Chapter Summaries

A wounded boy woke in a cabin and realized a demon was eating human flesh and planned to eat him next. As the demon began attacking him, Kazeno Sho rushed toward the cabin, and the boy heard him use Wind Breathing, First Form: Dust Whirlwind Cutter.

• The boy woke on the cabin floor with severe abdominal wounds and saw a figure eating what appeared to be a person.
• The figure turned toward the boy, grinned, and said it would be his turn soon.
• The boy could not move and, despite his injuries, tried to warn an approaching stranger to run away.
• Kazeno Sho heard the boy’s faint warning and hurried toward the cabin as the demon reached for him.
• The demon began eating the boy, and as the boy lost consciousness, he heard the call of Wind Breathing, First Form: Dust Whirlwind Cutter.

Kato Teiichi woke after a demon attack and learned from his rescuer, Kazeno Shoma, about demons and the Demon Slayer Corps. Teiichi asked to be trained to slay demons, and Kazeno Shoma accepted after warning him of the deadly path ahead.

• Kato Teiichi woke in Kazeno Shoma's home, learned his parents had been killed, and gave his name and age.
• Kazeno Shoma explained demons, Muzan Kibutsuji, Nichirin Blades, Breathing Styles, and his past as the Wind Hashira.
• Kato Teiichi asked Kazeno Shoma to teach him to fight demons.
• Kazeno Shoma warned Teiichi that joining the Demon Slayer Corps was likely to lead to death, and Teiichi firmly agreed.
• Kazeno Shoma asked how Teiichi felt, and Teiichi admitted he was hungry, so Kazeno Shoma went to bring him meat broth.

Shoma began Teiichi’s preparatory training for Wind Breathing by teaching him to sense the wind. He left Teiichi meditating on a mountaintop, where the boy was to practice daily.

• Shoma told Teiichi that he was still too weak for intense physical training or Wind Breathing, so he would spend the next few weeks sensing the wind.
• Teiichi explained that Breathing Styles suited different physical gifts, and Shoma described the strengths of the five major styles and how understanding their elements could improve a swordsman’s technique.
• Shoma took Teiichi to a mountaintop beneath a wisteria tree and told him to sit cross-legged on a rock exposed to the wind.
• Shoma instructed Teiichi to relax through deep, slow breathing and feel the wind against his body, then left him to practice and told him to come down when his shadow was nearly beneath him.

After recovering from his injuries, Teiichi trained under Kazeno Shoma and built up his strength for six months. Shoma told him he had met the minimum requirements to begin Breathing Style and swordsmanship practice.

• Teiichi used his improved hearing to sense Kazeno Shoma returning from the forest with a wild boar, and the two shared a meal at the cabin.
• Kazeno Shoma told Teiichi that his body had recovered enough to begin physical training the next day, while warning him not to assume he would become a Hashira.
• Before dawn, Kazeno Shoma made Teiichi run from the foot of the mountain to its summit and urged him to reach the top before sunrise.
• For six months, Teiichi trained daily on the mountain with running and full-body strength exercises as Kazeno Shoma brought him food and guided him.
• Kazeno Shoma told Teiichi that his progress had met the minimum requirements for a Breathing Style and announced that they would start Breathing Style and swordsmanship practice the next day.

Teiichi learned the basics of Wind Breathing from Kazeno Shoma and practiced until he gained an initial grasp of the technique. A month later, Shoma began teaching him Wind Breathing forms and demonstrated the First Form.

• Kazeno Shoma explained Wind Breathing and demonstrated its breathing rhythm for Teiichi to memorize.
• Teiichi felt how Shoma's lungs moved during the technique, then tried Wind Breathing himself as Shoma corrected his breathing.
• Shoma told Teiichi to practice often and explained that Total Concentration: Constant was necessary for becoming a Hashira.
• A month later, Teiichi meditated on the mountaintop and felt the wind circling around him as Shoma watched approvingly.
• Shoma told Teiichi he had grasped the correct breathing method, drew his Nichirin Blade, and demonstrated Wind Breathing, First Form: Dust Whirlwind Cutter.

