Demon Slayer: Hashira Training Arc has been giving one strong episode after another. With the first two episodes setting a strong foundation for an otherwise short arc, the third makes it a mission to develop on exactly that. As usual, Ufotable is going above and beyond for their animation no matter how significant or insignificant the scenes may be.
While the third episode doesn’t have a lot going for it, given the lack of content, the animation studio sees it as not a limitation but an obstacle made to pass with ease. Episode 3, Fully Recovered Tanjiro Joins the Hashira Training!!!, dives into Tanjiro’s time with Tengen Uzui. One limitation every fan knew about when going into this season, was the lack of content in the manga. Ufotable takes this opportunity to instead give them more anime original content.
Demon Slayer and Originality
The episode adapts Tanjiro’s time training with Former Sound Hashira Tengen Uzui. While the content in the manga stretches only for two pages, Ufotable has never been one to shy away from a challenge. That was showcased perfectly when the very first scene of the season was an anime original interaction between Sanemi Shinazugawa and Obanai Iguro getting a glimpse of the Infinity Castle.
This episode sees Tanjiro finally recovering from his injuries. He joins Tengen in training when fans finally get to see the difference between the protagonist and every other Demon Slayer. It takes a very special kind of person to be able to go up against Upper Moons. Always being surrounded by skilled fighters, this scaling becomes difficult to understand. However, with him being surrounded by others, this difference becomes drastically visible. At the same time, Tanjiro may be better than the rest of the Demon Slayers, but he does not compare to Tengen.
It becomes very clear that he isn’t invincible, instead, he has a lot left to learn. The episode also introduces an anime original fight sequence between the former Hashira and the protagonist. While he is dedicated to training the others, Sanemi and Obanai see no potential in their students.
Adaptability Leads to Improvement
The episode is divided into four main parts with the majority of it being mostly filler. Having adapted only a few pages of the manga, the amount of scenes given out by Ufotable was more than enough for fans to fall in love. It gave out an extra snippet of the soba eating contest between Tanjiro and Giyu, showing that the latter purposefully lost so that he could take part in the training. Another part focused on Sanemi and Obanai feeling the Infinity Castle to be a dark cloud above them.
A match is also teased between the Serpent Hashira and the Wind Hashira. Seeing the progress both Tengen and Tanjiro have made, other Demon Slayers also find the motivation to work harder. This becomes important because, throughout the episode, it is very clear that none of them had the potential nor will to take on even Lower Moon demons. Once Tanjiro gets done with his part in Tengen’s training, it is time for him to move on to the next stage; Muichiro Tokito.
Out of all these sequences and themes, the focus of attention in the episode goes to Tengen Uzui. His wives got an opportunity to showcase their love for him, while at the same time, fans get to learn that the otherwise charming and ever-vibrant former Hashira is traumatized by the events that took place in the past.
No one is invincible. That is the point of this episode. A vulnerability exists in even the strongest of characters. Sanemi and Obanai’s fears of the Infinity Castle, Tanjiro’s inability to hold his own against Tengen, who was most definitely not taking the fight seriously; and Tengen’s own insecurities.
Despite it being an episode of little progress, it sets a basic foundation of showcasing that neither Tanjiro nor his teammates are ready to take on Kibutsuji Muzan and his army of demons. It would take practice, training, motivation, and sheer willpower to prepare oneself for what is to come.
Rating: 7.5/10
Demon Slayer: Hashira Training Arc is available to watch on Crunchyroll.
