Recaps

Teiichi fought Wakuraba despite his illness, but Wakuraba broke his left hand and urged him to become a demon. Teiichi rejected him and continued battling, though his strength dwindled and he was forced to retreat.

• Wakuraba called humans livestock, and Teiichi attacked him with Wind Breathing, forcing him onto the defensive.
• Wakuraba grabbed Teiichi's Nichirin Blade and punched him, breaking his left hand.
• Wakuraba mocked Teiichi's injuries and offered to turn him into a demon, but Teiichi rejected the offer and vowed to drive demons out.
• Teiichi resumed the fight with Wind Breathing's Fifth Form and nearly struck Wakuraba's neck, but Wakuraba blocked the blow with his claws.
• Teiichi and Wakuraba struggled over the blade until Teiichi's right arm began trembling and he used Wakuraba's push to leap backward.

Teiichi fought Wakuraba while struggling with exhaustion, then learned that Rena had still been alive when Wakuraba went to dig her up. Teiichi killed Wakuraba with a copied Wind Breathing technique, but remained kneeling and badly wounded.

• Teiichi and Wakuraba paused at a distance as Teiichi struggled to recover his strength.
• Wakuraba used his Blood Demon Art while asking Teiichi about Rena, and Teiichi realized Wakuraba had weakened him during their conversation.
• Wakuraba revealed that Rena had still been alive when he went to dig her up, and Teiichi charged him in a fury.
• Teiichi continued fighting despite his exhaustion and let Wakuraba slash his chest to create an opening.
• Teiichi used Wind Breathing, Eighth Form: Primary Gale Slash, and decapitated Wakuraba.
• Wakuraba died lamenting that he had not become an Upper Rank, while Teiichi knelt, leaning on his sword.

After killing Wakuraba, Teiichi collapsed from his injuries and lost consciousness. He later woke at the Butterfly Mansion, where he began recovering under the Demon Slayer Corps’ care.

• Teiichi survived long enough to collapse after killing Wakuraba, then lost consciousness from blood loss and exhaustion.
• In Asakusa, a scarlet-eyed young man sensed the death of a Lower Rank demon and decided he would need to find another one.
• Teiichi woke in the Butterfly Mansion with his chest bandaged and his left arm in a cast.
• Teiichi recognized the Butterfly Mansion, but his weakness kept him in bed as he rested.

Shinobu Kocho trained Kobayashi Kanon in Flower Breathing while Teiichi remained unconscious, then learned that he had awakened. The chapter ended with Shinobu and Kanon hurrying to respond to the news.

• Shinobu Kocho watched Kobayashi Kanon practice Flower Breathing and corrected her Second Form.
• Kobayashi Kanon improved her sword forms and asked Shinobu when Teiichi would wake up.
• Shinobu reassured Kanon that Teiichi was recovering from exhaustion after the battle.
• A little girl examining patients discovered that Teiichi was awake and called to Kanon.

Kato Teiichi woke at the Butterfly Mansion and reunited with Kobayashi Kanon, who was relieved but worried about his injuries and future missions. He met Shinobu Kocho and Aoi Kanzaki, then stayed behind as Kanon and Shinobu returned to training and Aoi offered to bring him food.

• Kobayashi Kanon rushed to Teiichi's sickroom after hearing he had awakened and cried with relief as she held his hand.
• Shinobu Kocho teased Kanon, then estimated Teiichi's chest would take weeks to heal and his broken arm could take two to six months.
• Teiichi introduced himself to Shinobu Kocho and Aoi Kanzaki, and learned that Kanae Kocho was away on a mission.
• Shinobu told Teiichi not to get ideas about Kanae, then sent Kanon back to training with the promise she could visit during a break.
• Teiichi said he was hungry, and Aoi offered to fetch him food while Kanon and Shinobu went to train.

As Teiichi recovered at the Butterfly Mansion, Shinobu explained Kanao's past and revealed that her sister Kanae was a sixteen-year-old Hashira, prompting Teiichi to worry about Kanae's fate. A white Kasugai Crow then asked why Teiichi had been injured, and he revealed that he had encountered Lower Rank Three.

