This post is a June 2026 transcription of this video. The text has been edited for readability while preserving my original sentiment.

Episodes 1 – 5

These sets of episodes really solidified how brilliant this show is. One of my favorite moments from these sets of episodes was when Tanjiro was training with Sabito and Makomo. Seeing Sabito smile back at Tanjiro after Tanjiro’s months of training was so wonderful. This single expression shows you how proud Sabito was of Tanjiro for growing so much. And it’s truly these moments that really endeared me to the show.

Which brings us to the next section of the video, Character Relationships. Now, the way I will define relationships is platonic. This show is more than just “oh, this character is great.” It’s really about how well these characters vibe with Tanjiro. So I have two pairs of relationships I want to discuss. The first relationship I want to discuss is the brother and sister one that Tanjiro and Nezuko have. Their relationship between the two is so strong that even as Nezuko transforms into a demon, she refuses to eat Tanjiro and other humans. Nezuko has even adapted to regaining her energy by sleeping rather than eating people because of this relationship. And it’s the main goal of Tanjiro. He wants to return his sister back to a human. If this relationship wasn’t believable, I don’t think this show would have worked.

The next relationship I want to talk about is with Tanjiro and Sakonji. In the short time we saw these two characters, it was truly wonderful. These two was so well written. Typically, this dynamic could be interpreted as a student and teacher one. However, with the way Sakonji treats his other students and the way he treats Nezuko, it’s definitely more of Sakonji playing the father figure. I mean, one of the most powerful moments from this series so far is after Tanjiro slices the boulder in half. Sakonji reveals that he gave Tanjiro this task because it was supposedly impossible to do. Sakonji didn’t want to see Tanjiro die in the final selection. This was the scene that made me realize how much more emphasis and importance the creator Koyoharu Gotouge puts on the relationships between characters.

Episodes 6 – 10

The fact that we got through two major fights and met Muzan early is absolutely insane. I never really expected it. Of course we also learned that Muzan has some insane control over other demons to the point where he was even able to just kill the Tamari demon just by her mentioning Muzan’s name. It’s really freaky stuff, but honestly I cannot wait to learn more about Muzan and his power.

Now although we were told that Sakonji did use a level of hypnosis on Nezuko to perceive humans as being members of her family, I also do believe that Nezuko herself is strong-willed enough to perceive humans as friendly creatures rather than something that she should feast on. Which brings us to the most heart-wrenching scene where Nezuko sees Tamayo as human & family.

Tamayo has been working on trying to find a cure to this demon disease. She didn’t want to become a demon anymore, and she wanted to help the other demons. And it’s something that Tamayo herself has been working so hard to become. It’s the reason for her character. She’s been wanting to try and reverse this demon curse. And for Nezuko to see her as a human is absolutely beautiful.

Episodes 11 – 14

These sets of episodes were introducing us to the wonderful main cast. Zenitsu, the fearful, and Inosuke, the fearless, the perfect counters to each other. Gotouge really did a great job at making these characters complement each other. It really shows throughout these several episodes how hilarious these two characters are, and when you introduce Tanjiro into the mix, just seeing these three together really makes for a great time. I wish I had the better vocabulary to describe how good these characters are, but I really don’t, so I just love them so gosh darn much.

Episodes 15 – 21

Good lord, what a stressful set of episodes these were, from the horrifying spider creatures and the really gross body horror that was Zenitsu’s poisoned body, to the absolutely horrifying way Lower Five treats his family. There was a lot to take in, but of course we have to talk about the big moment, which was Tanjiro remembering the Kagura dance his father did, allowing Tanjiro to turn his water attack into a fire one, and Nezuko did a freaking demon blood part. So many amazing moments in these episodes. It was absolutely incredible. Of course, now we get to the part of the video where we discuss about the relationships, and let me tell you, this entire set of episodes is about Lower Five’s relationship with his family and how that compares to the way Tanjiro treats his family. Lower Five created the perfect, unhealthy family. To Lower Five, this is what family means, to play a role, not to care or love one another. However, when Lower Five saw Nezuko defending Tanjiro from his attacks, Lower Five didn’t understand why Nezuko defended Tanjiro. It wasn’t because she was playing the role of a protective sister, Tanjiro and Tanjiro truly cares about her. It’s a really great moment that I just want to emphasize to show y’all how important family and friends mean in a show like Demon Slayer.

Episodes 22 – 26

After hearing about the Hashira for so long, it’s wonderful to see all these amazing character designs. One of my favorite moments from this collection of episodes was the scene with the blacksmiths, because it’s absolutely hilarious to see how wonderfully vibrant a lot of these side characters are in the story. I am not much of a writer, so these series of videos have been very challenging for me to write, but I did have a lot of fun. Seeing how incredible Gotouge is as a writer has been so brilliant, and to break that down based off the relationships between the characters was a lot of fun. This show is truly amazing, and if you want to hear my impressions about Demon Slayer Mugen Train, I do have a review available here.