The Final Selection Arc spans 5 episodes in anime, and 9 chapters in manga, as depicted in the table below:

The first arc of any anime or manga series is always important, since it helps pique viewers’ interest and get them absorbed in the series. Demon Slayer’s Final Selection Arc is no different. This arc not only pulled anime fans into the series, but also raised a lot of questions and left everyone asking, “What happened to so-and-so?”

This is a synopsis of Demon Slayer's first arc, the Final Selection Arc, and a review of all that it offered.

Final Selection Arc | Summary & Recap

A Horrible Night

The story begins with young Tanjiro Kamado carrying his bloodstained sister, Nezuko, down a snowy hill. Tanjiro and Nezuko are part of the Kamado family, and they live at the top of a mountain with their mother and siblings. Tanjiro sells charcoal in the village down the hill, and one day, on his way back from selling charcoal, Granddad Saburo persuades him to spend the night at his house, since it is dark, and demons come out at night.

In the morning, Tanjiro returns home, only to find the dead bodies of his mother and siblings. As he carries Nezuko on his back and heads to the village to seek help, she transforms into a demon and tries to eat him. As he tries to ward her off, a demon slayer comes to his rescue and tries to kill Nezuko, but Tanjiro fights him back. Seeing her brother get hurt, Nezuko also fights the demon slayer to protect Tanjiro, her brother.

Seeing Nezuko’s reluctance to eat her brother, along with Tanjiro’s resolve to save his sister, the demon slayer directs Tanjiro to go with his sister to go see a man named Sakonji Urokodaki, at the foot of Mount Sagiri. The siblings bury their dead family members and head towards Mt. Sagiri. On the way, Tanjiro gets a basket to put Nezuko in (to shield her from the sun), and bamboo gag to seal her mouth. The two stop by a temple where they find a demon who had already murdered several people.

Tanjiro tries to fight the demon but has trouble due to the demon’s regenerative powers. He pushes the demon’s lower body down a cliff and locks its upper body to a tree. Sakonji appears and watches as Tanjiro, reluctant to finish off the demon, waits until the sun comes up and the demon burns. Sakonji buries the bodies of those already killed, expresses his disappointment at Tanjiro’s lack of resolve, and takes Tanjiro and Nezuko to his house.

Student Life

Once there, Sakonji takes Tanjiro to the top of the mountain and tells him to return to the house. Thinking that this is an easy test, Tanjiro falls into various traps along the way and learns to use his senses to evade many predicaments. Looking beaten and battered, he finally arrives at the house, and Urokodaki accepts Tanjiro as his student.

Urokodaki teaches Tanjiro about the Demon Slayer Corps, demons, and the Final Selection test at Mt. Fujikasane. Tanjiro keeps a journal of his training for Nezuko as it becomes more difficult by the day. After his daily descents from the mountain, he learns how to properly use different swords.

With the sword training, Tanjiro also learns about breathing techniques (styles of fighting used to kill demons) and, specifically, water breathing forms. His training for this involves jumping into a flowing stream and sometimes training under a waterfall.

He then learns not only to evade, but also to face the traps and weapons he encounters head on, increasing his confidence and skill. After a year of intense practice, Urokodaki tells him that he’s learned all he needs to know, and takes him to a big boulder deep in the mountains.

The Final Test

Before he can be allowed to enter the Final Selection, he must slice the giant boulder in two. Tanjiro goes over all he’s been taught, but still can’t slice the boulder, even after six months of intense training.

One day, a masked boy suddenly approaches Tanjiro. After he reveals that he’d once sliced the boulder, the boy relentlessly attacks Tanjiro, pointing out that he’s weak and has learned nothing. They fight on, the masked boy urging him to remember and use all Urokodaki has taught him. Since Tanjiro is no match for the boy, he gets knocked out. When Tanjiro opens his eyes, he sees Makomo, who helped him identify the things he lacks. Under Makomo’s instruction and guidance, he began another round of intense training.

