Recaps

Muzan turned a surviving man into the new Lower Rank Two, Rokuro, before learning that Kokushibo had failed to defeat Teiichi. As dawn approached, Kokushibo returned to the Infinity Castle, while Teiichi decided to leave the woods and postpone returning to the Butterfly Mansion because of his chest wound.

• Muzan found a man had survived the dose of blood he had given him, named him Rokuro, and watched as Rokuro attacked the two corpses in the cabin.
• Nakime told Muzan that Teiichi had become strong enough to match Kokushibo and that dawn was approaching.
• Muzan ordered Kokushibo and the other Upper Ranks back to the Infinity Castle.
• Kokushibo obeyed Muzan’s summons and left through Nakime’s doorway without Teiichi trying to stop him.
• At sunrise, Teiichi recovered the broken pieces of his blade and decided to leave the area, delaying his return to the Butterfly Mansion until near New Year because of his chest wound.

Gyokko and the Upper Ranks learned that Kokushibo had failed to kill the Demon Slayer, who had also mastered the Transparent World. Muzan ordered all six Upper Ranks to hunt him together the following night, and they later searched the town and its outskirts without finding him.

• Gyokko guessed that Kokushibo had turned the Demon Slayer into a demon, but Kokushibo arrived alone and silenced him with a cold look.
• Muzan appeared and announced that Kokushibo had failed to kill the Demon Slayer, then ordered all six Upper Ranks to go after him the next night.
• Kokushibo confirmed that the Demon Slayer had comprehended the Transparent World, and he reassured Daki that he would hold him off while she hid with her brother.
• That night, Akaza, Doma, Hantengu, Gyokko, Kokushibo, and Daki searched the town and outskirts but found no trace of the Demon Slayer.
• Kokushibo reunited with Akaza, Doma, Hantengu, and Gyokko while leading Daki, and the Upper Ranks continued their search in three teams.

The Upper Ranks returned to Infinity Castle after the Demon Slayer escaped, and Muzan reprimanded them for their failures. He ordered all six to hunt the swordsman together, while Akaza requested a Rank Replacement Blood Battle.

• Akaza rejected Gyokko’s suggestion to kill townspeople, and Kokushibo warned that conspicuous actions would anger Muzan.
• At Infinity Castle, Muzan condemned the Upper Ranks for failing to destroy the Ubuyashiki Clan, find the Blue Spider Lily, and stop the Demon Slayer.
• Muzan ordered all six Upper Ranks to find the Demon Slayer and report to him rather than confront the swordsman alone.
• As Muzan prepared to leave, Akaza asked to hold a Rank Replacement Blood Battle.

Akaza fought Doma in a Rank Replacement Blood Battle, using his newly gained strength and Transparent World to batter him despite Doma’s massive ice bodhisattva. Kokushibo believed Akaza could win, but warned the battle might last until dawn.

• Muzan asked Kokushibo whether Akaza could defeat Doma, and Kokushibo said Akaza’s chances had improved since he comprehended the Transparent World.
• Doma’s ice bodhisattva attacked, and Kokushibo explained that its size and power were not especially dangerous to an opponent of equal strength.
• Akaza decided to wear Doma down and smashed the ice bodhisattva’s arm with Destructive Death: Annihilation Style.
• Akaza reached the top of the ice bodhisattva and struck Doma with Destructive Death: Disorder, breaking half his face despite Doma’s attempts to block with his fans.
• Doma repeatedly chatted while fighting, and Akaza kept landing wounds that Doma’s demonic body quickly healed.

Akaza defeated Doma in their Rank Replacement Blood Battle, driving him into sunlight and nearly burning him to death. Muzan declared Akaza Upper Rank Two and demoted Doma to Upper Rank Three, while Kokushibo cut away Doma’s sun-scorched flesh so he could regenerate.

• Akaza destroyed the ice Bodhisattva and continued fighting Doma until dawn.
• Akaza sent Doma into sunlight, where Doma endured severe burns while using his ice Blood Demon Art to reach the shade.
• Akaza prepared to throw the exhausted Doma back into sunlight, but Muzan arrived and ordered him to let Doma live.
• Muzan declared Akaza the winner, promoted him to Upper Rank Two, and demoted Doma to Upper Rank Three.
• Kokushibo sliced away Doma’s burned flesh, and Doma slowly regenerated before complaining that Akaza had treated him cruelly.

