Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Season 1 Episode 16 Recap – Letting Someone Else Go First

Puppeteer

Tanjiro praises Inosuke again for sensing where the other enemy is, but the other demon slayer puppets stop them.

Meanwhile, Zenitsu tries his best to catch up to them to find Nezuko, but he’s losing his nerves.

Tanjiro tries to find a way to save the other demon slayers when Murata steps in to help stall them. He has to cut the puppet strings and kill the spiders. He asks the both of them to go further and find the enemy.

Inosuke leads them to the location, but many threads are blocking their path. They are stopped by another demon slayer puppet who is still alive but suffering, as she has killed many of their companions.

Mother

The child demon appears to the puppeteer and asks her if she can handle it. This “mother” demon feels terrified and pressured by the demon boy named Rui, and he says he’ll call their dad if she keeps wasting time. Desperate, she rushes her attacks in fear of trouble.

Now her control over the demon slayer puppets intensifies. The demon slayers ask Tanjiro to end their suffering; they don’t want to be puppets anymore. Inosuke wants to oblige, but Tanjiro is still hopeful they can help them.

The puppets are getting faster; the demon slayers are in a pinch. Tanjiro thinks of a new plan, and he runs in circles. The female puppet chases him, but Tanjiro catches the girl and throws her up a tree to dangle her with the strings.

Inosuke does the same with the others. The mother demon is foiled; now, she unleashes her final puppet.

Monstrous Puppets

Zenitsu, on the other hand, is lost, sobbing that he’s all alone, and his sparrow is the only one keeping him company.

In her anger, the mother demon snaps the heads of the demon slayer puppets. Tanjiro kneels before one, and Inosuke can feel the rage brimming within him. They quietly rush towards the location of the enemy. When they reach the site, there’s a headless puppet waiting for them.

Zenitsu calls out for Tanjiro and Inosuke, but they’re nowhere to be found. A flock of birds flutters from where he is, scaring him. Then he finds his composure, resolving to search for Nezuko. From behind, a huge spider follows.

Tanjiro and Inosuke fight against the large and final puppet. Inosuke tries to weave in for an attack, but a spider paralyzes him and opens him for a strike. Tanjiro deftly parries it and frees the boar-man from its trap. He asks Inosuke for them to fight together.

Inosuke uses Nezuko’s box as a platform and slashes at the two weapons of the puppet. Tanjiro, on the other hand uses Forth Form to slash at its legs. Inosuke hates how Tanjiro is directing his moves, but he follows up with a strong slash that obliterates the enemy.

Freedom

Wanting to pay back, he throws Tanjiro in the air, where he can smell the enemy better. Tanjiro finds the position of the Mother demon, and he braces for a slash.

The demon panics but realizes that death can free her from this suffering. Tanjiro sees her arms open, and he changes his slash for a gentler one. The demon feels the patter of rain and is at peace during her last moment.

We see her being punished gravely in the past for acting against the whims of the Dad demon. Her hair gets pulled, and her face is beaten bloody while the others in their family watch.

She looks into Tanjiro’s eyes and remembers the time when she was human. She tells him to be careful; the Twelve Moons are here.

Our Thoughts:

There is an excellent development in the fight. I like how even our enemies have their condensed backstory that doesn’t bog down the plot. I rate this 4 out of 5.