One of the things Demon Slayer is criticized for is its use of flashbacks.
Sometimes flashbacks may ruin great moments, and giving them to every minor antagonist may seem annoying.
They’re not that bad: they’re thematically relevant to the series, not to mention a staple of the genre.
Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba) is undeniably incredibly fun. It can be praised for getting an entire generation into anime and is so popular that it broke multiple records. However, to many, its popularity comes from the visual presentation — the anime’s story gets criticized very often, and for different things.
The main criticism is very easy to understand — Demon Slayer is often called generic. While that’s somewhat true, it’s the execution that matters. The anime has issues, sure, but being “generic” isn’t really one of them.
However, one problem of Demon Slayer is sometimes brought up and is rarely refuted well. The series, some viewers say, relies on flashbacks too much which often interrupt great scenes and annoy the viewers.
Not a trope unique to Demon Slayer
The “flashback during a critical moment” trope isn’t unique to Demon Slayer at all. It has been a staple of the battle shounen genre for decades now, and it doesn’t look like it’s going away anytime soon.
One anime that often comes to mind whenever this trope is brought up is Naruto. Naruto definitely relied on flashbacks a lot — perhaps too much — and while they can enhance the scene, they can also ruin the emotional tension.
How flashbacks are treated in Demon Slayer
Demon Slayer definitely isn’t flawless when it comes to subpar execution of its own flashbacks. The last scene of the last released season, for example, was criticized for this exactly. An emotional moment with Nezuko was interjected with flashbacks that we didn’t really need to see.
Another supposed issue with the flashbacks in Demon Slayer is how often it tries to use them for antagonists. Many demons were given tragic and sometimes outright sad backstories — while it’s interesting to see where some villains come from, it gets tiring very soon.
However, it’s not that bad. Some may argue that flashbacks are even thematically relevant to the series as a whole. Demon Slayer often emphasizes a connection to the past, and flashbacks might be a good way to show that.
Ultimately, they aren’t as bad as people claim they are
Overall, flashbacks in Demon Slayer could have definitely been handled better. However, they are an important part of the series that you can’t really get rid of. Moreover, they’re a staple trope of the genre, and saying Demon Slayer is bad because of them would be dismissing many other series.
Would the series work better without them?
Summary:
One of the things Demon Slayer is criticized for is its use of flashbacks.
Sometimes flashbacks may ruin great moments, and giving them to every minor antagonist may seem annoying.
They’re not that bad: they’re thematically relevant to the series, not to mention a staple of the genre.
Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba) is undeniably incredibly fun. It can be praised for getting an entire generation into anime and is so popular that it broke multiple records. However, to many, its popularity comes from the visual presentation — the anime’s story gets criticized very often, and for different things.
The main criticism is very easy to understand — Demon Slayer is often called generic. While that’s somewhat true, it’s the execution that matters. The anime has issues, sure, but being “generic” isn’t really one of them.
However, one problem of Demon Slayer is sometimes brought up and is rarely refuted well. The series, some viewers say, relies on flashbacks too much which often interrupt great scenes and annoy the viewers.
Not a trope unique to Demon Slayer
The “flashback during a critical moment” trope isn’t unique to Demon Slayer at all. It has been a staple of the battle shounen genre for decades now, and it doesn’t look like it’s going away anytime soon.
One anime that often comes to mind whenever this trope is brought up is Naruto. Naruto definitely relied on flashbacks a lot — perhaps too much — and while they can enhance the scene, they can also ruin the emotional tension.
How flashbacks are treated in Demon Slayer
Demon Slayer definitely isn’t flawless when it comes to subpar execution of its own flashbacks. The last scene of the last released season, for example, was criticized for this exactly. An emotional moment with Nezuko was interjected with flashbacks that we didn’t really need to see.
Another supposed issue with the flashbacks in Demon Slayer is how often it tries to use them for antagonists. Many demons were given tragic and sometimes outright sad backstories — while it’s interesting to see where some villains come from, it gets tiring very soon.
However, it’s not that bad. Some may argue that flashbacks are even thematically relevant to the series as a whole. Demon Slayer often emphasizes a connection to the past, and flashbacks might be a good way to show that.
Ultimately, they aren’t as bad as people claim they are
Overall, flashbacks in Demon Slayer could have definitely been handled better. However, they are an important part of the series that you can’t really get rid of. Moreover, they’re a staple trope of the genre, and saying Demon Slayer is bad because of them would be dismissing many other series.
