Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc Episode 4

The Mist Surrounding Tokitou’s Memories

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc Episode 4 told us a bit more about Tokitou. And this new information we got about him seems to explain some things. In my Episode 3 review, I questioned why someone with no emotions like him would be so impressionable. Now we know.

It’s not necessarily that Tokitou has no emotions. It’s that he doesn’t have any memories. So, that could be an explanation for why he acts the way he does. He’s indifferent to most people and situations because he doesn’t remember how to act.

We also saw this when he met Tanjirou and Nezuko again in this season. He didn’t remember either of them despite having met them before. And you’d think a Demon Slayer carrying around a demon in a box would be something memorable.

With that said, there’s a lot we still don’t know about Tokitou. We don’t know when he lost his memories. We don’t know if he has trouble forming new memories. And we don’t know when he became a Hashira. To me, these are all important details that we need to fully understand who he is.

For example, did he lose his memories after he met Tanjirou and Nezuko for the first time? That would explain why he forgot them. But if not, then does that mean he still has trouble forming memories?

Also, was he a Hashira prior to losing his memories? Or did he only become one afterward? If he became a Hashira afterward, that might explain his breathing technique.

Remember, Tokitou’s crow said he’s a descendant of the Sun Breathing Technique users. But, he uses Mist Breathing. Could this be because he learned to be a Demon Slayer after he was saved by the Corps?

Genya Shinazugawa, the Immortal

Based on what we saw in this episode, Genya Shinazugawa appears to be immortal. But, I highly doubt that’s actually the case. And by that, I mean there’s no way he’s immortal. So, how was he able to survive injuries that should have been fatal?

Well, it’s not like he’s the first human in the series to be able to survive things like that. Think back to the Entertainment District Arc. Inosuke also got some severe injuries that should have killed him. But, we then learned that Inosuke has the ability to move his organs around within his body.

Now, that doesn’t mean I think Genya has that same ability. But, based on what we saw with Inosuke, it’s not impossible that Genya can do something similar. He could do something like harden his muscles/organs. I don’t know, it’s a shounen battle series.

I could be forgetting (much like Tokitou), but I don’t think we know Genya’s breathing technique yet. We know his brother (was that confirmed last week?) is the Wind Hashira. So, it would make sense for Genya to use Wind Breathing. However, we have no confirmation of that yet.

If he can do weird things with his body, it could be that Genya also uses the Beast Breathing Technique. Though, from my understanding, that’s supposed to be pretty unique to Inosuke. Didn’t he develop that technique on his own while training in the mountains?

Anyway, what we do know about Genya are the weapons he uses. Rather than using a normal sword, he uses a short sword that’s more like a large knife. And paired with that he has a double-barreled hand cannon, which is unique. This gun fires special Nichirin rounds that are able of decapitating demons.

Mitsuri Kanroji to the Rescue!

At the end of Episode 4, we see Mitsuri Kanroji returning to the swordsmith village. Apparently, she had already left the village before the Upper Rank demons attacked. But, since she was still nearby, she got the call to return to the village to protect it.

Under normal circumstances, the location of the village is strictly classified. But, seeing as this is an emergency, the Demon Slayer Corps had to tell Mitsuri its location. And as she’s running back toward the village, she expresses surprise at how close it is to her location.

This seems to imply that the village isn’t quite as secluded as one might think. It’s unlikely that a Hashira like Mitsuri would be stationed out in the middle of nowhere. That is unless there were rumors of a powerful demon being there. So, the swordsmith village must be close to other villages.

But, this brings up an interesting question. What happens once someone learns of the swordsmith village’s location? Even the Hashira don’t know the exact location of the village. So, what happens next now that Mitsuri knows where it is?

Considering the nature of the Demon Slayer Corps, they wouldn’t kill Mitsuri. However, it’s possible they would force her into retirement and keep her at the main compound. She’d effectively be a prisoner at that point. But, it’s for the greater good and it beats dying. So, I guess that would be a decent solution.

Another option could be to move the location of the village itself. To me, that seems more likely. The swordsmiths can relocate. It’s not as easy to replace a Hashira — they haven’t replaced Rengoku yet. But, none of this may matter in the end if Mitsuri doesn’t survive the arc.

Conclusion

What do you think of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc Episode 4? Do you think Tokitou became a Hashira before or after he lost his memories? How do you think Genya is able to survive seemingly fatal injuries? And do you expect Mitsuri to make it out of the arc alive? Let me know in the comments.

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My review of Episode 5 is available now.