• Teiichi joined Shinobu, Kanon, and Kanao for dinner for the first time in five days, though his left arm remained in a sling.
• Shinobu explained that she and her sister had rescued Kanao from a human trafficker and that Kanao used a coin to make decisions.
• Shinobu said Kanae was a Hashira and was sixteen, leading Teiichi to worry about preventing her death at seventeen.
• A white Kasugai Crow relayed Oyakata-sama's question about Teiichi's injury, and Teiichi said he had encountered Lower Rank Three.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki decided to promote Teiichi to Hashira after he killed Lower Rank Three, despite Amane’s concerns about his injuries and poor investigation skills. At the Butterfly Mansion, Teiichi discovered that meditation had deepened his connection with nature, and he resolved to keep developing his unusual talent while avoiding the Demon Slayer Mark if possible.

• Kagaya Ubuyashiki told Amane that Teiichi would become a Hashira because he had slain Lower Rank Three while gravely ill, and he explained how the Corps would address Teiichi’s weakness at tracking demons.
• White Feather reported that Teiichi was recovering at the Butterfly Mansion and would need another two or three months to heal, so Kagaya expected him to attend the next year’s Hashira Meeting as the new Wind Hashira.
• Teiichi meditated at the Butterfly Mansion and sensed the earth, wind, water, and people around him with an unprecedented depth.
• Teiichi concluded that his talent focused on comprehending nature rather than developing his body, and he chose to continue meditating despite not sensing spiritual energy.
• Teiichi hoped meditation would make him strong enough to avoid awakening the Demon Slayer Mark, though he would use it if an Upper Rank threatened his life.

Teiichi tried blowing up a training gourd and shattered it with such force that the fragments nearly hit Shinobu Kocho. After apologizing, he watched Shinobu practice and learned that she was trying to create her own Breathing Style.

• Teiichi went to the courtyard to practice and found Shinobu Kocho and Kobayashi Kanon training.
• Kanon told Teiichi she had been unable to blow apart her large gourd, and he offered to try.
• Teiichi blew the gourd apart, sending fragments flying toward Shinobu Kocho, who dodged them and angrily confronted him.
• Teiichi apologized to Shinobu Kocho, and she told him to be more careful next time.
• Teiichi watched Shinobu Kocho's sword practice and asked why her forms looked unusual.
• Shinobu Kocho told Teiichi she was trying to create her own Breathing Style.

Shinobu Kocho told Teiichi she wanted to create a Breathing Style suited to her strength and fighting methods, then asked whether he considered her weak. Teiichi urged her to build on her speed and adapt around her weakness, and Shinobu left the courtyard calling him her friend.

• Shinobu Kocho explained that she could not decapitate demons and wanted a style focused on speed and thrusts.
• Shinobu asked Teiichi whether he thought she was a weakling, and Teiichi used a gourd to show how she could work around her weakness.
• Teiichi told Shinobu to focus on her speed and strengths, using his own near-death fight with a Lower Rank Three as an example.
• Shinobu laughed at Teiichi's awkward attempt to comfort her, then called him her friend and asked him to call her Shinobu.

Teiichi spent New Year's Eve helping Kanae Kocho and the Butterfly Mansion residents prepare for the holiday, finding warmth in the shared work and celebration. As Kanae served tea at the New Year's gathering, a guest loudly proposed to her.

• After three months of recovery, Teiichi trained in the snowy courtyard as Kanae Kocho reminded him that the Butterfly Mansion needed cleaning for New Year's Eve.
• Kanae asked Teiichi how he used to celebrate New Year, and he said he had never done anything special beyond eating an extra meal.
• Teiichi helped clean and decorate the Butterfly Mansion, carrying water and putting up pine, bamboo, and shimenawa decorations.
• Kanae prepared a festive dinner, and the residents, patients, and Kakushi members gathered at the Butterfly Mansion to celebrate the approaching New Year.
• As Kanae served tea, someone shouted that they were her dog and asked whether she would marry them someday.

During the New Year gathering, Kanae announced that Teiichi would attend the Hashira Meeting to discuss his promotion to Wind Hashira. Half a month later, Teiichi and Kanae arrived at the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters for the meeting.

