In the “Swordsmith Village Arc” of Demon Slayer, Tanjiro’s routine sword repair turns into a daring showdown. Alongside allies Muichiro, Genya, and Mitsuri, they face off against Hantengu, an Upper Rank demon who creates emotion clones. This concise arc merges sword repairs with intense demon battles, highlighting Tanjiro and his team’s bravery against formidable adversaries in the swordsmith’s domain.
Infinity Castle:
Muzan summons the all Upper Moons
- Upper Moon Five Gyokko
- Upper Moon Four Hantengu
- Upper Moon Three Akaza
- Upper Moon Two Doma
- Upper Moon One Kokushibo.
He scolds them for their failure to kill the Ubuyashiki family or find the Blue Spider Lily. When Gyokko provides new information, he is sent on a joint mission with Hantengu.
While Zenitsu and Inosuke have gone to individual missions, Tanjiro continues his rehabilitation. When his swordsmith Hotaru Haganezuka refuses to forge him a new sword, Tanjiro wants to meet him at the Swordsmith Village to discuss the matter.
The Hidden Swordsmith Village:
Tanjiro with Nezuko meets the village’s chief, Tecchin Tecchikawahara, who reassures him he will bring Hotaru back to make his sword. Tanjiro is shown to the village’s hot springs where he meets the Love Hashira Mitsuri Kanroji. There, he encounters Genya Shinazugawa, the Wind Hashira’s younger brother and fellow Final Selection survivor, who refuses talk with Tanjiro’s.
Mitsuri hints Tanjiro about a “secret weapon” that can make him stronger. While searching for that weapon the next day, Tanjiro finds the Mist Hashira Muichiro Tokito. Arguing with someone and sees that seemingly with them is a man from his dreams.
The Secret Weapon:
As Muichiro threatens the young swordsmith named Kotetsu he was arguing with, Tanjiro tries to defend him but the Hashira knocks him unconscious for interfering. Kotetsu, explains that the “man” he saw is actually a mechanical training doll, built after a swordsman over 300 years ago. He explains the doll was made by his ancestors.
As an orphan, it is his only inheritance to pass. Tanjiro agrees to protect the doll. But they see Muichiro’s training session has caused extensive damage. However, after Kotetsu discovers it remains functional, he tells Tanjiro to train with it in order to surpass the arrogant Muichiro. The training is harsh as kotetsu refuses to give food and water to Tanjiro until he improves.
Tanjiro faints from exhaustion as he imagines himself in the afterlife and sees a peculiar stone in the Sanzu River, allowing him to detect attacks pre-emptively and quickly dodges and lands a powerful blow on the doll’s head, which shatters and reveals a covered sword inside.
To Tanjiro’s and Kotetsu’s disappointment, the sword is dull. Hotaru arrives, from solitary training in order to improve himself. Intending to restore the ancient sword, he gives Tanjiro a spare blade. Tanjiro later attempts to befriend Genya but is refused.
Demon Infiltration:
Meanwhile Gyokko and Hantengu two upper moon demons have infiltrated the village. Hantengu battles Tanjiro and Nezuko but Muichiro beheads him. Two new demons then grow from the severed body and head,one of them, Karaku, blasts Muichiro away with his wind-based uchiwa, and the other, Sekido, shocks the siblings with his khakkhara.
Genya arrives on time and beheads them with a Shotgun and a Nichirin wakizashi. However, the demons to split again, now totalling four demons. Urogi carries Tanjiro away from the group and hits him with a sonic shriek, while Nezuko tries to defend Genya from Aizetsu, who wields a yari.
Muichiro runs back to help them but finds Kotetsu being attacked by a fish-like demon. Choosing not to help him, but he saves Kotetsu after remembering Tanjiro’s words about how helping others will eventually help him. Muichiro beheads the fish demon, it does not die until he slashes the vase on its back Kotetsu begs him to save Hotaru.
Muichiro initially selects to protect the village but remembers Kagaya’s advice about trivial events triggering his memories to return. He takes Kotetsu with him to find the swordsmiths. Meanwhile, Tanjiro determines that each of the four demons represents an emotion: joy (Urogi), anger (Sekido), pleasure (Karaku), and sorrow (Aizetsu).
Genya confuses Sekido and Aizetsu with his inhuman resistance to normal fatal wounds. Nezuko burns Karaku. Sekido immobilizes Nezuko by shocking her in place with his khakkhara. Tanjiro uses Urogi to reach Nezuko and Genyaand avoids Sekido’s attacks. Tanjiro frees Nezuko but both are incapacitated when Karaku pins them with a blast from his uchiwa. More fish demons attack the village as Mitsuri makes her way to rescue the swordsmiths.
Tanjiro notices that the demons remain alive despite all being beheaded at the same time and informs Genya of a hidden fifth demon Genya angrily declares that he too shall defeat an Upper Rank demon.
Genya Recalls:
Sekido then attacks Genya from behind. Realizing he is about to die, Genya recalls his childhood; as a child, he and his family were frequently abused by his father, who was later killed by someone. One night, Sanemi went out to look for their mother after she fails to return home. A demon entered their house, killing all five of Genya’s younger siblings but was fought off by Sanemi. That morning, he found Sanemi standing in front of their mother’s body, unaware she was the demon, and blames him for murder in his grief.
