Demon Slayer Episode 25

Demon Slayer Episode 25

Tsuguko, Kanao Tsuyuri

Episode 25 of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba wasn’t exactly the best episode of the series. You’d think that considering there’s only one episode after this one, it would have been a bit more important. However, all we got this week was more of last week‘s training montage and a little bit of backstory.

Well, that’s not all, but that took up the vast majority of the episode. And, since this week’s episode was very Zenitsu and Inosuke heavy, you already know I wasn’t entertained. Those two are fine when they’re actually fighting demons, but in every other situation they’re just annoying.

Before I get into the contents of this episode, I do want to take a moment to discuss the next episode. Next week’s episode is going to be the final one of the season, and for some reason it seems like we’re starting a brand new arc.

It’s pretty normal to have the next arc be hinted at in the last episode of a season, but from what I can tell this isn’t going to be a mere hint. It really seems like we’re going to be jumping into the next arc and then having it cut off until season 2. That goes a bit beyond using a cliffhanger.

Maybe the next season will be relatively soon, but considering it hasn’t been announced yet I’m not convinced. My guess is that by the time the second season comes around, I will have forgotten the events of season one, episode 25 and will therefore be lost.

Kanao’s Past

Kanao Tsuyuri’s past is something I honestly haven’t wondered that much about. Before this episode we knew she was strong, she’s the pupil of the Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kochou, and she doesn’t talk. I never really questioned why she never spoke, but this was answered nonetheless — probably.

Interestingly, Kanao’s backstory has nothing to do with actual demons. Most, but not all, demon slayers seem to go into that profession because of a past interaction with a demon. Typically, a demon slaughtered their family and they want revenge.

But for Kanao, she was simply an orphaned slave who was rescued by Shinobu and her sister, Kanae. It’s not explicitly stated, but we can assume Kanao’s muteness is a direct result of the physical and psychological abuse she suffered as a child. However, maybe she was mute from the start.

Kanae, Shinobu, and Kanao from the anime series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
Kanae, Shinobu, and Kanao

We also learned that Kanao is extremely subservient to the point that she won’t eat without being ordered to. This, I like to assume, is something she’s grown out of. But, she still seems to have trouble deciding things on her own, which is showcased by the fact that she flips a coin given to her by Kanae.

At this point, if you’re thinking that Kanao’s backstory was extremely bland, I don’t blame you. Like I said, her past isn’t something I ever wondered about, and now that we’ve seen it, I can safely say that we wouldn’t have missed out on anything if it was skipped over.

Zenitsu and Inosuke Training Montage

Now, you may have noticed that Tanjirou has been training on his own — without Zenitsu and Inosuke — for days, or even weeks. And before his training montage, I still would have labeled him as the strongest of the three. So how are Zenitsu and Inosuke going to be useful if Tanjirou keeps getting stronger than them?

It appears I wasn’t the only one wondering this — Zenitsu and Inosuke were too. And they eventually came to the conclusion that they can’t let Tanjirou continue to widen the gap between their skill levels. But it’s fairly obvious that they wouldn’t really be able to catch up to Tanjirou at this point.

This is where the power of the training montage really shines though. While last week we got Tanjirou’s training montage which brought him up to the level of Kanao (sort of), this this week’s Zenitsu and Inosuke training montage was even more intense.

That’s right, to even out the playing field, the author just said, “they worked harder and caught up.” That’s pretty lazy.

Shinobu, Zenitsu, and Tanjirou from the anime series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
Shinobu, Zenitsu, and Tanjirou

But as much as I hate these two characters and think the explanation for how they don’t get left behind by Tanjirou’s skill is lazy, I did like how Shinobu convinced them to train. She knows what each of their motivations are.

For Inosuke, she implied that he was weak if he wasn’t able to use constant total concentration breathing. And for Zenitsu, she appealed to his obsession with the fairer sex. And since Tanjirou is a shounen protagonist, I can only assume she would have motivated him with food.

Through the Fire and Flames

Finally we get to the only part of the episode that I felt was actually interesting — though it was stupid at the same time. After being cleared to return to his missions by Dr. Kochou, Tanjirou asks her if she’s ever heard of a Fire Breathing Technique. She responds that she hasn’t.

Originally I figured this was just Shinobu messing with Tanjirou, but she then elaborates on her answer. While she doesn’t know of a Fire Breathing Technique, there is the Flame Breathing Technique used by Rengoku. Seems like a strange distinction to make, but alright.

As Shinobu says, the exact phrasing of the breathing techniques is both intentional and important. But while it’s true that Fire and Flame are different words, I still fail to see exactly what the difference would be in this context. Why is the fact that it’s Flame and not Fire so important?

Shinobu almost seems to imply that fire is a negative word while flame is a positive one. But, we’ll have to wait until later to find out, because she tells Tanjirou to ask Rengoku himself if he wants more details.

Also, does this mean that what Tanjirou used to fight Rui, the Spider Silk Demon, was the Fire Breathing Technique, and not the Flame Breathing Technique? Probably. So if this is the case then I guess we won’t be seeing him get trained by Rengoku any time soon.

And as one last point, last week I did predict that both Rengoku and Shinobu were going to be dead shortly. It seems I was wrong about Shinobu since she’s still alive and well, but I still think Rengoku is a goner. I don’t think Tanjirou will have the chance to question him.

Conclusion

So, that’s everything I have to say about episode 25 of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. Let me know in the comments what you thought of this episode. Did you find Kanao’s backstory interesting? Do you like Zenitsu and Inosuke? And, what do you think the difference is between the Fire and Flame breathing techniques?

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My review of the final episode is available here.

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