• A drunken Corps member named Yamamoto declared his love for Kanae, and Watanabe teased him until Shinobu Kocho sternly told them to stop.
• Kanae told Yamamoto and Watanabe to focus on training and slaying demons, while Shinobu Kocho protested her sister’s encouragement.
• Kanae said she planned to continue studying medicine and carrying out missions, then revealed that Teiichi would attend the Hashira Meeting to discuss becoming Wind Hashira.
• Teiichi wondered how his possible promotion would affect Sanemi Shinazugawa, while Kanon congratulated him and promised to keep training.
• Half a month later, Teiichi and Kanae traveled from the Butterfly Mansion, passed the Kakushi Division’s checks, and reached the headquarters grounds.

Kato Teiichi arrived at the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters with Kanae Kocho to meet the Hashira and attend the meeting. After introductions revealed the group’s members and roles, the Corps’ Hashira team began to take shape.

• Kato Teiichi and Kanae Kocho entered the headquarters and joined the four Hashira already gathered in the courtyard.
• Tengen Uzui introduced himself as the Sound Hashira and teased Teiichi about his injuries after killing Lower Rank Three.
• Gyomei Himejima introduced himself as the Stone Hashira, and Kyojuro Rengoku explained that he was attending for his father, the Flame Hashira, Shinjuro.
• Giyu Tomioka refused to introduce himself, so Kanae identified him as the Water Hashira.
• Kanae introduced herself as the Flower Hashira and welcomed Teiichi to work with her.

Teiichi refused to kneel when greeting Kagaya Ubuyashiki, explaining that he saw the Demon Slayer Corps as a job and would not surrender his dignity. Kagaya calmed the Hashira and connected Teiichi’s stance to the idea of equality, then asked whether Teiichi had encountered that culture before.

• Kagaya Ubuyashiki emerged beneath the eaves and quietly reflected on how much longer he would be able to see the sunlight.
• The Hashira knelt to greet Kagaya Ubuyashiki, but Teiichi only bowed slightly, and Kanae Kocho reminded him of the proper etiquette.
• Tengen Uzui rebuked Teiichi for treating the Demon Slayer Corps like an ordinary job, while Gyomei Himejima defended the Corps’ self-sacrificing purpose.
• Teiichi said he respected the mission but would not kneel or give up his dignity, prompting Kagaya Ubuyashiki to stop the argument and tell him his greeting was acceptable.
• Kagaya Ubuyashiki explained the idea of equality for all and asked Teiichi whether he had encountered that culture before.

Kato Teiichi was formally promoted to Wind Hashira after killing Lower Rank Three, Wakuraba, and agreed to be stationed on Kyushu Island. Kagaya Ubuyashiki then asked the other Hashira to help Teiichi improve his investigation skills.

• Kagaya Ubuyashiki announced Teiichi's promotion, and the Hashira accepted it despite their earlier displeasure with his behavior.
• Kyojuro Rengoku voiced his hope that the Corps would reach nine Hashira and defeat Muzan Kibutsuji, and Kagaya Ubuyashiki encouraged everyone to work toward that goal.
• Kagaya Ubuyashiki explained the Hashira's assigned territories and asked Teiichi to take responsibility for Kyushu Island.
• Teiichi agreed to the assignment, and Kagaya Ubuyashiki said a Kakushi would escort him and the Corps would arrange his residence.
• Kagaya Ubuyashiki asked the Hashira to teach Teiichi investigation techniques because he was relatively weak at investigating.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki asked the Hashira to help Teiichi improve his demon-detection skills, but none could offer a technique he could use directly. Teiichi left with the idea of combining Wind Breathing and his slightly enhanced hearing to develop his own method.

• Kagaya Ubuyashiki asked the Hashira to share detection techniques that could help Teiichi.
• Kyojuro Rengoku said his father had taught him no special techniques, and Tengen Uzui explained that Sound Breathing could track demons by their rhythms, though Teiichi declined to switch styles.
• Giyu Tomioka said he simply found demons at mission sites and killed them, while Gyomei Himejima said his enhanced hearing came from his blindness and could not be taught.
• Kanae Kocho recommended seeking information from the Kakushi Division when no special detection technique was available.
• Teiichi proposed combining Wind Breathing with his slightly improved hearing to develop a detection technique, and Kagaya Ubuyashiki wished him success.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki discussed the nationwide rise in demon sightings with the Hashira, who considered possible reasons and how the Demon Slayer Corps should respond. The meeting ended with Kagaya thanking them and hoping they would all return in six months.