After another six months (which makes two years of arduous training), Tanjiro challenges the masked boy, named Sabito, to another battle and wins, making Sabito smile. At that moment, Sabito and Makomo vanish into thin air, leaving Tanjiro bewildered, as he sees that has has split the boulder in a single strike. Urokodaki walks up to him, confesses his reluctance to send Tanjiro to Final Selection, and praises him. Later that night, they celebrate the completion of Tanjiro’s training, and Urokodaki gives him a warding mask that’s been imbued with spells to keep him safe from harm.

The Final Selection

In the morning, Tanjiro says goodbye to Urokodaki and goes to Mt. Fujikasane for the Final Selection, where he meets many other aspiring demon slayers. Two girls come to address the candidates and tell them that they have to survive for seven days in the demon-infested mountain in order to pass Final Selection. As they step into the mountains, Tanjiro and the others hunt demons during the night, and rest during the day, when the demons are less active.

On his first night, Tanjiro encounters two demons. Using his training and employing his total concentration breathing, he sees opening threads and beheads the two demons. Shortly afterward, he sees a boy running from a grotesque and monstrous hand demon. Tanjiro witnesses firsthand how demons grow stronger and bigger whenever they consume humans. The hand demon morphs some of its hands together to grab the fleeing demon slayer and tries to devour him, but Tanjiro slashes the hands and saves the boy.

Urokodaki trapped the hand demon on the mountain for 47 years, which is why it specifically targets all of Urokodaki’s students whenever they come to Final Selection. As the demon recounts how he killed and ate Sabito and Makomo, Tanjiro loses his cool and dashes right at it. Despite all of the demon’s tricks and attacks, Tanjiro skillfully maneuvers and keeps charging, swiftly slicing off the demon’s head using one of his water breathing forms.

Another night, while fighting a demon, Tanjiro asks it how to turn a demon back into a human. However, since the demon is too irrational to answer him, he beheads it, along with every other demon he encounters until the last night of Final Selection. At this point, Tanjiro learns that only four people, including him, have passed the test, and the twins come to address them again.

The girls tell the remaining candidates about ranks in the demon slayer corps, getting their uniforms, and ores for their swords. They also assign each candidate a Kasugai crow. An irrational demon slayer goes to grab one of the girls by her hair, but Tanjiro steps in and calms him down. Tanjiro then picks an ore for his sword while a crow goes to report the outcome of the Final Selection to an unknown man.

Beaten and battered, Tanjiro returns to Urokodaki’s house. When he arrives, he sees that Nezuko has woken up and tells Urokodaki all about Final Selection. After fifteen days, Mr. Haganezuka comes to deliver Tanjiro’s sword. As Tanjiro wields it, it turns black, which is considered strange. A crow flies in and instructs Tanjiro to go to a northwest town to investigate cases of missing girls and kill the demon responsible.

Final Selection Arc | Analysis & Review

This arc presents a fresh and intriguing dive into the compelling story of the Demon Slayer series. The haunting world of the Final Selection Arc is a journey like no other, as it leaves an indelible mark on the series. But let’s look at the heart of this Arc, and examine what it had to offer more closely.

Setting The Stage | 8/10

This particular arc is an opener for the entire Demon Slayer series, so it provides a lot of suspense and intrigue. First arcs or episodes of anime have to keep viewers absorbed in watching and keep them coming back for more. This particular arc has met that goal.

The location and setting of the characters are different from typical Shounen anime, which often takes place in a city or nearby suburb. Given that it is set in the past, the choice to begin the narrative in the middle of nowhere is not unique, but it is refreshing.

It is also nice to see that Ufotable put a lot of effort into the anime and didn’t omit anything from the manga. It is rare to see anime that has as much content, if not more, than the manga itself. This is often a point of leverage for manga readers, since they get to see more of the story being told.

