Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba announced its return for Season 4 of the anime later this year, and it’s going to face one unique challenge dealing with the few chapters available to adapt in the new episodes. Demon Slayer’s return for Season 4 of the anime is undoubtedly one of the most highly awaited returns of the shonen genre of the year overall, and it is set to feature the 10th story arc: Hashira Training Arc from Koyoharu Gotoge’s original manga series.
However, the major problem that the upcoming season will face in this arc is the lack of original chapters, hence providing very little material that can be brought to life in order to run an entire season. But the silver lining to this huge problem also might be the way that the anime wraps up in a much better way than how the manga’s final arcs played out.
The Dilemma of Demon Slayer Season 4
The creators of Demon Slayer Season 4 have announced that the anime would be adapting the Hashira Training Arc, which only consists of nine chapters in total, beginning from Chapter 128 of the original manga and ending with Chapter 136. Manga series that get adapted into anime usually have tons of exclusive material, however that is not the case with Demon Slayer. It might be necessary for Season 4 to cook up more original stories to link the gaps left by the limited original source.
Season 3 of Demon Slayer consisted of 11 episodes in total, covering the 9th story arc: Swordsmith Village Arc, from Chapter 98-127 (12th-15th volume) in the manga. The season finale titled ‘A Connected Bond: Daybreak and First Light’ that was released on June 2023, left the audience at the edge of their seats with much anticipation.
As the anime reaches its final stages with 2 more arcs remaining to be adapted on-screen, it is obvious that both manga-readers and anime-watchers are waiting eagerly. There could be a rocky start to the Infinity Castle Arc and the final battles from that point onward, as they fall into action immediately at the end of Chapter 136. Needless to say, it would be absurd for the anime to not lead with the fact that it is kicking off such a highly anticipated arc.
So, if the animators decide to adapt only the Hashira Training Arc for the next season, there would not be enough material from the manga for the anime to run its course. The first episode would obviously be an hour long premiere, that could easily knock out the first two chapters of the arc itself.
However, the issue can be resolved if the Infinity Castle Arc is announced a few weeks later into the anime’s spring run, or it could provide an opportunity for the anime to expand on the primary Hashira of the arc. One of the major issues from the manga on its own, is that the readers don’t really get to spend much time with these Hashira outside of fights, hence the characters never truly get fleshed out.
This is even more dreadful when the final arcs begin as it’s just one fight after another continuously, where the characters die in rapid succession giving very little time for a proper development. While the lack of chapters to adapt for Demon Slayer Season 4 could be a massive issue, this is also a chance for the anime to delve deeper into its characters and allow them to grow individually outside of the deadly threats at their door.
Despite the dilemma of a few chapters, Demon Slayer Season 4 might possibly turn this weakness into a strength for navigating its characters beyond their fighting prowess. So, get ready for a brand-new season of Kimetsu no Yaiba as it returns with a bang.
