Demon Slayer: Mugen Train is A Masterpiece

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If there was one animated movie I’ve been looking forward to all year, it’s Demon Slayer: Mugen Train. After an incredible first season, I was eager to see how the movie would progress Tanjiro’s story. And trust me when I say this movie did not disappoint. 

Demon Slayer Mugen Train is a brilliantly put-together Anime Movie that sees Tanjiro and his friends Zenitsu and Inosuke join one of the most powerful Demon Slayers, Kyojuro Rengoku, in hunting down a demon tormenting people around the Mugen Train. 

However, the Demon Slayers soon find themselves dealing with more than they can handle. 

The Battle For the Mugen Train

The best aspects of the Demon Slayer movie are without doubt its story and characters.

While the movie kicks off with the standard anime humor and silliness, its real tale begins when the demon traps all four Demon Slayers in an endless dream. Here, our heroes experience their deepest wants and desires come true. And for Tanjiro, he finds himself reliving some of the happiest moments with his mother and siblings. 

However, this facade comes crashing when Tanjiro recalls the brutal murder of his family by Muzan, the Demon lord. And thanks to his deep desire to cure sister Nezuko of her demon curse, the young Demon Slayer breaks the trance and comes to face to face with the lower-rank demon, Enmu.

One thing I continue to love about Tanjiro’s character is how he falls back on his training whenever he’s in a difficult position. Throughout his fight with Enmu, Tanjiro logically analyzed the demon’s attacks and found an accurate response to each one. 

As a sucker for strategy and planning, I found this aspect of the movie very satisfying as it helped illustrate Tanjiro’s growth since the start of the series. However, Tanjiro’s skills alone were far from enough to both defend the passengers and defeat the demon. And it’s for this reason that the young Demon Slayer was fortunate to have the support of The Flame Hashira and his friends.

While Tanjiro and Inosuke engaged Enmu, Kyojuro, Nezuko, and Zenitsu kept the passengers safe. And thanks to their combined efforts, the Demon Slayers defeated the lower rank demon.

But this was far from the end.

Kyojuro vs. Akaza: A Clash of Ideals

In standard anime fashion, Mugen Train saves the best for last. And with the defeat of Enmu, the movie gave us our first introduction to an upper-level demon with Akaza’s Arrival.

The battle between The Flame Hashira and the upper-rank demon was both tense and amazing. And it truly showed the gap in strength between the pair and the younger Demon Slayers. 

Kyojuro’s perfect swordsmanship and skill brilliantly countered Akaza’s brute strength and magic. But while both parties gave it their best in their battle to the death, what drove them further was their contrasting ideologies. 

Armed with speed, strength, and regeneration, Akaza tried to show Kyojuro the benefits of becoming a demon. But thanks to his incredible will, The Flame Hashira stuck to his faith in humanity, even though it would cost him his life. 

What’s ironic about this fight is how it ends with the human fighting till the end to protect everyone he loves, while the all-powerful and mighty upper-rank demon flees for his life.

In the end, Rengoku Kyojuro may have lost the battle, but he most definitely won the war. The man understood his mission. 

Verdict