Teiichi returned to the Butterfly Mansion and told Kanae, Shinobu Kocho, and the others about his encounters with Upper Rank Three and Upper Rank One. He explained what he had learned about Kokushibo and Akaza, leaving Kanae alarmed by the demons’ abilities.

• Kanae told Kanon that Teiichi was expected to return about ten days before New Year's, and the group discussed the Corps' growing number of Hashira.
• Teiichi arrived at the Butterfly Mansion, and Kanae, Shinobu Kocho, and Kanon noticed a scar on his forehead.
• Teiichi said he had encountered Upper Rank Three and Upper Rank One on consecutive days, explaining that Muzan had sent Upper Rank One after him.
• Aoi Kanzaki brought Teiichi food, and he told everyone about Kokushibo and Akaza as he ate.
• Kanae reacted gravely to learning that one demon used a Breathing Style and another could no longer be killed with a Nichirin Blade.

Teiichi learned that Shinobu had become a Hashira and met the Butterfly Mansion’s new young residents. That night, Kanae visited him with new clothes and, noticing his hesitation to change, asked whether he was hiding other injuries.

• Kanae agreed to pass Teiichi’s information about the Upper Ranks to Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters.
• Teiichi guessed that Shinobu had become a Hashira, and Shinobu said she had encountered Lower Rank Two.
• Kanae told Teiichi that the Corps now had nine Hashira, including Sanemi, Mitsuri, Obanai, and Shinobu.
• Kiyo Terauchi, Sumi Nakahara, and Naho Takada introduced themselves to Teiichi at the Butterfly Mansion.
• Kanae visited Teiichi at night to give him clothes she had bought, then asked whether he had other injuries he was hiding.

Kanae confronted Teiichi about hiding his injuries, and he showed her the massive scar left by Upper Rank One after his Nichirin Blade was cut in half. After comforting Kanae and promising not to hide things from her again, Teiichi woke beside her the next morning as she offered to reopen the wound and apply medicine to prevent a scar.

• Kanae asked Teiichi to show her the injuries he had concealed, and he revealed a large scar running from his shoulder to his abdomen.
• Teiichi explained that Upper Rank One had cut through his Nichirin Blade, leaving him to continue fighting with a broken blade.
• Kanae asked Teiichi not to hide things from her again and admitted she was afraid of losing her family; Teiichi held her as she cried.
• Kanae fell asleep clinging to Teiichi, and he stayed beside her through the night.
• The next morning, Kanae said she would reopen Teiichi's wound and apply medicine from the Butterfly Mansion to prevent it from leaving a scar.

Teiichi and Kanae shared a secret morning kiss, but Aoi Kanzaki saw Kanae leave his room. Kanae covered for them by proposing that Teiichi train Aoi for the Final Selection, and Aoi gratefully accepted.

• Teiichi reminded Kanae that she owed him a welcome-home kiss, and they kissed in bed.
• Kanae left Teiichi's room and encountered Aoi Kanzaki in the corridor.
• Aoi tried to pretend she had seen nothing, but Kanae stopped her before she could return to her room.
• Kanae told Aoi that Teiichi could give her special training before the Final Selection.
• Aoi, anxious about facing the Final Selection, thanked Kanae for arranging the training.

Kanae arranged for Teiichi to give Aoi Kanzaki and Kanao special training before their Final Selection, and Teiichi set out a two-part daily plan. The training was scheduled to begin the next day while Teiichi recovered, and Kanon asked whether the usual sparring could continue.

• At breakfast, Kanae explained that she had asked Teiichi to give Aoi Kanzaki special training before the New Year’s Final Selection, and Shinobu Kocho agreed that Aoi needed practice fighting decisively.
• Kanae invited Kanao to join the training, and Kanao used her coin to decide before agreeing to participate.
• Teiichi learned that Aoi already knew her Breathing Style and sword forms while Kanao had only started, and he planned morning practice in Total Concentration Breathing and sword forms followed by afternoon conditioning and simulated combat.
• Kanae scheduled the training to start the next day so Teiichi could rest and tend to his chest wound.
• Kanon asked whether the usual afternoon sparring with Teiichi could continue, as the Butterfly Mansion residents had improved through their past matches with him.

Teiichi told Kanae about the Transparent World while she treated his chest wound, explaining how it improved perception and bodily control. Kanae planned to report what she learned about the Upper Ranks and the Transparent World to the Master.