Two years later, Teiichi had grown strong through relentless training under Shoma. When Shoma left to investigate a demon after two Demon Slayer Corps members disappeared, Teiichi trained and managed on his own, until a desperate cry for help woke him.

• Teiichi completed a thousand swings with his fifty-five-kilogram sword and reflected on how his Breathing Style had accelerated his growth.
• Shoma told Teiichi that a Tsuchinoto-ranked member and a Hinoe-ranked member had gone missing while investigating a nearby village, so he would investigate the demon himself.
• Teiichi worried about Shoma, but Shoma reassured him that the demon was probably a Lower Rank and urged him to finish his meal.
• After two days without Shoma, Teiichi continued training while hunting, gathering vegetables, and cooking for himself.
• That night, Teiichi heard a desperate voice calling for help and begging someone to save its mother.

Kobayashi Kanon fled her home after a pale, red-eyed stranger arrived and threatened her mother. Teiichi found her on the mountain path and promised to save her mother, then carried her toward the house.

• Kobayashi Kanon's mother told her to leave after a strange, silver-haired man entered their home, and the man promised not to chase her if the mother did not struggle.
• Kobayashi Kanon ran into the woods seeking the old man who carried wild boars, but she stumbled on the mountain path as her strength gave out.
• Teiichi heard Kanon's cries, grabbed a spare Nichirin Blade, and caught her before she fell.
• Kobayashi Kanon explained that a strange man was at her home and begged Teiichi to help her mother.
• Teiichi reassured Kobayashi Kanon that he would do everything he could to save her mother, then carried her down the mountain.

Teiichi brought Kanon back to her home and discovered a white-haired demon who had eaten her mother. Enraged, he attacked the demon with Wind Breathing and cut its body in half.

• Teiichi carried Kanon through the forest to her home, then sent her running back to safety when he sensed danger.
• A white-haired demon emerged and recognized Teiichi as a Demon Slayer, mocking his youth and trembling legs.
• The demon revealed that Kanon's mother had willingly let herself be eaten to protect her child, and Teiichi's fear turned to fury.
• Teiichi used Wind Breathing's Seventh Form, Gale, Sudden Gusts, and charged at the demon.
• Teiichi's strike cut the white-haired demon in half at the waist.

Teiichi fought a white-haired demon whose Blood Control let him reconnect his severed body and attack with blood arrows. After rejecting the demon’s offer to become one of them, Teiichi launched another Wind Breathing attack, and his blade struck the demon’s blood barrier.

• Teiichi cleaved the white-haired demon in half, but the demon used blood threads to reconnect his body.
• The demon revealed his Blood Control Blood Demon Art and fired blood arrows at Teiichi, cutting his cheek with a surprise shot.
• Teiichi retreated beyond the demon’s control range, and the two faced off in a stalemate.
• The white-haired demon tried to persuade Teiichi to become a demon, but Teiichi refused and resolved to kill him.
• Teiichi used Wind Breathing, Seventh Form: Gale, Sudden Gusts, and struck the demon’s blood barrier.

Teiichi defeated the white-haired demon with a feint and a surprise attack, then discovered the little girl’s mother had been killed. He found Kanon and carried her back to the house to see her mother.

• Teiichi blocked the demon’s blood arrows with Rising Dust Storm, then used a dust decoy to slip behind him.
• Teiichi killed the white-haired demon with Wind Breathing, first form: Dust Whirlwind Cutter, and watched his head turn to ash.
• Teiichi entered the wooden house, covered the dead woman’s body with a robe, and felt troubled by her death.
• Teiichi caught up with Kanon, whose smile faded when she understood her mother had died.
• Teiichi carried Kanon back to the wooden house, and they traveled in silence.

