Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (Episode 19) – Hinokami
Tanjiro’s sword has broken, he’s badly cut, and facing a terrifying demon in Rui. Could Rui be a member of the Twelve Kizuki? And if so, it probably wasn’t a good idea to piss him off!
What did you watch?
Last week’s episode left us with a massive cliffhanger. Tanjiro was up against Rui, the middle brother of the Spider Demon family. He had just broken his sword on one of Rui’s webs and was staring death in the face. So, this was episode 19 of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba and, holy shit, was it an incredible episode. Normally, I try to keep my screencaps to six or seven, but this week, I have seventeen… and they’re all going in here somewhere because they are beautiful! There will obviously be spoilers. Let’s do this!
What happened?
The cliffhanger from last week was rubbish! It looked like Tanjiro was doomed and would need to be saved, but he managed to dodge the attack and ended up with just a cut to his face. Inosuke challenged Giyu to a fight after watching him kill the father spider demon with ease. Giyu simply tied up Inosuke and left him there to heal. Shinobu commends Zenitsu for slowing the spread of the poison and then gives him an injection.
Tanjiro and Rui continue their fight, but Tanjiro can’t get near him because of Rui’s web attacks. Then, when Rui unleashes a massive webbed attack and Tanjiro looks to be doomed, Nezuko leaps out of the box and takes the attack to protect her brother. Tanjiro grabs her and races away, literally holding her arm together. Rui was impressed with her dedication and offers to let Tanjiro walk away if leaves Nezuko behind. Of course, Tanjiro is not willing to do that, so Rui takes her and continues his attack.
What did you think?
This episode was insanely good. The fight scene which took up most of the episode was epic and the more it went on the more I wanted. I did start to worry that we wouldn’t see a conclusion in this episode, however. The dreaded fade to black was waiting to pounce, but thankfully it let us see the fight to the end. There’s been grumbling about the length of the recap at the beginning of each episode and if they decided to recap the entire fight in the next episode, I wouldn’t care. This is what Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is about. This is it!
What was your favourite moment?
Without a doubt, it was the fight and rather than tell you more about it, I’m going to show you. Hold onto your pants! Click on the images to enlarge them.
So, Nezuko had just saved Tanjiro and then ended up getting caught in Rui’s webs. The strand cut into her flesh as Tanjiro raced forwards, building momentum and finally cutting through the web with the remains of his blade. Then, just as it looked like Tanjiro was getting somewhere Rui increased his power.
Things were looking bleak and as Shinobu said to Zenitsu, your life flashes before your eyes when close to death as you try to resist it. So, Tanjiro saw a memory of his father, reminding him of a family breathing technique – Hinokami.
With the Hinokami technique combined with Water Breathing, Tanjiro’s attacks grew in strength, slicing through the blood webbing. He raced after Rui determined to land a fatal blow, even if it meant getting hurt in the process. The spirit of their mother spoke to Nezuko, waking and begging her to help Tanjiro.
We finally learn what Nezuko’s blood demon art is – Exploding Blood. She blows the webbing apart sending flames racing towards Rui, burning up his attacks. Tanjiro charges on when he sees his opening.
What was your least favourite moment?
The most notable thing for me was that the cliffhanger from last week was pointless. It really didn’t look like he’d be able to dodge it and that he would need some help from somewhere. After that, the memories of his father just happening to appear at that time seemed a little fortuitous. I’m glad that it did because it was epic. It was funny that Tanjiro even commented on how odd it was too.
Who was your favourite character?
It has to be Tanjiro and then the animation team for putting together that fight sequence. It was relentless and so satisfying. Tanjiro’s new technique, combing Water Breathing with Hinokami is going to make him fairly powerful. He did mention that he would be in trouble once he’d used up his energy, which is nice because it gives him more to work towards and doesn’t make him instantly overpowered.
Who was your least favourite character?
Rui proved to be the real monster as well as the member of the Twelve Kizuki. He was lower moon five, so that would make him the eleventh most powerful… Can’t wait to see what the others are capable of, not to mention Muzan when we finally see him fight a real opponent and not some drunks in an alley.
Would you like some more?
Admittedly, I could just watch this one again and may do so before the next one, but I will definitely be back for more. This is what I want from Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba and it’s what it does best. Graphic demonic horror with fast and fluid fights that really showcase the quality animation. Let’s try to forget about Inosuke and Zenitsu chasing Tanjiro and Nezuko around a room and focus on these moments. Just please don’t do that too us again.
Other reviews in the series
- Anime
- Season One
- Episode 1 – Cruelty
- Episode 2 – Trainer Sakonji Urokodaki
- Episode 3 – Sabito and Makomo
- Episode 4 – Final Selection
- Episode 5 – My Own Steel
- Episode 6 – Swordsman Accompanying a Demon
- Episode 7 – Muzan Kibutsuji
- Episode 8 – The Smell of Enchanting Blood
- Episode 9 – Temari Demon and Arrow Demon
- Episode 10 – Together Forever
- Episode 11 – Tsuzumi Mansion
- Episode 12 – The Boar Bares Its Fangs, Zenitsu Sleeps
- Episode 13 – Something More Important Than Life
- Episode 14 – The House with the Wisteria Family Crest
- Episode 15 – Mount Natagumo
- Episode 16 – Letting Someone Else Go First
- Episode 17 – You Must Master a Single Thing
- Episode 18 – A Forged Bond
- Episode 19 – Hinokami
- Episode 20 – Pretend Family
- Episode 21 – Against Corps Rules
- Episode 22 – Master of the Mansion
- Episode 23 – Hashira Meeting
- Episode 24 – Rehabilitation Training
- Episode 25 – Tsuguko, Kanao Tsuyuri
- Episode 26 – New Mission
- Movie
- Season Two – Yuukaku-hen
- Episode 1 – Sound Hashira Tengen Uzui
- Episode 2 – Infiltrating the Entertainment District
- Episode 3 – What Are You?
- Episode 4 – Tonight
- Episode 5 – Things Are Gonna Get Real Flashy!
- Episode 6 – Layered Memories
- Episode 7 – Transformation
- Episode 8 – Gathering
- Episode 9 – Defeating an Upper Rank Demon
- Episode 10 – Never Give Up
- Episode 11 – No Matter How Many Lives
- Season Three – Katanakaji no Sato-hen
- Season One
- Analysis
- Bonus Posts
- Manga
- Volume 1 – Cruelty
- Volume 2 – It Was You!
- Volume 3 – Believe in Yourself
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“This episode was insanely good.”
First, let me just say that even after watching the episode about 10 times, I still get goosebumps when Nezuko speaks.
Yes, this episode was insanely good.
In fact, I’ll go as far to say it’s the hope of seeing an episode like this that keeps me watching anime.
What pushed it over the top for me was that Tanjiro, as powerful as he was, as much as he tapped into his past and invoke his fire god mode, couldn’t do it alone. It was only with Nezuko’s newly discovered Blood Demon Art that he was able to defeat Rui.
That’s just good stuff.
Yeah. This show has always been about Tanjiro AND Nezuko. She really needs to be in it more and dare I say it a little less Inosuke and Zenitsu. I really don’t want another three stooges episode, but more of this, absolutely yes!