Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Season 1 Episode 23 Recap – Hashira Meeting

Demonstration

Nezuko comes out of the box, sweating at the sight of blood. Tanjiro is struggling to break free, but the Serpent Hashira Iguro has a strong grip on him.

Nezuko stares at Sanemi, the Wind Hashira, while Tanjiro breaks his bonds and runs to her. Giyu stops Iguro from pursuing Tanjiro as he calls out to Nezuko.

Nezuko remembers the moment when Tanjiro begged Giyu to let them both free. She remembers their family’s life from before. Urokodaki’s words ring to her as he tells her that humans are her family and that she must protect them.

The room is silent for a moment, but soon Nezuko looks away from the blood. Even though Sanami has stabbed her thrice and is bleeding before her, she still won’t fight back or bite.

This is enough to convince Lord Oyakata. He then advises Tanjiro that other people may be suspicious of her, so he decides to give Nezuko the designation of demon slayer. Tanjiro is overjoyed, and he bows before the master.

In front of everyone, Tanjiro vows that they both will defeat Muzan Kibutsuji. It’s a bold claim, so the master asks him to defeat a Twelve moon first. The Hashiras can’t help but laugh at his boldness. Lord Oyakata tells Tanjiro to slow down and mind his words.

The Gentle Lord

He asks Sanemi and Iguro to be gentle to them. The matter of Tanjiro is dismissed, and Shinobu makes a final request for Tanjiro and Nezuko to be under her care as they heal.

The Kakushi attendants take Tanjiro away, but he comes back to the master and requests to headbutt Sanemi as revenge for hurting his sister. The Mist Hashira Tokito knocks him out for interrupting the master’s words.

As they leave, Oyakata sends his regards to Lady Tamayo. The Kakushi members scold Tanjiro for what he’s done.

They arrive at Shinobu’s Butterfly Estate, where Kanao Tsuyuri is waiting. She’s the protégé of the Insect Hashira.

A younger girl appears and leads them indoors. Inside, Zenitsu is complaining about his medicine. He cries as he finds Tanjiro and explains how painful the spider demon was. Zenitsu’s arms have shrunk because of the venom. On the bed beside him is Inosuke.

Tanjiro apologizes, crying, but Inosuke’s voice is gone from being choked. Zenitsu laughs at the idea of him being depressed, but Inosuke apologizes for being too weak.

They change tones and encourage Inosuke while Zenitsu panics over his missed medicine dose.

Promise

The three of them share the same room. Tanjiro is thankful that they’re both safe. When night comes, he brings Nezuko to her room, where she can roam around. He thanks Nezuko for protecting him and Urokodaki and Tomioka for risking their lives. Tanjiro is thankful that Lord Oyakata saved their lives; he wants to be stronger for them.

Nezuko sleeps on the floor, and Tanjiro realizes that he’ll have to grow stronger. He promises to turn her back into a human.

Looming Threats

Back at the Hashira meeting, Lord Oyakata tells the Hashira that the threat of demons is getting stronger and are encroaching on more of the people’s lives. They could use more members.

Sanemi explains from the previous incident that their ranks are growing weaker. But having more members will be harder to organize, and them risking their lives is too much to ask.

Rengoku praises Tanjiro’s charisma for facing something so strong. Yet still, Muzan keeps evading their grasp, and the demons have been stronger of late. Oyakata tells them that they’re the greatest descendants of the First Breath Users from the Feudal Era. He tells them to do their very best to defeat Muzan.

Our Thoughts

This episode solidifies how strong Nezuko’s resolve is compared to other demons. We also get a glimpse of the Corps leadership and see that their control of the demon situation is rocky at best. I rate this episode 3.5/5