After Teiichi helped Kobayashi Kanon bury her mother, he offered to take her to the Butterfly Mansion, but Kanon asked to learn to hunt demons. Teiichi agreed to discuss teaching her Wind Breathing with his master, and they left the cabin together.

• Teiichi comforted Kanon as she mourned her mother's death, then left the cabin while her sobs continued.
• At dawn, Teiichi and Kanon buried her mother and bowed at the grave.
• Teiichi learned that the girl's name was Kobayashi Kanon and that she had no other family.
• Teiichi offered to take Kanon to the Butterfly Mansion, but she asked to learn how to hunt demons.
• Teiichi agreed to speak with his master about teaching Kanon Wind Breathing, and they packed her belongings and headed up the mountain.

After learning that Kazeno Shoma had died fighting Upper Rank Four, Teiichi arranged for Kanon to study at the Butterfly Mansion and resolved to become strong enough to kill Hantengu before the Swordsmith Village. He lay awake grieving for his master and confronting the reality of the world he lived in.

• Teiichi finished his daily sword training after a peaceful week of living and training with Kanon while Kazeno Shoma remained away on a demon-hunting mission.
• A Kasugai Crow announced that former Wind Hashira Kazeno Shoma had died in battle against Upper Rank Four, leaving Teiichi stunned with grief.
• Teiichi asked the Kasugai Crow to tell the Corps leader that Kanon wanted to join the Demon Slayer Corps and should be sent to the Butterfly Mansion.
• Teiichi explained to Kanon that he could not teach her Wind Breathing and that she would be escorted to the Butterfly Mansion, while Kanon comforted him and prepared their meal.
• Unable to sleep, Teiichi thought about Hantengu, resolved to become strong enough to kill him before the Swordsmith Village, and recognized that this world was real.

After waking from a restless night, Teiichi told Kanon he would practice Total Concentration: Constant and explained how Breathing Styles strengthened the body. A Kasugai Crow announced that Kakushi would collect Kanon in five days and take her to the Butterfly Mansion, where Teiichi expected she would learn Flower Breathing.

• Kanon checked on Teiichi after he slept late, and they ate breakfast together.
• Teiichi asked Kanon to watch him during the day as he practiced using a Breathing Style constantly, and he explained why children should wait until their bodies developed before learning the technique.
• A Kasugai Crow announced that Kakushi would collect Kanon in five days and take her to the Butterfly Mansion.
• Teiichi explained that Kanon would probably learn Flower Breathing, and she eagerly imagined mastering its graceful forms.

Teiichi trained through the night and mastered the basic Total Concentration: Constant after four days of practice. As the Kakushi came to take Kanon to the Butterfly Mansion, Teiichi and Kanon sat together in silence, facing their imminent separation.

• Kanon urged Teiichi to rest, but he continued practicing Total Concentration: Constant and went to the mountaintop that night to train with his Nichirin Blade.
• Teiichi practiced Wind Breathing through the night, refined his sword forms by responding to his body's sensations, and felt the wind move naturally with him.
• Teiichi remembered his late Master Shoma, mourned his absence, and descended the mountain at daybreak.
• After five days of practice, Teiichi had mastered the basic Constant state, with Kanon confirming his progress by monitoring him.
• On the day the Kakushi came to take Kanon to the Butterfly Mansion, Teiichi and Kanon sat in silence, unable to speak about their sorrow at parting.

Sato arrived at Kazeno Shoma’s home to escort Kobayashi Kanon to the Butterfly Mansion and check on Kato Teiichi’s training. Kanon left in tears, while Teiichi committed to taking the Mount Fujikasane Trial in six months and watched her depart.

• Sato met Teiichi and explained that the master had authorized him to choose whether to take the Mount Fujikasane Trial in six months or train longer.
• Teiichi accepted a map to Mount Fujikasane and said he would take the trial.
• Sato prepared to escort Kanon to the Butterfly Mansion, and Teiichi asked him to look after her.
• Kanon tearfully said goodbye to Teiichi, who promised to visit her and encouraged her to become an excellent swordswoman.
• Teiichi watched Kanon and Sato disappear down the mountain path, then turned and headed uphill.

