Name: Demon Slayer season 3 episode 1
Director: Shin'ya Shimomura, Takashi Suhara
Released: 2023-04-09T19:45:00

Demon Slayer season 3 kicks things off with the Swordsmith Village Arc, following the recovering phase of the protagonists after defeating an upper rank member, as Tanjiro heads off to the Swordsmith village for a new katana.

Recap

Tanjiro regains consciousness three months after his battle with the Upper Rank Six siblings. He learns that Tengen, along with Zenitsu and Inosuke have also recovered. Insouke and Zenitsu head off to their respective missions while Tanjiro continues his rehabilitation training.

Later, since Hotaru Haganezuka refuses to forge him a new sword, Tanjiro heads off to the mystical and hidden Swordsmith village. He arrives there and is greeted by the village chief, who assures him that Hotaru will be summoned and ordered to forge him a new sword.

Meanwhile, Tanjiro is directed to the hot spring where he meets the Love Hashira Mitsuri Kanroji. He also meets Genya who is still just as hostile to Tanjiro’s warm hospitality as always.

Mitsuri eats dinner with Tanjiro and Nezuko before telling him about a secret weapon somewhere in the village that can make him stronger. Meanwhile, Muzan summons the five Upper Rank demons that remain. He rages about all of them being such disappointments, failing to find the Blue Spider Lily, and the Ubuyashikis.

Gyokko has new information on it and so he embarks on a mission along with Hantengu. Demon Slayer season 3 episode 1 ends with Tanjiro looking at Mist Hashira Muichiro Tokito having a conversation with a young boy in the forest, and there seems to be another person there, one who seems awfully similar to the man Tanjiro’s been seeing in his dreams.

Review

Demon Slayer season 3 drops a marvelous premiere with all the flash and sparkles that Ufotable’s animation has come to be known for.
The 3D maneuvering in the animation is mostly smooth and the CGI is really good. As far as the sparkling flairs that are unique to Demon Slayer, they are rather abundant here.
Tanjiro’s arrival at the Swordsmith village marks an exciting new turn as the weaponry elements, coupled with the recovering/rehabilitation arcs in anime always make for some of the best content.
Introduction to the Upper Five is perhaps the best part of the premiere, and along with the animation and the effects, the content of Muzan’s rage and the power dynamics between the diabolical fiends is peak hype.