Recaps

Giyu mourned the ruined red haori his sister had made for him while recovering and training to understand the Transparent World. After Oyakata-sama appointed him the new Water Hashira, Giyu dressed in a white haori and set out for the Hashira Meeting.

• Giyu examined his tattered red haori, remembered his sister and the battles it had witnessed, then stored it in a wardrobe drawer.
• Giyu practiced sensing his opponents’ movements and concealing his presence as he explored the Transparent World.
• A purple-scarfed Kasugai Crow ordered Giyu to attend the Hashira Meeting and announced Oyakata-sama’s decision to appoint him Water Hashira.
• Giyu questioned whether he deserved the title but resolved to accept Oyakata-sama’s decision and continue forward.
• Giyu put on a white haori, called Kanzaburo, and left the ward for Oyakata-sama’s residence.

Giyu Tomioka met Kagaya Ubuyashiki and Shinjuro Rengoku, who appointed him the new Water Hashira after his victory over Lower Rank One. After Giyu’s blunt questions left the meeting awkward, Kagaya sent him to Swordsmith Village to collect his new Nichirin Blade and recover in its hot springs.

• Giyu arrived late at the estate and met Kagaya Ubuyashiki and Shinjuro Rengoku.
• Kagaya appointed Giyu as the new Water Hashira, and Giyu said his victory over Lower Rank One had depended on luck.
• Shinjuro questioned Giyu about the battle, then assured him that his ability to spot openings proved he was worthy of the position.
• Kagaya explained the requirements for becoming a Hashira and told Giyu to go to Swordsmith Village for a new sword and recovery.
• Giyu asked whether the Corps now had only two Hashira, prompting an awkward silence before Kagaya urged him to leave.

Giyu Tomioka traveled to Swordsmith Village and received his new Nichirin Blade, Azure Tide, whose vivid reaction astonished the village chief. After asking for the hot spring, Giyu went to bathe and rest.

• Giyu Tomioka followed several Kakushi guides to Swordsmith Village.
• A masked swordsmith led Giyu to the village chief, who presented him with the Nichirin Blade Azure Tide.
• When Giyu drew Azure Tide and breathed, its blade changed color and dark blue water imagery curled around it, stunning the village chief.
• Giyu asked the village chief for directions to the hot spring and then left with Azure Tide.
• Giyu reached the mountain hot spring, set Azure Tide within reach, and soaked in the water.

Giyu Tomioka met Gyomei Himejima at a hot spring and learned how the loss of the children he had cared for led him to join the Demon Slayer Corps. After they parted in the Swordsmith Village, Giyu felt reassured that Gyomei was one of his seniors.

• Giyu Tomioka noticed Gyomei Himejima at a nearby hot spring and introduced himself as the Water Hashira.
• Gyomei told Giyu how a demon had killed seven children at his temple after Inadama Kaigaku extinguished the wisteria incense, and how Sayo had accused him of killing them.
• Gyomei explained that the Master had saved him from wrongful execution and that he joined the Demon Slayer Corps to protect people and atone for failing to save the children.
• Giyu suggested that Sayo might have acted out of fear, and Gyomei said he did not blame her but still carried pain over what happened.
• Gyomei and Giyu discussed their Breathing Styles and resolve as they walked through the village, then separated so Gyomei could collect his new weapons.
• Giyu watched Gyomei head to the weapons workshop and thought it was good to have a senior like him in the Demon Slayer Corps.

Muzan summoned the Lower Ranks and threatened to kill them unless they avenged Tetsusai by killing the thirteen-year-old Water Hashira. After being spared, Yuelian persuaded the other Lower Ranks to form an alliance and plan an ambush against Giyu Tomioka.

• Muzan condemned the Lower Ranks for their weakness and pinned them to the floor with her power.
• Yuelian pleaded for another chance, and Muzan showed the demons images of the young Water Hashira who had killed Tetsusai.
• Yeshu promised to kill the Water Hashira, and Muzan warned the Lower Ranks that failure would mean death.
• A pipa note shifted the Infinity Castle and transported the four Lower Ranks away from Muzan.
• Yuelian convinced Yeshu, Yannu, and Jinhua to work together, gather information about Giyu Tomioka, and choose an advantageous ambush site.

