Confession: It took me forever to finally watch Demon Slayer. After years of hearing how popular it was — Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train earned over $450 million internationally, making it the best-selling anime film of all time and the best-selling Japanese film period — I bit the bullet and used an article ranking the show’s best episodes as an excuse to binge the series.
It’s not that the show wasn’t high on my list of anime to check out but thanks to differences in episode numbering systems, I was confused about how to watch it in the first place. If you’re reading this, you’re probably in the same boat. Thankfully, watching Demon Slayer is less complicated than it seems.
How to watch Demon Slayer
Demon Slayer is available to stream on both Crunchyroll and Netflix. Due to the latter streaming service choosing to split one season in half for reasons I have yet to understand, figuring out the show’s watch order is unnecessarily difficult. (it’s also why you see people referring to the same episodes using different numbering systems — confusing!)
It’s easier to watch the show from the beginning on Crunchyroll for this reason but if you don’t have access, don’t sweat it. You can still watch the show in the correct order without it.
1. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba (Season 1: Episodes 1-26)
The first season of Demon Slayer comprises the first 26 episodes of the show. Also known as the Tanjiro Kamado, Unwavering Resolve Arc, this season chronicles the main character Tanjiro’s journey toward becoming a Demon Slayer after he loses his family to a vicious demon attack.
2. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train (Season 2: Episodes 1-7)
This is where it starts to get confusing. After season 1, you can watch Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie or the first seven episodes of season 2. Those episodes depict the same events as the film so there’s no need to watch both — but if you want my advice, watch the episodes instead of the film as they tell more of a complete story.
3. Demon Slayer: Kimestu No Yaiba: Entertainment District Arc (Season 2: Episodes 8-18)
Then, watch the second half of season 2, the Entertainment District Arc. This arc immediately follows the events of the Mugen Train film as Tanjiro and friends help Sound Hashira Tengen Uzui investigate demon attacks in a city’s red-light district.
4. Demon Slayer: Kimestu No Yaiba: Swordsmith Village Arc (Season 3: Episodes 1-11)
After the Entertainment District Arc, you can begin season 3 of Demon Slayer. This season follows Tanjiro after he travels to the Swordsmith Village to convince the swordsmith Hotaru to craft him a new sword. In a testament to the series’ popularity, the final episode of this season was so popular it crashed Crunchyroll.
5. Demon Slayer: Kimestu No Yaiba: Hashira Training Arc (Season 4: Episodes 1-8)
If you watch season 3, watching the compilation film is unnecessary. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – To the Hashira Training recaps the ending of the Swordsmith Village Arc before going into the first episode of the Hashira Training Arc.
After finishing season 4, you’re caught up with the series and can join the rest of us waiting for the Demon Slayer Infinity Castle Arc to premiere. Thankfully, we still have some time left to enjoy our favorite visually stunning anime before Demon Slayer ends for good. A release date has yet to be announced but the final film trilogy is estimated to be released within the next few years.