Chapter Summaries

Yoru Machi recalled how he discovered that the village sheltering him was threatened by Maneating Demons and saved a little girl from one of them. After Kagaya Ubuyashiki asked him to help the Demon Slayer Corps fight the growing demon threat, Yoru Machi hesitated over whether to accept.

• Kagaya Ubuyashiki bowed to Yoru Machi and asked him to contribute to slaying Maneating Demons.
• Yoru Machi recalled arriving in the unfamiliar world, settling in a village, and enjoying its peaceful life.
• When Maneating Demons attacked the village, Yoru Machi rushed out with a farming sickle to protect the villagers.
• Yoru Machi cut off a demon's arm, caught the little girl it had seized, and kicked the creature away.
• Yoru Machi told the Village Chief to gather everyone so he could protect them.

Yoru Machi defeated Lower Four and the other demons attacking a village, then sought a Nichirin Blade by visiting Demon Slayer Corps headquarters. Kagaya Ubuyashiki offered him the freedom to refuse missions if he joined, but said he would first need to prove his strength.

• Yoru Machi fought five demons, then overcame Lower Four's Blood Demon Art, which increased gravity up to tenfold, and decapitated him.
• The villagers helped kill Lower Four beneath the morning sun and told Yoru Machi that Nichirin Blades were an efficient way to kill demons.
• Yoru Machi learned about the Demon Slayer Corps and went to its headquarters to obtain a Nichirin Blade.
• Yoru Machi asked Kagaya Ubuyashiki whether joining would require him to stay at headquarters and obey orders.
• Kagaya Ubuyashiki offered Yoru Machi the privilege to choose whether to accept missions, but said he would need to demonstrate strength worthy of it.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki challenged Yoru Machi to prove himself before granting him special privileges in the Demon Slayer Corps. Yoru Machi returned from Mount Fujikasane claiming he had killed over a thousand demons, leaving the watching Pillars stunned.

• Kagaya Ubuyashiki offered to grant Yoru Machi special privileges if he killed one hundred demons on Mount Fujikasane in a day.
• Yoru Machi asked for a Nichirin Blade, then raised the challenge by promising to hunt every known demon after clearing the mountain.
• Sakontsuki Urokodaki gave Yoru Machi a Nichirin Blade and warned him to call for help if he was in danger.
• Yoru Machi entered Mount Fujikasane alone while Sakontsuki Urokodaki and Rengoku Shinjuro waited outside.
• Yoru Machi returned by evening, saying he had killed more than a thousand demons and believed none remained on the mountain.

Yoru Machi earned the Pillars’ recognition after killing every Maneating Demon on Mount Fujikasane and freeing the souls of Sabito and Makomo. He insisted on continuing the promised test, then left with the Corps’ demon reports and Star Ironstone to hunt demons elsewhere.

• Yoru Machi told Sakontsuki Urokodaki and Rengoku Shinjuro that he had wiped out Mount Fujikasane’s demons and killed the Hand Demon, who had murdered thirteen of Urokodaki’s disciples.
• Yoru Machi returned Sabito and Makomo’s mask and explained that their souls had found peace, prompting Sakontsuki Urokodaki to thank him and leave in grief.
• Rengoku Shinjuro brought Yoru Machi to headquarters and reported his accomplishments to Kagaya Ubuyashiki and the other Pillars.
• Yoru Machi asked to proceed with the next test and requested intelligence on every known Maneating Demon, promising to return the Nichirin Blade if he failed to come back within three days.
• Kagaya Ubuyashiki gave Yoru Machi the intelligence reports and let him choose Star Ironstone for a future Nichirin Blade before he departed.

Yoru Machi returned to headquarters after killing the demons from the reports and additional targets, including Lower Moon Three, then received a blood-red Nichirin Blade. After officially joining the Demon Slayer Corps, he decided to learn Breathing Techniques and began considering how they might work with his sword.