• Teiichi agreed to resume sparring with Kanon, Aoi Kanzaki, and Kanao the next afternoon despite Kanae's concern about his wounds.
• Kanae took Teiichi to the operating room and carefully cut away the scarring on his chest to apply fresh medicine.
• Teiichi explained that the Transparent World let him perceive bones, muscles, and blood flow and control his body with greater precision.
• Kanae recognized the Transparent World's potential to improve combat and surgery, then asked how someone could attain it.
• Kanae said she would write up information about the Upper Ranks and the Transparent World and send it to the Master.

Teiichi taught Aoi Kanzaki and Kanao to begin practicing Total Concentration: Constant while monitoring their sword forms. As they trained, he discovered he could now steer his Wind Blades, and he stopped Kanao when she pushed herself until she became ill.

• Teiichi explained that Total Concentration: Constant meant maintaining a Breathing Style without interruption, and assigned Aoi Kanzaki and Kanao to practice their breathing and sword forms together.
• Teiichi observed the girls training and reflected that he could now influence the direction of his Wind Blades, though controlling the spinning gourd with the ability remained difficult.
• Aoi Kanzaki kept swinging her wooden sword despite exhaustion, while Kanao grew pale as she continued using her Breathing Style.
• Teiichi ordered Kanao to stop, rest, and breathe normally, then told her to resume training later and correct the flaws in her sword forms one by one.

At the Butterfly Mansion, Teiichi pushed Aoi Kanzaki through grueling training and helped her consider whether she wanted to become a combatant or remain support personnel. Kanae then told Teiichi that the Master had invited him to a Hashira Meeting after the New Year to review information on the Upper Ranks and meet a talented child he might train, and Teiichi agreed to attend.

• Aoi Kanzaki asked Teiichi to stop or ease her training, but he refused and reminded her that her Breathing Style had improved to seven hours.
• Teiichi asked Aoi Kanzaki whether she planned to become a full-fledged Demon Slayer after Mount Fujikasane, and he encouraged her to consider that support work also helped kill demons.
• Aoi Kanzaki decided to continue training for now and make her choice after Final Selection, while Kanae said she would be glad if Aoi stayed at the Butterfly Mansion.
• Kanae told Teiichi that the Master had invited him to a Hashira Meeting after the New Year to review information on the Upper Ranks and discuss a talented child he hoped Teiichi would train.
• Teiichi agreed to attend the meeting with Kanae and see the child.

Kanae and Teiichi discussed his experiments with controlling wind before sharing a flirtatious moment at the Butterfly Mansion. Shinobu Kocho brought Teiichi a Nichirin Blade, and the three prepared to spar.

• Kanae finished treating Saito’s broken leg and found Teiichi practicing an advanced Wind Breathing technique in the courtyard.
• Teiichi explained how he guided existing air to create wind, and Kanae encouraged him to keep developing the ability.
• Kanae teased Teiichi by calling herself his woman, and he tried to pull her close before Shinobu Kocho interrupted them.
• Shinobu Kocho gave Teiichi a blue-green Nichirin Blade, and he accepted it as a new kind of training.
• Shinobu Kocho suggested sparring with Teiichi, and Kanae watched them with a smile as she reflected on her happiness.

On New Year's Day at the Butterfly Mansion, Teiichi and the others shared a meal and discussed Mitsuri's search for a husband stronger than herself. The conversation turned to which Hashira might suit her, and Shinobu angrily criticized Giyu Tomioka.

• Teiichi decorated the Butterfly Mansion entrance with pine, bamboo, and a shimenawa as heavy snow fell.
• The Butterfly Mansion residents celebrated with individual meals, and Teiichi asked who had prepared the unfamiliar dishes.
• Kanae and Shinobu Kocho said they learned the new recipes from Mitsuri, the Love Hashira.
• Kanae explained that Mitsuri hoped to find a husband stronger than herself, prompting Kanon and Aoi Kanzaki to wonder which Hashira might suit her.
• Shinobu named Himejima as the strongest, but Kanae and Shinobu agreed he did not seem likely to marry.
• When Kanon asked about Giyu Tomioka, Shinobu called him arrogant and recalled that Kanae had placed first in the Hashira Battles.

Kanae, Shinobu Kocho, and Kanon debated which Hashira might suit Mitsuri, then discussed how Corps members found partners. The chapter left Kanae explaining that support personnel mostly paired with other support personnel because they rarely met combatants.

