Where to Find and How to Read the Hashira Training Arc
The Hashira Training Arc covers chapters 97 through 110 of Koyoharu Gotouge's series. It sits between the Swordsmith Village and the final battle arc, and honestly, it's a bit of a breathing-room section. The main plot doesn't advance much here. Instead, you get each character paired with a Hashira for targeted weakness-training. It's mostly character moments and setup for what comes next. If you want the official release, the arc appears in Volumes 11 and 12 of the tankobon. Volume 11 starts around chapter 97 and runs through roughly chapter 104. Volume 12 picks up from there and wraps the arc off around chapter 110. You can buy physical copies from Amazon, BookDepository, RightStuf, or any local comic shop. Digital editions are available on Amazon Kindle, Google Play Books, and Barnes & Noble. The Shonen Jump app carries the chapters weekly in English. They rotate on a specific schedule, so if you're trying to catch up, check the app first. MANGA Plus by Shueisha offers the same chapters for free on web and mobile. VIZ Media's website works too but requires a subscription for full access.
There's a problem I ran into when I was compiling a reading list for someone who only wanted to catch up on specific arcs. The Shonen Jump app sometimes holds back newer chapters in certain regions due to licensing windows. I hit this with a reader in Europe a while back. The fix was straightforward — switch to MANGA Plus instead, which has broader international availability, or grab the physical volumes directly. Physical copies solve the geo-lock issue entirely, though they cost more upfront.
What This Arc Is Actually About
The Hashira Training Arc isn't heavy on action. That's worth stating plainly because some readers go in expecting another big fight. The arc's job is to expose every main character's weaknesses and force them to work on them. Tanjiro trains with Gyomei Himejima, the Stone Hashira. Zenitsu learns under Kyojuro Rengoku's successor-in-spirit, which means he's dealing with Thunder breathing techniques again but with more focus this time. Inosuke goes with Uzui Tengen, who pushes him into a very different combat mindset. Each pairing reveals something about the character that the earlier arcs only hinted at. One thing beginners often miss: the Hashira each have distinct teaching styles that aren't always intuitive. Gyomei is brutally physical and relies on pain as a feedback mechanism. Shinobu is precise and analytical, which clashes hard with characters who prefer instinctive fighting. If you're analyzing the choreography or writing a breakdown of the scenes, pay attention to how each Hashira's breathing style translates into training drills. That's where the real content lives in this arc. Another detail people overlook is the ecological worldbuilding in the background. The arc shows how the Demon Slayer Corps operates logistically — rations, sleep rotations, weapon maintenance, how Hashira handle administrative duties alongside training. Gotouge includes these slices quietly. They matter if you're building a wiki, writing analysis, or just want to understand why the final battle plays out the way it does. The Corps wasn't well-preparedlogistically, and this arc makes that clear through small environmental details rather than exposition dumps.
Get the Full Details
Downloading and Collecting the Arc
If you're collecting digitally, the cleanest route is the VIZ Media app or Shonen Jump app. Both offer high-quality English translations with proper color pages where available. The files areDRM-protected, which means you can't export them freely, but reading quality is consistent and you're supporting the publisher. For offline readers who want files they can keep, scanning communities have produced raw and translation groups have released fan translations over the years. These circulate on various manga forums and file-sharing sites. I typically advise against scanning pirated PDFs for a few practical reasons. The image quality varies wildly depending on the scanner's equipment, text alignment can be off, and some groups compress the pages heavily, which makes panel details harder to read on larger screens. If you do go that route, look for releases from groups like MangaRock or the raw scan teams that have a reputation for consistency. The files usually range between 100 and 200 MB per volume depending on resolution and compression. A common issue with downloaded manga is page ordering problems. Some scan releases swap pages or include blank pages from the original print run that get misplaced during translation. When I was organizing a personal archive, I spent about three hours re-sorting one problematic release because the scanner had misread the pagination on chapters 101 through 105. The workaround was to cross-reference with the official chapter numbering on the Shonen Jump app, which made the correct order obvious within ten minutes.
Reading Order and Context
The arc flows best if you read it in publication order. Don't jump in from a random chapter. The Hashira Training Arc assumes you've already read through the Entertainment District and Swordsmith Village arcs, because the emotional stakes and character relationships carry forward directly. Starting mid-arc will feel disjointed. After the Hashira Training Arc ends, the story moves quickly into the Infinity Castle and Sunrise Countdown arcs. The pacing shift is noticeable. If you finish this arc and want a smooth transition, you can pick up Volume 12 and keep going without a break. The story doesn't pause. One limitation worth noting: if you're trying to read this on a small phone screen, some of the wider double-page spreads lose impact. Gotouge uses a lot of tall panels and dramatic vertical layouts. A tablet or dedicated e-ink reader handles these better. I switched from phone to tablet specifically for this arc and the later ones, and the difference in readability was significant, especially during the quieter training sequences where panel density gets high.
There's no anime adaptation for this particular arc yet. The Ufotable anime has covered up to the Mugen Train and Entertainment District arcs as of my last update. So if you want to know what happens in the Hashira Training section, the manga is the only source. That means you're working with Gotouge's original pages without animation filters or filler adjustments, which is generally the cleanest experience you'll get.