• Yoru Machi reported killing all thirty demons from the accurate reports and eight additional demons, including Lower Moon Three, while his Kasugai Crow announced the total of forty-two kills.
• Kagaya Ubuyashiki and the Court Pillars accepted Yoru Machi as a special Demon Slayer Corps member who could take assignments without answering to orders.
• Haganezuka Hotaru presented Yoru Machi with a new Nichirin Blade, which turned blood-red when Yoru Machi drew it.
• Yoru Machi tried to change the blade's color and then joked that he would tell newcomers demon blood had stained it permanently.
• Yoru Machi put on the Demon Slayer Corps uniform and decided to study Breathing Techniques after learning their origins and principles.

Yoru Machi developed Spirit Breathing by channeling Reiryoku, then became the Spirit Pillar in record time. Two years later, Muzan Kibutsuji sought him out and felt the same threat he had once felt from Yoriichi Tsugikuni.

• Yoru Machi learned the principles of Breathing Techniques from Urokodaki and Rengoku and created Spirit Breathing using Reiryoku.
• Yoru Machi's first full breath drew in the surrounding spirit particles and air so dramatically that it shocked the Demon Slayer Corps.
• Kagaya Ubuyashiki promoted Yoru Machi to the Spirit Pillar after his achievements and rapid creation of a unique Breathing Technique.
• Urokodaki retired over his remorse about the Hand Demon incident, and Giyu Tomioka succeeded him as the Water Pillar.
• Two years later, Muzan Kibutsuji tracked Yoru Machi to a village and saw him playing with children.
• Yoru Machi noticed Muzan Kibutsuji, who felt a deadly threat like the one he had once felt from Yoriichi Tsugikuni.

Muzan Kibutsuji avoided fighting Yoru Machi, fearing he might be as powerful as Yoriichi Tsugikuni, and kept his demons away from Yoru Machi’s village. Two years later, Yoru Machi and Giyu Tomioka investigated a ruined village and were dispatched to respond to another demon sighting.

• Muzan Kibutsuji watched Yoru Machi from afar but left without challenging him, while Yoru Machi let him go to protect the village and its children.
• Muzan ordered the Twelve Kizuki to avoid Yoru Machi’s village, which became a well-known refuge over the next two years.
• Yoru Machi and Giyu Tomioka arrived at a ruined village, killed the ordinary Maneating Demons there, and found no sign of the suspected Upper Rank Demon.
• Night Crow delivered a message about a demon attack two mountains away, and Yoru Machi persuaded the crow to assign the mission to Giyu Tomioka.
• Yoru Machi decided to accompany Giyu to the reported attack, despite wanting to return to the village and save Night Crow’s corn salad.

Yoru Machi and Giyu Tomioka reached the snowy field and found Tanjiro protecting his sister Nezuko, who had become a Maneating Demon. Yoru Machi stopped Giyu from killing her and challenged him over his decision to execute the siblings, leaving the two Pillars poised to fight.

• Yoru Machi and Giyu Tomioka arrived to find Nezuko attacking Tanjiro, who shielded her from their approach.
• Yoru Machi deflected Giyu's sword as Tanjiro protected Nezuko, then rebuked Tanjiro for his apparent sibling incest.
• Giyu restrained Nezuko, wounded her with his Nichirin Blade, and knocked Tanjiro down when he charged to defend her.
• Yoru Machi kicked Giyu away, rescued Nezuko, and knocked her unconscious when she tried to bite him.
• Yoru Machi sent Tanjiro and Nezuko to safety and told Giyu he wanted to protect the siblings, then asked what Giyu was struggling with and afraid of.

Yoru Machi challenged Giyu Tomioka’s belief that Nezuko could not retain her humanity and declared that he would protect Tanjiro and Nezuko. After Giyu attacked, Yoru Machi defeated and disarmed him, then overpowered him in a Breathing-style duel, leaving Giyu pinned beneath his blade and grabbed by the head.

