Sword Of The Demon Hunter: Season 1 Episode 18 – Recap and Review
It’s an uneventful episode teasing the possibility of Suzune’s return while offering nothing until that time comes.
Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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Episode 18 Details
- Available On: HiDive
- Public Release Date: August 11, 2025
- Director(s): Hazuki Sato
- Writer(s): Saji Komori
Storylines
- Akitsu comes to visit and spends the day with Jinya, ending it with the reveal that demon activity has increased, and he thinks there could be some kingpin in control of it all.
- We see an older Nomari who is enamored with Jinya and, of course, Sadanaga, trying to arrange a relationship between Jinya and Ofuu.
Review and Commentary
Low Points
It Teases Something Better In Future Episodes While Wasting This One [68/100]
Listening to Akitsu talk about pottery wasn’t as bad as the episode about politics in Japan at the time, but it does continue to push the idea that Sword of the Demon Hunter doesn’t have a firm grasp on what it is, who it is made for, and how to keep that audience engaged. Don’t get me wrong, I like Normari and Jinya having cute moments together, but that can’t sustain a show.
Last time I checked, Sword of the Demon Hunter is an action anime, and while, yes, having a demon of the week can create a boring routine. However, at the same time, there have to be better stories to offer without creating what feels like filler. Considering Jinya doesn’t travel and spends most of his days with Sadanaga and Ofuu, why not touch upon his relationship with Ofuu? Throughout this episode, you see Jinya think of Suzune as a kid, so why not dive deeper into how fatherhood triggers all these memories?
Heck, it would be interesting to see what Natsu thinks about all this, assuming she didn’t cut off Ofuu after Jinya killed their father. Or, best of all, they could just give us more Suzune. Right now, the show lacks consistent conflict or a notable villain, which makes Suzune’s value sky high. So, considering they want her appearance to remain special, they could and should present something, or someone, to fill that void.
Granted, I don’t know if this show will seek a second season, but if it does, how things are currently handled I don’t think will be sustainable.
Overall
Our Overall Rating [68/100]
Sword of the Demon Hunter continues to be the type of program that leaves you to wonder: What happened? It has its peaks every now and again, but more often than not, it fails to live up to its initial impressions and delivers episodes like this, which make you wonder if being loyal to the end is worth it.
Slide Text
- Intro Slide
- Recap: It’s an uneventful episode of Sword of the Demon Hunter as Akitsu visits, Nomari is now around 4 or 5, and truly nothing of note happens.
- Recap: Yes, Akitsu does present the idea that there is a lot of demon activity in Kyoto, maybe a kingpin of sorts, which triggers Jinya to think maybe that Suzune is the said kingpin.
- Recap: However, Akitsu doesn’t know what the assumed kingpin looks like, so this all just acts as a tease for a future episode while this one offers barely a thing.
- Review: Sword of the Demon Hunter continues to present the kind of filler that doesn’t feel like the show is taking a break, but doesn’t understand its appeal or what would be appealing to its audience.
- Review: It’s an action program that spends a notable part of the episode focused on pottery. Which is only slightly more tolerable a topic than its recent episode of 1800s Japanese politics.
- Review: And don’t get me wrong, I love seeing Jinya as a dad, and the push for him and Ofuu to raise Nomari together, but they don’t make that interesting – it’s a temporary relief from how dull the rest of the episode is.
- Review: This is while they could really go into Jinya becoming a dad, what Suzune is doing and where, or worldbuilding by having Jinya travel a bit.
- Review: But, for whatever reason, holding true to the manga or otherwise, Sword of the Demon Hunter rather dangle a carrot than give its audience something to keep them engaged and happily loyal.
- Overall (68/100): Sword of the Demon Hunter continues to live off its occasional peaks as if the valleys aren’t becoming so deep; the peaks are beginning to feel below sea level.
What To Check Out Next
Sword of the Demon Hunter: Season 1 Episode 17 – Recap and Review
As Jinya gets the hang of fatherhood, with Ofuu’s assistance, he meets an orchestrated rival whose skills may far surpass his own.
Sword Of The Demon Hunter: Season 1 Episode 16 – Recap and Review
What seemingly was going to be another ho-hum episode of Sword Of The Demon Hunter becomes the origin story of how Jinya became a father.
Sword Of The Demon Hunter: Season 1 Episode 15 – Recap and Review
Sword Of The Demon Hunter gets surprisingly political and like most shifts in the series’ narrative, it likely won’t be welcomed.
