At a time where most anime shows have years’ worth of manga that just lead fans to build anticipation for them before those same fans even know an adaptation is in the works, Demon Slayer was kind of a surprise hit. The manga, which was created by Koyoharu Gotouge, is about a young boy in Taishō-era Japan who joins an elite group of soldiers that fight demons (all in order to find a cure for his sister who has been turned into a demon). While the manga wasn't nearly as big as its contemporaries, things changed when Studio Ufotable's anime adaptation came out.
Demon Slayer quickly broke out of the endless parade of seasonal anime to become a bona fide surprise hit, wowing audiences with absolutely stunning fight scenes, likable characters, tear-jerking moments of emotion, and one of the best opening theme bangers in years. This resulted in an episode becoming a trending topic on Twitter, and the movie sequel becoming the highest-grossing film ever in Japan. While we wait for Season 2 to come out later this year, what better way to pass the time than by revisiting the most kick-ass, impassioned, empathic, horrific, fist-bumping cool moments in the anime franchise so far?
10. Muzan’s First Appearance
A hero's journey is only as good as its villain, and thankfully Demon Slayer has a villain to match its young hero, an absolute monster that is as iconic and frightening as he is incredibly stylish and well-dressed.
Good villains make good first impressions, and Muzan's first appearance was the perfect introduction to him. While Tanjiro may have been expecting a giant demonic monster to be the leader and progenitor of all demons, we first see Muzan in the middle of a busy street in a big city, walking normally among humans — and walking side-by-side with a woman and a child. Rather than try to kill or attack Tanjiro, Muzan appears composed, polite and very civilized. Even if we see him kill people mercilessly not five minutes after, our first look at Muzan made it clear he is a much more dangerous and enigmatic figure than our hero imagined. It also set him up to be one of the most fascinating anime villains in recent years.
9. Nezuko Proves She Won't Hurt Humans
The Hashira may be the greatest warriors in the Demon Slayer universe, but they can also be major pricks, as Sanemi the Wind Hashira repeatedly stabs Nezuko to bait her into attacking him so he can prove she's dangerous and execute her.
However, much to his surprise and disappointment, Nezuko is stronger than that and resists the urge to feed on human flesh, resorting to staying inside her box to sleep the pain way. This action leads to her being accepted by the other Hashira. By the time of the film Mugen Train, Rengoku declares her to be a Demon Slayer in her own right.
8. The Kid Assassin Decides Not to Kill Tanjiro's Soul
In Mugen Train, the demon Enmu sends a group of children to assassinate our main heroes by destroying the personifications of their souls. While the one sent to kill Tanjiro has no problem finding his soul, he stops before acting.
We see that Tanjiro's soul literally invites the assassin in and guides him to the center of Tanjiro's being. This act of complete selflessness moves the assassin to tears, as he decides not to go along with his plan, no matter the consequences.
7. Tanjiro Has to Kill Himself Over and Over
Many movies and TV shows follow the trope of having the characters trapped in a vision of their own deepest desires, with them ultimately having to renounce their biggest wish in order to return to reality. And Mugen Train certainly makes that a painful choice for Tanjiro.
After an emotionally devastating dream in which he finds his family still alive and realizing he has to give that up to return to the real world, Tanjiro literally decapitates himself to wake up. In one of the most shocking sequences in an already shocking movie, Tanjiro cuts off his own head over and over to free himself from the dreams the demon Enmu puts him in. This leads to a nail-biting moment of tension as Tanjiro is unable to distinguish dream from reality and almost kills himself for real.
6. Nezuko Cries When Tanjiro First Tries to Save Her
This is the moment that sets Demon Slayer apart from most shonen anime, the moment that we first realize demons can still retain some humanity and that Nezuko is special despite her new flesh-eating ways.
When Nezuko turns into a demon after her family is slaughtered, her first instinct is to try and devour her brother Tanjiro for sustenance, as the transformation drained a lot of her energy. But it quickly becomes apparent that Nezuko is fighting her instinct, as she starts shedding tears over Tanjiro. It is our first hint that there is something special about her, and that the show will not treat demons as simple monsters.
