Anyone who watched Demon Slayer: Entertainment District Arc anime series on either Funimation or Crunchyroll would likely agree with me when I say that the entire arc was great. I couldn’t describe a single episode from that arc as being bad in any meaningful way. That said though, some episodes do feel better than the others. Here’s a random fan’s opinion on which of those episodes deserve to be on the top 5 list:
5. Ep. 5 “Things Are Gonna Get Real Flashy!!”
Let’s face it, Inosuke really stole the show for Demon Slayer: Entertainment District Arc Ep. 5 “Things Are Gonna Get Real Flashy!!”, and landed this episode in a fittingly 5th place. I mean, look at him and his human snake impression. All was achieved by dislocating nearly every bone in his body, no less. And he did this after tearing up the floor of the oiran house with his twin swords, and the ceiling too. Topping it all with an action-packed fight scene in a deeply buried underground chamber, and he manages to singlehandedly make this episode pretty memorable.
That, and the muscle mice. You can’t deny that those little guys (and possibly girls too?) are as hilarious as they are strangely adorable. “Nuki!” indeed.
4. Ep. 2 “Infiltrating the Entertainment District”
Sumiko, Zenko, and Inoko. Seriously, their “disguises” easily get Demon Slayer: Entertainment District Arc Ep. 2 “Infiltrating the Entertainment District” into 4th place on this list. It reminds me of trying to sneak into Gerudo Town in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but gone horribly wrong. Funnily enough, Inosuke is actually pretty enough to pull it off. If, you know, Tengen Uzui didn’t have makeup skills that would shame a chimpanzee. Heck, even that one manager noted that Tanjiro was pretty enough to work under all that hideous makeup. Maybe the Sound Hashira should take some advice from his wives about this for once.
There is a bit of drama here, but it’s really mostly the humor that make this episode good.
3. Ep. 7 “Transformation”
Nezuko is definitely the star of Demon Slayer: Entertainment District Arc Ep. 7 “Transformation”, and why it’s on 3rd place here. This action-heavy episode showed us Nezuko’s full potential, or close to it, both for good and for ill. We see her being strong enough to put the beatdown on an Upper-Rank demon. On the other hand, we also see her nearly killing an innocent civilian to satisfy her literal bloodthirst. It’s this duality that develops Nezuko into an even more interesting character than ever before, while also clearly showing why Nezuko has a long way to go before she can fight with Tanjiro and co… The only thing here is that she needs to not become stronger but learn self-control.
The other great thing about this episode is the Upper Rank demon in question: Daki herself. Her tantrum after being beheaded was ridiculously hilarious after the threat she’d posed earlier. It’s as if Vegeta were to suddenly start screaming and crying like a baby after losing a battle. The Monty Python-like humor here, combined with the sudden appearance of Gyutaro popping right out of Daki’s body, makes this a particularly memorable episode of Demon Slayer: Entertainment District Arc.
2. Ep. 1 “Sound Hashira Tengen Uzui”
There are quite a few writers who would treat the death of a major character as nothing special, just killing the character off, with maybe a line or 2 about how sad their friends and family are if they’re lucky. Looking at you, Avengers: Endgame (*cough* Black Widow *cough*). Koyoharu Gotouge is clearly not one of those writers, as she shows in Demon Slayer: Entertainment District Arc Ep. 1 “Sound Hashira Tengen Uzui”. Koyoharu Gotouge actually deals with the fallout of Kyojuro Rengoku’s death back during the Mugen Train Arc in a respectful and emotional manner. Seriously, seeing Senjuro react to his older brother’s death and seeing the rage Mr. Rengoku shows upon hearing the same news really hammers home Kyojuro’s death. It’s this emotional weight and gravitas that lands this episode in 2nd place on this list.
The last bits of the episode where the Sound Hashira makes his debut was a nice bonus too. Tengen Uzui’s flashy attempt to kidnap some of the female medics to use for his Entertainment District operation is a nice bit of hilarity to counterbalance the seriousness of the situation before, in addition to the medics’ attempts to fight him off. To put it simply: they all swarmed him like adorable ants. It’s a nice breather, that’s for certain.
1. Ep. 11 “No Matter How Many Lives”
The backstory of Gyutaro and Daki/Ume is easily the highlight of Demon Slayer: Entertainment District Arc Ep. 11 “No Matter How Many Lives”, and why this is in 1st place on this list. Koyoharu Kotouge is very, very, very good at making you feel sympathy for even the most apparently evil of demons. This is no exception. Seeing Gyutaro and Ume’s pasts brought the might of the onion ninjas to bear on me. Seeing Ume refuse to leave Gyutaro behind and accompany him into the fires of hell as sister and brother brought their full might in. This is why Koyoharu Kotouge is one of the best authors in existence.
The other great thing about the episode was the glorious hug above. It feels so very cathartic after all the action and tragedy from before. It only gets better with the fact that all the heroes lived this time. We all needed that, the cooldown hug, and the humor after all those blood and tears. It’s a great ending to a great arc as a whole, and I hope this continues into season 3.
