Demon Slayer season 4, episode 1 review: "Comes perilously close to the dreaded f-word – filler – at times"

GamesRadar+ VerdictWhile the extra-long premiere doesn’t always make the most of its time, the opening to the Hashira Training arc provides just enough compelling story beats to keep fans coming back for more GamesRadar+ Verdict GamesRadar+ Verdict While the extra-long premiere doesn’t always make the most of its time, the opening to the Hashira Training arc provides just enough compelling story beats to keep fans coming back for more While the extra-long premiere doesn’t always make the most of its time, the opening to the Hashira Training arc provides just enough compelling story beats to keep fans coming back for more Why you can trust GamesRadar+Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about our reviews policy. Why you can trust GamesRadar+Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about our reviews policy. Demon Slayer’s fourth season, an adaptation of the Hashira Training arc from Koyoharu Gotouge’s all-conquering manga, is here. As anime series go, it’s undoubtedly one of the biggest and most hotly anticipated of the year – but does it live up to the hype? Things start promisingly enough for the extra-long 48-minute premiere. The Wind and Serpent Hashiras undertake a rescue mission that soon morphs into an intriguing tease of what’s to come as they come oh-so-close to uncovering the entrance to Big Bad Muzan Kibutsuji’s Infinity Castle. However, their chase of a lowly threat ultimately proves fruitless as the door to the demon headquarters quite literally slams shut in their face. As openings go, it’s exactly the sort of breathless, story-centric gambit Demon Slayer should be aiming for. It’s also an original anime scene, once again proving that animation studio Ufotable knows exactly when to stretch out or cut the source material to play to its strengths; in this case – Ufotable’s always-excellent action animation. Unfortunately, the first five minutes is the episode’s high point. ‘To Defeat Muzan Kibutsuji’ is glacially paced, dealing mostly with Tanjiro’s post-Swordsmith Village recovery and setting up events to come. Long-time fans will know that Demon Slayer’s arc-openers are typically slow and effectively amount to place-setting, but that sort of rhythm and predictable shape starts to wear thin after over 50 episodes. Speaking of testing patience, your mileage mayseriouslyvary with how much of the in-your-face humour from the likes of Inosuke and Zenitsu are crammed in here, especially with the latter missing for the bulk of last season. Personally, I don’t find it too jarring – though the balance between the serious stylings of Tanjiro’s continuing hunt for the ones who killed his family and the goofy, wacky shenanigans of the side cast don’t always mesh as well as you might hope. In truth, the hot-headed Hotaru’s quick interaction with Tanjiro – gifting him a new sword emblazoned with a tribute to Rengoku’s hilt while simultaneously remonstrating with our hero – is about as effective as that blend of styles gets and it a welcome moment that helps elevate the opening episode of the Hashira Training arc. Training day (Image credit: ©Koyoharu Gotoge / SHUEISHA, Aniplex, ufotable) The amount of relative downtime in the Demon Slayer season 4 premiere, though, does allow the intriguing tidbits wedoget to truly shine. The end reveal featuring Tamayo being enlisted for a task with the Insect Hashira also creates a fresh dynamic and one that, crucially, has an eye towards moving the series forward instead of artificially extending the show’s lifespan across multiple years and seasons. Oddly enough, that’s where my main concerns with the premiere episode lie: not within the content itself, but with what’s to come. A cursory glance at the manga arc suggests that this is going to be a far shorter season more in line with Mugen Train. But where that had a unique location, compelling narrative, and one of the all-time great anime battles at its end, Hashira Training takes the shape more of a pit-stop on the way to the main destination rather than anything hugely worthwhile in its own right. (Image credit: ©Koyoharu Gotoge / SHUEISHA, Aniplex, ufotable) Despite its flaws, Demon Slayer’s return is still a welcome one. Tanjiro remains the beating heart of the series and among anime’s most likeable and affable protagonists in a medium swamped with brooding swordsmen. The sprinkling of teases are also well placed, providing just enough of a reason for lapsed fans to stick around for the rest of the Hashira Training arc. Some questions – the pacing, the content of the arc, and how long the season will be – will be answered in due course. For now, Hashira Training kicks off the first step towards Demon Slayer’s finale in fine enough fashion. Demon Slayer season 4airs weekly on Crunchyroll. For more, check out theDemon Slayer season 4 release scheduleand our guide onhow to watch Demon Slayer in order. More about demon slayerAfter months of waiting, we finally have crumbs of info about Demon Slayer’s Infinity Castle movie trilogy – including a 2025 release window and a new trailerAfter months of waiting, we finally know when Demon Slayer’s latest season is coming to Netflix More about demon slayer After months of waiting, we finally have crumbs of info about Demon Slayer’s Infinity Castle movie trilogy – including a 2025 release window and a new trailerAfter months of waiting, we finally know when Demon Slayer’s latest season is coming to Netflix After months of waiting, we finally have crumbs of info about Demon Slayer’s Infinity Castle movie trilogy – including a 2025 release window and a new trailer After months of waiting, we finally have crumbs of info about Demon Slayer’s Infinity Castle movie trilogy – including a 2025 release window and a new trailer After months of waiting, we finally know when Demon Slayer’s latest season is coming to Netflix After months of waiting, we 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