Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Filler Guide

The Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba anime, known in Japan as Kekkai Sensen: Kaze no Shō (結界戦線・風ノ章), is a Japanese anime television series based on the manga of the same name by Koyoharu Gotouge. The show was first released on April 11, 2018, on the BS Fuji network in Japan. As of December 2018, the first season aired for 13 episodes.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Plot

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba takes place in Japan’s Edo period and centers around Tanjiro Kamado, a young man who was born into a family of exorcists tasked with ridding evil spirits from a possessed object or person. However, Tanjiro’s father was killed by an evil spirit when he was just a child which caused him to lose faith in his family’s beliefs and become an apathetic young man. After running away from home one day and being saved by an old man who turns out to be an exorcist himself and his daughter Nezuko who is training to become one as well, he decides to become an exorcist as well. However, Tanjiro soon discovers that there are demons in the world which have been taking advantage of the weak people living in the area and decides to put an end to their wrongdoings.

How popular is Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba?

The Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba anime has also been a hit with both critics and audiences alike. The manga has won the prestigious Shogakukan Manga Award twice, which is given to manga that have sold over 3 million copies at least once, for 2016 and 2017 respectively. As of December 2018, it has sold over 3 million copies worldwide. It has also been praised by critics for its story and its ability to make people care about its characters despite it being an action-heavy series.

How Much Filler is in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba?

There are no filler episodes in the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba anime, which are episodes that do not take place in the manga. There are a total of 26 episodes in the series.

Quick Filler & Canon Lists

Complete Filler List

List of episodes for Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba in chronological order – Learn if it is worth watching

Episode 1: Cruelty

The story starts with Tanjiro and his family living happily. They lived happily until the day when Tanjiro’s father died, leaving the family wondering how they will survive since he was the only one who knew how to hunt. When Tanjiro’s mother feels down because of this, Tanjiro takes matters into his own hands and goes out hunting with a bow and arrow, which he learned from his father. He catches a deer and brings it home, much to his mother’s delight. However, Tanjiro has also caught an injured girl. She is being chased by a demon but at that time he did not know what she was so he did not kill her like he normally did when hunting. When night falls and he is about to leave, the girl approaches him but he does not shoot her because he feels that it is wrong. He takes her to his house and ties her up. But when he leaves, she escapes and stabs his mother in the chest with a knife. His mother dies in front of him and Tanjiro in turn shoots the girl who had killed his mother.

This is considered a filler episode because it is only about the relationship between Tanjiro and Nezuko. It shows how much Tanjiro cares about his sister although she is a demon. The title of this episode suggests that this episode will show viewers the cruelty of human nature. It explains why Tanjiro never told anyone that he might be the only one who can see demons.

Episode 2: Trainer Sakonji Urokodaki

The episode begins with the Demon Slayer training Tanjiro and Nezuko to travel by day, which leads to Nezuko being burnt by the sun. Urokodaki then tells Tanjiro to leave a sleeping Nezuko in a cabin on the mountain and climb down before sunrise, in order to show his resolve as a demon slayer. Tanjiro is then shown climbing down the mountain and being attacked by booby traps set up for him, which he manages to avoid. He makes it down before sunrise and returns to Urokodaki with Nezuko, who was woken up by Tanjiro’s scent.

Urokodaki then tells Tanjiro that he has a weak resolve and that he is not fit to be a demon slayer. Tanjiro then argues that he does have resolve, but it was difficult for him to leave Nezuko alone. Urokodaki then states that it is the worst thing for a demon slayer to leave an innocent in danger. He then tells Tanjiro to go and kill an innocent person who will be tied up in front of him, as his final test. Tanjiro does so, and returns just in time before sunrise.

This is considered a filler episode because it does not involve the main plot of the anime, and instead focuses on the Demon Slayer training Tanjiro and Nezuko. The only real development that occurs in this episode is Nezuko declaring to Tanjiro (via sign language) that she wants to be strong like him.

Episode 3: Sabito and Makomo

This episode introduces two important characters that will be present throughout the series. Sabito and Makomo are orphans who were raised by Urokodaki. They have been training with him since they were children and have become his adopted children, which hints that their parents are deceased. After Tanjiro arrives at the Demon Slayer Corps, Sabito becomes his rival and sparring partner while Makomo remains a quiet but supportive presence, helping him hone his skills.

Tanjiro continues to train in order to better himself for the Final Selection test. He struggles with mastering Total Concentration Breathing and even when he learns it, it doesn’t improve his swordplay at all. When he tries to get advice from Urokodaki, the man claims there’s nothing more he can teach him. During one of his training sessions, Sabito appears and teaches Tanjiro the “real” meaning of Total Concentration Breathing. He teaches Tanjiro how to use the technique to increase his physical speed and strength by focusing all his senses on one single point. With this new-found power, Tanjiro is able to cut through the boulder that Urokodaki had been using as a training test for six months.

