Chapter Summaries

Roa visited the Kamado family, gave Nezuko money, and persuaded Kamado Kie to let him stay with them and help. After Nezuko agreed to keep the money, she prepared to take Roa to Tanjiro, who was chopping wood.

• Roa gave Nezuko thirty silver coins and met Kamado Kie and her children when they returned home.
• Roa offered to help the family, and Kamado Hanako asked him to help her hardworking older brother, Tanjiro Kamado.
• Roa persuaded Kamado Kie to let him stay on their property, help chop wood, and pay for meals and ingredients.
• Nezuko tried to return Roa's money, but he told her to keep it for her family.
• Roa asked to help Tanjiro chop wood, and Nezuko agreed to take him to her brother.

Roa walked with Nezuko through the mountain as she shared stories about her family and the nearby woods, then demonstrated his silent footwork to impress her. Nezuko left him near the place where Tanjiro used to chop wood and asked what he wanted for lunch, while Roa warned her that he had a large appetite.

• Nezuko took Roa through the mountain and told him her mother had once driven off a wild boar with a headbutt.
• Roa promised Nezuko that he would protect her family and silently moved ahead using Thunder Breathing footwork, briefly impressing her.
• Nezuko described nearby places and told Roa stories about her childhood adventures.
• Nezuko showed Roa the forest where Tanjiro used to chop wood and left him to search for it while she returned to help their mother.
• Nezuko asked Roa what he wanted for lunch, and he said he was not picky but had a large appetite.

Roa went to town for supplies and returned to meet Tanjiro Kamado, who sensed his goodwill and offered to help. The family welcomed Roa to a lavish meal, where he began to hint that Tanjiro could learn a Breathing Technique.

• Nezuko gave Roa three silver coins and said she would use the money he had left to improve her family's lives.
• Roa bought a basket of food and carried it back up the mountain to the Kamado home.
• Roa met Tanjiro, whose earrings stirred a strange feeling in him, and Tanjiro judged Roa to be kind by his scent.
• Roa impressed Tanjiro by carrying the heavy groceries and offered to teach him a Breathing Technique later.
• Kamado Kie served a large meal, and the family gathered around the table with Roa.

Roa witnessed Yoriichi Tsugikuni demonstrate Sun Breathing in a vision and mastered the forms through his Sword Heart. After waking, he decided to teach Tanjiro swordsmanship and Breathing Techniques so they could fight the man-eating demons.

• Roa joined Tanjiro in the woods, where he tried teaching him Thunder Breathing while Tanjiro chopped trees.
• The sound of Tanjiro's wind chime made Roa fall into a vision, where Yoriichi Tsugikuni demonstrated all thirteen forms of Sun Breathing.
• Roa used his Sword Heart to imitate Yoriichi and mastered Sun Breathing before the vision ended.
• Roa woke beside the bamboo basket and recognized that he had learned Sun Breathing.
• Roa told Tanjiro he would teach him swordsmanship and Breathing Techniques, then explained that demons preyed on people and needed to be eradicated.

Roa explained to Tanjiro why he needed to learn Sun Breathing and began training him to protect his family from demons. After Tanjiro endured a demanding day of woodcutting practice, Roa persuaded him to join a nighttime patrol and see a demon, leaving with him after reassuring Kamado Kie that he would keep Tanjiro safe.

• Roa told Tanjiro that demons ate people and urged him to learn Breathing so he could protect himself and his family.
• Roa introduced the Demon Slayer Corps and explained the danger posed by demons and the Demon King.
• Roa taught Tanjiro the basics of Sun Breathing, then made him practice it while chopping wood until he was exhausted.
• Roa helped Tanjiro carry the firewood home, where they ate dinner with Kamado Kie and the children.
• Roa persuaded the hesitant Tanjiro to join his patrol, reassured Kamado Kie, and set off with Tanjiro after Kamado Hanako stayed behind.

Roa and Tanjiro met Shinobu Kocho during a mountain mission and joined her group as they investigated reports of an Upper Rank. After Roa let Tanjiro face a demon for training, Tanjiro struggled to fight it, and Roa stepped in to overpower it.

• Roa took Tanjiro into town for food, then hurried up the mountain after learning that Shinobu Kocho and three Demon Slayer Corps members had gone ahead.
• Roa reunited with Shinobu, introduced Tanjiro as his trainee, and joined the group as they investigated rumors of an Upper Rank.
• As they traveled, Roa taught Tanjiro about Breathing Techniques, while Shinobu recognized that the technique he described was unusual.
• The group found a demon cooking a person in a pot, and Roa stopped Shinobu from attacking so Tanjiro could face it.
• Tanjiro fought the demon girl but struggled against her attacks, so Roa intervened, grabbed her, and slammed her into the ground, breaking her spine.

