The renowned media outlet IGN has surprised the anime community by giving a low rating of 3/10 for the fourth season of “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba”, describing it as “terrible.” According to the review, the “Hashira Training Arc” is excessively prolonged, and the reviewer believes it should have been condensed into a single episode.
The official summary of Season 4 highlights that the Hashira – the highest-ranking demon slayers and members of the Demon Slayer Corps – have begun an intensive training regimen with their respective swords to prepare for the impending battle against Muzan Kibutsuji. Each character brings their own thoughts and hopes into the training, marking the beginning of a new narrative arc for Tanjiro and the Hashira.
IGN noted that while the expectations were indeed high, Season 4 failed to maintain the engaging storytelling and character development of previous seasons. The review specifically criticized the Hashira Training Arc for its unnecessary length, which detracted from the pacing of the story. This outlet suggested that a portion of the season could have been summarized in one or two episodes, thus maintaining viewer engagement and interest.
Before the IGN review, many fans expressed their own opinions:
– For reference, the reviewer previously rated 5/10 and labeled it as a filler episode. Therefore, I am not surprised that they scored Season 4 so low.
– I understand that Season 4 is primarily a training arc, which only has two final episodes that are truly worth watching.
– As someone who has read the manga, I’m not disappointed with how this section is being handled. The subsequent arc is quite long, so it can’t be condensed into just 2-3 episodes, while the finale could be the concluding part of the season.
– I have read all these comments, and I began to wonder… whether my taste in anime might be questionable?
– I actually enjoy this section more than the Entertainment District arc, and a 5/10 score seems fair. Even without the final episodes, a focused story about the Hashira is still very enjoyable to watch.
– It may be an entirely different experience, but I understand. This part is entirely a time-consuming endeavor and could have been just 1 or 2 episodes. Extending around 4 chapters of the manga into 8 additional episodes seems to reduce the overall pacing, similar to the Dressrosa arc in One Piece.
– Clearly, this is the weakest season of Demon Slayer, especially compared to the high points of the Mugen Train and Entertainment District arcs. However, I still like it because I enjoy these characters and am happy to spend time with them before the climax of the story.
