In this first ever episode of the podcast, we review the episode of Demon Slayer- Season Three: “The 300-year old Sword!” We touch base on what was good and what could have been better with the episode, character development, and an unique weapon, (not the 300-year-old sword) is introduced in the episode!
Welcome to the first ever episode of the Demon Slayer Planet Podcast on the Daily Planet. I am your host Brian of Earth-16 and in this episode I am going to be doing a review of “Demon Slayer” Season Three, Episode Three: “A sword from over 300 years ago”
After destroying Yorrichi Type Zero, our intrepid Demon Slayer Tanjiro Kamado discovers a hidden sword inside the training doll. Now, since Yorrichi was created in Japan’s Sengoku Period, the sword is aged 300 years old. Tanjiro and the swordsmith Kotetsu are wowed by this but their amazement is somewhat deflated when find the sword is revealed being rusted after it was unsheathed.
Hotaru Hagenezuka comes to examine the sword and wants to restore its steel which, according to Kotetsu, is of the finest quality. However, this episode does not really focus on this sword or its origins as Hagenezukla decides to take it for himself and instead gives Tanjiro his original Nichirin sword back.
While Tanjiro, Nezuko, Tokito, Genya Shinazaugawa and the rest of the Demon Slayer corp are resting in the Swordsmith village, Upper Four and Upper Five make their presence felt by inflitrating the Swordsmith Village. Upper Five eats a villager in the grotesque way by sucking him in a vase and then spitting him out.
In contrast, Upper Four is very stealthy and infiltrates the place Tanjiro is staying at. As Tanjiro and Tokito bond, the two slayers notice Upper Four lurking in their room. The slayers seemingly behead Upper Four but he proves to be a difficult opponent as his body multiplies after being cut.
The Good
This was an action packed episode with all the fight scene between the Demon Slayers and the demons. First, you wouldn’t expect Upper Four, a demon who resembles a timid and elderly man lurking in the shadows to be a formidable opponet. However, after seeing his “Blood Demon Art,” or the powers that demons posses, you can tell he’s gong to be one tough foe for the slayers to beat. What is cool about Upper Four is that he is like a Russian Roulette doll….the more you cut him, his body parts regenerate into another body which makes various versions of him.
Another thing I liked from the action-packed scenes was the introduction of Genya’s Nichirin Gun which I thought was cool and unique. Its similar to a gun armed with silver bullets which annihilates vampires. A Nichirin gun has an affect on demons but it is not as effective as a sword since Genya gets injured by one of Upper Four’s bodies.
The Mist Hashira Muichiro Tokito’s character development was another cool element in this episode. Because of this episode, Tokito has become another favorite character of mine due to just how he comes off as being pragmatic, arrogant and brash but also having a sensitive and heroic side to him. This was notable in the scen where he has a conversation with Tanjiro and Nezuko about caring about others. Tanjiro tells the Hashira that “Whatever you for for others comes around to help you, as well, in the end.,” It’s almost Tanjro’s version of the Spider-Man quote “With great power, comes great responsibility.”
I also loved how the quote circles back to Tokito when, after being flung from the outskirts of the village by Upper Four, he doesn’t consider a demon attacking Kotetsu a priority since his main priority is protecting the entire Swordsmith Village. Remembering the quote spurs the Hashira to help Kotetsu who is about to be eaten by a demon.
And of course, you have to love the lighthearted scenes between the characters. Tanjuiro and Kotesu arguing with a buff and intimidating version of Hagenezuka over the Sengoku sword was hilarious with his fellow swordsmith Kanamori tickling him at his sides (since that is Hagenezuka’s weakness).
The issue with this episode
The main issue I had with this episode was that it did not touch base with the Sengoku Sword that was found inside Yorrichi Type Zeo, We do not get a back story other than the fact that it is from the Sengoku Era of Japan and that it is 300 years old.
I don’t know about you but I am a bit of a history nerd and I usually like to know the back story of some things, especially if they come from a historical period. Several more questions came into my mind as I watched the episode. Who made the weapon? Who did it belong to? And why was it placed inside a training doll? Or the biggest question of them all that I have been asking since the last episode: Is this the powerful weapon that the Love Hashira Mitsuri Kanroji told Tanjiro about?
I feel that the episode’s title and the argument over the sword was the writer’s way of teasing the viewers or adding more mystique to the sword. But I also feel that even a small story about the sword, or one characters finding out about it just a little towards the halfway point of the episode, would have added more depth to this episode since it is titled “The 300 Year Old Sword.”
That’s just my opinion
The overall verdict
I have to give “A sword from more than 300 years ago,” an eight out of 10. My reason for this is simply that the episode did not flesh out the mystery behind the Sengoku sword. Although it was cool seeing Tolito’s character development, the action packed scenes involving seemingly incompetent Upper Four’s Blood Demon Art and Genya’s Nichirin gun, I felt that the writers could have still incorporated that with a story or a myth surrounding the sword found inside the Yorrichi doll. Then again, since Yorrichi is likely based on the Samurai Upper One once was, I guess the writers felt that it is probably better to save the best for last. Otherwise, this was a good episode.
