If you want to know the correct Demon Slayer watch order, we can help.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is one of the hottest shonen anime series at the moment. And it will likely remain popular as long as there is still more of Tanjiro’s epic story left to be told.

However, the anime series watch order can be a little misleading. For one thing, the regular TV episodes and the Demon Slayer movies overlap.

Fortunately, it’s not that hard to figure out, especially if you have a guide.

Demon Slayer Plot

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba on Crunchyroll - Koyoharu Gotoge / Shueisha, Aniplex, ufotable

Demon Slayer takes place during the Taisho Era in Japan. The nation is slowly modernizing (as seen in the Mugen Train and Entertainment District arcs). But the traditional, old-fashioned lifestyle still remains.

At the beginning of the series, rural charcoal seller Tanjiro Kamado nearly loses everything when a demon kills his family. Worse yet, his little sister was turned into a demon.

Desperate to change Nezuko back to normal, Tanjiro joins the Demon Slayer Corps.

Tanjiro must protect his sister while completing harsh training. The Kamado siblings are initially distrusted by the Hashira, the elite leaders of the corps. But Tanjiro proves himself in various missions.

Demon Slayer Watch Order

Nezuko from Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - Koyoharu Gotouge / Shueisha / Aniplex / ufotable

For the most part, the watch order for Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is fairly straightforward. Unlike some shows, there are no sequels, prequels, or reboots, no side stories, and no “alternate universe” continuities.

There is one short and silly gag anime comedy spin-off, which is fun to watch but is obviously not canon to the main series. As of July 2023, the series contains no episodes which are completely skippable manga filler.

However, viewers need to understand how the movies fit in with the seasons.

Release Date Order: Seasons and Movies

Season 1 (26 episodes, October 2019 – May 2020)

Movie, Mugen Train (October 2020)

Season 2, Mugen Train Arc (7 episodes, October 2021 – November 2021)

Season 2, Entertainment District Arc (11 episodes, December 2021 – February 2022)

Movie, To The Swordsmith Village (February 2023)

Junior High and High School: Kimetsu Academy Story spin-off (7 episodes, February 2023)

Season 3, Swordsmith Village Arc (11 episodes, April 2023 – June 2023)

Mugen Train: TV or Movie?

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - The Movie: Mugen Train on Crunchyroll - Koyoharu Gotoge / Shueisha, Aniplex, ufotable

The Mugen Train movie, and the Mugen Train Arc of Season 2 cover the same events.

Although the two are not exactly alike, you don’t need to watch both in order to get the same basic plot.

The movie is two hours long, while the TV version is a bit longer. The TV version is divided up into seven episodes, for a total of two hours, 46 minutes.

If you prefer the style and pacing of a full-length, uninterrupted movie, you may want to skip the TV episodes. The movie did quite well in theaters.

However, the TV episodes include some additional background information, and extra scenes not found in the movie. Some of these extras are simply atmospheric scenery shots, but other additions include characters not found in the movie.

Note: These characters aren’t in the manga, which makes Episode 27, Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku, technically filler. But if you watch the Mugen Train episodes, you shouldn’t skip it.

To The Swordsmith Village

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba on Crunchyroll - Koyoharu Gotoge / Shueisha, Aniplex, ufotable

Unlike Mugen Train, To The Swordsmith Village is a compilation movie. It combines the ending to the Entertainment District Arc, with the first episode of the Swordsmith Village Arc. There’s no real difference between the movie and the TV episodes.

The movie includes footage from episodes 10 and 11 of the Entertainment District Arc (Season 2), and episode 1 of Season 3.

Neither Crunchyroll nor Netflix offer To The Swordsmith Village as a separate movie. But if you watched the movie in a theater or online, you don’t need the episodes as well.

Chronological Watch Order

Season 1 (a.k.a. Tanjiro Kamado, Unwavering Resolve Arc)

Tanjiro joins the Demon Slayer Corps, trains, and takes part in the Final Selection. We meet Tanjiro’s allies, Inosuke and Zenitsu. At the end of the season, Tanjiro is judged by the Hashira, and undergoes rehabilitation and recovery.

Either Mugen Train movie; or Season 2, Mugen Train Arc

The main protagonists join the Flame Hashira to investigate the mysterious, demonic Mugen Train.

Season 2, Entertainment District Arc

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba on Crunchyroll - Koyoharu Gotoge / Shueisha, Aniplex, ufotable

Tanjiro and the others go undercover to help the Sound Hashira investigate demons in Tokyo’s red-light district.

Either To The Swordsmith Village movie; or the TV episodes

This story bridges the gap between story arcs.

Season 3, Swordsmith Village Arc

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba on Crunchyroll - Koyoharu Gotoge / Shueisha, Aniplex, ufotable

Tanjiro goes to the hidden swordsmith village to get his sword repaired. There’s also a demon nearby who needs to be vanquished.

Three Best Places to Watch the Demon Slayer Series Online

Netflix

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba at Netflix (US)

In the U.S., Netflix has Season 1, and both halves of Season 2. These are labeled according to their story arcs. Season 1 is Tanjiro Kamado, Unwavering Resolve Arc; while the first half of Season 2 is the Mugen Train Arc.

However, Netflix U.S. hasn’t caught up with the Swordsmith Village Arc. (According to reports, that might happen in 2024.)

To get the Swordsmith Village, the Mugen Train movie, or the silly spin-off series on Netflix, your best bet is Netflix Singapore. You’ll need a good VPN if you’re not in the Lion City.

Languages: In the United States: Audio – Japanese, English, French, Spanish, German, Brazilian Portugese, European Spanish, and Russian. Subtitles – English, Arabic, German, Spanish, French, Brazilian Portuguese, European Spanish, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, and Turkish.

In Singapore: Audio – Japanese. Subtitles – English, Malay, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Indonesian, Thai, and Vietnamese.

Mugen Train movie only: Audio – Japanese. Subtitles: English, Malay, Simplified Chinese, Filipino, Indonesian, Khmer, Vietnamese.

Price: Basic with ads, $6.99/ month. Basic: $9.99/ month. Standard: $15.49/ month. Premium: $19.99.

How to Watch Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba on Netflix Anywhere in the World

This method works on both desktop PCs and mobile phones or tablets.

Purchase (or start a free trial) of a VPN. I can confirm that NordVPN works for this purpose.

In the settings, choose Singapore as your location.

Fire up the VPN and wait for it to do its magic

Once you’re connected, navigate to Netflix (browser or app)

Search “Demon Slayer” in the Netflix search bar and you should see the anime pop up.

NordVPN banner (Nord VPN)

Enjoy! Please note that if your Netflix library doesn’t update to reflect the country you selected in your VPN, you may have to clear the Netflix cache first and try again.

To do this on mobile, go to settings -> apps -> Netflix -> clear cache. To do this on PC, you have to clear the cache in your web browser.

I’ve had no trouble using this method and I still use NordVPN to watch anime from various Netflix country libraries daily.