• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

Is the Demon Slayer series worth the time?

I am an anime noob, I have been trying to get through One Piece, but it's going extremely slow because of the size of it, but this Demon Slayer film has caught my eye.

How good is Demon Slayer? is it worth watching every episode because of the film?

I heard there is supposed to be more movies coming?

What is a realistic timeframe to get through it, are there spin-offs? or do I only need to watch the seasons (4 I think?).
 
It's a dark fantasy shounen. It has high production values. I like it, it focuses on lots of battles. There's 4 seasons and 2 movies.

There's 2 more movies coming in the future.
 
Last edited:
I haven't seen a whole episode OP, but I'll say this, it seems to always be on in the house as my daughter is obsessed with it, as are her friends. That's gotta mean something good I guess. It doesn't do it for me, but I'm not a good judge as I hate almost all anime I've seen that was produced in the last decade.
 
the story isn't really that special. but it has heart, both in terms of the writing and the anime production. the music is also pretty good IMO. I would say go watch the first season at least to get a feel of it and see if you want to keep going. I was able to get through everything before the latest movie in about 4 or 5 days.
 
Last edited:
You know how Dragonball Z had good-enough writing, but the action and edge-of-your-seat suspense were both top notch?

If you liked that feeling, you'll like Demon Slayer. The plot is very much straightforward, there are some likable characters, but the action and suspense are the stars of the show.

Side note on your post: One Piece has extremely old school, slow, overly padded pacing (and this is coming from a One Pace viewer). For that you should just wait for the animated remake that's coming out soon.
 
Watched 20-30 episodes with my daughter. It started off decent but slowly became dull. Kinda forgettable like My Hero Academia, but both are mega popular so ymmv.
 
It's a mediocre manga that has been carried by an animation studio that specialises in light shows.

Probably one of the worst series I've ever read personally.
 
it good, the pacing is a bit faster than One Piece, and there isn't that big of a long series. Could probably binge the first 24 episodes over a weekend, and then jump into Mugen Train movie, and S2
 
My family and I enjoy it. The new movie is a bit longer than it needs to be but was still good. One of the reasons I enjoy this series is because even when they win, it comes at a cost. The downside is it tends to be drawn out. (Not as bad as Naruto which I also really enjoyed).

The animation is on point and is worth watching just for the fights alone. It also breaks up the dark overtones with some comedy.
 
Couldn't make it through the first season. Doesn't help that a lot (maybe even every) character is a kid, I really dislike that.
 
It had one of the most memorable moments for me in all of anime with the Rui fight. The OST and the build up to the finale was amazing and moved me in a way that modern entertainment rarely does.

The anime as a whole has its ups and downs, but I personally enjoyed the ride. Another thing it does well is giving the characters and big story moments proper time to breathe instead of just rushing through everything that isn't a battle. To some people I'd bet that this isn't a good thing, but for me it helps really flesh out the characters.

(just the OST song, but the background image is a slight spoiler)
The part where the vocals cut out and it speeds up with a strings section is
Stick Around Bob Ross GIF by Originals

@ 3:42 in the video.


 
Watched 20-30 episodes with my daughter. It started off decent but slowly became dull. Kinda forgettable like My Hero Academia, but both are mega popular so ymmv.
That's interesting. I thought season one was awful but it got much better after that. You are right that it feels similar My Hero, but the blood and darker themes help out
 
Mediocre, like a lot of other people have been saying, but it's also crazy popular. Demon Slayer doesn't really do anything new for shounen (action shows aimed at children and young adults), but it does look absolutely fantastic. That's at least why I see it succeeding - appealing to those less familiar with the genre while also looking very good - although it's so big I don't think that's everything so idk.

