Hey! Welcome to another day of Otakutober 2025! We need to talk about this movie. For those who know already, I, Star, have been reporting on Demon Slayer since the very beginning. I refused to get on this franchise for a good year or so after it came out, mainly because I figured it was going to be like any other shonen. In a lot of ways, I was right to believe so. With the whole calling out of attacks, then long training montages, followed by epically long monologues in the middle of a fight. But what I wasn’t expecting was how beautifully engrained the series is in Japanese culture, art and history. Here we have the beginning of the end.
So as you’re well aware I’m sure, this movie hit the theaters and weebs everywhere flocked to see it. In my theater I saw people from every generation, families, friends, solo watchers, and heard gasps, sniffles and laughter (mainly from myself and my small select group of webs). That already was something to take note of. It had been a while since I had seen a theater packed in general and it honestly was a pleasant surprise. It was even more fun when I saw people leave the theater after a tragic end to a beloved character but honestly I hadn’t had that much fun in a theater since the last Harry Potter movie came out.
The biggest theme in this movie was the honor of the warrior’s spirit. This is a huge part of learning any Japanese martial arts but even more so for those that wield a katana. It’s called Bushido or the Samurai code. The code is made of key principles that is made to guide the morals, ethics and values of Samurai in the feudal times. This is still engrained in Japanese fighting styles today.
There’s quite a few infographics of the 7 virtues of Bushido but I found these definitions to be relatively clear in definition and meaning.
- Loyalty (忠義 – Chūgi): Unwavering dedication to one’s master and duty.
- Honor (名誉 – Meiyō): Personal integrity and a reputation for righteousness.
- Courage (勇 – Yū): Not just bravery in battle, but also the moral courage to act with conviction.
- Justice/Righteousness (義 – Gi): Acting with moral correctness and fairness.
- Benevolence (仁 – Jin): Compassion and kindness, especially towards those less fortunate.
- Honesty/Sincerity (誠 – Makoto): Truthfulness and acting with integrity in all actions.
- Respect (礼 – Rei): Courtesy and proper etiquette towards others.
- Self-Control (自制 – Jisei): Discipline and temperance over one’s desires and emotions.
So what does this have to do with Demon Slayer? Well, the Hashira often hold these virtues as their own codes when they fight and also when they train.
From the beginning of the film and the Stone Hashira’s speech about Loyalty to his master to the very end.
Zenitsu and his sense of justice to right the wrong of his “brother”.
Courageousness from the other trainees to do everything they could to help the Hashira succeed.
Benevolence that was shown in the final battle of the movie with Tanjiro and Giyuu.
The lesson Tanjiro’s Father shared with Tanjiro about self-control.
The honor of the children left behind to finish what their parents had started as support for the Hashira and trainees in the castle.
But the most surprising revelation for me in this movie was the fact that many of the upper tier demons had respect for the Hashira they faced. They often held onto the strongest of the virtues in their newfound life as demons until their final deaths. Those that didn’t hold onto a virtue were ranked lower. Almost to say that the Bushido code was still being preached even though they were on separate sides of the playing field to the Hashira. Truly poetic on the Creator’s part.
As for the backstories to the new Upper tier demons, I truly enjoyed the reveal every time. The history of cults in Japan runs deep so bringing that to the forefront of part of Japanese history was a fun educational bit to chew on. As well as the dark underbelly of what it was like to be in poverty at that time. In a lot of ways, the demons represented in Demon Slayer is a lesson that people make demons and demons are people.
AishiteLOVEru~
Star
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