This is a battle manga serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump from issue 11 of 2016 to issue 24 of 2020, and the author is Koyoharu Gotouge. At first glance, his name makes him seem like a man, but Gotouge is actually a woman.
The TV anime aired from April to September 2019, and the sequel, "Mugen Train Arc", is scheduled to be released as a movie on October 16, 2020.
The protagonist, Tanjiro Kamado, lives peacefully with his family deep in the mountains, but when he returns home from town, he finds a gruesome scene unfolding before his eyes. His family has been brutally murdered by demons, and Tanjiro descends the mountain with his sister Nezuko, who is barely surviving.
However, on the way, Nezuko is transformed into a demon. Tanjiro is saved by Giyu Tomioka, a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, and sets out on a journey to turn Nezuko back into a human.
The first season of the anime covers up to the middle of volume 7 of the manga. The movie version, "Mugen Train," continues from there up to volume 8, so today we would like to introduce the second part of the plot.
If you haven't seen the first part yet, be sure to check it out!
Also, this article contains spoilers, so if you haven't seen it yet or are planning to wait until the movie version to read the original work, be careful!!
Episode 62 Ends in a Nightmare
Tanjiro and Inosuke cut off the neck of Enmu, who had become one with the train, but were thrown off by the raging train. Tanjiro, who doesn't want anyone to die, even tries to save the driver who stabbed him in the stomach.
Inosuke says he doesn't need to do such a thing, but Tanjiro asks him to help. Inosuke goes to help because it's his subordinate's request, and he's so kind and manly!! !
With his head cut off and unable to regenerate, Enmu realizes the power of a Pillar and dies in vain, harboring murderous intent towards Tanjiro and Inosuke.
Rengoku appears at Tanjiro's side, teaching him how to improve the precision of his breathing and stop the bleeding. Tanjiro learns that mastering his breathing will definitely make him stronger. Then, someone suddenly appears...
Inosuke exudes a bossy vibe
Inosuke was in a bad shape after the fierce battle with Enmu, but he immediately went to check on Tanjiro, who had been stabbed in the stomach. Inosuke is extremely honest and says that he thinks the person who stabbed Tanjiro should die. He was ordered by Enmu to do it, so it's a bit much, but Inosuke has strong feelings for his friends, so he probably couldn't forgive the person who stabbed his important friend (underling). Even so, it's impressive that he went to help Tanjiro when he was asked to do so! I like how he's not being naive and says he'll rip out all of his hair, but it makes him seem like a boss!
Episode 63 Akaza
Suddenly, Akaza, an Upper Rank demon with the number 3 engraved in his eye, appears. He attacks the fallen Tanjiro, but Rengoku instantly steps in and stops him.
Facing the Upper Rank demon, Rengoku immediately senses his strength and asks why he's targeting the weak.
Akaza, who hates the weak more than anything, acknowledges Rengoku's strength and suggests that he become a demon. Humans die because they grow old. Akaza thinks that this is why they are weak.
In contrast, Rengoku thinks that humans are beautiful creatures with the transience of growing old and dying.
The opinions of the two men are in direct conflict, and a battle between Flame Breathing and Destruction Style begins.
Akaza invites Rengoku to become a demon
Akaza describes Rengoku's strength as having a refined fighting spirit and being close to the supreme realm. However, he is close, but he has not yet reached it. Why is that? Because Rengoku is a human. Humans will eventually grow old and die. No matter how strong a person is, no one can match their lifespan. On the other hand, demons can recover even if they are injured, and they will not grow old and die. Therefore, Akaza believes that by training for hundreds of years, he can reach the supreme realm. Akaza, who cannot bear to see the strong grow old and die, convinces Rengoku to become a demon. In a way, he is very pure!
