Demon Slayer Season 4: How Does Hashira Battle Sanemi vs Obanai Plays Out In the Manga? Explained

Demon Slayer season four just brought an original Hashira throw down to life.

Published on Jun 03, 2024  |  06:02 PM IST |  114.5K
Exploring How Hashira Battle Sanemi vs Obanai Plays Out In Demon Slayer
Demon Slayer (PC: Crunchyroll, Studio Ufotable)

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is in its fourth season, and the anime has revealed the first details about Episode 4's plot. The series is taking on the shortest arc from Koyoharu Gotoge's original manga series, and the first three episodes have revealed the new season's tactics. The anime is starting to show more original material, likely continuing with Tanjiro Kamado's training.

The first phase of the Hashira's new training regimen involves Tanjiro working with Tengen Uzui to build stamina. The episode teases that he will move on to Muichiro Tokito's Mist Hashira phase. As Demon Slaying Corps prepares to face Muzan Kibutsuji, each new episode of Demon Slayer raises curiosity about their upcoming performances.

The fourth season of Demon Slayer brings an original Hashira battle to life

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is in its fourth season, with a focus on Tanjiro's preparations for Muzan. The anime has featured an original battle involving Mist Hashira and two others. Sanemi, the Wind Hashira, began training one-on-one with Obanai, while the Serpent Hashira proved to be a good challenge. After catching wind of the battle, Muichiro appeared, adding to the series' solid performance. 

The three Hashira, Obanai, Sanemi, and Muichiro, are seen battling in an original throwdown for training purposes. Obanai and Sanemi team up against Muichiro, who is now faster than ever after defeating an Upper Moon. This original battle adds to the Demon Slayer manga and helps to balance the current brisk arc of the anime.

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Studio Ufotable has created incredible original content to support the arc, as Tanjiro continues his training, and this week, Muichiro's power is put front and center.

Demon Slayer (Crunchyroll, Studio Ufotable)

Preview of Demon Slayer season 4 episode 4

Tanjiro resumes his training with the Hashira and reunites with Mist Hashira Muichiro Tokito in Demon Slayer Season 4 Episode 4 titled To Bring a Smile to One's Face. Tokito, a swordmaster, is central to the series' focus on his swordsmanship. The opening training sequence features a session with Tokito and Demon Slayer Corps members, showcasing the series' smooth, flowing action, even with low stakes.

The cool thing about this moment is that it gives Tokito a chance to teach an important lesson. He tells the trainees that they need to keep moving even if someone around them goes down. The last episode was full of encouragement for the lesser-known ordinary soldiers in the corps, and this is another chance to see that.

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Despite encouragement, the training is intense, leading Corps members to collapse. Tanjiro offers to help reduce the intensity, but Tokito is the most affected, as he trains them all alone without taking time for physical or emotional rest.

Tokito is dedicated to his training and the Corps members, pushing himself to the limit. After a day of intense training, he leaves at night to train with another Hashira, requiring his strength. The visuals during this brief training sequence are visually stunning, but it would have been nice to see more of ufotable's excellent animation skills.

Tokito asks his trainees to train with real swords instead of wooden swords. Facing off against a swordmaster is frightening for the trainees. They are shown shaking in their boots at the thought of fighting someone who has mock-killed them countless times already. The tension and emotion in just this one fleeting scene drive home how dangerous the upcoming battle is going to be.

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While that scene does help break up the more mundane training sessions of Demon Slayer Season 4 Episode 4, it also amplifies a problem with the arc as a whole. Tanjiro is just hopping between the different Hashira to show flashbacks and reunions before he gets a little bit stronger and then moves on to repeat the process.

The episodes are absolutely well-crafted, but the repetition gets stale quite quickly when there is a big bad villain out there just waiting to be fought.

Demon Slayer (Crunchyroll, Studio Ufotable)

In Demon Slayer Season 4, Episode 4, Tanjiro challenges Tokito to a paper airplane throwing contest, which is jarring from the intense training to a comedic childish contest. While it aims to make Tokito nicer to other trainees, it feels out of place and becomes a larger bonding exercise. The high stakes in the season make this unnecessary padding.

Tanjiro and Tokito discuss Muzan Kibutsuji's threat to Nezuko, but it's only at the end. This highlights Tanjiro's struggles and the Hashira's training, but also highlights the background of the major threat. It's suggested that more information about Muzan Kibutsuji and his demons should be provided, beyond just character conversations.

Demon Slayer Season 4 Episode 4 spends a lot of time looking pretty without moving the narrative much as pacing issues resurface. Tanjiro’s quest is supposed to be important, but it is hard to feel that way when so many detours drag on longer than necessary.

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Demon Slayer Season 4 Episode 4 is streaming now on Crunchyroll, with new episodes every Sunday.

ALSO READ: Demon Slayer Hashira Training: How Does The Arc Set Up Anime's Final Battle Better Than The Manga? Explored

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