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Apr 18, 2021 · The Demon Slayer movie Mugen Train carves out characters with exhilarating action . Picking up after season 1, the anime film is worthy of the hype
- Full spoilers ahead!
- What Will Tanjiro Learn About His Dad's Secret Technique?
- Will We See More Of The Twelve Kizuki's Upper Ranks?
- Will Tanjiro Become the Next Hashira?
- What Do We Know About Demon Slayer Season 2?
By Rafael Motamayor
Posted: Apr 24, 2021 2:00 am
Full SPOILERS ahead for Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train and the first season of Demon Slayer.
From the moment it was announced, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train became a really interesting and anticipated film because, rather than telling an original and non-canon story unconnected from the main series, Mugen Train was meant to pick up right where the Season 1 finale left off — acting as a Season 1.5, if you will. With the movie finally out in the US, and with us just about finished wiping out the tears from our faces, it's time to look forward to the next chapter in the story.
One of the biggest reveals from the show's first season came during the mindblowing episode 19, where Tanjiro had a flashback to a memory of his frail father teaching him about a special breathing technique that allowed him to go out into the snow on New Year's and performing a ceremonial dance to the God of Fire. Because that was the one and only memory he had of the dance, he doesn't really know how much about it, and every time he tried asking other Demon Slayers about it, they had no clue what he was talking about. It is clear that the technique is fire-related, given the fire visuals that show up when Tanjiro uses it, but not even the Flame Hashira (or Pillar), Kyōjuro Rengoku, recognizes the name of the dance.
When Rengoku meets his tear-jerking demise at the hands of the demon Akaza, he tells Tanjiro with his dying words to go to his family residence. Inside, Rengoku says, is a book with notes left from previous Flame Hashiras, and they may contain some records on the Hinokami Kagura dance that Tanjiro's dad practiced.
Though Tanjiro has faced formidable opponents before, Mugen Train introduces a whole new level of villains: the Twelve Kizuki's Upper Ranks. As opposed to the Lower Ranks, which we saw in the first season, the Upper Ranks are six incredibly powerful demons who answer directly to the originator of all demons, Muzan Kibutsuji. Whereas the Lower Ranks are constantly hunted down and killed by the Hashira, no one has killed an Upper Rank demon in over a century, as they can easily kill even the strongest Hashira.
In Mugen Train, we meet the Upper Rank 3 demon named Akaza. An absolutely formidable and intimidating villain, he manages to kill Rengoku, and escape with his life, though Tanjiro did stab him from a distance. It is likely Akaza, let alone Muzan, will not be happy that he was nearly defeated and that Tanjiro almost delivered the killing blow. Last season we saw Muzan order the Lower Rank demons to hunt down and kill Tanjiro, so we expect him to raise the stakes by sending more powerful demons after him now.
Though we don't know a lot about the Hashira, we do know they are nine incredibly powerful demon slayers, with each of the Hashira developing their own unique and powerful breathing technique. With Rengoku now gone, someone has to take his place as the Flame Hashira, as he tells Tanjiro early in the movie that there's always been a Water and a Flame Hashira, regardless of the era.
Of course, we would love to see our headbutting-enthusiast Tanjiro get the job, but he isn't exactly at the level of other Hashira just yet and hasn't really killed many demons. He did defeat a member of the Twelve Kizuki, Enmu, but he did it with the help of Inosuke, so it's unclear if that counts. If news travels that Tanjiro defeated a member of the 12, then we expect him to get better and more demanding training in order to try out to fill the Hashira spot left by Rengoku.
Though the announcement teaser for Season 2 had no plot details — possibly to avoid spoiling the movie — we do know some things. For starters, the official subtitle for the new season is "Entertainment District Arc" and it will bring back the cast and crew of the first season.
The poster features one of the nine Hashira, more specifically Tengen, the Sound Hashira. We actually met him back in episode 22. He was very enthusiastic about the idea of executing Tanjiro for being around Nezuko — that's a big no-no in the Demon Slayer Corps. Tengen is all about grandeur, as he interjects the word "grandiose" in every sentence. In the next arc, Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Zenitsu are tasked with aiding Tengen on a mission to find a number of wives that go missing in the titular entertainment district of Yoshiwara.
This arc serves as a sort of halfway point for the story of Demon Slayer, as it leaves the sort of episodic format to Tanjiro's missions and heads laying the groundwork for the story's endgame.
Will Tanjiro unlock new abilities, or even join the Hashira? Will Muzan make an appearance? Will it make us cry again? We'll have to wait for Season 2 to find out.
Mar 10, 2024 · Demon Slayer: Mugen Train Was a Bold Risk That Represents the Future of Shonen Anime Movies. By Lauren Kells. Published Mar 10, 2024. Follow. Share. Link copied to clipboard. Summary. Mugen Train broke the mold with its manga canon adaptation, breaking away from the traditional filler film format.
Jun 2, 2021 · Demon Slayer movie ending: Mugen Train's final battle with the Flame Hashira and whether there's a post-credits scene explained.
- Bradley Russell
Mar 19, 2021 · Now you should be (mostly) caught up with Demon Slayer in time for the inevitable western release of Mugen Train, which will likely lead directly into the second season.
Apr 23, 2021 · 1 Video. 99+ Photos. Animation Action Adventure. After his family was brutally murdered and his sister turned into a demon, Tanjiro Kamado's journey as a demon slayer began. Tanjiro and his comrades embark on a new mission aboard the Mugen Train, on track to despair. Director. Haruo Sotozaki. Writer. Koyoharu Gotouge. Stars. Natsuki Hanae.
Oct 27, 2021 · Funimation/Aniplex. The final climactic battle of "Mugen Train" pits the Flame Hashira Rengoku against a powerful demon named Akaza. After the destruction of Enmu and the Mugen Train,...
