English Dub Review: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc: “Bright Red Sword”

Overview: Tanjiro (Zach Aguilar) and Nezuko (Abby Trott) continue their battle against the split demons as Mitsuri (Kira Buckland) enters the fray and Muichiro (Griffin Burns) learns more about his enemy and his past. 

Our Take: Immediately from the offset, Gyokko’s infiltration set the tone for the warped presence he brings. His demonic abilities embody that horror with his disturbing appendage of swordsmith corpses, especially in the pain they all individually feel. The swiftness of his pot makes for a hard target for Muichiro to nail. The fight also proves to be fruitful narratively in Muichiro unearthing more about his past through Gyokko’s cruelty towards innocents. It sets up a previous demon who had previously wronged him and who was incremental in how he discerns the value of a life.  

Everybody is thirsty as hell when Mitsuri enters the scene and, truthfully, I respect it. But mostly I respect how the show leans into that for some good laughs with swordsmiths being smitten with her. However, one aspect that’s truly deserving of praise is how her character doesn’t solely rely on that gimmick. She’s a powerhouse with her unique flexible sword style, making for gorgeous whiplike physics against the demons, not to mention an absolute sweetheart. 

Speaking of the bug-eyed CG fishies, they have been a big point of contention for many fans this season. Truthfully, they do clash to some extent, but that’s mostly due to the inherent technological differences with hand drawn animation. In motion, they are shaded with darker colors and blend into the rich, foggy background art seamlessly. 

Tanjiro’s battle takes a backseat somewhat, however it is not devoid of meaningful updates to his conflict. It strongly hints at some relation to the swordsman of his dreams with his fiery scar and similar look. However, the biggest sign is his bright red flaming sword thanks to Nezuko. It’s intriguing how he goes about obtaining the fire in a much different way than the samurai in his memory. Ufotable delivers a jaw-dropping beheading of Sekido, Karaku and Urogi with beautiful, blazing effects. 

However, Tanjiro isn’t the only one who nets a win with Genya also getting one over on Aizetsu. The real kicker is his demonic form, and when you take his rapid healing factor in consideration, it starts to make a lot of sense. With any luck, there will be an equally compelling story behind it.