Roa taught Tanjiro Kamado the Sun Breathing techniques, revealing that they were the source of the Hinokami Kagura passed down through Tanjiro’s family. A month later, Roa sensed an Upper Rank demon and discovered that Gyokko had been sent by Muzan Kibutsuji to kill or recruit him, while Akaza was absent.

• Roa demonstrated all twelve Sun Breathing techniques and explained them to Tanjiro Kamado, who recognized them as his family’s Hinokami Kagura.
• Roa continued training Tanjiro Kamado and patrolled with Shinobu Kocho, who tried Sun Breathing but found it unsuitable for her.
• Kanroji Mitsuri visited Roa at the Kamado home, mistook Nezuko for his romantic partner, and then happily embraced him after learning Nezuko was his little sister.
• After another month, Roa sensed a powerful demon nearby and sent Tanjiro Kamado home before heading toward the mountain alone.
• Roa followed Upper Rank Five Gyokko and learned that Muzan Kibutsuji had sent Gyokko and Akaza to kill or recruit him, but Akaza was not present.

Roa defeated Upper Rank Five Gyokko while keeping Sun Breathing and Light Katana hidden, then faced Upper Rank Three Akaza. Their battle began with Roa using lightning-fast kicks, and Akaza waited eagerly for him to draw his sword.

• Roa attacked Gyokko with Thunder Breathing, but Gyokko escaped using his spatial teleportation ability.
• Gyokko transformed into his final form, but Roa overwhelmed him, stunned him with a punch, and cut off his head.
• Akaza arrived, mocked the defeated Gyokko, and introduced himself to Roa as Upper Rank Three.
• Roa drew Akaza into a fight, but Akaza's Compass Needle could not sense his fighting spirit concentrated in his sword hand.
• Roa kicked Akaza through several trees and missed with another powerful kick, while Akaza urged him to use his blade.

Roa defeated Upper Rank Three Akaza after his Nichirin Blade broke, then borrowed Shinobu Kocho’s sword to behead him. Akaza briefly regenerated, but his memories of Koyuki returned and he accepted his death, while Muzan Kibutsuji resolved to eliminate Roa before he became another Yoriichi Tsugikuni.

• Roa fought Akaza, whose attacks damaged Roa’s Nichirin Blade, and continued beating him after the sword snapped.
• Shinobu Kocho and Giyu Tomioka arrived with Tanjiro Kamado, and Roa borrowed Shinobu’s Nichirin Blade to cut off Akaza’s head.
• Akaza regenerated his head through resentment, but he gave up after remembering his human life and fiancée, Koyuki, and crumbled into ash.
• Muzan Kibutsuji learned of Roa’s threat and decided to kill him before he could grow stronger.

After killing Upper Rank Three and Upper Rank Five, Roa brought Tanjiro Kamado home and arranged for his family to stay somewhere safer from Muzan Kibutsuji’s retaliation. He was summoned to a Hashira Meeting, where several Hashira questioned whether he had truly defeated the demons alone.

• Muzan Kibutsuji ordered Black Death to find and kill Roa, then considered eliminating the other people he viewed as nuisances.
• Roa mastered the Transparent World while walking home with Tanjiro Kamado and explained that the Kamado family should leave the mountain for safety.
• Roa told Tanjiro Kamado that he might be promoted to Rumble Hashira and offered to let the family stay with him; Tanjiro agreed to go after Roa was summoned.
• At the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters, Roa met the Hashira, including Giyu Tomioka, Shinobu Kocho, Muichiro Tokito, Gyomei Himejima, Tengen Uzui, Obanai Iguro, and Sanemi Shinazugawa.
• Obanai Iguro insulted Roa, and Sanemi Shinazugawa accused him of needing help to defeat the two Upper Ranks; Giyu Tomioka confirmed that Roa had fought alone.

Roa proved his strength to the Hashira by defeating Sanemi Shinazugawa and Obanai Iguro in a spar, then joined their meeting about the two Upper Ranks’ deaths and the threat from Muzan Kibutsuji. He agreed to take responsibility for a guarded patrol area where he could protect his family and intercept demons, while awaiting a better Nichirin Blade.

• Sanemi Shinazugawa and Obanai Iguro challenged Roa, and Ubuyashiki Kagaya allowed them to spar so the Hashira could judge Roa’s strength.
• Roa quickly threw Sanemi aside, blocked Obanai’s attack, and defeated Sanemi again; Obanai admitted he was no match for Roa.
• Ubuyashiki Kagaya told the Hashira that Roa’s arrival and the deaths of two Upper Ranks had raised their hopes of defeating Muzan Kibutsuji, and he assigned them to strengthen security.
• Ubuyashiki Kagaya asked Roa to take on more responsibility, and Roa requested a secluded place within the guarded area for his family and himself.
• Roa chose the area where he had killed the Upper Ranks, and Ubuyashiki Kagaya assigned Shinobu Kocho and the Water Hashira to patrol while Roa guarded the area and answered calls for help.
• A Corps member gave Roa a temporary Nichirin Blade, and Roa considered finding a better weapon.

