Warning: This article contains spoilers from the Demon Slayer manga! There’s no denying that Demon Slayer is one of the most popular anime and manga franchises of all time despite being a fairly new series. The franchise has set such a high standard for the industry that it will be difficult for upcoming series to overcome in the next few years. Regardless of its popularity and breathtaking anime visuals, the story has its fair share of issues. The thing that makes this series truly special is the emotional depth and the lovable characters who fans can’t help but adore. However, despite that, the manga is still controversial for one of its most rushed final arcs and the finale.
It’s been more than six years since the manga reached its conclusion, but the ending couldn’t be saved at all. The manga killed off half of the main cast in the showdown between the Demon Slayers and the demons, wiping out almost the entire Demon Slayer Corps, leaving many disappointed as the victory didn’t even feel worth celebrating. Furthermore, Demon Slayer didn’t focus enough on the direct aftermath of the final battle, but instead skipped into the modern era. This is something where Jujutsu Kaisen and My Hero Academia excelled at since both stories were expanded after the finale, something which Demon Slayer could have benefitted from.
The initial phase of the story moved at a steady pace, but things changed for the worse in the Infinity Castle Arc. The continuous and intense battles were thrilling enough initially until fans realized that the series planned to kill off most of the main characters by the end. Not to mention that the epilogue was barely one chapter long with a time skip, featuring the reincarnations or descendants of the beloved characters. The manga didn’t delve deeper into the time skip either, which made it all the more confusing about what the story was trying to portray. Instead of focusing on the surviving characters after the final battle, the story ended too soon, while making sure it would never return with a sequel or even a prequel or a spin-off, which seems like a wasted opportunity.
The fate of Giyu and Sanemi was also left for fans’ discussion since the Demon Slayer Mark itself was never properly explained. There were several theories regarding the Mark, but it’s most likely that both characters never managed to live past 25, something which the manga never covered. The closed narrative would have been perfect if only the main battle hadn’t ended in such a rush. The time skip featured a world where demons no longer exist, which is why there’s no point in continuing the story further. While the ending can barely be fixed at this point since the creator doesn’t plan on returning to Shonen Jump, the anime can still make up for it with original scenes.
Out of these three series, My Hero Academia has by far the most satisfying conclusion since the main story itself was pretty well-written without being rushed at all. Even after that, Kohei Horikoshi returned with extra chapters and explored the story through the main characters. The story didn’t focus on decades of time-skip, leaving us with no option to know how the beloved characters lived after the final battle. While My Hero Academia doesn’t have an official sequel, these extra chapters and one-shots, which were also adapted into an anime, gave the perfect farewell to the story.
On the other hand, Jujutsu Kaisen ended its main story on a rather controversial note with several unanswered questions. The ending can’t be considered good, and even the anime adaptation can’t save it at this point. However, the sequel manga, Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo, gave the story another life by exploring the world-building and solving the biggest issue in the world of curses. While the sequel story primarily focused on new characters, it also resolved the fate of the beloved characters, which is the biggest reason why the sequel made the ending a little bit better. Demon Slayer ended after the demons’ defeat, which is why there was no more room for conflict.
However, conflict isn’t the only way to continue the story since the characters and their dreams could always be explored in a much more peaceful world. Not to mention that there’s always an option for a prequel as well since the Sengoku Era is still pretty much shrouded in mystery. A story centering around Yoriichi would definitely become a hit since he is already one of the most beloved characters. Regardless, the ending isn’t bad at all, although it could’ve ended before the time skip so there could be room to fix the rushed conclusion that wasn’t more important than the unanswered questions.
Do you wish Demon Slayer had received a sequel or an additional chapter, and what would you have liked to see explored after the ending? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
