English Dub Review: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc: “Thank you, Tokito”

Overview: Tanjiro (Zach Aguilar), Genya (Zeno Robinson) and Nezuko (Abby Trott) have their hands full with the split demons of Sekido (Yong Yea), Karaku (Caleb Yen), Urogi (Chris Hackney) and Aizetsu. (Brian Anderson)

Our Take: Recapping the last few moments of a previous episode is never a strong opener. It can be frustrating if it lingers as a means to pad out a runtime for lack of material. Thankfully, it doesn’t last long, pivoting to how critical helping Kanamori may be in clearing Muichiro’s foggy memory. The writing definitely leaves something to be desired in how on the nose it is with his mist power. With that said, the general mystery surrounding his amnesia is still intriguing in his past brutality. 

The variants of Hantengu are fun enemies in their emotionally erratic personalities and differing powerset amongst them. Genya’s regeneration is the star of the show in his battle against Sekudo and Aizetsu, reinforcing his edgier side. His healing factor hints at his supernatural bloodline that’ll be interesting in how it gives him an advantage. Nezuko continues to grow as a smarter fighter, not just relying on her blood art, but using Karaku’s Uchiwa against him. Tanjiro, however, takes that one step further. 

Tanjiro’s quick wits really comes into focus with his deductions of how multiplying Urogi further dilutes his power. The fight is smartly constructed with how Tanjiro’s intuition and clever observations come into play. It remains engaging throughout in all the various ways he uses Urogi’s physiology to his advantage.  

With Tanjiro reuniting with the gang, their battle is just beginning and off to a nail-biting start. Mitsuri’s beeline to the village also gets the pacing in high gear with her finally getting a chance to shine.