Demon Slayer: Mitsuri Kanroji’s characterization in Hashira Training was poor and here’s why

The Demon Slayer Hashira Training arc surprised the entire fanbase. The reason for the shock comes from the way Ufotable handled this story arc. Those who have watched the series and read the manga know about the animation studio’s adaptation pattern. Animators treat the source material respectfully and rarely deviate from what was shown in the manga. There aren’t any filler episodes since the show was seasonal.

Fans were worried about the arc in question, since there were only 9 chapters dedicated to this section of the story. Therefore, the animation studio didn’t really have much to work with. This is when Ufotable decided to add anime-original scenes that perfectly complemented the existing content in the source material.

While most things were executed flawlessly, there was one area that needed a lot of improvement—Mitsuri Kanroji’s characterization. She is the Love Hashira, who is also said to possess the most physical strength in the squad. Mitrsuri was trained by Kyojuro Rengoku himself, and she played a crucial role in defeating the Upper Moon 4 demon. However, she rarely received any screen time, and the studio underutilized her quite badly in this section of the story.

Almost every Hashira got an entire episode’s worth of screen time. Furthermore, each of the Hashira showcased their fighting proficiency, which excited the fanbase. However, Mitsuri barely received any screen time, and she was only responsible for mobility and flexibility.

While that’s not bad in particular, she didn’t receive exciting anime-original scenes. When she did receive it, the character spent a considerable time laying out an impressive spread of desserts that she liked. Fans would have loved to see other aspects of her interests in the Demon Slayer series.

The animators could have showcased her strength and fighting abilities during a sparring session after helping the demon hunters work on their flexibility. Instead, they made the character only talk about food, and she exited the screen quite early.

Mitsuri’s role in the Demon Slayer anime and manga series

The animanga series has done a good job of portraying female characters for the most part. There are a few instances, like the ones mentioned above, that could use some changes. However, Mitsuri has been portrayed as a gentle yet extremely powerful character. Her strength comes from a place of love, and that will always be powerful.

She plays the role of a side character who takes on crucial Upper Moon demons at strategic points in the Demon Slayer story. She also influenced Tanjiro’s perception and reinforced certain good aspects in him. Furthermore, her outlook towards Nezuko allowed for other Hashira to develop empathy for her, despite being a demon.

Mitsuri didn't play as significant a role in plot progression as some of the other Hashira. However, one cannot overstate her efforts during the fight against the Upper Moon 4 demon and Kibutsuji Muzan. Fans are excited to see Mitsuri Kanroji in action once again as they prepare themselves for the release of the Infinity Castle movies.

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Mitsuri Kanroji’s characterization could have been much better in the Demon Slayer Hashira Training arc. While the series has done a good job of portraying, for the most part, the anime-original scenes were uninspiring and underutilized the character quite badly. The lack of fight sequences or showcasing her strengths in the Demon Slayer Hashira Training arc harmed the overall viewing experience.

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