Demon Slayer is full of beautiful animation that makes the whole show breath-taking to watch, and if you’ve read the manga, you know that there are even more amazing scenes on the horizon.
But of the anime so far, which scenes are the best? After spending hours scouring through toxic Youtube comments and Reddit posts, these are the scenes I found that people loved the most.
For this article, I focused on the first season, and the Mugen Train movie, so if you haven’t watched those, beware of spoilers.
10. Nezuko Shows That She Won’t Hurt Humans
Even injured and angry, she won't hurt a human.
Demon Slayer jumps into the action quickly, and by the time this scene rolls around, most viewers are already devoted to Nezuko and Tanjiro’s mission, or at least I was. So when we see Nezuko stabbed several times by the Wind Hashira while Tanjiro is held down, it inevitably sparks anger.
However, this is Nezuko’s first real test on how she will handle humans without her brother interfering, especially while injured. When she turns away from the Wind Hashira despite her injuries and anger, it is a beautiful, powerful moment.
Why this scene is the best:
- Nezuko won’t hurt anyone, despite being stabbed
- Shows her strength, and that Sakonji’s training did help her
- Proves Tanjiro is on a worthy mission
- Get to see how the Hashira think
9. Tomioka and Sakonji Vow to End Their Lives if Nezuko Hurts Anyone
The Hashira's have very strong personalities, and are very opinionated
The leader of the Demon Slayer Corps, Kagaya Ubuyashiki, steps in while the other Hashira are discussing Nezuko’s fate. We learn that Tanjiro; his sensei, Sakonji Urokodaki; and the current water Hashira, Giyu Tomioka, will cut open their stomachs if Nezuko ever harms a human.
It was a powerful moment, especially as Giyu did not seem to be the type, as he looked down upon the weak, despite sending them to Sakonji for training. Tanjiro seems to realize during this moment that he isn’t as alone as he thinks, and some people support him. After that statement, there aren’t many willing to deny Tanjiro’s mission, and a few even warm up to Nezuko.
Why this scene is the best:
- Found the fact that Giyu would put his life on the line totally unexpected
- Shows the effect that Tanjiro and Nezuko have on people
- Tanjiro may start off feeling alone, others will protect him and his sister
8. Tanjiro Finally Cuts Through the Boulder
Who knew a rock could be so emotional
Tanjiro trained for two years, working hard to get stronger. During this time, his sister is in a deep sleep. He has worked non-stop to get stronger and pass every test.
Cutting through the boulder is his final test. Armed with only a wooden sword, though, he doesn’t see how it is possible to cut through a large stone. That is when the ghosts of Sabito and Makomo appear and help him tighten his skills even more.
Eventually, he has one more fight with Sabito, and just as he gains the upper hand and moves to hit Sabito, the ghost boy vanishes, and Tanjiro sees that he actually cut through the boulder.
Why this scene is the best:
- Deeply emotional moment when Tanjiro finally cut the boulder
- Tragic story of Sabito and Makomo is told
- Finally see all of Tanjiro’s hard work pay off
7. Nezuko Starts to Fight Tanjiro but Ends up Protecting Him
Nezuko will do anything to save her brother, even as a demon
Demon Slayer starts off throwing viewers straight into the action. We see Tanjiro attempting to save his only living family member, running away from their home. He soon realizes she isn’t human, but he still strives to protect her, despite her trying to attack him.
When Giyu appears to kill her, she breaks free of the demon blood controlling her enough to protect her brother. Their bond and willingness to protect each other moves Giyu enough to spare their lives, and even send them to a former Hashira for training.
Why this scene is the best:
- Sets the theme for the whole show
- Full of powerful emotions, such as the bond between Tanjiro and Nezuko
- See the moment that Nezuko manages to break free to protect her brother
6. Tanjiro vs. The Drum Demon, Kyogai
This scene had such a fun camera angle during the fight
This whole arc of the training demon slayers in the mansion is an amazing introduction to our four main protagonists. We get to see how well they work together and watch as their bonds start to form, as well as Zenitsu’s womanizing tendencies.
Kyogai, the main demon of the mansion, faces off with Tanjiro. His demon art ability lets him manipulate direction and send invisible claws through the air. This ability is interesting when included in the long, traditional mansion, where he can manipulate the hallways and rooms.
