Demon Slayer is one of the most beloved anime to have recently been released. With a solid plot, lovable characters, and production quality that never seems to dip, this series is one of the few to dominate the shonen genre in recent years.
There are many things that make Demon Slayer special and so highly rated by both critics and viewers on average. This show does many of the classic things major shonen do; telling a surprisingly human story in a supernatural format, having remarkable fight choreography, keeping up a good pace, and balancing comedy and seriousness. However, there are also grounds in the world of popular fight-shonen shows that have only been explored by Demon Slayer.
7 Demon Slayer Made An Action Show Seeping With Japanese Culture
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Demon Slayer is set in Japan's Taisho era. As such, it has historical aspects, and a lot of its settings and plotlines are inspired by daily life at the time. The background art is beautiful and quite historically accurate. There is also the soundtrack, which uses traditional sounds and instruments of the time.
No major shonen action show manages to give an homage to Japanese culture and history like Demon Slayer does. This also gives the show a certain artistic value, with a beautiful atmosphere brought together by historical relevance.
6 It Made Annoying Tropes Likable
Many of the main characters in classic shonen are based on common stereotypes of the genre. This can be a positive, as it makes a large cast of characters easily recognizable. However, the downside is that some tropes have become annoying to see on screen due to their overuse and frequent bad execution.
Demon Slayer, however, is able to take these tropes and present them in a way that doesn't seem bad in the least. One example of this is Zenitsu. A perverted crybaby comic relief character at first, but by giving him a truly kind and strong side and low self-esteem, he becomes both relatable and interesting.
5 It Proved Classic Shonen Villains Could Be Nuanced
One of the most common flaws of major shonen is that they fail to make truly empathetic villains. Often, these villains are not only stereotypical but also two-dimensional. Other shonen have succeeded in making villains that are interesting, fun to hate, or have a compelling backstory, but few shonen anime have managed to make the villains as nuanced as Demon Slayer's.
Every demon in the series is turned into one from a place of suffering and vulnerability, and the show makes sure they remind viewers of that fact after every fight.
4 It Showed Popular Shonen Protagonists Don't Need To Be Hotheaded Or Stupid
It's a trope the anime community has seen time and time again: an underdog male fight-shonen protagonist who makes it to the top out of sheer stubbornness and hotheaded impulsivity. While this can be fun to watch, anime lovers have long been looking for a good protagonist to break the trope.
Demon Slayer's Tanjiro does a brilliant job at this. Tanjiro isn't impulsive or stupid, hotheaded, or easy to anger. He's a mild-mannered, kind, quiet boy who gets thrust into a life of danger and snap decisions, and his reactions to these scenarios are engaging and refreshing to watch.
3 It's A Shonen That Showcases Sibling Love Above All
When it comes to this genre of anime, there are two routes shows usually go when it comes to showcasing relationships. The first, and the most common, is the power of friendship. Through blends of camaraderie and rivalry, the surrounding cast members push shonen protagonists to the top.
The second option is showcasing romantic love, which happens less often, but there is usually a prominent romantic B plot. Demon Slayer, while having some themes of friendship and romance, maintains the sibling relationship between Tanjiro and Nezuko as most important of all, time and time again.
2 It's A Major Shonen With Consistent Pacing
A lot of popular shonen suffer from a pacing issue. From the tendency of 2000s shonen to be full of filler episodes to make time for the manga to catch up, to low moments in between fights, there are many ways that the rhythm of an adventure anime can be thrown off.
Demon Slayer, however, hardly seems to suffer from any of these problems. There are no filler episodes, and hardly any episodes that could be considered unnecessary or 'throwaways.' Even in between action sequences, this series can bring its quieter moments to the screen in a way that isn't boring or irritating.
1 Its Movie Is Legitimately Brilliant
Many anime movies suffer from the major disease of being forgettable. This even counts for many movies made by large and otherwise beloved franchises. For example, the My Hero Academia movies were, while certainly not bad, nowhere as interesting, well-paced, or important as the actual series.
Demon Slayer's Mugen Train movie, was, however, of extremely high quality. The pacing was still consistent, the stakes were high, the fight choreography was excellent, and the ending left the audience bawling. There are no other major series to make spin-off movies this impactful.