Giyu Tomioka tracked a demon to a village and waited for it to emerge. He killed it before it could attack the village chief’s son, then disappeared into the forest as the villagers credited the ancestors with their rescue.

• Kanzaburo led Giyu Tomioka astray, so Giyu climbed a cedar and spotted cooking smoke rising beyond the forest.
• Giyu reached the village, noticed its people feared the coming night, and hid near the forest edge to wait for the demon.
• The demon attacked the ancestral hall, and the village chief’s son tried to stop it with his katana.
• Giyu appeared in a flash of blue light and beheaded the demon before it could strike the chief’s son.
• The villagers celebrated and wondered who had killed the demon, while Giyu told Kanzaburo it had not been the gods and vanished into the forest.

Giyu killed two demons during his journey, dispatching both with swift, emotionless sword strikes. After finding a drained stag by a stream and killing the demon that ambushed him there, he continued down the long road ahead.

• Giyu entered a ruined temple and challenged the demon hiding behind the Buddha statue.
• The demon attacked Giyu, but he killed it with a swift strike and left the temple.
• Giyu washed at a stream and heard a sound upstream, then hurried to investigate with Kanzaburo.
• Giyu found a stag drained of blood and identified the wound as the work of a demon.
• A demon ambushed Giyu from the bushes, and he decapitated it with a short draw of his sword.
• Giyu told Kanzaburo they would go and continued his journey.

Kanae and Shinobu climbed the mountain to gather medicinal herbs, with Kanae patiently teaching her younger sister along the way. During a rest, Shinobu teased Kanae about marriage and her changing figure, prompting a playful tickling match before the sisters resumed their affectionate banter.

• Kanae and Shinobu left home to collect rare evening primroses and greeted Grandpa Taro, who warned them that the rain had made the path slippery.
• Kanae showed Shinobu how to carefully dig up seven-star lotus, and Shinobu successfully harvested one without damaging its roots.
• The sisters climbed higher, with Kanae cautioning Shinobu about loose rocks and slippery moss, then stopped to rest on a dry rock.
• Shinobu teased Kanae about villagers and their parents discussing a future husband for her, then touched her chest and complained that Kanae had grown more than she had.
• Kanae tickled Shinobu until they both collapsed laughing, then brushed the grass and cherry petals from her sister's hair and clothes.

The Kocho Sisters returned to Crimson Sakura Village through the peaceful evening, while four Lower Rank demons prepared an ambush nearby. Ye Shou sent his shadow servants toward the village and concealed the demons’ presence.

• The Kocho Sisters carried their gathered medicines home as villagers praised their work and told Kanae about a buyer for aged wild honeysuckle.
• Kanae and Shinobu passed children playing and homes preparing supper as night fell over Crimson Sakura Village.
• Lower Rank Three Yan Nu, Lower Rank Four Yue Lian, Lower Rank Six Jin Huo, and Lower Rank Two Ye Shou gathered in the woods near the village to target a Hashira.
• Ye Shou used his Blood Demon Art, Shadow Devour: Servants, to send dozens of shadows toward the village.
• Ye Shou, Yue Lian, Yan Nu, and Jin Huo concealed themselves in the darkness as the shadows approached.

Demons massacred Crimson Sakura Village, and Gyomei Himejima arrived to find its people dead or dying. After vowing to destroy those responsible, he headed toward the four demonic auras still gathered nearby.

• Yannu blocked Kita and his family with an earthen wall, killed Kita, and prepared to attack his wife and children.
• Yuelian drained the life from Kita’s wife and son with pale threads, while Yannu crushed their bodies into ash.
• Jinhua strolled through the burning village as purplish-black flames consumed its buildings and people.
• Gyomei Himejima smelled the massacre from a mountain ridge and rushed toward Crimson Sakura Village.
• Gyomei entered the ruins, mourned the dead, and vowed to cut down everyone responsible for the massacre.
• Gyomei took up his axe and advanced toward the four powerful demonic auras still nearby.

Yeshu slaughtered the Kocho parents and cornered Kanae and Shinobu, but Gyomei burst into the clinic and struck him down. The four Lower Rank demons then gathered to attack Gyomei as he stood protecting the sisters.