Genya laments dying without ever apologizing to Sanemi but Tanjiro saves him by attacking Sekido. After Genya shields him from Aisetzu’s attack, Tanjiro goes after Hantengu himself.
Hatred: The Fifth Emotion:
Tanjiro slashes Hantengu’s neck but fails to behead him before he is confronted by Hantengu’s manifested hatred Zohakuten, whose Blood Demon Art is giant wooden dragons. Zohakuten, who in actuality is Sekido after absorbing Karaku, Urogi, and Aizetsu, shields the miniscule Hantengu inside a burl and denounces the Demon Slayers for causing him harm. Meanwhile,
Gyokko enters Kozo’s shed and finds Hotaru, who is polishing Tanjiro’s blade. He attacks Hotaru out of spite but becomes annoyed when Hotaru ignores him. Muichiro, near death, suddenly sees a vision of Tanjiro, who reassures him that someone will come and help.
Kotetsu then appears and vainly tries to stab the watery pot. He is attacked by a fish demon who stabs him in the solar plexus. Muichiro attempts to dissuade Kotetsu from trying to help him any further but Kotetsu blows bubbles into the pot, giving him sufficient air to break free. Muichiro realizes the reason Tanjiro seems familiar to him is because he shares the same eye colour as his father.
Regains His Memories:
As a child, after his mother became ill and his father died on a trip to save her. His twin brother Yuichiro was bitter by their deaths, becoming cold and distant from him. Kagaya’s wife Amane visits to recruit them into the Corps but it provokes Yuichiro, who rants about the fruitlessness of helping others and how they are fated to join their parents in dying a worthless death.
One night, a demon found them and wounded Yuichiro. Muichiro, in a blinding rage, defeated the demon and witnessed his brother’s last moments, apologizing to him and praying he would survive. The memories cause demon slayer marks to appear on his face, enhancing his speed and strength. He finds Gyokko about to kill Kozo and Hotaru and attacks him. Gyokko, shocked that Muichiro had escaped and with his attacks overpowered, Gyokko reveals his true form, a large merman-like being with lethal touch, before attacking Muichiro again. Muichiro recalls when Amane saved him following his brother’s death and his relentless training to become stronger, his perpetual rage continually pushing him forward.Muichiro overwhelms Gyokko’s perception and beheads him.
Muichiro’s demon slayer mark then fade and he drops down from exhaustion and the poison’s effects. Kozo and Kotetsu aid him. Muichiro cries being reminded of his friend and is comforted by visions of his family.
Meanwhile Tanjiro, Nezuko, and Genya struggle against Zohakuten’s dragons; Tanjiro is swallowed by one and nearly crushed in its jaws when Mitsuri arrives, slicing it apart and saving him. She then makes her way to rescue Nezuko and Genya.
The Love Hashira Kanroji Mitsuri:
Mitsuri destroys the dragons, and attempting to behead Zohakuten. He moves to kill her as she recalls her past: as a child, she developed her abnormal strength, unique hair color, and large appetite at a young age. Once a source of pride, later tried to hide these traits after a cancelled marriage proposal caused her to long to be seen as normal.
However, it ultimately troubled her to realize that she was hiding her true identity; joining the Demon Slayer Corps allowed her to act freely and be accepted. Mitsuri regains consciousness to see Tanjiro, Nezuko, and Genya rescuing her. She apologizes for her earlier mistake and engages Zohakuten again with renewed vigour. Zohakuten notices that Mitsuri has awakened her demon slayer mark on her neck and concentrates his efforts on her, exposing Hantengu’s burl.
Genya, who reveals his ability to gain demon traits by consuming their flesh, destroy the burl but Hantengu escapes once more. Tanjiro reaches Hantengu by using Zenitsu’s Thunder Breathing’s technique, but the demon manifests his resentment, Urami.
Genya and Nezuko attack him but Urami and the sibling’s falls down a cliff. Seeing them fall Genya gets frustrated for not being able to help them. Using the sword thrown by Muichiro, Tanjiro decapitates Urami but fails to kill the demon.
Day Break:
Day breaks and Nezuko begins to burn tanjiro tries to cover her, but she kick’s him away for her to kill the demon. He locates Hantengu hiding inside Urami’s heart and attacks him with Hinokami Kagura, Hantengu relives his past as he is killed, simultaneously saving Mitsuri from Zohakuten. Tanjiro grieves Nezuko’s death but discovers she is no longer burning and she is able to walk in the sun. Through Hantengu’s memories, Muzan realizes his goal to become immortal can be achieved by devouring Nezuko.
Once a sickly young man from the Heian period, Muzan was angered by his lack of recovery and killed his doctor, only realizing later that his last treatment had enhanced his physical abilities and saved him, though it has left him unable to walk in sunlight. Having failed to find the treatment’s last component, the Blue Spider Lily, he resorted to creating demons in the hopes one could conquer the sun.
In the aftermath, Muichiro thanks Tanjiro for helping him regain his identity and Mitsuri embraces them for all surviving. As he leaves the village, the swordsmiths celebrate Tanjiro for saving them.
For more Anime content checkout our Anime page
[Have tips, news, or a story to share about Demon Slayer? Feel free to reach out and join the conversation!]