• Yoru Machi told Giyu Tomioka that his agitation over Tanjiro and Nezuko reflected his own past, provoking Giyu to attack.
• Yoru Machi disarmed and kicked Giyu aside, criticizing his unsteady breathing and arguing that Tanjiro and Nezuko deserved a chance.
• Yoru Machi declared that he would take responsibility and protect the siblings, then charged Giyu.
• Giyu used Water Breathing: First Form—Surface Slash, but Yoru Machi evaded it with Spirit Breathing: Third Form—Lingering Spirit Shadow.
• Yoru Machi struck from above with Spirit Breathing: First Form—Severing Waterfall, forcing Giyu to his knees and grabbing his head while pinning him with his sword.

Yoru Machi defeated Giyu Tomioka using Spirit Breathing: Seventh Form—Spirit Sight, then arranged for Tanjiro and Nezuko to seek help from Sakontsuki Urokodaki. As Yoru Machi and Giyu left, Giyu questioned the plan to make Tanjiro Urokodaki's disciple.

• Yoru Machi used Spirit Sight to read Giyu Tomioka's movements and hold a sword to his neck, ending their fight.
• Giyu sheathed his sword and asked what Yoru Machi planned to do with Tanjiro and Nezuko.
• Yoru Machi sent the siblings to find Sakontsuki Urokodaki and tell him that Yagami Yoru Castle had sent them.
• Before leaving, Giyu made Nezuko a bamboo muzzle and left her a coat, while Tanjiro bowed in gratitude.
• On the way back, Giyu asked why Yoru Machi wanted Tanjiro to become Urokodaki's disciple, and Yoru Machi said Tanjiro's strength and courage would help protect Nezuko and benefit Urokodaki.

Yoru Machi explained why he believed Tanjiro could help Urokodaki overcome his grief, then returned to Night Crow Village after leaving Giyu Tomioka to report their mission. Mitsuri Kanroji and Obanai Iguro arrived to ask Yoru Machi for help capturing demons, and learned how highly the villagers regarded him.

• Yoru Machi told Giyu Tomioka that Tanjiro might help Urokodaki let go of his past, and Giyu acknowledged the siblings’ bond had moved him.
• Yoru Machi left Giyu to handle the mission report and returned to Night Crow Village with sweets for the children.
• Night Crow Village had grown into a thriving, unusually safe settlement under Yoru Machi’s protection.
• Mitsuri Kanroji and Obanai Iguro visited the village to recruit Yoru Machi for a mission to capture demons alive for Mount Fujikasane.
• Mitsuri sampled the village’s food while Obanai waited, and the stall owner was astonished that the two Pillars knew Lord Yoru Machi.

Mitsuri and Obanai visited Night Crow Village and discovered how warmly its residents treated Yoru Machi’s friends. Yoru Machi returned and reunited with them, fending off Mitsuri’s attempts to take the sweets he had bought for the village children while their history and close friendship were recalled.

• Mitsuri told a vendor that she and Obanai were Yoru Machi’s friends, prompting the merchants to give them free food and welcome them enthusiastically.
• The vendor explained that Yoru Machi had saved his family and helped create Night Crow Village, leaving Mitsuri and Obanai amazed by the village’s devotion to him.
• Mitsuri feasted on the free food and imagined living in the village, while Obanai grew jealous and criticized Yoru Machi for neglecting his duties.
• Yoru Machi returned carrying local sweets for the village children and asked Mitsuri and Obanai why they were there.
• Mitsuri tried to grab Yoru Machi’s sweets, but he held her back and eventually gave her some despite her enormous appetite.
• Yoru Machi’s history with Mitsuri was recounted, including how she became close to him through her studies with Kyojuro and his visits to the Demon Slayer Corps.