• Kagaya Ubuyashiki reported that demon sightings and casualties had risen across the country over the past year or two.
• Gyomei Himejima, Kanae Kocho, and Giyu Tomioka confirmed that demons had become more frequent in their territories.
• Kanae Kocho suggested that Muzan Kibutsuji might be reacting to the changing era, while Teiichi privately suspected Muzan was expanding the demons searching for the Blue Spider Lily.
• Kagaya Ubuyashiki asked the Hashira to focus on how to respond, and Tengen Uzui proposed expanding the Demon Slayer Corps.
• Kagaya Ubuyashiki thanked the six figures at the meeting and said he hoped to see them again in six months.

Teiichi and Kanae disagreed over his refusal to kneel before Oyakata-sama, and Teiichi chose to leave for Kyushu Island without returning to the Butterfly Mansion. He then traveled toward Kyushu by train with Ichiro Tanaka, concealing his unusually heavy Nichirin Blade beneath his uniform.

• Kanae told Teiichi that his refusal to kneel could harm unity among the Hashira, and Teiichi said equality remained important to him.
• Teiichi told Kanae he would go straight to Kyushu Island and asked her to greet Kanon for him.
• At the train station, Ichiro Tanaka warned Teiichi to conceal his Nichirin Blade because carrying swords was prohibited.
• Teiichi revealed that his Nichirin Blade weighed fifty-six kilograms and carried it hidden beneath his uniform.
• Teiichi and Ichiro Tanaka bought tickets and boarded the train bound for Kyushu Island.

Teiichi traveled to Kumamoto City to take up his post as the Wind Hashira, while worrying about how to save Kanae from her future encounter with Doma. He arrived at his isolated estate and accepted that he would live there alone.

• On the train, Teiichi worried that Kanae would encounter Doma and die, but he could not think of a way to prevent it.
• Ichiro Tanaka told Teiichi that his post was in Kumamoto City and explained the city's history and location on Kyushu Island.
• Teiichi and Ichiro discussed casualties from war and demons, and Ichiro said he would condemn a government that invaded other countries for its own people's benefit.
• The following afternoon, Teiichi and Ichiro arrived in Kumamoto City and walked to the large estate assigned to Teiichi.
• Teiichi learned that he would usually live alone at the estate, declined Ichiro's offer to request a smaller place, and entered the grounds.

After receiving a summons, Kato Teiichi headed to Mount Hiraodai, where a demon had killed several Corps members. Three Demon Slayer Corps members searched the mountain and came under a barrage of stones, prompting Shimada to charge toward the demon while Takeuchi and Iguro took supporting positions.

• Kato Teiichi trained at home until a crow summoned him to support the Corps on Mount Hiraodai.
• Shimada, Takeuchi, and Iguro searched the mountain and found five dead Corps members along the way.
• Takeuchi warned Shimada and Iguro when stones suddenly flew at them from the forest.
• Shimada used Water Breathing's Eighth Form to block the stones while Takeuchi drew some attacks away.
• Shimada told Iguro to stay hidden and advanced toward the demon with Water Breathing's Third Form.

Takeuchi tried to surprise the demon throwing stones, but Lower Rank Three caught him off guard and gravely wounded him. As Shimada and Iguro rushed to help, Takeuchi warned them to flee, but Lower Rank Three cut off his warning by beheading him.

• Shimada struggled to deflect the stones and called for Takeuchi to act before he could hold out any longer.
• Takeuchi used Thunder Breathing: First Form, Thunderclap and Flash to rush the demon from behind and attack its neck.
• Lower Rank Three revealed that he had anticipated Takeuchi's attack, punched him into a tree, and left him coughing blood.
• Shimada and Iguro ran toward Takeuchi as he realized he could not fight and warned them that the demon was Lower Rank Three.
• Lower Rank Three beheaded Takeuchi before he could finish telling Shimada and Iguro to run.