Aside from not doing much, the cast is weak and I wasn't pulled into the plots because I could never accept the conceits of the series' battle systems. Enhanced senses like smell enabling you to sense emotions is a kind of weird that I could not so easily accept at face value, and the demon slayers' elaborate powers actually just being metaphors for their sword techniques let me down on a realization of two conclusions: Either 1) The show would break its own rules inevitably and make them actual powers (i.e. making Tanjiro's flames real) or 2) They would remain boring metaphors. And while visually stimulating, I enjoy my action manga/anime to consist of players with actual and elaborate powers that interplay with their opponents'. Or interesting personalities or theming or something, man. Demon Slayer's way is about the most boring way you could do it.

I heard there is supposed to be more movies coming?

What is a realistic timeframe to get through it, are there spin-offs? or do I only need to watch the seasons (4 I think?).

63 episodes total... says my googling. Then the Infinity Castle movie. And then two more movies scheduled after that sometime in the coming years. I knew this last part already because I've been following animation studio ufotable for a while, and there's been some speculation in the type/moon fandom that ufotable has turned all their time and resources towards Demon Slayer to the detriment of other pursuits, such as the Witch on the Holy Night movie they teased back in 2021 and we've seen only a teaser trailer from in 2023. I'm a little bitter about it.
 
It's decent. The anime visuals and voice acting is top notch (please do not watch the dubbed version, the Japanese voice acting is on another level).

I would say watch it, but there are some incredibly boring arcs that you are better off reading the manga to speed through it.

Also after watching the movie I didnt have the patience and just read the rest of it. I'll probably see the movies when they come out because the anime just makes the action so good. The anime conveys things on another level compared to the manga by a huge margin.
 
It's fun and not a bad pick if you need something to watch. First season is s little slow but the second season, especially the ending, is insane.
 
I just started watching it too. Same situation. I saw the movie advertised and got interested.

I'm on episode 7 of the first season.

Fights seem decent but I'm not liking the story. All of a sudden, this kid is a master at fighting. They barely elaborate on the training phase. Just very little character building.

Just makes me want to watch Bleach again. I'll probably stick it out though because I think it's only 4 seasons.
 
Last edited:
It's pretty fun but nothing special.
It's an extremely generic shonen battle show where a bunch of young warriors fight increasingly stronger demons.
It has all the usual elements like ranked enemies, some Bleach-style "Captain" characters and random powerups achieved through the power of bonds and flashbacks (so many flashbacks).

But it has really high production values and flashy animation that do a lot of the heavy lifting to make it exciting. There are some moments where the animation, music and story come together to create some genuinely exciting climactic moments during fights.

On the downside it has one of the most insufferable side characters ever in the form of Zenitsu. It's the first time ever watching any show (anime or not) where I just straight up fast forward scenes as soon as a character shows up.


The best Ufotable anime by a long shot is still Fate Zero
MV5BMTEyMjRiYjUtMzJkOC00NDBmLWI4Y2YtNDk5ZTQyMDNhMjgxXkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpg

It's just a shame the rest of the fate franchise sucks.
 
Mugen Train is where I also stopped. Just waiting for it to be over and then ill watch it, but the 1st season was good, if not the story, the spectacle was top notch.
 
I enjoyed the Mugen Train movie more than the anime in general, but there are far worse ways to spend your time.
 
Last edited:
I will say watching Demon Slayer is probably a hell of a lot better than trying to get through 1000 episodes of One Piece.
 
I thought it was great.

Narratively, not the best thing ever. But the animation quality and sheer spectacle of the fights is some of, if not the best seen for an anime.

If that's your thing, action, in for a good time.
 
The animation quality is top notch in my opinion (anime obviously). I do agree with the other comments in the thread about the quality of the story falling off over time for sure. I will watch the next two feature films just from a completion perspective.
 
I liked it first but it just went through the same anime type thing where it goes longer and irritating than necessary.
Also MC sometimes just virtue dumps a lot.
 
Its a fun show, with a simple story. The visuals do the heavy lifting here. The show peaks at the entertainment district arc. I just saw infinity castle, and its entertaining but a bit of a slog.
 
There are also the 2 video games.
 
Watched the two first episodes, like it so far, it looks far better than any other anime I have seen.

The only problem I have with animes are these short episodes, because the nature of the story becomes very stop and start, it's the same with One Piece.
 