Roa accepted his Hashira role, agreed to train the other Hashira, and moved Tanjiro Kamado’s family to a Corps residence for safety. After a quiet patrol, he experimented with Transparent World and discovered that magic could enhance it.

• Rengoku Kyojuro, Giyu Tomioka, Shinobu Kocho, Tengen Uzui, and the other Hashira asked Roa to help them grow stronger, and he agreed to train them individually.
• Roa received a new Nichirin Blade and Hashira haori, then approved the residence Ubuyashiki Kagaya had arranged for him.
• Roa brought Kamado Kie, Tanjiro Kamado, Nezuko, and the other children to the Corps headquarters, explaining his plan to use Tanjiro and Sun Breathing to draw Muzan Kibutsuji out.
• Roa left the family at their new home and patrolled alone, but no powerful demon appeared during the night.
• While wandering the mountain before dawn, Roa infused magic into Transparent World and found that the two abilities worked together easily.

Roa waited in ambush for Muzan’s agent but spent the night without encountering anyone, then turned his attention to Tanjiro Kamado’s training. He gently rejected Kanroji Mitsuri’s confession, while she vowed to make him fall in love with her, and began helping Rengoku Kyojuro improve his swordsmanship.

• Roa waited through the night for Muzan or one of his followers, then went home when dawn approached.
• Roa invited Kanroji Mitsuri to eat with him, and she confessed her feelings by offering him a handmade red-cord charm.
• Roa rejected Kanroji Mitsuri gently and called her his little sister, but she recovered and promised to make him fall in love with her.
• Roa took Tanjiro Kamado to Rengoku Kyojuro’s home for training, where Rengoku asked how he could become stronger quickly.
• Roa tried teaching Rengoku Kyojuro Sun Breathing but found it too exhausting for him, so he used the Transparent World to correct his sword movements.

Roa fought Kokushibo, Upper Rank One, alone on the mountain after the demon appeared during his night patrol. Their battle devastated the forest, and Kokushibo’s latest attack swept toward Roa.

• Roa trained Kyojuro, Tanjiro, and the other Hashira, then joined Kyojuro and Mitsuri for a meal before resuming training.
• While patrolling the mountain at night, Roa encountered Kokushibo and prepared to fight him alone.
• Roa used Thunder Breathing and the Sword God Style to strike Kokushibo, block his attacks, and punch him through a tree.
• Kokushibo attacked with increasingly powerful Moon Breathing forms, and Roa dodged or cut through the slashes while taking several wounds.
• Kokushibo unleashed his Tenth Form, sending serrated blades toward Roa and destroying the remaining trees around them.

Roa fought Kokushibo using Sun Breathing and a Scarlet Blade, exploiting the techniques’ heat to suppress Kokushibo’s regeneration. After Kokushibo tried to trade his head for Roa’s life, Roa severed his head and pierced his heart, leaving Kokushibo to die remembering Yoriichi Tsugikuni.

• Roa switched from Thunder Breathing to Sun Breathing, and Kokushibo mistook his stance and aura for Yoriichi Tsugikuni’s return.
• Kokushibo unleashed powerful Moon Breathing attacks, but Roa used Sun Breathing forms and Dragon Blood to break his blade and wound him with the Scarlet Blade.
• Kokushibo retreated and filled the surrounding area with long-range crescent slashes, but Roa evaded them and countered with Sun Breathing’s Dragon Halo: Head Dance.
• Kokushibo transformed his body into blades and tried to exchange his head for Roa’s life, but Roa severed his neck and endured the crescent-blade counterattack.
• Roa pierced Kokushibo’s heart after taking several shallow wounds, and Kokushibo died lamenting that he had lost to Yoriichi again.

Roa killed Kokushibo and returned to headquarters pretending his quickly healing wounds were severe, while Muzan Kibutsuji resolved to target him after sensing the power in his golden blood. As Roa recovered, Kanroji Mitsuri visited him, and he told her he planned to return to his distant hometown after defeating Muzan Kibutsuji; she confessed that she wanted to stay by his side.

