Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc Episode 5

Mitsuri Kanroji’s Nichirin Blade

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc Episode 5 was a big episode for a few reasons. The first of these reasons I’m going to discuss today is the debut of Mitsuri Kanroji’s Nichirin blade. This is the first time we’ve seen it in action.

That said, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen it overall. The ED for this season features her sword quite a bit. So, even before Episode 5, we knew it was a very unique blade. It’s effectively a sword combined with a whip — very on-brand for the Love Hashira.

But, even though it’s obvious that Mitsuri’s blade is unique, I didn’t really realize how unique it is. Even among the Hashira (whose swords we’ve seen), Mitsuri’s is the most unique. It’s the only one that physically doesn’t make sense. Like, how does she have a sword that’s also a whip?

Giyuu Tomioka, Kyoujurou Rengoku, and Muichirou Tokitou all use(d) normal swords. Shinobu Kochou was the first Hashira we met with a unique sword. The blade on her sword has been modified to deliver poison to demons since she can’t behead them.

Then, there are Tengen Uzui’s dual swords, which are also unique. His swords have wider blades with a cutout in each one. And, they’re connected at the hilts with a chain. They’re unique, but at least they still make sense and could exist in reality. That’s not the case for Mitsuri’s sword.

And, one hint we get in this episode regarding the origin of her sword is that the Swordsmith Village chief made it. He’s the most-skilled swordsmith in the village. But, why didn’t he forge all the Hashira’s swords? The answer is likely that he came out of retirement for Mitsuri, a cute girl.

Mist Breathing and Teleportation

While Mitsuri was saving the village chief, Tokitou was facing off against Gyokko. And it’s during this brief fight that we first get to see some of Gyokko’s special abilities. And, most important of all, we get to see how he moves around.

Unfortunately, Gyokko doesn’t crawl around on his hands. That’s what I was hoping for. Instead, his vases roll around with him in them. Oh, and he can, apparently, teleport between vases. However, exactly how his teleportation works isn’t yet known. We don’t know how he can create vases in new locations.

But, we do know that he can produce new vases from his own body. And the vases he produces have a variety of abilities — all of which seem to have to do with fish. Of course, this connection to fish makes sense when you consider his name. Gyo (漁 / ぎょ) is a word for fish.

My prediction is that Gyokko can’t produce new vases that are away from his main body. So, how does he create new vases to teleport to, then? He probably creates them beforehand somehow. Maybe he creates a small fish demon that he can turn into a vase later on.

Anyway, over the course of their short interaction, Tokitou gained valuable information. Because Gyokko teleported away from Tokitou’s attack, it likely means decapitation will work. That’s not the case for Hantengu. But, even if Tokitou has this information, how is he supposed to catch Gyokko?

That’s where I’m guessing Tokitou’s Mist Breathing is going to come in. He may be able to use the mist to mask where he’s striking from. If Tokitou can catch Gyokko off guard, he may be able to cut Gyokko’s neck before he teleports. Or, he’ll work together with Tanjirou.

Sun Breathing vs. Hantengu

In the last part of the episode, we see Nezuko infuse Tanjirou’s sword with her burning blood. This helps Tanjirou channel his Sun Breathing better. And this brings him closer to the original Sun Breather — or whoever he has past memories of.

Interestingly, we also see that the demons share Muzan’s past memories. I don’t remember which of Hantengu’s personalities it was. But, one of them sees this legendary swordsman in those memories when Tanjirou faces them. And, by using this technique, Tanjirou is able to decapitate three of the four demons at once.

Of course, we know that decapitating these demons doesn’t do too much. It makes them a bit weaker, but it also causes them to multiply. Luckily, Genya also happened to use his hand cannon to decapitate the fourth demon. But, were these decapitations close enough in time?

Based on what we saw, I don’t think the timing of the decapitations matters much. Although he decapitated the final one of the four demons, Genya himself has become a demon. But, I have a feeling that he’s not a demon in the same sense as most demons in the series.

We know Genya is going to be one of the main characters in this arc. So, surely he’s not actually a demon now. Instead, my guess is that Genya becoming a demon somehow has to do with Hantengu’s ability. Hantengu may have somehow taken over Genya’s body.

That doesn’t make too much sense, though. Genya appears to be a mindless demon, not a sentient one like the Upper and Lower ranks. So, I guess he might actually be a demon. And if he is, could his apparent immortality save him after Tanjirou decapitates him? That would be wild.

Conclusion

What do you think of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc Episode 5? Do you think any of the other Hashira are going to have Nichirin blades more unique than Mitsuri’s? How do you think Gyokko’s teleportation works? And, how are you expecting Genya’s demonification to be resolved? Let me know in the comments.

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My review of Episode 6 is available now.