Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc Episode 8

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc Episode 8

Yuichirou and Muichirou

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc Episode 8 focused on Muichirou. Two weeks ago, we got the backstory for Genya and Sanemi. And now, we’ve gotten Muichirou’s backstory, as well. It’s only a matter of time before it’s Mitsuri’s turn.

As with Genya’s backstory, I didn’t think Muichirou’s was all that great. Again, his primary motivation for becoming a Demon Slayer was that a demon killed his family. Well, a demon killed his brother. Muichirou’s parents both died about a year before that. But, even so, that’s not much different from Tanjirou’s or Genya’s backstories.

I’m pretty sure we all assumed a demon killed at least one person in Muichirou’s immediate family. It seemed pretty obvious even before we got this flashback. Muichirou’s amnesia hinted that something happened to him in the past. And in this world, “something happening” tends to mean a demon attack.

Yuichirou and Muichirou Tokitou from the anime series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc Episode 8
Yuichirou and Muichirou Tokitou

The big twist in Muichirou’s backstory was that he used to have a twin brother. And, the reveal of Muichirou’s brother is when I had to stop taking his backstory seriously. You’re telling me their parents unironically named them Yuichirou and Muichirou? And they dress up in matching outfits? I can’t.

I get that twins with similar names wearing matching outfits isn’t unique. In fact, this isn’t even the first pair of twins who wear matching outfits in Demon Slayer. There are the twins who accompany the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps, as well.

But, anyway, I’m not sure why Yuichirou and Muichirou had to have matching names and be twins. Couldn’t their names have been a bit more different? And couldn’t Yuichirou have been the older brother? Everything else could have played out the same way, and I would have been able to take it seriously.

Trauma-Induced Amnesia

Okay, so there’s one more issue I have with Muichirou’s backstory. It never actually explained how he came to have amnesia. Sure, we could assume that he developed it due to the trauma of losing his family. But, we never actually saw that happen.

So, at this point, I don’t really want to say for certain that this is what caused Muichirou’s amnesia. It’s still possible that he joined the Demon Slayer Corps and then got amnesia some other way later on. That seems unlikely. But, based on the information we have right now, I can’t rule it out.

Let’s assume trauma was the cause of Muichirou’s amnesia — just for fun. If this is the case, then we can also assume what happened after the flashback ended. We saw that Muichirou didn’t even have enough strength to walk. So, he likely passed out after what we saw.

Muichirou Tokitou after killing his first demon from the anime series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc Episode 8
Muichirou Tokitou after killing his first demon

Then, Lady Amane showed up. We know she had been visiting the twins and trying to get them to join the Demon Slayer Corps. So, it’s only natural that she would be the first person on the scene. And that would also explain how Muichirou ended up at the Master’s house.

Something else to keep in mind are the ages we were given for Muichirou in the flashback. His parents died when he was 10 and then his brother died when he was 11. When Tanjirou met him earlier in the season, he said Muichirou looked a bit younger than himself.

In case you’re wondering, Tanjirou is supposed to be about 15 right now. So, that would put Muichirou at 14 or 15. He killed his first demon at 11 and became a Hashira only 3-4 years later. That shows he really is a prodigy.

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The Mist Hashira Awakens

Speaking of the similarities between Muichirou and Tanjirou, there’s one more. Toward the end of Episode 8, we saw markings appear on Muichirou’s face. Gyokko commented on these markings, saying they’re similar to Tanjirou’s. Now, Gyokko hasn’t met Tanjirou, but he was told about him.

So, what’s the deal with these markings? What are they? Why do they appear? And what do they mean? Well, as usual, we don’t know yet. But, I do have a theory that I think is going to prove to be correct.

Let’s start with Tanjirou. While he does have a flame-shaped scar on his head, that’s not the marking we’re talking about. When he uses Sun Breathing, a larger flame mark spreads on his face, covering his scar. The fact that this only happens when he uses Sun Breathing is key.

Muichirou Tokitou using the Mist Breathing technique from the anime series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc Episode 8
Muichirou Tokitou using the Mist Breathing technique

So, what about Muichirou? He’s a descendant of the first Sun Breathing technique users. So, is this why the markings appeared on his face, too? And does this mean Tanjirou is their descendant, as well? That’s one way to read into it. But, that’s not what I think.

You see, Muichirou’s markings don’t look like flames. They kind of look like clouds — as in clouds of mist. And what breathing technique does Muichirou use? That’s right, Mist Breathing. Both Tanjirou’s and Muichirou’s markings match their breathing techniques.

Additionally, we see these markings appear when these characters “surpass their limits.” Once the markings appeared on Muichirou’s face, he was able to keep up with Gyokko’s speed.

My prediction is that these markings represent an awakened state of some sort. But, what about the other Hashira? Why haven’t they “awakened?” Well, look at Tengen Uzui, the Sound Hashira. He does have a similar marking on his face.

Conclusion

What do you think of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc Episode 8? Did you like Muichirou’s backstory? How do you think it compares to Genya’s from Episode 6? And, do you agree with my theory about “awakened” breathing techniques? Let me know in the comments.

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My review of Episode 9 is available now.

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One Reply to “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc Episode 8”

  1. I don’t think it has anything to do with awakened Breathing techniques. I believe Muichiro likely has the essence of the first Mist Breathing user, and those markings on Muichiro matched that person’s much like how Tanjiro’s matched Yoriichi’s whenever he uses Sun Breathing to its fullest extent. Those markings likely show up to show that Tanjiro and Muichiro are channeling their original users of the techniques to the fullest extent. As for why there are essences of dead people rather than straight-up reincarnations, I suspect that the story will eventually answer that question.

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