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Over the last twenty years, anime-inspired movies have become more prominent in mainstream media. During that time, some of those movies would be one-off instances to tell an alternate story within the universe, a feeler to see if fans were still interested in the franchise, or a way to bridge seasons while the main show was on hiatus.

Within the last decade, we have seen shows like Dragon Ball Z use movies to reboot the franchise and draw new interest. In 2020, Demon Slayer: Mugen Train was released and became a critical and commercial success. Now, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba – To the Hashira Training looks to do the same thing. Is it worth watching in theaters or should you just wait until it is on Crunchyroll?

Opening Half – Swordsmith Village Ending

The beginning of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba – To the Hashira Training begins by showcasing Tanjiro’s journey so far; the opening sequences show key moments from the Unwavering Resolve, Mugen Train, and The Entertainment District arcs. Without a real bridge, viewers are thrown into the conclusion of the Swordsmith Village Arc where Tanjaro is attempting to exterminate the #4 Kizuki (Demon) – Hantengu after he has wreaked havoc throughout the Swordsmith Village. Doing so is no easy task and has required the help of the Love Hashira, Mitsuri Kanroji, Genya, and Nezuko.

As the demon is frantically running away, Tanjiro must make a difficult decision, slay the demon or protect his sister from the sun. Selfishly, Tanjiro runs over to his sister to protect her but Nezuko kicks him off and launches him towards the demon. After slaying the demon, Tanjiro is distraught thinking his sister has perished but fans are surprised by Nezuko still being alive and finally being able to talk. The scene then cuts to Muzan Kibutsuji celebrating Nezuko’s survival.

For those who have already watched the Swordsmith Village Arc of Demon Slayer, repeating the last episode almost in its entirety (49 minutes out of 52 minutes) feels like a waste of time. For those who have already seen the whole arc, it’s just a small part of the overall arc; for those who haven’t seen the arc at all, only getting a small portion leaves the audience confused and missing context. Rather than replaying the final episode of the Swordsmith Village arc, they should have done a summarization recap or a highlight wheel from the arc. Yes, it was nice to see Nezuko survive, but that could have been in the recap as well.

Hashira Training Arc

The second half of the film is the introduction to the Hashira Training Arc. The demons have stepped up their efforts and plan to capture Nezuko for Muzan. Fans get to see a short snippet where the Serphant and Wind Hashira’s abilities are on display.

The next 37 minutes revolve around Tanjiro and Genya’s recovery at the Butterfly Mansion (Shinobu Mansion) and the Hashira being summoned by Kagaya Ubuyashik. During the meeting, the Hashira discussed the special mark that appeared on Mitsuri and Muichiro Tokito (Mist Hashira) at the Swordsmith Village. The mark does not just appear, it will only appear when the swordsman is on the brink of death and able to overcome it.

With the war quickly approaching, most of the Hashira agree to participate in extreme training and to put the other Demon Slayer corps members through vigorous training as well. This training will have the corps members training with current and former Hashira to improve their skills.

If this was a standalone episode, it would be a good filler episode to set the premises for the upcoming season and what the audience should expect going forward. As a standalone episode, it is very slow-paced compared to the rest of the show.

You do learn about two of the lesser-seen Hashira slightly and get a roadmap of where the next arc is going to go. After watching the episode, it is reasonable to say that you can skip the episode, let alone the movie entirely, and just wait until the next arc starts in April 2024.

If you want to see the final episode of the Swordsmith Village and the beginning of the Hashira Training arc in theaters in order to enjoy the beautiful artwork on a large screen go for it.

If you are just a fan who is looking for new content, then 43 minutes of filler content might not be worth it for you. Yes, it was nice to catch up and see where the series is going, but knowing that it will be available to stream soon makes it not worth seeing in theaters. Unlike Mugen Train which was a whole season of Demon Slayer, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba – To the Hashira Training is just a small snippet of what is to come.