Demon Slayer Season 4 Pays Homage to Rengoku

The Flame Hashira might be gone in Demon Slayer, but he certainly isn't forgotten.

By Evan Valentine

Demon Slayer's fourth season isn't immediately exploring Tanjiro fighting against the demon lord Muzan, but the latest episodes are presenting the young members of the Demon Slayer Corps the chance to get stronger. In prepping the "Hashira Training Arc", Tanjiro and his friends will attempt to grow stronger via the strongest members of the demon-hunting organization. In a scene you might have missed, season four has been paying homage to the deceased Flame Hashira, Rengoku, in a way that you might not have caught originally.

To refresh anime fans on Rengoku, he first appeared as a part of the "Mugen Train Arc." The Flame Hashira loved his food and loved taking down demons by employing his fiery abilities. Unfortunately, despite Rengoku's power, the member of the Demon Slayer Corps was unable to leave his fight against Akaza alive. The top-tier lieutenant in Muzan's army wanted nothing more than to find an opponent who could stand up to his demonic power, and he thought he had found it in Rengoku. While the Flame Hashira came quite close to taking down his demonic opponent as a part of the Mugen Train arc, he still died in the fight, sending Tanjiro on a mission to get revenge for the loss of his friend.

Demon Slayer's Fourth Season Pays Homage to Rengoku

In the opening themes for both season four and its predecessors, the Hashira joined with Tanjiro to "move forward" in the fight against Muzan and his demonic hordes. However, when Rengoku was featured, he was heading in the opposite direction as the anime star, hinting at the idea that his story wouldn't move forward. Hopefully, as the anime adaptation nears its end with new episodes, Tanjiro, his young allies, and the Hashira will all be moving in the same direction as the fight against the demons continues.

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Demon Slayer's fourth season is set to be a short one, as it has been reported that the Hashira Training Arc will only be eight episodes in total. This means that Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Zenitsu only have so much time to up their game when it comes to preparing for Muzan's all-out assault. Hopefully, Nezuko's newfound ability to survive in the sunlight might also play a role in winning the day.

Want to see if Demon Slayer has more hidden tributes up its sleeve in the future? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook for all the latest on the Demon Slayer Corps. 

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