• Kanae said Giyu was gentle but difficult to communicate with, so she thought he would not suit Mitsuri.
• Shinobu Kocho proposed Rengoku as a match for Mitsuri, but Kanae ruled him out because he had been Mitsuri's Tsuguko's mentor.
• Shinobu Kocho rejected the Wind Hashira and Serpent Hashira as unsuitable, while Kanon worried Mitsuri might not find anyone.
• Kanae said Mitsuri could fall in love with someone of a different personality or an ordinary Corps member, and Shinobu Kocho teased her for finding the strongest one.
• Teiichi asked whether Corps members chose partners among their fellow members, and Kanae and Shinobu Kocho explained that support personnel usually partnered with one another because they had little contact with combatants.

During the New Year celebration, Teiichi and Kanae shared a quiet moment and promised to marry in three years. The chapter ended with them kissing in the hallway as Kanae asked him not to return to his room that night.

• Teiichi praised the new dishes, and Kanae revealed that he had chosen her stew as his favorite.
• Kanae and Teiichi wished each other a happy New Year and prayed together because Kanae could not leave the Butterfly Mansion to visit a shrine.
• Kanae wished for Teiichi and Shinobu to live happily and for their generation to defeat Muzan Kibutsuji, while Teiichi wished for peace and joy.
• Kanae asked Teiichi when they would marry, and he promised they would marry in three years.
• Teiichi and Kanae kissed, and Kanae asked him not to go back to his room that night.

Teiichi and Kanae spent the night together after agreeing he would leave before dawn, and he asked her to leave the door open for him in the future. After New Year, life at the Butterfly Mansion returned to training and sparring, leading up to the annual Hashira Meeting.

• Teiichi asked Kanae to let him stay, and she agreed on the condition that no one found out and he left before dawn.
• Teiichi carried Kanae to her room, then left early the next morning after sharing a quiet embrace and kissing her forehead.
• Teiichi returned to ask Kanae to leave the door open for him from then on, and she shyly agreed.
• Kanae organized daily New Year activities at the Butterfly Mansion, earning praise from its members.
• After New Year, Teiichi resumed training Aoi Kanzaki and Kanao and sparring with Kanae, Shinobu Kocho, and Kanon as the annual Hashira Meeting approached.

The Hashira gathered at headquarters and discussed their work and the late arrival of Kanae and Shinobu. Their arrival revealed a third person, whom Tengen Uzui recognized as Kato, leaving the others curious about the newcomer.

• Kyojuro Rengoku greeted the Hashira, and Obanai Iguro teased him while Mitsuri Kanroji welcomed his warmth.
• Sanemi Shinazugawa asked whether anyone had encountered a Lower Rank, and the Hashira discussed their lack of sightings and their demon kills.
• Tengen Uzui wondered why the Flower and Insect Hashira had not arrived, and Gyomei Himejima and Giyu Tomioka explained that they were not late.
• Obanai Iguro sensed three people approaching and realized a third set of footsteps followed Kanae and Shinobu Kocho.
• Kanae and Shinobu arrived with an unfamiliar young man, and Tengen Uzui greeted him as Kato.

Teiichi reunited with several Hashira at a gathering and caught up with Tengen Uzui, Kyojuro Rengoku, and Obanai Iguro. Sanemi Shinazugawa challenged Teiichi’s presence and slapped away his offered hand, but Teiichi stayed calm as Sanemi grew angrier.

• Tengen Uzui greeted Teiichi and invited him to visit a hot spring, but Teiichi suggested waiting until Kanae was free and said they planned to marry in a few years.
• Kyojuro Rengoku joined Teiichi and Tengen Uzui, and Teiichi explained that he had spent the past few years traveling.
• Obanai Iguro thanked Teiichi for saving his life, and Teiichi learned that the injured Corps member from that incident had recovered.
• Sanemi Shinazugawa demanded to know who Teiichi was, and Teiichi introduced himself with an offered handshake.
• Sanemi slapped Teiichi’s hand away and questioned whether he belonged to the Demon Slayer Corps, while Teiichi remained calm and Sanemi became furious.

Teiichi attended the Hashira Meeting at Kagaya Ubuyashiki’s invitation to share intelligence about Upper Rank One and Upper Rank Three. After warning the Hashira that the strongest Upper Ranks could be deadly even to flee from, he moved indoors and recounted his intelligence.

• Sanemi Shinazugawa challenged Teiichi about leaving the Corps, and Teiichi refused to explain beyond saying he had broken its rules.
• Kagaya Ubuyashiki arrived and explained that he had invited Teiichi because he had important intelligence.
• Teiichi confirmed he had encountered Upper Rank One and Upper Rank Three separately but had killed neither.
• Teiichi warned that Hashira might not survive an encounter with one of the top three Upper Ranks, angering Sanemi Shinazugawa until Kagaya intervened.
• The Hashira moved indoors, where Teiichi sat beside Kanae and shared his intelligence.