• Yeshu killed the Kocho parents and climbed toward the medicine storage room where Kanae and Shinobu were hiding.
• As Yeshu reached for the door, Gyomei smashed through the clinic wall and sent him crashing into the street with a powerful Stone Breathing attack.
• Gyomei told Kanae and Shinobu to stay behind him while Yeshu recovered and assessed the threat.
• Yannu, Yuelian, and Jinhua joined Yeshu, and the four Lower Rank demons surrounded Gyomei and the Kocho Sisters as Jinhua prepared his World-Burning Ashen Plain.

Gyomei defended Kanae and Shinobu from a coordinated attack by four Lower Rank demons, blocking their assaults and interrupting Jinhua’s powerful technique. The demons regrouped for another attack as Gyomei prepared to keep protecting the sisters; the chapter then included the author’s answers to reader questions about the story.

• Yannu unleashed Rock Vein Torrent, but Gyomei blocked the stone waves with Stone Breathing and shattered the few that got through with his chain.
• Yeshu attacked Gyomei with shadow blades, which Gyomei deflected using his spinning chain and flail.
• Yuelian sent threads toward Kanae and Shinobu, but Gyomei’s Arcs of Justice disrupted their advance and control.
• Gyomei hurled his flail at Jinhua, interrupting the demon’s buildup and forcing his flame vortex to become unstable.
• Kanae reassured Shinobu that Gyomei would win, while the four demons reassessed their tactics and prepared to attack again.
• The author answered reader questions about Sabito and Makomo, Hashira promotion timing, mission ranks, Defiled Wood Mountain, and character combat strength.

Four Lower Rank demons coordinated their assault on Gyomei Himejima in Crimson Sakura Village while he protected Kanae and Shinobu. Giyu Tomioka raced to help, but Gyomei remained trapped in a worsening battle as Jinhua prepared a devastating attack.

• Kasugai Crows alerted Kagaya Ubuyashiki that Gyomei Himejima was facing four Lower Rank demons, and Kagaya ordered Giyu Tomioka and Shinjuro Rengoku to rush to Crimson Sakura Village.
• Giyu received the order and raced toward the village, using Transparent World to push his speed even higher.
• Gyomei exchanged heavy blows with Yannu, whose regeneration let him keep attacking and hold Gyomei in place.
• Yeshu targeted Kanae and Shinobu with shadow needles while Yuelian used poisoned threads to restrict Gyomei and force him to defend the girls.
• Jinhua gathered power for World-Burning Ashen Plain as Gyomei weakened under the demons' coordinated attacks and struggled to protect the sisters.

Gyomei broke through to a new level of Stone Breathing and destroyed Yannu with one strike, but Jinhua unleashed his ultimate Blood Demon Art against him and the sisters. As Gyomei’s barrier began to fail, a streak of deep blue light arrived from the horizon.

• Kanae urged Gyomei to stop protecting her and Shinobu and focus on killing the demons, but Gyomei refused to abandon them.
• Gyomei reached a new realm of Stone Breathing and pulverized Yannu with Stone Breathing, First Form: Serpentinite Bipolar.
• Yeshu and Yuelian recoiled in terror at Gyomei’s strength as Jinhua completed his ultimate technique, World-Burning Ashen Plain.
• Gyomei raised a pale golden Stone Skin barrier to protect himself, Kanae Kocho, and Shinobu from Jinhua’s destructive torrent, but the barrier cracked as he began to bleed.
• A streak of deep blue light tore across the sky toward the clash just as Gyomei neared his limit.

Giyu Tomioka arrived at the devastated village and used Water Breathing Eleventh Form, Dead Calm, to destroy Jinhua’s attack and save Gyomei and the Kocho Sisters. With Gyomei exhausted but alive and the sisters safe, Giyu took responsibility for what came next.

• Giyu reached the village and saw the slaughter, then sensed two faint living presences near the clash between Gyomei’s barrier and Jinhua’s black energy.
• Giyu intervened with Water Breathing Eleventh Form, Dead Calm, and dispersed the destructive torrent.
• Gyomei collapsed to one knee after holding off the attack and trusted Giyu to take over.
• Giyu confirmed that Kanae Kocho and Shinobu were unharmed and told Gyomei to leave the rest to him.
• Kanae and Shinobu recovered from their fear as they watched Giyu, and Shinobu began to admire and rely on him.

