Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc Episode 9

Hashira vs. Upper Six

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc Episode 9 finished Muichirou’s arc. We got to see the end of his backstory. And we also got to see him defeat one of the Upper Six demons, Gyokko. So, his character arc seems to be done.

As I predicted in my review of Episode 8, it was Lady Amane who saved Muichirou in the past. She and her attendants (daughters?) were able to save Muichirou’s life. But, they were too late to save Yuichirou. And, as expected, they brought Muichirou back to the Demon Slayer headquarters.

One thing we didn’t get to see is who trained Muichirou. But, it may be that he trained himself. The Mist Breathing technique might not have come from someone else. Just look at the matching outfits Muichirou and Yuichirou wore. They had mist cloud patterns on them.

Now, for the fight between Muichirou and Gyokko. Am I the only one who thought it was too easy for Muichirou to win? Back in the Entertainment District Arc, it took five people to defeat Gyuutarou and Daki. Tengen (a Hashira), Tenjirou, Zenitsu, Inosuke, and Nezuko all played a role.

Gyokko has a higher rank than Gyuutarou and Daki. And yet, Muichirou was able to defeat him without the help of any other Demon Slayers. Not only that, but he defeated Gyokko pretty easily. The second Muichirou actually took the fight seriously, he decapitated Gyokko.

Even in his most powerful form, Gyokko didn’t stand a chance.

Though, I guess Rengoku did almost kill Akaza, who’s the third-ranked demon. But, still, it seemed like killing Gyokko was way too easy for Muichirou. Is it because we’re at the point where it’s time to speed up the plot and get to Muzan?

Tanjirou Rengoku

We got to see Muichirou do some cool stuff in Episode 9. In particular, I liked the shot of him walking through the mist toward the viewer. The attack he used to behead Gyokko wasn’t flashy. But, that was a definitively cool scene.

Toward the end of the episode, we also got to see Mitsuri do some cool stuff, too. Her entrance with the moon as the backdrop was nice. Though, I would have preferred a Sailor Moon reference. And the way she lassoed the one dragon and used it to hit the other two was awesome.

But, my favorite scene of the episode wasn’t one of these action scenes. My favorite scene was Kotetsu revealing that Rengoku’s handguard is what saved him.

There are a few things I liked about this scene. It had Rengoku in it. We saw a bit of Muichirou’s relationship with Rengoku. And we learned that Tanjirou wants to honor Rengoku.

It’s no surprise that Rengoku is one of the most popular characters from Demon Slayer. He’s a likable guy and he received the best death scene of the series — at least up to this point. As I’ve said in other reviews, a great death scene can do a lot for a character.

So, I always like when we get to see Rengoku again. And, usually, when we see Rengoku again, it’s alongside another Hashira. In the Entertainment District Arc, we saw Tengen channeling his inner Rengoku. And here, we saw that Rengoku befriended Muichirou when he became a Hashira.

That’s why Muichirou reacted to hearing that Tanjirou wants to honor Rengoku. Tanjirou plans to have Rengoku’s handguard put on his newly-restored Nichirin blade. And since it’s a flame design, that still fits Tanjirou. Sun Breathing and Flame breathing are pretty similar.

The Love Hashira Arrives Precisely When She Means To

Have you noticed that Mitsuri Kanroji always arrives at the last second? She showed up right as the giant fish demon was about to kill the village chief. And now she showed up right as the giant wooden dragon was about to crush Tanjirou.

Oh, and I guess she also showed up in the village right before the other fish monsters killed everyone. She has a knack for showing up at the last possible moment before disaster. So far, that’s worked out. But, I have a feeling things are going to go wrong.

Tokitou had a pretty easy time defeating Gyokko, as I already mentioned. I’m not so sure that Mitsuri is going to have an easy time defeating Hantengu. And it’s not solely because Hantengu is a stronger demon. It’s also because Mitsuri isn’t Tokitou.

As we know, Tokitou is considered a child prodigy. He made it to the rank of Hashira around the age of 15. Meanwhile, Mitsuri worked her way up to the rank of Hashira in search of a man stronger than her to be her husband. So, they’re not quite the same.

And, what are the chances we see the easy defeat of two Upper-Rank demons back-to-back? That seems unlikely, to me. I’m not expecting Mitsuri to be able to solo Hantengu the way Muichirou was able to solo Gyokko. But, that doesn’t mean I really have any idea of what’s going to happen.

We could see Mitsuri die here. But, would that make sense for her character? I guess it depends on what her backstory looks like. However, it seems to make more sense that someone would save her — like Tanjirou. The only problem is Tanjirou is injured.

Conclusion

What do you think of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc Episode 9? Was Gyokko’s defeat too easy for Muichirou? Will we see Rengoku in another flashback this arc in relation to Mitsuri? And, do you expect Mitsuri to be able to take down Hantengu? Let me know in the comments.

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My review of Episode 10 is available now.