>>273315429
>>273316738
>themes that have been set up for ages
Yes, Muzan being a "whiny baby" is consistent, but consistent doesn’t equal compelling. His characterization lacks nuance, boiling down to "evil for the sake of evil." A truly great villain challenges the hero ideologically like Toguro from YYH or Pain from Naruto. Even Frieza challenges Goku, as Goku started being less merciful to enemies after Namek. Muzan is, at best, a functional villain, not an extraordinary one. And Tanjiro is never challenged.
>Use of old classic cliches to save the cast/hero at the very utter edge of catastrophe
The "power of friendship saves the hero" trope is hardly innovative, and Demon Slayer doesn’t elevate it. Tanjiro overcoming Muzan’s influence is emotionally satisfying on a surface level, but it leans too heavily on sentimentality rather than any internal struggle or ingenuity on Tanjiro's part.
>Main character achieves all that he set-out to do but at a cost
This is a safe, by-the-numbers conclusion. Tanjiro "paying the cost" by dying soon is mitigated by the fact that the story cheats its own consequences. Yes, he sacrifices, but he also gets the happy ending. He gets a family and his friends who died reincarnates and lives happily ever after. The narrative wants to have its cake and eat it too, offering bittersweetness without fully committing to the bitter.
>The ships teased throughout the series have a resolution
Shipping resolutions are a nice touch but hardly a hallmark of greatness. If anything, they feel tacked on in Demon Slayer, more like an afterthought than a core part of the story. Did Tanjiro and Kanao’s relationship ever really develop meaningfully? Not really. It’s a resolution without buildup.
>The concrete death of the main enemies
Preventing sequels isn’t a sign of a series’ greatness; it’s just a production choice. And honestly, if a spin-off were to evee happen, Demon Slayer has already opened that door with its reincarnation twist.

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How did Demon Slayer end up being the only good battle shounen in the last decade?