the arcs and the pain that will come from the events.
There aren’t many more details about the movies, whether they’ll be covering the rest of the series or only Infinity Castle, but I do hope it’s the former as three movies could feasibly finish up the series, but we will have to wait for further details.
All in all, this episode is an incredible buildup from the rest of the series to the big finale. and I’ll be sure to be in the theatre as soon as the first movie drops.
