Demon Slayer is a widely popular show that has captured the hearts of many anime fans, who love it for its likable characters, beautiful animation, and entertaining plot. Both its episodes and films have reached phenomenal amounts of viewers. However, it has not convinced all audiences, and many criticize the show.
Even amongst its fans, there are those moments that are looked at with disappointment. From bad decision-making in the animating or writing departments to character flaws, failures, and mishaps, there are many things over which anime fans are disappointed.
8 It Drew Nezuko Inappropriately For Her Age
Fans were not all happy with the way the series chose to conduct the Entertainment District arc and one of those grievances was with the way it made Nezuko, who is a pretty young child, look during her fight with Daki towards the end of the arc.
Fans have condemned the show for sexualizing Nezuko, who has not looked remotely close to that in her other forms. In her awakened demon form, however, she is drawn to look much older and her kimono reveals cleavage that Nezuko has not shown before this moment.
7 It Killed Off Beloved Characters
Fans were pretty disappointed with some of the major deaths in the show, understandably so. They spent many episodes getting fans to fall in love with the Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku, only to have him soon die at the hands of the upper-rank three demons, Akaza.
This disappointed fans and characters alike, as Rengoku had been a loveable character who stood up for what was right and protected innocents. He also seemed to be a promising source for Tanjiro to learn more about sun-breathing, but all that fell through.
6 It Did Not Give Nezuko Enough Screen Time
Nezuko is another beloved character in the series, but she is often cheated out of screen time. In the first season, she spent most of the time asleep. She slept for months on end, even. In the Mugen Train Arc, her appearance was minimal and she contributed nothing to the main plot of the arc.
In the Entertainment District Arc, she fought Daki, but she did not kill Daki. Furthermore, she was out of the fight from that moment on. Nezuko is super powerful, and fans want to see her more, but she never gets the screen time.
5 It Made Some Of Its Characters Feel Like A Joke
Inosuke Hashibira and the sometimes frustrating Zenitse Agastuma are powerful demon slayers who are also relegated almost solely to be comic relief. While we get a lot of character development for the two in the first season, the second season seems mostly to play on cheap tricks it has used before. Zenitsu barely gets any screen time in the Mugen Train Arc, and he is asleep or captured most of the time in both the Mugen Train and Entertainment District Arcs.
Inosuke gets to play a lot more of a role, but he is constantly making the same jokes and going for the same strategies. He shines a little bit more in the Entertainment District Arc, but fans wanted to see more in-depth work from these two.
4 It Sometimes Relied Too Heavily On Body Horror & Shock Factor
A sure-fire way to get both the fans and the characters to hate a demon they have just met is to introduce a lot of body horror. Enmu, the demon who merged with the Mugen Train, is one such character who used fleshy growths to fight all the demon slayers in the train.
Another instance of body horror came with Gyutaro and Daki, who had to be decapitated together and who were proximate to disease and pestilence. Even Nezuko, who was cut to shreds and able to put herself back together, was an instance of the show relying on body horror to raise the stakes.
3 It Provided A Confusing Power System
The different breathing styles that the Hashira and other demon slayers use are confusing, primarily because there are so many possible techniques. The combination of any one technique with another can create a new technique that is placed upon a vast spectrum of overlapping techniques.
A lot of the reason these are so confusing comes from the fact that the show has only briefly given fans context about these different styles. On top of that, the main character is new to the field and also trying to figure out his style, so fans are confused right along with him, sometimes.
2 It Gave Fans Standoffish Hashira
While the Hashira may lead the Demon Slayer Corps against demons to save innocent humans, while some are kind and compassionate, they are not all kinds of good people. In fact, many Hashira are incredibly mean, cruel, or insensitive. Sanemi Shinazugawa and Shinobu Kocho are two cruel Hashira who enjoy watching others in pain.
Furthermore, characters like Obanai Iguro have been cruel even to other Hashira, as he talked down to the strong Hashira, Uzui Tengen, and besmirched Rengoku's name. There is something dark about many of the Hashira, though that makes sense due to the trauma they have seen and endured.
1 It Inundated Fans With Trauma
Speaking of trauma, this show gives characters more trauma than fans can handle. Tanjiro and Nezuko dealt with their family getting slaughtered, and Nezuko even got turned into a demon by her family's murderer. Tanjiro had to watch Rengoku, who had an abusive father who never acknowledged him, died as well.
Many of the demons also had severe trauma. Some were manipulated into taking on the demonic curse thanks to their terminal illnesses or their near-death experiences. Others were abused by Muzan, their leader. There is enough trauma to go around for everyone in this series.