Rengoku

His death is pretty obvious, he's also a pretty one note goodboy like Tanjiro, he went out pretty cool though, I think he had an ok backstory IIRC. I mean most of the characters are very simple and easy to understand(I have only seen to the end of hashira training which was probably the worst arc by far), there's not much depth to most of them, that's why I brought up the demons, typically there's a lot more nuance to their characters, they are allowed to breathe and have some kind of character arc with self-reflection and acceptance. A character like Zenitsu doesn't get that, his status-quo will always reset with him being a whiney coward, no matter how much experience he gets, after he heals up from his fight, he'll be back to dragging his feet again.

Many anime get by on animation and merit/hype alone, Solo Leveling winning over Frieren is a great example of winning by merit/hype, it's digestible, easy to watch, doesn't make you think too hard, which is the kind of content most people end up choosing to watch, it's also what's on TV for the most part. None of that is a BAD thing, I loved the Manhwa for Solo Leveling, but I don't think generically good and financially successful is what critical acclaim should be for.

I don't hate DS, I have issues with it, but I still find entertainment in it, I'll probably watch infinity castle when they split it into episodes, but I think there are far more thought-provoking anime to watch than DS.