Demon Slayer – Season 4 Episode 3 Recap & Review

Fully Recovered Tanjiro Joins the Hashira Training!

Episode 3 of Demon Slayer Season 4 opens with a bang, quite literally, courtesy of former Sound Hashira, Tengen Uzui’s grueling training. “It all starts with the basics! The basics!” he yells. Spotting a trainee out of sync, he comments, “You slacker. You’re not going to make it through Shinazugawa and Kanroji’s training after this!” Amidst Tengen’s wooden sword smacks and the trainees realizing that “there’s only hell in store for [them],” a cheerful and energetic Tanjiro arrives for the first phase of the Hashira training.

Tanjiro’s stamina, excitement, and cheerfulness contrast with the other trainees’ dread and despair, like that one student who always sits in the front row, excited about submitting their homework and reminding the teacher about it.

The scene shifts to certain trainees on night duty, discussing the demons searching for Nezuko. While they enjoy scaring each other, an upper-rank demon lurks in the shadows. Over the next few days, Tanjiro excels in Tengen’s physically demanding training. During breaks, the other trainees inquire about fighting the upper ranks. “What’s it like?” they ask. Tanjiro replies:

“Well, let’s see. There’s a ‘Pow!’ and you’ve already been hit. But the fact that you’re not dead means you were able to respond, so then you turn around… only to get slammed again! Next, you feel a ‘Crunch!’ And if that cuts off the oxygen to your brain—”. Rest assured, the trainees had enough of imagining their deaths in various ways.

As Tengen has everyone take a lap around the mountain, Tanjiro reflects, “Everyone with the potential to become a Hashira is kind deep down inside!” He remembers his cold noodle battle with Giyu, who let Tanjiro win so he could participate in the Hashira training.

Elsewhere, Wind Hashira Shinazugawa and Serpent Hashira Iguro discuss the hopelessness of their trainees becoming Hashira or being able to fight the upper-rank demons. Shinazugawa also expresses disbelief at what transpired at the castle and the possibility of a safe haven for the demons (the Infinity Castle). They decide to battle each other as part of their training.

Back at the physical training, Tengen’s three wives—Suma, Makio, and Hinatsuru—thank Tanjiro for his role in the Entertainment District battle. Hinatsuru adds that without everyone from that fateful day, they wouldn’t have been able to win against the demons. They request Tanjiro to defeat Muzan Kibutsuji.

Later that night, Tengen introduces a new training format. The trainees must fight Tengen, role-playing as an upper-rank demon, in the dark. The fight begins, and Tengen seamlessly defeats most of the trainees without breaking a sweat. Tanjiro starts to hold his ground, inspiring the rest of the trainees. Although they don’t win, there’s a drastic change in the entire team’s attitude. From the next day onwards, they stop complaining during training. Tengen then allows Tanjiro to proceed to the next phase of Hashira training.

Tanjiro arrives at Mist Hashira Tokito’s house, where Tokito is training his juniors. He scolds one of them, “Hey you, if this were real, you’d have died three times by now.”

The Episode Review

With this episode, the Hashira training has officially begun! The rigorous training highlights the significant gap between the Hashiras and the rest of the Demon Slayer Corps. For the slayers to succeed, they must gain the skills needed to defeat the powerful demons, who are clearly plotting their next move to capture Nezuko. It was also great to come across Tengen, Suma, Makio, and Hinatsuru again, providing a little more background to the events post the Entertainment District Arc.

Tanjiro is a symbol of eternal sunshine, smiling through Tengen’s harrowing training while also gaining the support of his fellow Corps members and inspiring them to do their best. His passion is infectious.

The episode also showcased humour in its usual style. For instance, in response to Kanroji’s description of how she got the marks on her body in the Swordsmith Village, it becomes evident that Tanjiro and Kanroji share the same quirky language and brain cells. This dynamic is not only entertaining but also hilarious to watch.

With Tanjiro’s arrival at Tokito’s, we can expect a good dose of sarcasm in the next episode. As we move on from the flashy Hashira Tengen, stay tuned for more exciting developments!