During the fight, we see these invisible claws and shifting rooms play a huge role in the fight. It makes for a unique fight with a lot of different visual perspectives.
Why this scene is the best:
- Fight scene fully utilizes movement and camera angle to make a powerful and visually stunning fight scene
- Shows the uniqueness of Demon Arts and how much their past influences their abilities
- Get to see the strength of Tanjiro on his own, outside of the final selection
5. Tanjiro Cutting His Own Neck to Escape the Dream
Literal goosebumps
During Mugen Train, there is a lower-level demon that takes over the train, named Enmu. He makes people fall asleep so that he can destroy their spiritual core, leaving their minds broken. Tanjiro and the others fall prey to this Demon Art, having various dreams.
Rengoku manages to break out of his dream by sheer will, but Tanjiro is unable to do so, despite knowing something is wrong. Eventually,he decides the only way to escape is to end his own life.
Why this scene is the best:
- Has to choose between his family in his dream and the real world.
- Tanjiro isn’t even sure that it is a dream, or that even if he cuts off his own head, it will wake him up.
- The strength he has to go through with it is just unbelievable.
4. Muzen Showing His Power Over the Other Demons.
The hot-crazy scale for women never seemed so accuarate.
Muzen calls his demons to a meeting in distorted space. Here, we get to see some of Muzen’s abilities, including changing his form and aura at will. During this scene, we learn how angry Muzen is that Tanjiro is still alive, to the point that he has decided to kill off almost all of his lower-rank demons because they are “too weak”.
The highest of the low-rank demons, Enmu, is given one more chance, and injected with more of Muzen’s blood, under the condition that he kill the demon slayer with the hanafuda earrings, Tanjiro.
Why this scene is the best:
- Get to see a lot more of Muzen’s power
- It is a brutal scene, even against the rest of the show
- Muzen shows that he really does not care about the demons he creates unless they are strong
3. Rengoku vs. Akaza
This whole scene kept me on the edge of my seat
In Mugen Train, viewers get to see the first fight against an upper-level demon. Akaza is Upper Rank 3, and Tanjiro and his friends are no match against him. Even Rengoku, the Fire Hashia, only manages to hold the demon off until the sun comes up and loses his own life to do so.
This is where we see how much more strength Tanjiro needs, not only to beat the upper-level demons but also to have a chance to beat Muzen. We also see that while the Hashiras are the strongest of the demon slayers, they still are not strong enough to defeat Muzen on their own.
Why this scene is the best:
- First real fight with an upper-level demon
- Get to see a Hashira go all-out
- Even Hashira’s aren’t invincible
2. Zenitsu vs. Spider Demon
Finally, we get to see Zenitsu's true colors
Though we saw Zenitsu’s abilities while asleep in the drum demon’s mansion, it was still easy to underestimate a character like him. He is scared, and an unskilled womanizer. So to see Zenitsu really put in effort to protect people and try his best was an unexpected surprise.
Although he is terrified, and doesn’t know much, what he does know, he has put in all his effort to learn. The breathing technique he knows is the topmost skill, even if it is all he can do. It makes his character more interesting, and I, personally, am excited to see how he grows throughout the story.
Why this scene is the best:
- Shows that this easy-to-underestimate demon slayer is actually very powerful
- Get to see the full extent of his strength at this point
- Reveals his background, and how Zenitsu became a demon slayer
1. Tanjiro and Nezuko vs. Rui
Tanjiro has come such a long way, but still has so far to go
The fight with the spider demon, Rui, vs Tanjiro and Nezuko is beautifully done. Here, we get to see Tanjiro and Nezuko grow into their skills as they fight to protect each other. During this fight, Tanjiro switches from water breathing techniques to his own sun breathing techniques, remembering his father.
Despite their best efforts, they are still unable to beat Rui. Giyu manages to come to their aid and defeats Rui with ease. Rui was only lower-level 5, and Tanjiro is unable to defeat him, even with help. This reveals his current skill level, and will be a great moment to reflect back upon, as he grows stronger.
Why this scene is the best:
- Amazing scene as Tanjiro and Nezuko grow stronger
- Both learn new skills and fight with all they have to defend each other
- See how much farther they have to grow as Rui is only a lower level and Giyu defeats him easily
- Powerful moment as Nezuko is woken up by her mother, showing her humanity and love is still present, despite being turned into a demon
