Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc Episode 11

Defeating Hantengu of the Upper Six

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc Episode 11 was the last episode. The arc is over and both Gyokko and Hantengu are dead. But, Hantengu didn’t die as easily as Gyokko did. It took more than a single Hashira.

Mitsuri, Tanjirou, Nezuko, and Genya all had to work together to take Hantengu down. And, during this fight, we saw the final one of Hantengu’s demons. This was the Resentment demon, which Tanjirou mistook for the Hantengu’s real body. It looks a lot like the real body but isn’t small.

Anyway, there were two key parts to Hantengu’s defeat. The first was when Tanjirou awakened a new ability. Apparently, he can use a Sun breathing version of Lightning breathing. He copies Zenitsu’s attack but performs it with the Sun breathing technique. I’m not sure how that works, but it did.

I’m also not sure if I prefer this over Tanjirou actually using Lightning breathing. On one hand, I’m glad Tanjirou doesn’t seem to be collecting more breathing techniques. Though, he kind of is. But, on the other, I’d be happy for him to use Lightning breathing if it meant Zenitsu never came back.

The second key part was when Tanjirou had to choose between Nezuko and some villagers. As the sun was rising, Nezuko was out in the open. Unless Tanjirou did something to save her, she’d burn up and die. But, Hantengu was also chasing after some villagers. So, who does Tanjirou save?

Of course, Tanjirou made the wrong choice and tried to save Nezuko. But, luckily, Nezuko knew what the right choice was. She kicked Tanjirou off her and in the direction of the villagers who needed saving. And with that, Nezuko burned up in the sun.

The Demon Who Conquered the Sun

Okay, so Nezuko didn’t actually burn up and die. She definitely burned. But, in the end, she was fine. And now, it looks like she can survive in the sunlight. So, I guess Tanjirou effectively accomplished his goal.

Well, Nezuko is still a demon, so he didn’t really accomplish his goal of turning her human again. But, a demon who can exist in the sunlight and also talk is pretty much a human. And yes, Nezuko can talk now. Though, she can’t speak very well and only says short phrases.

My main question about Nezuko is, was she always able to go out in the sunlight? Is that an inherent ability Nezuko has as a demon? Or was this something she developed over time? We don’t know since she had never been exposed to sunlight before.

We also know from Lady Tamayo that Nezuko’s blood can manage demon symptoms. Demons injected with her blood are able to live relatively normal lives. Though, I don’t remember Tamayo mentioning anything about them being able to go out during the day. Still, Nezuko’s blood has some special quality to it that helps demons retain their sense of self.

That’s a bit odd considering Nezuko’s sense of self still isn’t all there. She acts like a child much younger than she actually is. And, by comparison, the 12 Demon Moons all have much more defined senses of self. So, it’s not like having a sense of self is unique to “good” demons.

But, I’m curious to see how this is going to affect the story going forward. Is Nezuko going to play a larger role than she had been? It’s not like other demons are active during the day. So, we won’t see her fighting in the sunlight.

Muzan Kibutsuji’s Curse

The most interesting part of Episode 11 was when we got to see Muzan’s backstory. It turns out, demons actually have a disease. And, that makes sense based on everything we already knew about them. Demons are people with a bloodborne disease.

That’s why people become demons when exposed to the blood of other demons. And that’s why Nezuko’s blood can help with demon symptoms — she has some kind of antibody. It doesn’t eradicate the disease. It’s like how there’s no cure for HIV, but there are treatments to control it.

So, 1,000 years ago, Muzan was a normal human. Well, he was a very wealthy human. And as a human, Muzan had a disease that kept him mostly confined to his room. Though, at that point, he could still be in the sunlight. And that’s thanks to a doctor he had at the time.

Muzan’s doctor gave him a medicine called blue tiger lily, which used a flower by the same name. However, since Muzan never got better, he assumed the doctor was a quack and killed him. But, after killing the doctor, he realized that the doctor was actually saving him.

You see, without the medicine, Muzan’s symptoms only got worse. Eventually, he became the demon we know him as today. And, it turns out that Muzan’s ultimate goal is to cure his demon disease — at least to an extent. He’s searching for the blue tiger lily so he can make more medicine.

But, that’s not the only thing he was searching for. You see, he actually likes the power he received from being a demon. The thing he doesn’t like is being confined to the night. So, he was searching for a demon who can withstand sunlight.

Conclusion

What do you think of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc Episode 11? Do you want to see Tanjirou master more breathing techniques? How do you feel about Nezuko being able to talk now? And did you like Muzan’s backstory? Let me know in the comments.

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