The third season of Demon Slayer wrapped up the Swordsmith Village Arc on June 18, 2023, with an explosive 50-minute finale, and not long after, Ufotable announced that a fourth season, an adaptation of the Hashira Training Arc, will be the next stage in Tanjiro and Nezuko’s adventure.

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As one of the highest-grossing anime franchises of all time, it should come as little surprise that the Demon Slayer finale had such a vast viewership that it overwhelmed the Crunchyroll servers and they crashed momentarily.

Demon Slayer first aired in 2019, then it was a two-year wait between the first season and the Mugen Train and Entertainment District Arcs (if one didn’t get to watch the movie in theatres), then just over a year until the third season, the Swordsmith Village Arc. Now, it was unveiled on Dec. 10 that fans can expect the Hashira Training Arc to be released earlier than some anticipated.

The very last training arc before the end

Soon after the Swordsmith Village Arc finished airing, Aniplex unveiled a teaser trailer confirming the Hashira Training Arc adaptation. In the teaser, we get some title cards jogging our memory for past Arc adaptations. Similarly, the new promotional reel also goes over the past arcs but it also adds sneak peeks into the new arc in the form of character shots. One, for instance, including the retired Hashira Tengen Uzui, who some fans feared would be indefinitely MIA after the Entertainment District, but he’s returning to impart some of his Hashira wisdom during this high-intensity training arc.

As for the stellar cast, we’re expecting the same voices to return for the fourth season as we’ve seen throughout. Both Natsuki Hanae and Akari Kitô are irreplaceable as Tanjiro and Nezuko, but we also see the usual suspects returning, like Zenitsu and Inosuke, as well as all the Hashira. Here’s the rundown of all the voice actors presumably returning for the Hashira Training Arc.

• Tanjiro Kamado – Natsuki Hanae (Japanese) / Zach Aguilar (English)
• Nezuko Kamado – Akari Kitô (Japanese) / Abby Trott (English)
• Zenitsu Agatsuma – Hiro Shimono (Japanese) / Aleks Le (English)
• Inosuke Hashibira – Yoshitsugu Matsuoka (Japanese) / Bryce Papenbrook (English)
• Mist Hashira, Muichiro Tokito – Kengo Kawanishi (Japanese) / Griffin Burns (English)
• (Former) Flower Hashira, Kanae Kocho – Ai Kayano (Japanese) / Bridget Hoffman (English)
• Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kocho – Saori Hayami (Japanese) / Erika Harlacher (English)
• Muzan Kibutsuji – Toshihiko Seki (Japanese) / Greg Chun (English)
• Kagaya Ubuyashiki – Toshiyuki Morikawa (Japanese) / Matthew Mercer (English)
• Water Hashira, Giyu Tomioka – Takahiro Sakurai (Japanese) / Johnny Yong Bosch (English)
• Love Hashira, Mitsuri Kanroji – Kana Hanazawa (Japanese) / Kira Buckland (English)
• Sound Hashira, Tengen Uzui – Katsuyuki Konishi (Japanese) / Ray Chase (English)
• Tsuguko Kanao Tsuyuri – Reina Ueda (Japanese) / Brianna Knickerbocker (English)

In the Swordsmith Village finale, we see Upper Moon Four defeated. We also learn in a surprise twist that Nezuko is immune to sunlight, which is usually fatal to demons. We discover this detail after Tanjiro is faced with the impossible decision of saving the Swordsmith Village and preventing Hantengu from escaping, or rescuing Nezuko before she burns to death by the rising sun.

The official synopsis for the Hashira Training Arc reads:

“Tanjiro goes to see the Stone Hashira, Himejima, who intends to prepare him for the battles to come. The training to become a Hashira—a high-ranking member of the Demon Slayer Corps—is intense and demanding. Earning Himejima’s approval seems impossible, but Tanjiro won’t give up! Meanwhile, the demon lord Muzan continues to search for the location of Nezuko and Ubuyashiki.”

In short, this training arc is exactly that: a moment of respite, for our heroes to hone their skills before the storm hits and the high-stakes climax of the whole series begins. We’re getting all the surviving Hashira, the retired Tengen included, lending their skills to help train the lower-ranking demon slayers so they can be remotely prepared for the ultimate clash that is ahead.

What to expect in 2024

The recent promotional reel revealed the dates and locations for the upcoming World Tour which kicks off on Feb. 2, 2024, in Tokyo. The screenings of To the Hashira Training will include the last episode of season 3 as well as the hour-long first episode of the new season, connecting the transition from one arc to the other. It will be available to watch in 4k. In Japan, the screenings will be held at 377 normal theaters and 50 IMAX theaters. Additionally, 140 other countries will also be hosting screenings of To the Hashira Training. More information is expected to come out concerning these.

Notably, the World Tour will include in-person events with some of the voice actors and producers. Here are the dates and 10 locations that have been unveiled:

• Tokyo – Feb. 2: Natsuki Hanae, Akari Kito, Hiro Shimono, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Nobuhiko Okamoto, Yuma Takahashi

• Tokyo – Feb. 3: Takahiro Sakurai, Katsuyuki Konishi, Kengo Kasai, Saori Hayami, Kana Hanazawa, Kenichi Suzumura, Tomokazu Seki, Tomokazu Sugita, Yuma Takahashi

• New York – Feb. 10: Natsuki Hanae, Hiro Shimono, Yuma Takahashi

• Seoul – Feb. 11: Kengo Kawanishi, Kana Hanazawa

• Mexico City – Feb. 17: Takahiro Sakurai, Kengo Kawanishi, Yuma Takahashi

• Singapore – Feb. 17: Natsuki Hanae, Akari Kito

• Jakarta – Feb. 18: Natsuki Hanae, Akari Kito

• Paris – Feb. 24: Natsuki Hanae, Yuma Takahashi

• Taipei – Feb. 24: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Saori Hayami

• London – Feb. 25: Natsuki Hanae, Yuma Takahashi

• Hong Kong – Feb. 25: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Saori Hayami

The Hashira Training Arc is scheduled for premiere next Spring, an exact date is yet to be announced. (via X)