Obanai Iguro and Shimada faced Lower Rank Three after Takeuchi was killed, but the demon’s barrage of stones wounded Shimada and injured Obanai. Obanai moved Shimada behind a sturdier tree, then rushed out to hold the demon off.

• Shimada urged Obanai Iguro to flee after Takeuchi was killed, but Obanai pointed out that Lower Rank Three would not let them escape.
• Shimada and Obanai used their Breathing forms to deflect the demon’s first barrage of stones.
• The next barrage wounded Shimada in the abdomen, leaving him unable to fight, while Obanai suffered a bleeding thigh wound.
• Obanai carried Shimada behind another tree as the demon kept hurling stones and refused Shimada’s offer to cover his retreat.
• Obanai told Shimada to rest behind the new tree and rushed out to hold Lower Rank Three off.

Obanai Iguro tried to survive Lower Rank Three’s pebble barrage until dawn, but the demon lured him out by targeting the injured Shimada. Obanai rushed in to protect Shimada, endured another volley, and prepared to seize his chance to kill the demon.

• Obanai chose to stall until dawn rather than abandon Shimada and the others or risk charging Lower Rank Three head-on.
• Lower Rank Three stopped throwing pebbles at Obanai and searched for the injured Shimada.
• Obanai noticed the sudden silence and spotted Lower Rank Three near Shimada, then charged with Serpent Breathing’s First Form.
• Lower Rank Three turned and hurled a prepared volley of pebbles at Obanai.
• Obanai blocked most of the pebbles with Serpent Breathing’s Third Form, suffered several wounds, and launched Serpent Breathing’s Fourth Form as the demon’s opening appeared.

Obanai Iguro attacked Lower Rank Three Shokugetsu, but Shokugetsu’s Blood Demon Art slowed Obanai’s blade and let him land a heavy punch. Obanai learned the demon’s ability and its range, while Shokugetsu remained confident that he would kill the Demon Slayers.

• Obanai used Serpent Breathing’s Fourth Form against Shokugetsu, but his blade slowed as it neared the demon.
• Obanai abandoned his attempt to cut Shokugetsu’s neck and leaped to avoid a fatal blow, but Shokugetsu’s punch struck his abdomen and sent him flying.
• Obanai landed, spat blood, and noticed his Nichirin Blade was damaged from blocking stones.
• Shokugetsu introduced himself as the newly promoted Lower Rank Three and said his Blood Demon Art could speed up or slow objects near his body.
• Shokugetsu explained that Boundary Speed worked within twenty centimeters of his body and could reach up to forty times its normal speed.

Obanai Iguro learned the limits of Shokugetsu’s Boundary Speed Blood Demon Art and adapted his attacks to keep the demon from predicting his blade. After Shokugetsu injured Obanai’s left hand, an unfamiliar voice called out to Lower Rank Three, hinting that reinforcements had arrived.

• Shokugetsu explained that Boundary Speed slowed anything within twenty centimeters of him fortyfold and accelerated objects he threw, though the acceleration quickly faded with distance.
• Obanai charged Shokugetsu with Serpent Breathing, concealing his blade’s approach and forcing the demon to dodge rather than rely on his usual counterattack.
• Obanai and Shokugetsu fought among the trees, each struggling against the other’s abilities and finding their advantage diminished.
• As Obanai slowed, Shokugetsu dodged his strike and punched him; Obanai blocked with his left hand and retreated, fearing it was broken.
• A puzzled voice called out to Lower Rank Three across the battlefield.

Teiichi found the wounded Shimada while Obanai Iguro fought the Lower Rank Three demon Shokugetsu. After teaching Shimada to use his breathing to stop his bleeding, Teiichi joined the battle and revealed that he held Hashira Rank.

• Teiichi found Shimada bleeding beneath a tree and told him he was the Wind Hashira.
• Teiichi guided Shimada to focus his breathing and visualize repairing his blood vessels, and Shimada's bleeding stopped.
• Teiichi hurried to the battle and arrived as Shokugetsu knocked Obanai Iguro back.
• Teiichi recognized the demon as Lower Rank Three and identified the wounded swordsman as Obanai Iguro.
• When Obanai asked Teiichi's rank, Teiichi said he was Hashira Rank.