Teiichi traveled to Mount Fujikasane for the Demon Slayer Corps' Final Selection after months of training. He arrived at the wisteria-covered mountain, where Kagaya Ubuyashiki explained the seven-day survival test, and the candidates prepared to begin.

• Teiichi calculated his supplies, then set out with a heavy training sword and a pack.
• After two days of travel, Teiichi reached Mount Fujikasane and walked through its vast wisteria grove.
• Teiichi climbed to the platform and rested as the other Final Selection candidates arrived.
• Kagaya Ubuyashiki appeared with two Kakushi and introduced himself as the head of the Demon Slayer Corps.
• Kagaya explained that the candidates must survive seven days among demons beyond the wisteria, then urged them to set forth.

Teiichi wandered the trial grounds, easily killing the demons he encountered, while Shota struggled against a Hardening Demon whose Blood Demon Art made its skin impervious to his sword. The Hardening Demon knocked Shota down, leaving him in grave danger as the third night began.

• Teiichi struck an attacking demon with his heavy training sword, then chased it down and beheaded it with his Nichirin Blade.
• Over three nights, Teiichi encountered five weak demons and killed them without difficulty.
• Teiichi heard fighting in the woods and ran toward the sounds.
• Shota battled a Hardening Demon, but his Nichirin Blade could only leave shallow marks on its hardened skin.
• The Hardening Demon punched Shota into the ground and struck him again after he tried to defend himself.

Teiichi intervened when the wounded Shota was about to be killed by the Hardening Demon and defeated the demon with overwhelming strength before finishing him with his Nichirin Blade. Shota watched in shock, recalling his teacher’s lessons about using skill rather than matching demons’ strength.

• The Hardening Demon injured Shota’s hands, leaving him unable to fight as he despaired beneath the night sky.
• Teiichi arrived, and Shota warned him that the demon’s hardened skin could not be cut by a Nichirin Blade.
• The Hardening Demon charged Teiichi, who broke the demon’s arm and knocked him down with a heavy training sword.
• Teiichi struck the demon again, breaking his arms and caving in his chest, then killed him with his Nichirin Blade.
• Shota watched the fight in disbelief and remembered his teacher warning him not to pit human strength against demons.

Teiichi continued the Mount Fujikasane trial with the injured Shota, explaining how his fifty-five-kilogram training sword helped him overpower demons. On the fifth day, Kanae Kocho saved a participant from two demons while Teiichi watched from afar and then walked away.

• Teiichi let Shota stay with him for the night but advised him to leave the mountain the next day if he could not fight.
• Teiichi explained that he defeated a demon by using the force of his fifty-five-kilogram training sword, and Shota tried lifting it.
• Shota compared their training, and Teiichi suggested that talent might account for their difference in strength.
• On the fifth day of the trial, Teiichi watched as Kanae Kocho arrived and beheaded two demons attacking a wounded participant.
• Kanae noticed Teiichi walking away, while another participant urged her to confront the man she had rescued.

Teiichi searched Mount Fujikasane for the Hand Demon while continuing to rescue Final Selection participants. Kanae Kocho and the group she had gathered were attacked by the Hand Demon, just as Teiichi heard the battle and headed toward it.

• Teiichi recalled that he had defeated two Blood Demon Art-using demons with his Nichirin Blade and wondered why he had not encountered the Hand Demon.
• Kanae Kocho traveled with six boys and another girl, who asked for Kanae’s address and argued over their admiration for her.
• Kanae and the group walked along a woodland path as the trial neared its end.
• The Hand Demon’s arms shot out from the forest, and Kanae cut them down with her Nichirin Blade.
• The enormous Hand Demon emerged from the trees, terrifying the group.
• Teiichi heard the battle and headed toward it, intending to rescue another participant.