After learning about Mitsuri's painful matchmaking experiences, Yoru Machi reassured her that her hair, appetite, and strength were nothing to hide. His kindness helped her embrace herself, grow into the Love Hashira, and become close to him like a younger sister, though their familiar behavior made someone nearby jealous.

• Yoru Machi learned from Kyojuro about Mitsuri's unusual traits and how rejection had led her to hide them during matchmaking.
• Yoru Machi praised Mitsuri's hair, appetite, and strength, then left her colorful dango and a note encouraging her to be herself.
• Mitsuri let go of her insecurities, developed Love Breathing, passed Final Selection, and became the Love Hashira less than two years later.
• Mitsuri grew comfortable asking Yoru Machi for gifts and studying his sparring, while Kyojuro saw their bond as that of siblings.
• Yoru Machi and Mitsuri's sibling-like interaction made a jealous onlooker's vinegar jar topple over.

Obanai feared Yoru Machi was a rival for Mitsuri’s affection, but learned that Yoru Machi considered her a sworn little sister and respected Obanai. After Obanai explained why they had come, Yoru Machi complained about being assigned another mission and reflected on Kagaya Ubuyashiki’s illness and the Ubuyashiki family’s curse.

• Obanai watched Yoru Machi share sweets with Mitsuri and felt inferior, believing Yoru Machi was a more suitable match for her.
• Yoru Machi thanked Obanai for accompanying Mitsuri and clarified that he regarded her as a sworn little sister, not a romantic interest.
• Obanai’s worries vanished, and he explained that he and Mitsuri had come because Kagaya Ubuyashiki had assigned them to capture Maneating Demons alive with Yoru Machi.
• Yoru Machi grumbled that Kagaya Ubuyashiki had given him another mission shortly after he returned from one with Giyu Tomioka.
• Yoru Machi considered Kagaya Ubuyashiki’s curse, the Ubuyashiki family’s ties to Muzan Kibutsuji, and his own inability to cure Kagaya, though he had helped extend his life.

Yoru Machi agreed to teach Chisato Ubuyashiki and her children to sense and use Reiryoku, which might strengthen the frail Ubuyashiki family and help Kiriya escape the family curse. He stayed at their residence for over a month, while the family kept his teaching and their relationship secret.

• Chisato Ubuyashiki asked Yoru Machi to teach her Kaidō so she could help Kagaya Ubuyashiki, and her children knelt to ask him to teach them too.
• Yoru Machi agreed to teach the children as well and explained that his abilities required sensing Reiryoku, which Chisato could already do.
• Yoru Machi speculated that Spirit Breathing could improve the Ubuyashiki family's frail health and help them resist the curse, though he cautioned that the children might not be able to sense Reiryoku.
• Kagaya Ubuyashiki and Chisato Ubuyashiki asked Yoru Machi to teach their children, and he stayed at the residence for more than a month.
• The Ubuyashiki family kept Yoru Machi's teaching secret, telling outsiders only that he was treating Kagaya Ubuyashiki.

Yoru Machi taught Kiriya Ubuyashiki and his siblings before leaving the Ubuyashiki residence, while Kagaya and Chisato hoped he might eventually defeat Muzan Kibutsuji and break the family curse. After helping replenish Mount Fujikasane with hundreds of Maneating Demons, Yoru Machi returned to Night Crow Village, where Mitsuri Kanroji continued visiting for food.

• Chisato Ubuyashiki mastered Kaidō and left the training group so Yoru Machi could focus on teaching her children.
• Yoru Machi taught Kiriya Ubuyashiki basic Spirit Breathing and some basic Kidō and Shunpo to Kiriya and his sisters before departing.
• Kagaya Ubuyashiki and Chisato Ubuyashiki watched Kiriya practice and discussed whether Yoru Machi might defeat Muzan Kibutsuji and end the Ubuyashiki curse.
• Yoru Machi accepted the mission to replenish Mount Fujikasane, then traveled with Obanai and Mitsuri Kanroji to capture and release several hundred Maneating Demons.
• After finishing the mission, Yoru Machi returned to Night Crow Village and refused more work, while Mitsuri continued visiting the village for food.