The Hashira discussed the danger posed by Upper Ranks One and Three, and Giyu Tomioka warned that a Hashira facing either alone would likely die before help arrived. Kagaya Ubuyashiki grieved over his family’s failure to stop Tsugikuni Michikatsu, but Teiichi urged him to focus on leading the Corps in the future, leaving Kagaya with renewed resolve.

• Tengen Uzui, Gyomei Himejima, and the other Hashira considered the intelligence about Upper Ranks One and Three, while Giyu Tomioka said a lone Hashira would probably not survive an encounter.
• Sanemi Shinazugawa argued with Giyu Tomioka, and Mitsuri Kanroji tried to redirect the Hashira to their discussion.
• Kagaya Ubuyashiki recalled that Tsugikuni Michikatsu had become a demon and killed many people over the centuries, then prostrated himself and apologized for his family’s failure.
• Mitsuri Kanroji, Gyomei Himejima, Kyojuro Rengoku, and the other Hashira tried to reassure Kagaya Ubuyashiki that the past was not his fault.
• Teiichi told Kagaya Ubuyashiki to stop dwelling on past guilt and focus on how to manage the Demon Slayer Corps in the future.
• Kagaya Ubuyashiki rose, thanked Teiichi for the lesson, and looked more resolute.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki accepted responsibility for the Corps’ ignorance about a swordsman who became a demon, while the Hashira discussed Muzan’s escape ability and Teiichi explained three powers that could help them fight demons. Kagaya recalled historical records of the Demon Slayer Mark, and Sanemi asked why the Corps had kept them from its members.

• Kagaya Ubuyashiki apologized for the Ubuyashiki Family’s failure to learn that a swordsman of the original Breathing Style had become a demon, and the Hashira reassured him.
• Obanai Iguro, Gyomei Himejima, Sanemi Shinazugawa, and Giyu Tomioka discussed Muzan Kibutsuji’s teleportation ability and the difficulty of finding and trapping him.
• Kagaya Ubuyashiki said the Corps had gained useful information about the Upper Ranks and hoped Muzan would be defeated in their generation.
• Teiichi explained the Demon Slayer Mark, Transparent World, and Red Nichirin Blade, and said he had mastered only Transparent World.
• Kagaya Ubuyashiki recalled records of marked swordsmen from the Sengoku era, and Sanemi Shinazugawa asked why the Corps had not shared that information sooner.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki explained how Demon Slayer Marks spread, and Teiichi compared their benefits with other abilities needed to fight Upper Ranks. He introduced Wielding the Heavy as Light, a technique he had practiced for years, and Gyomei Himejima realized he had already achieved it.

• Kagaya Ubuyashiki said that when someone develops a Demon Slayer Mark, those around them may develop marks as well.
• Teiichi explained that mastering one ability might help against the lower Upper Ranks, but that even all three abilities might not be enough against the top three.
• Teiichi said he survived his encounter with Kokushibo until dawn and credited years of Breathing-assisted training and another technique for his strength.
• Teiichi introduced Wielding the Heavy as Light and explained that it lets someone wield a heavy weapon with the speed and agility of a light one without surpassing their physical limits.
• Gyomei Himejima recognized that he had reached the technique's realm through his experience wielding his heavy flail and broad axe.

Teiichi explained the limits and training method of Wielding the Heavy as Light, then revealed a further stage called Lifting Light as Though Heavy. During dinner after the Hashira Meeting, he declined to join the next day's Hashira Battles until Sanemi Shinazugawa challenged his claims, prompting Teiichi to offer him an outright defeat.

• Gyomei Himejima confirmed that Wielding the Heavy as Light improved the speed and precision of combat with heavy weapons but did not reduce stamina use.
• Teiichi advised the Hashira to train with heavy weapons and told Gyomei Himejima that he could advance to Lifting Light as Though Heavy.
• Kakushi members Ueya and Nakamura delivered food to the Hashira and wondered why Teiichi was dining with them.
• After the all-day Hashira Meeting, Kagaya Ubuyashiki rested while Teiichi and the nine Hashira ate dinner together.
• Teiichi declined Tengen Uzui's invitation to join the next day's Hashira Battles, and Sanemi Shinazugawa accused him of being afraid and making up his claims.
• Teiichi responded to Sanemi Shinazugawa's provocation by asking whether he wanted to experience an outright defeat.