Post — Aaron Ngo

Major Spoilers are included in this manga review. Please read with caution.

Synopsis: Demon Slayer follows Tanjiro Kamado in Taisho-era Japan, a kind-hearted boy who lives with his family in the mountains. Then everything changed when his family was slaughtered by a powerful demon. His sister Nezuko was the sole survivor of the incident, having been transformed into a demon herself. This kicked off the beginning of Tanjiro’s epic quest for vengeance against the demon who killed his family. More importantly, Tanjiro won’t rest until he finds a cure for Nezuko’s demon state.

On June 29, 2020, I started and finished the “Mugen Train Arc”—the seventh story arc of the manga series. I have officially moved past the anime’s end, crying and wanting emotional seconds when the movie comes out on October 16, 2020. Crying to this series made me stronger as a reader and writer.

Demon Slayer is truly an amazing series. The well-developed characters, intricate fight scenes, emotional moments, and the plot were outstanding in this particular arc. I could see this arc playing out as a movie, but I think I would’ve just preferred a second season.

The “Mugen Train Arc” centered around Tanjiro, Zenitsu, Inosuke, and Nezuko boarding the Infinity Train in search of Flame Pillar Kyojuro Rengoku. Tanjiro wished to speak to him about the Dance of the Fire God, a breath-style technique that Tanjiro used to defeat Rui in the “Natagumo Mountain Arc”.

While Kyojuro Rengoku had no knowledge regarding the Dance of the Fire God, he appreciated meeting Tanjiro, offering him and his friends the chance to become his apprentices. They immediately accepted and helped Rengoku with his mission to kill the demon causing all the disappearances on the train. This arc was emotionally-driven, as the Lower Ranked demon Enmu—from the “Rehabilitation Arc”—arrived to kill Tanjiro and other Demon Slayers in order to get more of Muzan’s blood.

I thought the two major fight scenes were the highlights of the arc: Tanjiro and Inosuke vs Enmu and Rengoku vs Akaza (an Upper Twelve Kizuki Demon). The latter fight scene was enlightening, showing us the differences between the Pillars and Twelve Kizuki—in terms of strength and morality—through their epic battle. The powerful emotional moments in this series honestly never stop.

The ending regarding Rengoku’s family and the mystery behind Dance of the Fire God was an effective way to conclude the arc. I’m actually glad I restarted Demon Slayer and read beyond the anime’s first season. Reading the manga made me want to rewatch the anime series similar to what I did with The Promised Neverland. Let’s keep it reading until the end, everyone! Believe it!

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