Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba -To the Hashira Training- Tokyo Event Gathers the Pillars to Open the World Tour

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu on Yaiba returns this year to take over theaters across the globe with its -To the Hashira Training- 2024 World Tour, featuring the final episode of the Swordsmith Village Arc and premiering the Hashira Training Arc ’s first episode. We were there on the first leg of the tour in Tokyo on the second day of festivities — which included all the Hashira coming together on stage for the first time, with an extra helping of setsubun beans! Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – but in 4K! One of the best aspects of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is its animation: Its lines are clean, the key animation is on point and the 3D effects only enhance the awesome fight choreography. For a TV anime, the series is already one of the best-looking. When blown up on a giant IMAX screen, you know you will get the same amazing action scenes and comedic dialogue with Koyoharu Gotoge’s humorous facial shots from the manga. But it’s not the action or animation that is the highlight here; it’s the sound design. The 7.1 mix made me look over my shoulder when Muichiro screamed to Tanjiro thinking it was someone in the theater yelling out to him. That’s not to mention the channel switching in the special “Shori no Meido (The Rumble of Victory) - Kizuna No Kiseki & Nezuko Kamado no Uta REMIX” insert song from MAN WITH A MISSION , milet and Go Shiina making the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. If there’s any reason to go to the theater, it’s for the sound mixing. Without spoiling the first episode of the Hashira Training Arc , much like the opening to Swordsmith Village Arc , a theatrical viewing of the cold opening enhances every single aspect of the scene, throwing you deep into the immersion. The Meeting of the Hashira This wouldn’t be a Demon Slayer World Tour without some special screenings of the theatrical presentation, with Tokyo getting two days of stage events. Day one of the World Tour had the younger slayers on stage with Tanijiro, enjoying their time in the spotlight. Day two, on the other hand, brought the current Hashira voice actors together for the first time on stage with laughs and a sense of joyous camradery. This included (pictured above in order left to right): Tomokazu Sugita (Gyomei Himejima), Tomokazu Seki (Sanemi Shinazugawa), Kenichi Suzumura (Obanai Iguro), Kana Hanazawa (Mitsuri Kanroji), Saori Hayami (Shinobu Kocho), Kengo Kawanishi (Muichiro Tokito), Katsuyuki Konishi (Tengen Uzui) and Takahiro Sakurai (Giyu Tomioka). Not wanting to leave out the overwhelming presence of Rengoku, a special narration from Satoshi Hino introduced the event, thanking fans for attending, and introduced Rengoku’s former colleagues. Takahiro Sakurai Tomokazu Sugita Sakurai, who voices Giyu, started by talking about his favorite part of the two episodes. He was incredibly happy to hear Nezuko say “thank goodness” as she basked in the sunlight. Having his character known the siblings since the start of the story, Sakurai couldn’t help but think, “Tanjiro is amazing,” even though [Tanjiro] still has a way to go. Kenichi Suzumura Tomokazu Seki Seki and Suzumura were in awe of the popularity of Demon Slayer around the world and the pressure of being in the series, but not having a major part until now. Seki, who voices Sanemi, felt as if the first episode of the Hashira Training Arc was his first part to play in the series, while Suzumura recalled the exhilarating experience of seeing (and hearing) Tanijiro, Zenitsu, Inosuke and others in the dubbing room while recording with Hanae and the rest of them. Katsuyuki Konishi Saori Hayami Konishi, in a very Tengen-type way, spoke how he knows how everyone on stage loves being part of the series, and the fact they’re Hashira. The part of the episode that caught his attention most was the wind and snake breathing, loving how they “expressed themselves through the movement” of the animation. Hayami on the other hand loves the scenes with Mitsuru, explaining that she loves the animation of the hearts and how the music swells around her when she’s around creating “a sense of space” around the character. Going on a Demon Slayer World Tour Moving onto the world tour aspect of the screenings, Hanazawa spoke about how in the past she loved seeing all the cosplay from overseas and was excited to see more when she heads to South Korea. Suzumura interjected that he wanted to go to Australia to hold a koala and see a kangaroo (though none of the World Tour events are headed to Australia). Kana Hanazawa Kengo Kawanishi Sakurai said he was excited to experience Mexico and said he’d be “honored” if people came to the event. Kawanishi noted that “all the cast are scattered around the world, so I hope we can deliver our feelings to you.” Hayami hopes to connect with all the fans around the world and loves seeing signs from fans that say things like “We love Shinobu.” In true Tengen fashion, Konishi again explained that he’s surprised by the enthusiasm from overseas audiences, especially when they’re screaming “TENGEN! TENGEN!” so loudly, which he demonstrated on stage. As event was held on the Japanese holiday of setsubun — famous for people donning a red oni mask and running into houses to scare children in specific parts of Japan — the Hashira threw bags of beans out into the audience to ward off evil Oni and bring good luck for the rest of the year. At the behest of Konishi, who for a third time was using his Tengen charm and chanting, beans from the Hashira flew past the stage (or, in Sugita’s case, somewhere out into the audience), with some lightly gracing the first few media rows which required some extra dodging. The event ended with the Hashira thanking fans for watching both at the venue and all the simultaneous live viewings across Japan. Each voice actor parted with sweet messages, other than Sugita who left the audience grasping with breath from laughter — including the cast on stage. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba -To the Hashira Training- World Tour special screenings continue to New York on February 10, with wide screenings happening worldwide starting February 21 in IMAX and other premium large formats. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Hashira Training Arc begins on Japanese TV in Spring 2024 , while the rest of the franchise is available to stream on Crunchyroll.

By Crunchyroll feed