Akaza's fighting style
Akaza's fighting style is mainly bare-handed combat using the Destruction Kill technique. He deploys a technique called "Compass" and fights by unleashing Destruction Kills in response to his opponent's attacks and movements. In his fight against Rengoku, he uses the Destruction Kill techniques "Kushiki", "Ranshiki", and "Metsushiki". The names of Akaza's techniques actually come from fireworks. The memories of fireworks with his loved one when he was human remained in the back of his mind even after he became a demon, and became the names of his techniques. Also, the patterns in the technique deployment are reminiscent of the patterns on that person's hair ornaments. His bare-handed fighting without weapons also comes from his past fighting style.
Episode 64: The Power of the Upper Ranks and the Power of the Pillars
The battle between the Pillars and the Upper Rank demons was far beyond the level of Tanjiro and Inosuke, and the two could only watch.
If they got in close range, they would die...because they would only be a hindrance.
At the beginning, it seemed like an even match, but Akaza's wounds were healing and Rengoku's wounds were increasing. The difference between them gradually became more noticeable. Tanjiro is unable to move because Hinokami Kagura has been used, and Inosuke's legs tremble as the battle takes place on a different level.
Is it impossible for humans to defeat demons? Akaza's arm pierces Rengoku's chest, but in order to fulfill his mission of protecting the weak and to follow his mother's instructions, Rengoku's fiery spirit does not break.
Episode 65 Who Will Win?
After piercing Rengoku's chest, Akaza tries to leave before dawn, but Rengoku's determination keeps his arm stuck. Akaza, who will die from the sunlight if this continues, resists, but his arm won't come out.
To save Rengoku, Inosuke attacks Akaza. Akaza is attacked, his neck pierced and his arm gone, but he still runs into the forest, but Tanjiro throws his Nichirin sword at Akaza, not wanting to let him get away.
As Akaza runs away, pierced through the chest, Tanjiro yells, "Coward!!" The Demon Slayer Corps fights at night, when the demons have an advantage, so Tanjiro couldn't forgive Akaza for running away when he was at a disadvantage.
As he stands in front of the battered Rengoku, Tanjiro cries out that Rengoku has won because he didn't let anyone die and protected everyone.
First Fang: Pierce Through
Inosuke attacks Akaza with the Beast Breathing technique, First Fang: Pierce Through, to save Rengoku. Do you know why it's called the First Fang and not the First Form?
Beast Breathing is derived from the basic Wind Breathing, but it is a breathing technique that Inosuke created on his own, and no one else can use it. Therefore, even the name is completely original to Inosuke.
Normal breathing techniques would be named "kata" (First Form, Second Form, etc.), but Inosuke deliberately calls the offensive techniques "fangs" to give them a more original feel. On the other hand, non-offensive techniques, such as Sixth Form "Spatial Awareness" and Eighth Form "Explosive Charge", are called "katas".
Episode 66: Falling at Dawn
Realizing his impending death, Rengoku begins to tell Tanjiro his story. In Rengoku's family home, there are notes left by the successive "Flame Pillars," and there may be something written there about "Hinokami Kagura."
Then, he asks Tanjiro to pass on a message to his younger brother, Senjuro, and his father. Furthermore, he acknowledges Nezuko, who has become a demon.
No matter what anyone says, Nezuko, who risks her life and bleeds to protect humans, is a member of the Demon Slayer Corps. Tanjiro must have been very happy to hear that from Rengoku, a Pillar!
No matter how beaten down he is, he wants him to keep his spirit burning, grit his teeth, and move forward to support the Demon Slayer Corps, Rengoku says, before he runs out of strength.
Tanjiro is almost heartbroken that such a powerful Pillar as Rengoku has been defeated, but Inosuke stands up, telling him not to let what Rengoku has taught him with his death go to waste.
If he says he believes in him, he will definitely respond to that. Doing so is also a way of repaying Rengoku for his kindness. Rengoku's death has caused him to grow as a person.
Episode 67: What I'm Looking For
After barely escaping with his life, Akaza returned to Kibutsuji Muzan. After fighting Rengoku, Akaza was gathering information on the "blue spider lily" that Muzan was looking for.
