With Demon Slayer's Hashira Training arc now here, it's a good a chance as any to recap the hit anime. For that, you'll need our guide on how to watch Demon Slayer in order.
Whether you're trying to watch Demon Slayer from start to finish for the first time or just need a refresher in preparation Demon Slayer season 4, you're in the right place.
Below, we'll present the full release date order for Demon Slayer, as well as answer any burning questions you may have. That includes which version of Mugen Train you should watch, how many episodes there currently are, and all the latest on the Hashira Training arc. You can find out more about the latest episodes and release plans going forward with the Demon Slayer season 4 release schedule.
For more, check out our list of the best anime, best Netflix anime, and new anime you should be watching right now, as well as guides on how to watch Neon Genesis Evangelion in order and how to watch Pokemon in order.
How to watch Demon Slayer in order
Demon Slayer currently consists of four seasons and three (skippable) movies. But that's not as intimidating as it sounds: Here's how you should watch Demon Slayer in order.
- Demon Slayer season 1, AKA Unwavering Resolve arc (episodes 1-26)
- Demon Slayer season 2, part 1, AKA Mugen Train arc (episodes 27-33) or Mugen Train movie
- Demon Slayer season 2, part 2, AKA Entertainment District arc (episodes 34-44)
- Demon Slayer season 3, AKA Swordsmith Village Arc (episodes 45-55)
- Demon Slayer season 4, AKA Hashira Training arc (episodes 56-TBC)
The first season, released in 2019, is 26 episodes long – and you should watch that from start to finish.
Here’s where it gets a little trickier to follow. A sequel to the first season was released as a film: Demon Slayer: Mugen Train. The wildly successful Demon Slayer movie was also adapted into a television arc as part of Demon Slayer season 2.
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That 'Mugen Train' arc is seven episodes long and is then followed by 11 wholly original episodes in the 'Entertainment District' arc. In total, Demon Slayer season 2 is 18 episodes long.
To keep things simple, we recommend watching Demon Slayer season 1 and then picking either the Mugen Train feature film or the Mugen Train recap arc (episodes 27-33) to watch. From there, you can watch the Entertainment District arc (episodes 34-44) as normal.
A second Demon Slayer 'movie', To the Swordsmith Village, was released in 2023. It bundles together episodes 10 and 11 of the Entertainment District arc and the first episode of season 3, AKA the Swordsmith Village arc. This is now redundant. We recommend just jumping ahead to the proper TV episodes.
Speaking of, Demon Slayer season 3 - 11 episodes long - was released in 2023 and should be watched from beginning to end after Entertainment District.
A fourth season, titled Hashira Training, is now here. The 'To the Hashira' movie featured a sneak peek of the new season, but everything in that movie is part of the one-hour Demon Slayer season 4 premiere. So just watch that instead.
That’s all you really need to focus on. In our educated opinion, we would recommend watching the adapted-for-TV Mugen Train arc instead of the movie. Not only do you get extra scenes, but you also get a bonus episode (the 27th episode), which provides a little more backstory to one of Mugen Train’s most prominent characters.
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Should I watch the Mugen Train, Swordsmith Village, and To the Hashira Training movies?
It's completely your choice. Mugen Train is a full sequel to the first season and, unlike other anime tie-in movies, it’s canon. It also introduces various characters and story beats that are followed up on in Demon Slayer’s Entertainment District Arc.
It does feel a little pointless watching both the movie and the Mugen Train arc series, however. So make sure you pick one or the other.
To the Swordsmith Village and To The Hashira movies are completely skippable; move on to the full Swordsmith Village (season 3) and Hashira Training (season 4) arcs instead.
Can I skip any Demon Slayer episodes?
Anime can sometimes be packed with so-called 'filler' episodes, entries designed to kill time until the manga source material pumps out new issues for the TV show to adapt. That’s not really the case in Demon Slayer.
Some episodes can be a little slow, particularly in the middle third of the first season and the third season, but everything is worth watching. We’d only recommend skipping the Demon Slayer: Mugen Train arc if you’ve already seen the Mugen Train movie recently, as well as skipping To The Swordsmith Village movie and To The Hashira Training movies entirely as those events are covered in Demon Slayer seasons 3 and 4 respectively.
How many episodes of Demon Slayer are there?
There are currently 56 episodes of Demon Slayer.
A fourth season, the Hashira Training arc debuted in May 2024 and is expected to last for (maximum) 11 episodes.
For more from the world of anime, here are our guides to Jujutsu Kaisen season 3 and One-Punch Man season 3.
Bradley Russell
I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.
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