Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Season 2 Episode 3 Recap – Should Have Been

Fantasy

The four demon slayers fall into a deep sleep from Enmu’s technique. Each of them is tied to someone trying to invade their dreams.

Zenitsu dreams he’s with Nezuko, running around in an idyllic paradise full of lovely pear trees. Inosuke dreams of leading an expedition inside a cave, where his three other friends are his lackeys. Their task is to attack the centipede train sleeping within its chambers.

Kyojuro dreams of being home with his father. He reports that he has become a Hashira, but his father simply tells him it‘s worthless. His father wasn’t always like that. After all, he was also a former Hashira until one fateful day when he lost his passion and quit the sword.

Kyojuro’s father taught them the way of the sword, but he’s become a miserable wreck. Kyojuro tells his younger brother that their father isn’t proud of his achievements, but it doesn’t extinguish his passion. The flame inside his heart will never fizzle out. He tells his brother Senjuro that he has a big brother who will always believe in him.

A young girl was assigned to go into Kyojuro’s dreams. She sees Kyojuro training with his brother and runs around the house searching for the dream’s border.

Enmu explained to them that dreams aren’t infinite. The realm of the subconscious exists just outside of the dream. There, they will find the hosts’ spiritual core. By pricking the core with a needle, they can cripple the host.

Burning Passion

The girl finds the edges of Kyojuro’s dream and removes the border with her needle. Then, she steps into a land of fire and smoke and finds the core. She strikes at the core, but Kyojuro’s body retaliates and chokes her in the waking world.

Tanjiro’s mother offers to make him and his siblings some rice crackers. Outside, an invader lurks. While hauling firewood, Tanjiro instinctively calls for Nezuko, but she’s nowhere to be found. His siblings tell him Nezuko is outside foraging.

He goes out to fetch some water, noticing his weird feelings. As he peers down the river, his reflection shifts and tells him to wake up. Suddenly, Tanjiro remembers he’s on a train and has to fight.

Tanjiro returns home for dinner, realizing the dream but unable to escape it.

In the waking world, Nezuko climbs out of her box to find everyone asleep, with the Hashira choking a girl. He sees Tanjiro struggling in his dreams and tries to wake him up. She gives Tanjiro a headbutt with her Demon Blood technique, making Tanjiro notice her in the dream.

Sacrifice

He regains his sword and notices he’s on the brink of waking up. His siblings ask him if he’s okay. Tanjiro apologizes to them and runs outside to find the enemy. Suddenly, he finds Nezuko outside with a basket of vegetables. The rest of his family arrive to ask him what’s wrong.

Snow starts to fall as Tanjiro tells them he can’t stay. With a heavy heart, he thinks about what could have been if they were still alive. Tanjiro runs away, teary-eyed, knowing they can’t be together again. He promises never to forget them.

Tanjiro’s invader finds the border of his dreams and steps into a land of the seemingly infinite sky. He marvels at the warmth of Tanjiro’s heart.

Back at the train, Enmu gets worried by the lack of progress from his underlings.

Tanjiro scrambles for a way out. Suddenly, his father tells him to draw his sword. There’s something he must cut — his own neck.

Our Thoughts

Normally, I would be annoyed by the cliffhanger, but that ending was EPIC! 4/5.