• Roa struck down Kokushibo and watched him crumble to ash, leaving Muzan Kibutsuji as the last Upper Rank threat.
• Muzan Kibutsuji recalled Yoriichi Tsugikuni, noticed Roa's golden blood, and decided to kill and consume him before he grew stronger.
• Roa reached a Demon Slayer Corps outpost, disguised his healed cuts with bandages, and arranged to be carried back to headquarters.
• Roa told Tanjiro Kamado that he had killed Kokushibo, then embellished the battle as he recounted it to Tanjiro Kamado, Kamado Nezuko, and Kamado Kie.
• Kanroji Mitsuri visited Roa, and he explained that he planned to return to his distant hometown after defeating Muzan Kibutsuji.
• Kanroji Mitsuri confessed that she liked Roa and wanted to remain by his side if he would accept her.

Roa accepted Kanroji Mitsuri’s feelings, then discussed the coming battle against Muzan Kibutsuji with the Hashira and Ubuyashiki Kagaya. He claimed he had an eighty-percent chance of defeating Muzan alone, while Kagaya entrusted him with the Hashira’s training and wondered whether the Corps’ centuries-old wish could finally come true.

• Kanroji Mitsuri told Roa she loved him despite his other wives, and Roa accepted her as his woman before they kissed until Rengoku Kyojuro interrupted them.
• Rengoku Kyojuro learned that Roa had killed Upper Rank One and asked when Roa could train the Hashira.
• Shinobu Kocho and Giyu Tomioka visited Roa, and he argued that the Hashira should fight the remaining Upper Ranks while he faced Muzan Kibutsuji alone.
• Tengen Uzui and other Hashira visited Roa, then Corps members summoned him to meet Ubuyashiki Kagaya.
• Roa told Ubuyashiki Kagaya he had an eighty-percent chance of defeating Muzan alone, but that the Hashira’s presence would lower his odds to sixty percent.
• Ubuyashiki Kagaya entrusted Roa with training the Hashira, then privately wondered whether the Corps could end its centuries-long conflict with demons in their generation.

Roa trained the Hashira, grew closer to Kanroji Mitsuri, and gave her a magically enchanted hairpin before guarding the Corps Headquarters for Muzan Kibutsuji. On the fourth night, Muzan appeared in Ubuyashiki Kagaya's room, where Kagaya confronted him as Roa rushed to intervene.

• Roa trained the Hashira and encouraged Kanroji Mitsuri as she practiced Love Breathing.
• Roa invited Kanroji Mitsuri to dinner, kissed her goodbye when she had to patrol, and gave her a hairpin enchanted to alert him to powerful creatures.
• Roa spent the next several days training by day and guarding the Headquarters at night while waiting for Muzan Kibutsuji.
• On the fourth night, Roa sensed Muzan Kibutsuji in Ubuyashiki Kagaya's room and hurried there.
• Ubuyashiki Kagaya confronted Muzan Kibutsuji, who said Roa had thwarted him just as Yoriichi Tsugikuni once had.

Roa confronted Muzan Kibutsuji at Ubuyashiki Kagaya’s home, where Muzan proposed a battle in the Infinity Castle one week later. Roa began training the Hashira for the coming fight and told them to prepare for the challenge.

• Roa arrived as Muzan Kibutsuji spoke with Ubuyashiki Kagaya and assessed Muzan’s unusual body and powerful regeneration.
• Muzan attacked Roa, who cut off his hand with Sword Draw Style—Thunder; Muzan healed, then announced that the fight would take place in the Infinity Castle in a week before vanishing.
• Roa thanked Ubuyashiki Kagaya’s concern, removed his bandages, and told him to prepare a sword; Tanjiro Kamado later agreed to join the coming battle.
• Roa began Hashira training, guiding the gathered Demon Slayer Corps members and having them spar while he pointed out their weaknesses.
• Roa told the Hashira that they would fight Muzan Kibutsuji in one week and urged them to avoid injury and prepare.

On the eve of the final battle, Roa prepared the Demon Slayer Corps and turned the Hashira’s Nichirin Blades into Scarlet Blades before they entered the Infinity Castle. Separated from the others inside, he sensed an ominous presence and spotted someone waiting atop a massive structure.

• Roa told the Hashira he would face Muzan Kibutsuji alone while they fought the Upper Ranks, and explained that Muzan could escape by splitting into hundreds of pieces.
• Roa spent the day with Kanroji Mitsuri and warned Kamado Tanjiro to stay behind the Hashira during the battle.
• Ubuyashiki Kagaya assigned the Corps members to their opponents, including Roa against Muzan Kibutsuji, then joined the group on its march to the Infinity Castle.
• At the castle entrance, Roa transformed each Hashira’s Nichirin Blade into a Scarlet Blade.
• Nakime pulled the group into the Infinity Castle, separating them; Roa walked onward and spotted someone seated atop a massive structure.