Giyu Tomioka overwhelmed the three Lower Rank demons after questioning their slaughter of the village, then killed them one by one. With the demons gone, he turned back toward Gyomei Himejima and the Kocho Sisters as dawn began to break.

• Jinhua, Yeshu, and Yuelian confronted Giyu and tried to justify killing villagers and targeting him.
• Giyu’s Water Breathing aura suppressed the demons, and he vowed they would not leave alive.
• Giyu used Water Breathing to expose Yeshu’s shadow escape and beheaded him.
• Giyu cut through Yuelian’s threads and killed her with a swift strike.
• Giyu pierced the weakened Jinhua, whose body crumbled into purple-black embers.
• After killing all three demons within moments, Giyu sheathed Azure Tide and turned toward Gyomei Himejima and the Kocho Sisters.

After the battle, the Kakushi arrived to manage the ruins and record evidence while Kanae and Shinobu discovered their parents had died. Giyu watched the grieving sisters and steadied himself with his duty as a Hashira.

• Fujisawa Kōtarō arrived with the Kakushi and reported that all the Lower Rank demons except Lower Rank Five had perished.
• Giyu ordered Fujisawa to deal with the scene, and the Kakushi split into teams to help survivors, clear the battlefield, and collect evidence.
• Kanae and Shinobu found their ruined home and uncovered their parents’ bodies beneath shrouds.
• Kanae and Shinobu mourned their parents, and Kanae asked where they could go from there.
• Giyu regretted that he had not arrived sooner, then recalled Master Urokodaki’s counsel and resolved not to let sorrow or guilt cloud his judgment.

Giyu and Gyomei helped Kanae and Shinobu bury their parents and learned that the sisters’ relatives would take them in. As the village recovered from the demon attack, Giyu reflected that the battle against the darkness would continue.

• Giyu observed Gyomei healing from his injuries and congratulated him on qualifying for promotion to Hashira after defeating Lower Rank Three.
• Gyomei asked Giyu to help the Kocho Sisters bury their parents, and Giyu agreed after remembering his own sister’s funeral.
• Giyu carried Shinobu while Kanae followed them to the cemetery, where Giyu and Gyomei helped bury the dead.
• Kanae thanked her parents and promised to care for Shinobu and keep living.
• Captain Fujisawa told Giyu that the sisters’ maternal cousins in a nearby county town had agreed to take them in.

After their parents were killed by a demon, Kanae and Shinobu Kocho asked to join the Demon Slayer Corps, and Giyu Tomioka agreed to take responsibility for training them. The sisters followed him toward Sakonji Urokodaki, beginning their path in Water Breathing.

• Kanae and Shinobu thanked Giyu Tomioka and Gyomei Himejima for saving them, then asked to join the Demon Slayer Corps.
• Giyu and Gyomei initially refused, warning the sisters that they were too young and weak for the Corps.
• Kanae and Shinobu explained that they wanted to protect others from demons, and Kanae's words reminded Giyu of why he had joined the Corps.
• Giyu overruled Gyomei's objections and said he would take full responsibility for training the sisters.
• Giyu told Kanae and Shinobu that they would learn Water Breathing from Sakonji Urokodaki, and the sisters agreed to follow him.

Giyu traveled with Kanae and Shinobu toward his master’s home, explaining Breathing Styles and the Demon Slayer Corps as they began to grow more comfortable around him. After Giyu rejected Kanae’s hope that demons could be cured and Shinobu teased him about her sister, the three continued their journey with their distance beginning to close.

• Shinobu urged Kanae to talk to Giyu, and Kanae approached him with her sister to break the silence.
• Giyu explained Water Breathing, Nichirin Blades, and how the Corps used wisteria, then learned that Kanae and Shinobu had studied medicinal herbs with their father.
• Kanae asked whether medicine could turn demons back into humans, and Giyu told her demons could only be stopped by cutting off their heads.
• At a stream, Shinobu asked Giyu what he thought of Kanae; he gave her an objective assessment and said she was pretty, though that would not help in a fight.
• Giyu led the sisters onward toward a mountain pass, while Kanae and Shinobu followed him with complicated feelings.

Giyu brought Kanae and Shinobu to Mount Sagiri to meet his former trainer, Sakonji Urokodaki. They watched Urokodaki train Sabito, then met the pair as Sabito noticed Giyu.