Looks good but story and characters are quite rudimentary. It's not bad if there isn't much else you're watching or need to get to. It's just this cohort's top anime followng from MHA, AoT, SOA in prior groups.
 
It's okay and for me personally I'd say it is mediocre as well. It starts off pretty dark and lightens up into nearly a typical shonen anime. It has some good action and the fights are flashy. The characters can be quite cute and funny, which is probably why a lot of people love it, plus it is slightly dark combined with some good action to keep you coming back. If you are an anime noob I'd say, go for it since it is pretty good compared to most anime.
 
Last edited:
…Did you guys make it beyond season 1 of Goblin Slayer?
Hmmm.. OK you got me there. I have watched season 2 once but cant remember anything about it. That could be on me as I have a hard time remembering stuff.

Season 1 was awesome though and for me way more enjoyable than all of demon slayer.

Fuck it. Flame proof gear equipped.

Episode 1 of goblin slayer was more more enjoyable for me than everything in demon slayer.
 
Yes. One of the things I iked about rhe show is the goblins weren't mindless drones.
Hmmm.. OK you got me there. I have watched season 2 once but cant remember anything about it. That could be on me as I have a hard time remembering stuff.

Season 1 was awesome though and for me way more enjoyable than all of demon slayer.

Fuck it. Flame proof gear equipped.

Episode 1 of goblin slayer was more more enjoyable for me than everything in demon slayer.
That's cool and all, but I'm talking about the writing quality after season 1.

It was almost as big of a fall-off as Shield Hero.
 
Last edited:
I ended up reading the whole manga and while I enjoyed it, I eventually got bored of it like I do with most Shounen by the midpoint. What differiates it from other Shounen is the three mains in the guy with his demon sister, the guy with the boar head mask he puts on and cowardly blond hair guy. I forgot their names but I always liked their interactions with each other
 
I ended up reading the whole manga and while I enjoyed it, I eventually got bored of it like I do with most Shounen by the midpoint. What differiates it from other Shounen is the three mains in the guy with his demon sister, the guy with the boar head mask he puts on and cowardly blond hair guy. I forgot their names but I always liked their interactions with each other
I always felt that action-heavy shonen are better watched, and dialogue-heavy shonen are better read.

With the one exception being Berserk because apparently no one knows how to animate it beyond the first arc.
 
I always felt that action-heavy shonen are better watched, and dialogue-heavy shonen are better read.

With the one exception being Berserk because apparently no one knows how to animate it beyond the first arc.

Well when it comes to Shounen I tend to be much pickier as my current favorites are One Piece and Dandadan. While something like Kaiju No 8 I dropped 20 chapters in. As for Berserk, that's more of a Seinen though and yes the OG Anime is still the best adaptation of the manga

With Demon Slayer I prefer watching the show to reading the manga personally but I'm of the opinion that I find Demon Slayer to be just good but nothing special
 
Some really great action, but definately not a show for anyone with ADD. 10 minute high paced action battle, guy gets his head chopped off, then 40 minutes of guy's sad life story flashback, then 10 more minutes of action.
 
First season is bad, I started to watch it for about 5-6 episodes on release, but had to stop. Came back years after to give it another chance when every season was out, season 1 was still bad but season 2 is HUGE step up in quality and probably the best. After season 2 it's decent enough with some really epic moments, but it's by no means a masterpiece. Have not seen the movie, waiting for it to come to streaming.

I know this isn't a recommendation thread but would still highly recommend watching Jujutsu Kaisen instead(or after, just to compare). It starts as a standard shōnen but oh boy does it evolve into more than that. Fantastic pacing, the animation and characters are amazing. One of the greats!
 
Last edited:
Its a very generic average show with 12/10 production values....turn brain off and watch water/flame swords go burrrr
 
It's boilerplate Japanese fantasy as far as its writing and story go, but the characters are fairly charming and Ufotable's animation elevates it tremendously.
 
I tried to like it but the first handful of episodes I watched were so boring, primarily because of the main character.
 
Top Bottom