From Finger Movements to Vibrating Strings and Even Vibrato! Zen’itsu’s Shamisen Performance in a Comedic Scene Still Maintained “Demon Slayer” Quality

The anime series “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” is renowned for its movie-level animation quality, even on television. This exceptional quality isn’t limited to emotional famous scenes or intense battles. Even in what would typically be a comedic scene, such as Zen’itsu Agatsuma (voiced by Hiro Shimono) playing the shamisen, there was a storm of praise for the show’s meticulous attention to detail.

In Episode 2 of the “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc,” Tengen Uzui (voiced by Katsuyuki Konishi), the Sound Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, instructs Tanjiro Kamado (voiced by Natsuki Hanae) and his companions to disguise themselves as women and infiltrate the entertainment district. However, perhaps because his white makeup was too much, Zen’itsu had a hard time finding someone willing to take him in.

Zen’itsu seemed humiliated when Uzui essentially “discounted” him by saying, “Even just for cleaning toilets or whatever, please take him!” Eventually, at his assigned house, Zen’itsu, wearing a look of fierce determination, strummed the shamisen passionately and declared, “I’ll show you! That man! I’ll definitely become the top courtesan in Yoshiwara!” The intensity of his performance left the women around him overwhelmed.

Despite being a comedic scene, many viewers were deeply impressed by the depiction of Zen’itsu’s fingerwork on the shamisen. Praises abounded, with viewers exclaiming things like “Demon Slayer really is meticulous down to the smallest detail,” “The vibration of the strings is really nice,” and “They really went all out with this!”

Additionally, Aimer, the artist behind the opening and ending themes for the “Entertainment District Arc,” reacted on their official X (formerly Twitter) account, saying “The shamisen is just too good.” Sekai, a performer known for his love of anime from both EXILE and FANTASTICS from EXILE TRIBE, also showered praise, saying “Zen’itsu’s shamisen performance is insanely cool!!”