Do Inosuke and Zenitsu return in Demon Slayer season 3, Swordsmith Village Arc?
By Christopher Ramos
Do Inosuke and Zenitsu return in Demon Slayer season 3, or are these characters completely absent from The Swordsmith Village Arc?
Demon Slayer is back to its usual domination of the global headlines with season 3 episode 1, which aired on Crunchyroll on April 9, showing our heroes recovering in the Butterfly Mansion after their decisive victory in the Entertainment District.
However, the return anime episode ‘Someone’s Dream’ saw our main trio split up; with both Inosuke and Zenitsu sent on separate missions as Tanjiro heads towards the Swordsmith Village.
So, do Inosuke and Zenitsu return in Demon Slayer season 3, or are we set to experience The Swordsmith Village Arc without them?
Do Inosuke and Zenitsu return in Demon Slayer season 3?
No, aside from a few flashback scenes and memory sequences, neither Inosuke nor Zenitsu will feature in the remaining anime episodes from Demon Slayer season 3, The Swordsmith Village Arc.
Both Inosuke and Zenitsu have been major characters in the Demon Slayer story up until now, but we sadly won’t see either of them in full until at least the season 3 finale or the opening episode of season 4.
We note ‘in full’ because technically both Inosuke and Zenitsu are featured in a flashback sequence alongside Kyojuro Rengoku and Tengen Uzui in chapter 113 of the original manga series, with a Zenitsu-only flashback seen in chapter 125.
Based on the current pacing of Studio Ufotable of adapting roughly three manga chapters per episode, this means that we should see these flashbacks in season 3 episode 5, and episode 9, expected to premiere on May 7 and June 4 respectively.
Whilst long-time fans of the series will be sad to hear that neither of these two iconic characters will be returning for Demon Slayer season 3, The Swordsmith Village Arc does give an opportunity for other characters to shine in their absence.
Both Zenitsu and Inosuke return in chapter 128 of the Demon Slayer manga, which is the opening chapter from the Hashira Training Arc; the story arc that follows The Swordsmith Village.
How long was Inosuke stuck onto the ceiling? 😳
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc Episode 2, "Yoriichi Type Zero", is streaming now on @Crunchyroll!
— Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (English) (@DemonSlayerUSA) April 18, 2023
How many chapters does The Swordsmith Village Arc last?
The Swordsmith Village Arc lasts a total of 30 chapters in the original Demon Slayer, debuting in chapter 98 and concluding with chapter 127, which was released between February and September 2018.
Interestingly, The Swordsmith Village Arc is actually the longest story arc we have seen in the Demon Slayer anime so far; however, The Swordsmith Village Arc is not the longest story arc overall, with the Final Battle Infinity Castle Arc being 47 chapters in length:
- Final Selection Arc (Chapters 1-9), anime episodes 1-5
- Kidnapper’s Bog Arc (Chapters 10-13), anime episodes 6-7
- Asakusa Arc (Chapters 14-19), anime episodes 8-9
- Tsuzumi Mansion Arc (Chapters 20-27), anime episodes 11-14
- Mount Natagumo Arc (Chapters 28-44), anime episodes 15-21
- Rehabilitation Training Arc (Chapters 45-53), anime episodes 22-26
- Mugen Train Arc (Chapters 54-69), anime episodes 27-34 (or full movie)
- Entertainment District Arc (Chapters 70-97), anime episodes 34-44
- The Swordsmith Village Arc (Chapters 98-127), anime episodes 45-55
- Hashira Training Arc (Chapters 128-136)
- Final Battle Arc Infinity Castle Arc (Chapters 137-183)
- Final Battle Arc Sunrise Countdown Arc (Chapters 184-205)
Anime fans should note that there is a chance that the Demon Slayer franchise will release another theatrical feature film, which shouldn’t come as a surprise considering the amount of money the Mugen Train movie earned for the franchise.
Arguably the most appropriate story arc to adapt into a movie would be the Hashira Training Arc but at only nine chapters long, this would need some serious extending with anime original scenes or eat into the Infinity Castle Arc.
By Tom Llewellyn – [email protected]
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