Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Season 1 Episode 21 Recap – Against Corps Rules

Sickly Boy

We get a flashback to Rui’s childhood. As a sickly boy, he can’t go out to play with others, or he’ll pass out.

One day Muzan shows up on his doorstep and offers to save his life. His parents were not happy at all, but he lived. All he has to do is consume human flesh.

He once heard a story of a father sacrificing his own life to save his boy. The father fulfilled his duty as a father perfectly; meanwhile, his father attempted to kill him while her mother cried.

Rui killed all of them for not fulfilling their duty. He thought their bond wasn’t real. But her mother apologizes for not giving him a weak body during her last moments.

Muzan approaches and encourages him to be proud of his strength. But he can’t let go of his fault. Day by day, he couldn’t stop missing his parents; that was why he made his own so that somebody could protect him and shield him.

Sadness

Over time his memories blurred, and this purpose got lost. He desperately tried to reach out for a bond but couldn’t find anything.

Tanjiro could smell the sadness inside Rui. He reaches out his hand and taps him on the back. The demon feels his warmth, like the sunlight. Then he remembers, he wanted to apologize to his parents for his faults.

But it’s too late; he must be going to hell for his atrocities. Then he meets his father to tell him he’ll be with him even if he goes to hell. At that moment, Rui’s form changes to that of a human. His bond is re-formed in the afterlife as he apologizes to his parents.

Giyu approaches Tanjiro and tells him not to pity the demon. It was an ugly monster who lived for decades. Tanjiro insists that he’ll still swing his sword, but he’ll also respect them as they were once humans. He knows that deep inside the demons are sad creatures who are hollow.

The Last Demon

Giyu sees Nezuko and defends her from Shinobu’s attack. Shinobu asks why he’s protecting her when he stated earlier that he hates demons.

Meanwhile, the rescue team administers Shinobu’s antidote to the infected demon slayers. Zenitsu is being lowered down to safety. They want their work to be over soon as the stench gets stronger.

Shinobu is on a standoff with Giyu. He stands his ground. Shinobu tells Tanjiro to get away from the demon. He explains that she’s his younger sister, and Shinobu offers to kill her with a gentle poison instead.

Giyu tells Tanjiro to escape with her sister immediately. Shinobu tells Giyu that he just broke the rules.

Tanjiro runs as much as he can with his damaged body. He thinks about leaving the Corps, as her demon sister will never be accepted.

Giyu clashes with Shinobu, but she flies away and evades.

Command

Another demon slayer catches up to Tanjiro and subdues him. She tries to slash at Nezuko but is caught by Tanjiro. Nezuko runs away and evades a slash by turning into a small girl.

The other slayer is amused that the demon isn’t fighting back.

Shinobu tells Giyu that fighting him is justified as she’s hunting a demon. Giyu tells him about what happened two years ago when a crow commands them to immediately bring Tanjiro and Nezuko back to the headquarters.

The Hashiras stop their fight. The rescuers take Tanjiro, and they find Inosuke tied up in a tree. Inosuke is bummed that he wasn’t able to kill anyone. Zenitsu is all wrapped up. The girl from the Final Selection is organizing the rescuers.

The sun comes up, and they’re all taken to safety. Tanjiro wakes up at the headquarters with all the Hashiras staring at him.

Our Thoughts

The hype turned up as we saw all the Hashiras and their unique designs. What could be their final verdict on Nezuko? I rate this episode 3.5 out of 5.