Character Development | 9/10

Character development often serves as a critical gauge for the trajectory of an anime series, influencing its overall pacing and narrative depth. We've witnessed instances where character growth unfolds at a deliberately slow pace, such as the journeys of iconic figures like Gon Freecss from Hunter x Hunter, Shoyo Hinata from Haikyuu, and Izuku Midoriya from My Hero Academia. These gradual evolutions profoundly impact the pacing of their respective series.

However, Tanjiro Kamado in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba stands out as an exception to this pattern. Remarkably, within just a few episodes of the series, we witness Tanjiro's transformation from a humble countryside charcoal seller to a formidable demon slayer. He achieves the incredible feat of vanquishing a demon responsible for the deaths of thirteen of his master's former students. What's even more astounding is that this transformation, which spans two years, is seamlessly condensed into a mere seven chapters of the manga and three episodes of the anime. This rapid character development holds great promise for the overall pacing and storytelling of the series.

Nezuko's transformation, on the other hand, remains shrouded in mystery, even to those well-versed in the world of demons. As the narrative unfolds, it becomes increasingly intriguing to anticipate potential changes in her character in the upcoming arcs. However, one truly remarkable aspect of Nezuko's character is her unwavering resistance against the inherent urge to prey on humans. Instead, she actively participates in battles against other demons, a remarkable feat that never fails to astonish everyone who crosses paths with her. This inner conflict within Nezuko makes her exceptional, elevating her beyond the status quo of a mere demon and into a character whose actions challenge conventional expectations.

Sounds And Music | 8/10

The sounds and music in the first five episodes of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba are a big part of how immersed viewers feel in the show as a whole. From the beginning of the show, the hauntingly beautiful and emotionally charged music draws viewers into the series. The ethereal melodies and traditional Japanese instruments in the score add to the mood, whether the show focuses on Tanjiro's peaceful mountain home or intense fights with demons.

Silence is also used to a similarly powerful effect, creating tension and drawing attention to key moments. The sound effects are clear and loud, making the clashing of swords and the weird noises that the creatures make feel very real. The voice acting, especially for Tanjiro, is done well. He shows a wide range of emotions that pull the viewer deeper into the story.

Themes | 7/10

These five episodes/nine chapters showcase the importance of familial love and bonds. They also emphasize resilience and mutual sacrifice, especially as seen in Nezuko’s ability to suppress her urges to harm her brother.

Resilience also comes up in Tanjiro’s reluctance to harm his sister or let her be killed, although this would be rational to do, given the circumstances. Tanjiro even shows compassion for the demons he kills, especially the hand demon, which is remarkable considering that it confessed to killing many of Urokodaki’s former students.

While Tanjiro’s actions in this regard might be seen as an act of weakness, viewers should keep in mind that he has lost more than other similar anime chracters, including Thorfinn from Vinland Saga and Eren Jaeger from Attack on Titan. Those two don’t show any indication that they felt any remorse for killing their opponents-- at least not as much as Tanjiro did.

Art And Animation | 9/10

In April 2019, Demon Slayer burst onto the anime scene with a visual spectacle that set it apart from many of its contemporaries. Its graphics and animation quality were nothing short of exceptional, earning it widespread acclaim. Compared to other anime released in the same year, Demon Slayer clearly stood out.

First and foremost, the animation quality of Demon Slayer was a major highlight. The series had fluid and dynamic animation, particularly during its intense action sequences. Character movements and combat were meticulously crafted and the CGI integration was seamless. In contrast, some other 2019 anime featured animation that, while not necessarily subpar, did not reach the same level of excellence.

The attention to artistic detail in these few episodes was also remarkable. They painstakingly recreated Taisho-era Japan with stunning accuracy, from traditional villages to lush forests. Intricate character designs featured unique clothing, while other anime from 2019 may have opted for simplified or stylized art due to production constraints.

Overall Rating | 9/10

Undoubtedly, I enjoyed every part of this arc, but I must say, I don’t feel particularly connected to the series just yet. I would definitely move on to the remaining arcs, though, as this arc makes the series appear promising enough.