After two years of training under Sakontsuki Urokodaki, Tanjiro joined the Final Selection on Mount Fujikasane. Kiriya and Kanata Ubuyashiki warned the candidates that the demons on the mountain were unusually strong, leaving them facing a far more dangerous trial than expected.

• Tanjiro trained under Sakontsuki Urokodaki for two years, mastered Water Breathing, and learned to kill demons after witnessing them attack humans.
• Tanjiro and the other candidates gathered at Mount Fujikasane for the Final Selection, where Kiriya and Kanata Ubuyashiki announced that they had to survive for seven days.
• Genya Shinazugawa challenged the examiners' advice to prioritize survival over fighting demons.
• Kiriya and Kanata explained that the Thousand Demon Spirit Pillar had slaughtered every demon on the mountain two years earlier.
• Kiriya and Kanata revealed that the Thousand Demon Spirit Pillar and two other Pillars had recently replenished the mountain with powerful demons still at their peak.

The Ubuyashiki twins warned that Mount Fujikasane held unusually dangerous demons, and examinees could withdraw or enter the Final Selection. Tanjiro and the others chose to face the challenge, while Yoru Machi and Kyojuro secretly prepared to protect them as they gained combat experience.

• The Ubuyashiki twins explained that the Final Selection could be the most dangerous in the Corps' history and invited examinees to withdraw or pass through the torii gate.
• Many examinees chose to leave Mount Fujikasane, and Rengoku Kyojuro and Yoru Machi watched them from concealment.
• Yoru Machi said Tanjiro would not be among those who withdrew, recalling his earlier fight with Giyu Tomioka.
• Genya Shinazugawa entered the mountain, followed by Tanjiro, Kanao, and a frightened but determined Zenitsu Agatsuma.
• Kanata Ubuyashiki and Kiriya Ubuyashiki asked Yoru Machi and Kyojuro to take over, and the two Pillars entered the mountain to protect the participants in secret.

During the Final Selection, Kyojuro secretly protected the examinees and rescued two disciples of Tengen Uzui before eliminating them. Zenitsu Agatsuma remained the only examinee under Kyojuro’s care, and Kyojuro discovered his unusual strength when he fought while unconscious.

• Yoru Machi and Kyojuro divided responsibility for watching over the seven Final Selection participants.
• Tanjiro Kamado planned to fight at night and rest near Mount Fujikasane’s eastern edge during the day.
• Kyojuro rescued Tengen Uzui’s two disciples from a hair-controlling Maneating Demon and killed it with Flame Breathing.
• Kyojuro told the two disciples that they had passed the assessment when they chose to participate, though their evaluation would reflect their early elimination.
• Mitsuri Kanroji’s disciple was eliminated on the second day, leaving Zenitsu Agatsuma as the only examinee under Kyojuro’s care.
• Kyojuro saw Zenitsu lose consciousness and display remarkable speed and strength while repeatedly using a single move to slay powerful Maneating Demons.

As Final Selection continued, Tanjiro rushed to help Kanao after sensing that she was injured and fighting two powerful Maneating Demons. He blocked a blow meant for her but was hurled backward, realizing how formidable her opponents were.

• Yoru Machi persuaded Kyojuro and the Ubuyashiki twins to let an unregistered boar-headed fighter remain in Final Selection.
• Yoru Machi and Kyojuro observed that the five remaining candidates had unusual abilities, and Yoru Machi judged Kanao the strongest among them.
• Tanjiro abandoned his planned route and ran toward the scent of blood after sensing someone was in danger.
• Tanjiro found Kanao wounded and fighting a husband-and-wife pair of Maneating Demons with powerful Blood Demon Arts.
• Tanjiro blocked the male demon's punch aimed at Kanao, but the impact sent him sliding more than ten meters backward.