Demon Slayer Episode 7

Demon Slayer Episode 7

Muzan Kibutsuji

Last week we learned of the existence of the first, or at least most powerful, demon, Muzan Kibutsuji. This demon is said to be the only one who can turn humans into demons, and so theoretically created every currently living demon.

We don’t yet know if he was the first demon to have this ability, and therefore the first demon, or if he’s simply the last demon with this ability. It’s also possible that there are other ways of becoming a demon, because if he’s the first, then how did he become a demon originally?

There’s still a lot we don’t know about the demons, and my hope is that one day we’ll have all the information. Where do they originally come from? Why does Muzan create more of them? And, how is it decided which demons develop unique traits?

Nezuko vs. the Triplet Demon from the anime series Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba
Nezuko vs. the Triplet Demon

That third question brings me to the fight between Nezuko and the demon I’ll be referring to as the “Triplet Demon.” We know that the Triplet Demon has a unique skill, and we also know that Nezuko does not. However, during this fight we learn that Nezuko is the stronger of the two.

So, why is this the case? Does Nezuko simply have a good match up against the Triplet Demon? Not quite. It’s true that her speed prevents the Triplet Demon from using his portals and her strength is overpowering, but that’s not due to any skill of her own, it’s due to how she was created.

The Triplet Demon makes a comment about how Nezuko must have received a lot of blood from “him,” the him referring to Muzan Kibutsuji most likely. We know that his blood creates demons, but now we know that more of his blood creates stronger demons, even if it doesn’t necessarily mean they develop unique traits.

So we know a bit more about the demons, but we still don’t know how unique skills are gained.

Swampletics

Meet Swampletics, my section devoted to the fight between Tanjirou and the two other forms of the Triplet Demon. While Nezuko was busy fighting the main body of the demon on the surface, Tanjirou slipped through a portal and into the demon’s realm.

This realm was described as a swamp; it’s completely submerged in murky water. Within this swamp, Tanjirou finds scraps of clothing from the various victims of the Triplet Demon.

But how is Tanjirou supposed to fight effectively while underwater? He’s not very maneuverable, he doesn’t have solid footing, and he can’t breathe. On the other hand, the Triplet Demon is a very fast swimmer and doesn’t seem to be affected by the lack of oxygen.

This is where my one and only real complaint about this episode comes in. Although this is a swamp, and Tanjirou is underwater, it’s said that there’s still some amount of air. In fact, he claims that there’s more air within this swamp than there was on the mountain where he trained with Sakonji.

I don’t know about you, but last time I checked breathing underwater is infinitely more difficult than breathing at an altitude where the air is thin. However, despite claiming that the air (or lack thereof) in the swamp is sufficient, after the battle concludes Tanjirou still needs to make a break for the surface to breath.

So what was the point of adding in that whole part about the air level in the swamp being no big deal compared to the mountain? It was tossed aside only a minute or two later, so what was the point of bringing it up?

Anyway, Tanjirou successfully defeats the Triplet Demon and asks him for information regarding Muzan Kibutsuji. Unfortunately, the Triplet Demon won’t tell him anything due to being more afraid of Muzan than of Tanjirou killing him. This is a trope I’ll never understand, but whatever.

The Big City

Although he just completed his first ever official mission as a demon slayer, Tanjirou already receives his next task. This time he must travel to Tokyo where there have been reports of a demon. This time around we’re given no other information about the case, like how we were told about the missing girls last time.

By the time Tanjirou arrives in Tokyo we can assume it’s been roughly two years, maybe a bit more, since the start of the series. During that time, Tanjirou hasn’t been to any big cities, but we do know that he has been to decently sized cities in the past.

Even so, he’s shocked by what he sees in Tokyo. Not only is the city much larger with many more people than he was expecting, but it seems that technology has advanced significantly since he was last out on the town.

I believe this is the first time we’ve seen electricity used in the series (correct me in the comments if I’m wrong) and yet Tokyo already has a trolley system. I get that Tanjirou was living out in the middle of nowhere, but seeing the difference between Tokyo and everywhere else he’s been so far is a bit jarring.

It honestly kind of reminded me of when I first watched Boruto and was shocked by how much the Hidden Leaf Village had changed. Although in that case something like 15 years had passed since the end of Shippūden, not a mere two years as is the case here.

Hiding in Plain Sight

So Tanjirou is in Tokyo on a mission, but decides to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the city. He finds a small udon shop on the outskirts of the city and is ready to dig in when he suddenly smells a familiar scene: Muzan Kibutsuji.

While Tanjirou has never met Muzan before, he knows his scent because it was Muzan who killed his family (allegedly) and turned Nezuko into a demon. I say allegedly because I’m starting to have my doubts about Muzan actually being the one to kill Tanjirou and Nezuko’s family.

After seeing how he operates from his interaction with Tanjirou in the city when the two finally meet, Muzan doesn’t seem like the kind of person to slaughter a family for no reason. I think what actually happened was that he turned Nezuko into a demon, and she was the one who killed her own family.

Muzan Kibutsuji from the anime series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
Muzan Kibutsuji

But if Muzan is in Tokyo, does that mean he’s the demon which Tanjirou has been sent to defeat? Probably not. It seems as though the demon slayers have no idea Muzan is in Tokyo, because otherwise they wouldn’t have only sent a rookie like Tanjirou.

We need to keep in mind that Tanjirou’s sense of smell is something unique to only himself and Sakonji, so the other demon slayers may have walked right past Muzan without even realizing who he was. He dresses and acts like a human, so why would they suspect him of anything?

In fact, Muzan even seems to have a wife and child, though it’s unclear if this child is actually his. My assumption is that it’s his adopted child and not actually his offspring. Though if demons were originally humans then I suppose they could still interbreed.

Either way, Muzan has the perfect disguise as a family man, much like Pride (or Wrath) From Fullmetal Alchemist (Brotherhood). And, a large city like Tokyo is the perfect place for him to hide. There are plenty of potential victims and he can easily blend into crowds.

Conclusion

So what do you think of this week’s episode of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba? Do you think Nezuko is going to develop a unique trait? If the series goes on for long enough I think it has to happen at some point. And, what are your thoughts on Muzan Kibutsuji?

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My review of the next episode is available here.

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