Seeing Akaza receive a blow from Tanjiro and Inosuke, who are not even pillars, Muzan is disappointed in the power of the Upper Rank Three. After being badly criticized by Muzan, Akaza decides to take revenge on Tanjiro, who called him a "coward!"
Tanjiro and the others, who sustained many injuries from the Mugen Train incident, were undergoing treatment at the Butterfly Mansion. Zenitsu tried to encourage Tanjiro, who was depressed after Rengoku's death, but Tanjiro was not there.
Tanjiro visited Rengoku's birthplace to convey a message from Rengoku and to research "Hinokami Kagura".
Episode 68: The User
Rengoku's father, who despises him as a weakling with no talent, does not let Tanjiro into the house. He then sees Tanjiro's earrings and says that he is a user of the "Breath of the Sun."
He says that the "Breath of the Sun" is the origin of all breathing techniques, and that all other breathing techniques are merely derivatives that came later. Rengoku's father, who was originally the "Flame Pillar," believes that those who use the original breathing technique look down on other breathing techniques, and attacks Tanjiro.
Tanjiro, who is unfamiliar with the "Breath of the Sun," has no idea what Tanjiro is talking about, but he cannot resist saying bad things about Rengoku.
He hits Tanjiro with his signature headbutt, and the situation is resolved. Rengoku's younger brother, Senjuro, treats him, and Tanjiro tells him why he came there. After hearing Tanjiro's story, Senjuro brings over notes written by the previous Pillars, but...
Episode 69: Let's move forward, even if it's just a little at a time
The notes were torn up and barely readable. They were torn up by Rengoku's father, who doesn't think well of the Sun Breathing or the Demon Slayer Corps.
Tanjiro didn't learn anything new about Hinokami Kagura or the Sun Breathing, but he realized that he had to get stronger, and that the only way to do that was to keep struggling steadily.
No matter how much his younger brother Senjuro trained, the color of his Nichirin sword never changed, so he gave up on becoming a swordsman and the succession as the Flame Pillar was cut off. However, he began to help people in other ways, and ended up restoring the "Book of the Former Flame Pillars."
After Tanjiro leaves, Senjuro goes to tell his father the words Rengoku left behind. Although he had badmouthed Rengoku in front of Tanjiro, he was seen crying and drinking sadly.
Perhaps it was because he loved his son so much that he couldn't accept his death...
Episode 70: Kidnapping
About four months have passed since Rengoku's death, and Tanjiro and his friends, who are devoted to training and missions, have even begun to carry out solo missions. On his way back from a mission, Tanjiro witnesses Aoi being about to be kidnapped at the Butterfly Mansion.
Tanjiro steps in to stop them. The person he is trying to kidnap is Tengen Uzui, a former ninja and Sound Pillar who uses the "Sound Breathing" technique. He tried to take her by force because he needed a female member for the mission. Does this mean there are no girls in the Sound Pillar's group...?
Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke insist on going instead of Aoi. Tengen agrees, but didn't they need a female member? (lol)
And so the three head to the "red light district" where demons live.
Continuing from the first season of the anime, the second part of the plot of the Mugen Train arc (spoiler alert!!)
What did you think?
Isn't it okay for Rengoku to be the main character of the Mugen Train arc? I thought so (lol) That's how good Rengoku is!
Up until now, the only Pillars who had fight scenes were Tomioka Giyuu and Kocho Shinobu. And even then, it felt more like a post-processing rather than a fight, and they hardly showed their true abilities. This time, the Pillars showed their true abilities for the first time, which was great.
Inosuke was also cool. I would have liked to see more of Zenitsu and Nezuko, but I wonder how they will turn out in the movie version! !
I'm also curious about the three who headed to the "Red Light District"!! "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" is renowned for its animation, so I hope to see the movie version on the big screen at the cinema! !