• Giyu led Kanae and Shinobu through Mount Sagiri and reassured them that Master Urokodaki was strict but kind.
• The sisters heard wooden swords clashing and learned that Urokodaki was training Sabito in Water Breathing.
• Urokodaki corrected Sabito’s Flowing Dance and compared his progress unfavorably with Giyu’s.
• Sabito used Twisting Whirlpool, but Urokodaki found an opening, disarmed him, and knocked him into the sand.
• Kanae and Shinobu hid behind Giyu after laughing at Sabito’s fall, and Giyu told them Urokodaki had already noticed them.
• Urokodaki turned toward the newcomers, and Sabito looked up and met Giyu’s gaze.

Giyu returned to Mount Sagiri with Kanae and Shinobu Kocho, and Urokodaki mistakenly thought Kanae might be Giyu’s romantic interest. After learning the sisters wanted to train as Demon Slayers, Urokodaki agreed to assess their aptitude the next day.

• Sabito greeted Giyu excitedly during training, but Urokodaki struck Sabito for getting distracted.
• Urokodaki welcomed Giyu home and praised him for defeating Lower Rank One in Blue Stone Town.
• Urokodaki mistook Kanae and Shinobu for Giyu’s companions and warmly questioned Kanae about her relationship with him.
• Giyu explained that the sisters’ parents had been killed by four Lower Ranks and that they wanted to learn Water Breathing.
• Kanae and Shinobu confirmed they wanted to join the Demon Slayer Corps, and Urokodaki agreed to assess them the next day.
• At dinner, Giyu told Urokodaki he had no romantic interest in Kanae, making Kanae blush and Sabito laugh.

Giyu woke Kanae and Shinobu before dawn and sent them on a timed run around Mount Sagiri, where Sabito’s traps would test their readiness to become Demon Slayer swordsmen. As the sisters disappeared into the mist, Giyu and Sakonji Urokodaki discussed their uncertain prospects, and Giyu went to hunt a wild boar for their breakfast.

• Giyu woke Kanae and Shinobu and assigned them a run around Mount Sagiri before eight, warning that Sabito’s traps could make them fail and leave the mountain.
• Kanae and Shinobu set off along the misty mountain path to begin the test.
• Sakonji Urokodaki questioned whether the sisters’ frail bodies suited the demon-slaying path, while Giyu argued they had no safe way back and wanted to fight.
• Sakonji Urokodaki suggested that the sisters join the Kakushi Division if they failed, and Giyu admitted he did not know how to teach them himself.
• Giyu vanished to hunt a wild boar for the sisters’ breakfast, and Sakonji Urokodaki marveled at his speed.

Kanae and Shinobu endured Sabito’s trap-filled mountain run and reached the cabin before the deadline. Urokodaki accepted their effort, and Giyu agreed they could call him senior brother Giyu as they followed him to breakfast.

• Kanae and Shinobu struggled up Mount Sagiri, overcoming Sabito’s traps while supporting each other through exhaustion and injury.
• Kanae encouraged Shinobu to keep going by reminding her of their parents, Giyu, and everyone who had risked their lives for them.
• The sisters reached the cabin at 7:58 a.m., passing the test with only five of Sabito’s twelve traps triggered.
• Sabito congratulated them, and Urokodaki told the exhausted sisters to get up and warm themselves.
• Kanae and Shinobu asked Giyu if they could call him senior brother Giyu, and he agreed.
• Urokodaki invited the sisters to wash up and eat breakfast, and Giyu led them toward the kitchen.

Giyu trained Kanae and Shinobu on Mount Sagiri, then demonstrated Water Breathing before leaving for a Hashira meeting. The sisters watched him depart and resolved to become stronger before he returned.

• Kanae and Shinobu completed Urokodaki's increasingly difficult mountain run and trained with Giyu, who corrected their technique and acknowledged their improvement.
• A Kasugai Crow summoned Giyu to a Hashira meeting, and Urokodaki asked him to demonstrate Water Breathing for the sisters before he left.
• Giyu performed all ten forms of Water Breathing, inspiring Kanae and Shinobu to aim for his level.
• At dinner, Giyu delighted in Urokodaki's salmon and daikon, revealing how much he loved the dish.
• Giyu said goodbye to Urokodaki and the sisters and left down the mountain; Kanae and Shinobu vowed to train hard until he returned.