Demon Slayer Season 4: Hashira Training Arc received a hell of a first episode. Fans were extremely happy with the one-hour special as well as some anime original scenes that were pure bliss. Ufotable played to their strengths and introduced some original action scenes, which fans lapped right up.
However, the anime original scene might act like a double-edged sword by disrupting the scenes that come after the episode. Some shots involving Sanemi and Obanai in episode 1 were not present in the manga, which could disrupt the flow later if directors don’t take precautionary measures.
The Iconic Anime Original Scene in Demon Slayer Hashira Training Arc Episode 1
The very beginning of Demon Slayer season 4 showcased an original scene featuring the Wind Hashira, Sanemi Shinazugawa, and the Snake Hashira, Obanai Iguro. They are on a rescue mission and need to hunt down a demon for kidnapping a woman as well as civilians from a village. Their case leads them to raid an abandoned castle that was being used by the demons as a base.
While the Hashiras were busy beheading the demons and rescuing the civilians, a demon managed to escape. The Infinite Castle appears out of thin air and vanishes again, leaving the Hashiras wide-eyed. The reason this anime’s original scene worked better than any filler is because it gave fans more action, rather than slice-of-life episodes.
The short fight sequence revealed the fighting styles of the two Hashiras whose powers were not revealed before. Rather than letting the story take its time to develop, which would have served a few information-packed episodes, the directors decided to tease fans about what to expect in the next episodes.
How the Anime Original Scene Might Impact the Plot Later
After the Ubuyashiki mansion is destroyed, all the Hashiras as well as Tanjiro and his gang face Muzan. Just as the demon slayers draw their blades and leap into the air to attack the demon, Muzan manifests sliding doors which send the slayers directly inside the Infinity Castle. Several demon slayers who weren’t even in the vicinity, also find themselves falling into the castle.
This is the moment when all the Hashiras reunite and are surprised at the sudden appearance of a phantom castle. However, Obanai and Sanemi have already seen the Infinity Castle once and their reaction should not be the same as the others. According to a fan theory, this could create a small problem since in the manga all of the Hashiras are caught by surprise. However, according to the anime, Obanai and Sanemi should have a tingle of what to expect.
However, this has been contested by other fans, according to who the shock factor should not be diminished when the scene does get animated. Obanai and Sanemi simply saw the exterior of the castle for a short period of time, but once they are transported inside it, their reaction should be similar to everyone else’s. The anime’s original cut is still considered a good buildup, as a fraction of Muzan’s power was glimpsed early on to raise the stakes of the final battle.
You can read Demon Slayer on Viz Media and watch the anime on Crunchyroll.