5. Zenitsu Saves Nezuko From Inosuke
Even after we see him use Thunder Breathing for the first time, the most heroic thing Zenitsu does in the first few episodes we see him in is sacrifice himself to save Nezuko from Inosuke, who declares there is a demon inside Nezuko’s box and it must die. Zenitsu has no reason to want to protect the box, let alone stand in front of it, sacrificing himself to save it.
As Inosuke starts beating the living hell out of Zenitsu, we realize he was fully aware that a demon was in the box, but because he trusted Tanjiro's sweet and caring demeanor, he would protect it — showing that he too is capable of being a hero.
4. Tanjiro Slices the Boulder
The boulder episode depicts many things that Demon Slayer does well compared to other shonen anime, like compressing an entire training arc into just one episode, but mostly it’s a testament to the show's dedication to be as much about emotions as it is about cool fights.
After being tasked with slicing a boulder using a sword, Tanjiro befriends two kids and former pupils of his master, Sabito and Makomo. After the kids teach him how to master Water Breathing, Tanjiro is able to slice the boulder, and immediately realizes that the boulder was the physical representation of Sabito, who can now rest in peace. It's a small moment, but one that shows how much Tanjiro cares about people, and how the show cares so much about humanity and its characters that it immediately undercuts its main hero's triumphantly completing his training with such a devastating and poignant moment.
3. Zenitsu Becomes Useful for Once
Zenitsu wasn’t taken seriously for most of Demon Slayer, a frail kid who seemed scared by absolutely everything and was apparently unable to do much aside from creep over Tanjiro's sister. Sure, we had seen him use his absurdly powerful Thunderclap and Flash form once before, but it is during his fight against the Spider Brother that we truly get that he is no joke and can actually be as powerful as any other slayer.
Indeed, this scene showcases the success of Demon Slayer as an adaptation, as the show takes a relatively short and visually simple scene and turns it into a grandiose and almost operatic moment of character development for Zenitsu. Likewise, the sequence is a great example of the horror elements of Demon Slayer, with the dozens of creepy spider babies crawling all around Zenitsu.
2. Rengoku Fights the Demon Akaza
Not only is this a thrilling fight scene that shows the incredible talent of the animators at Studio Ufotable, but it’s also a marvelous piece of storytelling. After all, how many movies can move the audience to tears for a character they only just met? How many movies can do so mostly through fight scenes?
The emotional gut-punch of seeing Rengoku not only go down fighting, but with a smile as he promises that no one will die on his watch, is accentuated by Satoshi Hino's powerful and memorable performance as the character. Hino adds enough gravitas and warmth to instantly make Rengoku iconic and likable in a short amount of screen time. Really, who can't love a guy whose ultimate move is literally just his name?
1. Nezuko and Tanjiro Defeat Rui
Was there any other choice? This is the scene that catapulted Demon Slayer from being another shonen anime to becoming the anime phenomenon of 2019, the moment that the show became a trending topic on Twitter and broke into the mainstream. And with good reason too.
It is a remarkable achievement of animation. The gorgeous CG by Ufotable is so realistic it almost resembles rotoscope, while the fluid, almost rhythmic movement flows like the water of Tanjiro's preferred breathing method. Still, the moment would not work as well as it does without the effective pull at the heartstrings, as not only does Tanjiro get to have his next tier power-up, but Nezuko also gets to show her Blood Demon Art for the first time and save her brother, all while Nami Nakagawa sings the perfectly fitting "Kamado Tanjiro no Uta."
The climax of Episode 19 is the perfect recipe for a moment that demonstrates everything that makes Demon Slayer a special show. It has stunning animation and badass fight scenes, yes, but it also knows that the action is in service of this intimate story of two siblings.
What are your favorite Demon Slayer moments? Let’s discuss in the comments!