This episode is a filler episode because Sabito and Makomo are characters that don’t play a role in the main story. Sabito will continue to be a rival for Tanjiro throughout the series but he plays no other significant role in the plot. Makomo remains quiet and supports Tanjiro by helping him hone his abilities and giving him advice when he asks for it, though she never has much to say. She will appear in a few scenes later on but she doesn’t have a major role in any of them.

Episode 4: Final Selection

On Mt. Fuji, Tanjiro faces off against the demon that ate Sabito and Makomo, who remembered him by the fox mask Urokodaki gave him, and who calls Tanjiro a brat. Tanjiro demands to know what he did to Sabito and Makomo, but the demon believes they are dead and not interested in knowing about them. He says he never ate a demon so young before, because he usually gets stuck in his human form for at least fifty years after eating so many humans. He says that if Tanjiro defeats him he will spare his life, but if he fails to defeat him then they will fight again later when Tanjiro is older.

He attacks with his claws but Tanjiro dodges and uses the Water Breathing: Fourth Form – Striking Tide to kill the demon, by cutting off his neck with a Nichirin Blade Urokodaki gave him. He says he is not going to kill him though and is going to let him out of Mt. Fujikasane tomorrow. The demon curses Urokodaki for trapping him here with no wisteria and no way to get out, and says he will find a way out on his own.

Tanjiro wakes up at the edge of Mt. Fuji, remembering that the demon said he would be released tomorrow so he should go home now. He sees a demon applicant, but the demon has already been attacked. Tanjiro goes to help him and the demon collapses in pain, having been attacked by two demons, who were then killed by Tanjiro. The demon introduces himself as Yoshio and says he was an applicant for the Final Selection like Tanjiro. He explains that after Urokodaki released them from their prison cells, they were able to attack each other and eat each other’s limbs to prevent them from escaping. The only way to get out of here is to be the last one left at sunset tomorrow or be a qualified applicant at the Final Selection.

This episode is considered a filler episode because it takes place entirely within the Final Selection at Mt. Fujikasane, with no scenes or dialogue from any other characters. Tanjiro must fight and kill the demon that killed Sabito and Makomo to continue on in the Final Selection. It’s also important to note that this is the first time Tanjiro kills a demon without using his sword, only using his Water Breathing: Fourth Form – Striking Tide to kill both demons in this episode.

Episode 5: My Own Steel

The episode was meant to be a filler, but the events from this episode were later adapted into the manga. The anime version of this episode is different from the manga version.

In this episode, Tanjiro is shown performing his first mission as a Demon Slayer and is shown traveling with Genya to a town close to the border of Izumo and Iwami provinces. In the anime, Tanjiro goes alone without any companions. When Tanjiro arrives at the town, he is shocked by how many people are dead and then finds a young girl who was also attacked by the demon. He then leaves her and begins fighting with other demons that appear in his way. When he reaches a cave, he sees someone standing in front of a dead body, which turns out to be Genya who is holding the girl from earlier. The demon attacks them but Tanjiro manages to kill him with his sword. When Tanjiro returns to the town, he finds out that the girl’s father was also killed by the same demon and that he was apparently a member of a secret society of witch hunters. This society was responsible for killing numerous people and it was their job to kill this demon who had been disguised as a human.

The anime series’ plot summary ends here, but the events from this episode were later adapted into the manga which continues with Tanjiro traveling with Genya to Izumo Province and their encounter with Katasuke Sawamura and his friends.

Episode 6: Swordsman Accompanying a Demon

In episode 6 the demon attacks citizens, and Tanjiro is called in to stop it. The Demon Slayer Corps explains to him how demons are made and why they are hunted. Tanjiro arrives at the town and meets an old woman who tells him about the missing girls. He meets Kazumi, who was engaged to one of the girls that vanished. She takes him to where she disappeared from and he begins to track her scent. An old man shows up and warns them not to follow Satoko’s scent saying it is a trap, but Tanjiro ignores him and follows her scent under the floor of a house near by. He hears Satoko’s cries for help and enters a hole in the ground where she is being held captive by a giant demon. The demon is able to change its shape and because of this Tanjiro cannot pin it down for an attack. Tanjiro is forced to fight the demon in its liquid form and eventually manages to kill the creature. He gets Satoko back to her home safely.

Tanjiro is told that Satoko was taken because she had special blood, which he realizes could be used to make more demons. When Tanjiro tells Kazumi about this he realizes that she has special blood too. He takes her to safety but before they leave the village they are attacked by several demons who want revenge for their fallen comrade.

This episode is considered a filler episode because of the lack of plot development and events. It’s mostly just a recap of what we already know about demons.