Demon Slayer: the Swordsmith Village arc

 Okay, first things first, if you look at the opening sequence animation, where the remaining Upper rank demons come to the Infinity Castle, you can see Ufotable has pulled out everything again in animation.

That being said, let's sit back and enjoy the third season of Demon Slayer!

Muzan summons his surviving Upper rank demons to his castle, as for the first time in 113 years an Upper rank has been defeated (Gyutaro in the Entertainment District arc).  Here he orders the others to up their efforts.

Tanjiro in the meantime awakens in the Butterfly House, after a two month coma.  His friends Zenitsu and Inosuke are already recovered and out on missions, but he is still swordless.  He decides to travel to the Swordsmith Village, a hidden place, only to find out that the smith that makes his blades has been missing for weeks.  He also meets the younger brother of the Wind Hashira, Genya, as well as Kanroji the Love Hashira who was there for modifications to her own weapon.

He finds out that the Mist Hashira, Tokitou, is also present, together with a mysterious swordsman he saw earlier in his dreams.  When Tanjiro trains with what turned out to be mechanical doll of the swordsman, they find an ancient katana hidden inside it.  Mister Haganezuka, Tanjiro's swordsmith, takes the blade to bring it in prime condition again.  But deamons attack the village, and faced with the Upper Four, Tanjiro, Nezuko and Genya find themselves outclassed against this four-in-one demon lord.  With both Tokitou and Kanroji rushing back to the village, they have to hold out to protect the smiths.

Faced with Upper Four, Tanjiro feels the power of his sword awaken, infused with the spirit of the ancient swordsman from his dreams.  This was a legendary hero who nearly beheaded Muzan himself!  Together with Genya, who has the same demon state as Nezuko, they behead all four of the aspects, but as they don`t die he figures out there is a fifth one.  Starting the hunt for it, this turns out to be a tiny version of the pre-splitted demon, and they chase it around while Tokito faces off against Upper Five, becoming trapped in a lethal water vase.

Right at the moment Tanjiro tries to slash the small demon, he is attacked by what he thinks is yet another emotions demon.  But Genya has witnessed how the Anger demon absorbed the others to combine it it's ultimate form, Hatred.  Tokito still tries to free himself as Upper Five attacks mr Haganezuka, who never the less keeps reforging the blade found in the robot doll.  Kotetsu tries to free him, but gets seriously injured in the process.  Tokito remembers things though due to this selfless action, and frees himself from the watery prison.  When he relieves his past and how he lost his family, his Demon Slayer marks appear and he wounds Upper Five.

Tokito reveals to the Upper Five that like him, perhaps he wasn`t taking the fight seriously either after he forced the demon to show it's true form.  Unleashing his strongest Mist breathing attack, he quickly decapitates it, ending the demon once and for all.  Tanjiro is caught in the meantime by a wooden dragon created by Upper Four, but right at the moment he would be crushed, Kanroji intervenes and frees him.

As we learn more about Kanroji, she faces Upper Four and keeps his wooden lizards at bay as Tanjiro, Nezuko and Genya chase the main body to slice it's head.  As they seemingly succeed, the sun starts to rise but Upper Four keeps going on and chase villagers to restore his power.  This leaves Tanjiro with a choice he can`t make: leave Nezuko burn in the sun to save the villagers.  But Nezuko bravely makes the choice for him, and grief enraged he ends Upper Four.  But Nezuko overcomes the sunlight, becoming the first demon ever to be able to walk in sunlight... and making her a prime target now for Muzan.

Okay, so perhaps this season wasn't so spectacular as season 2, it did offer some good insights in the characters.  Season 4, the Hashira training arc, has been announced after the finale, so let's wait and see what that will bring and how the hunt of Muzan for little Nezuko will take off!