Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc (Season 3) released episode 5 on Sunday, and the legendary animator Nozomu Abe joined the staff this week and ensured fans will be talking about it for a while (the episode was directed by Takuya Nonaka). The first part of the episode saw Tokito save the swordsmith Kanamori with Kotetsu still under his protection. They quickly encounter Gyokko, the Upper Moon 5 demon, and the sequence here was creepy as hell as he showed what he’s done to several of the swordsmiths for his ‘artwork’. Tokito is still struggling with his memories, and the demon manages to land imprison him in his water ability. He talks about Ubuyashiki’s head being within reach soon, though the Mist Hashira won’t be going down that easily.
Regarding Tokito’s backstory, he remembered a man telling him that the same words about their lives being worthless in the past, and it might have been a demon. Maybe that’s how he got injured and ended up at the Ubuyashiki mansion after surviving the attack.
On the other side, we saw the Love Hashira Mitsuri Kanroji finally arrive to the scene and show off her Love Breathing. The soundtrack for her arrival reminded me of Sword Art Online, and Yuki Kajiura is composing the music (she was also on SAO). We saw her use her whip-like sword to quickly deal with the weaker demons, eventually saving the village chief. The village chief, Tecchin, seems to have forged her sword, and he doesn’t mind the attention from the beautiful Hashira. However, she still has a lot to show, and the real thing will definitely be when she comes to one of the Upper Moon demons.
The definite highlight of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc (Season 3) episode 5 was the Nozomu Abe sequence, which came after Nezuko imbued Tanjiro’s sword with her Blood Demon Art and turned it bright red. How Nezuko knew that the sword would turn red wasn’t really explained, but it was shown that the mysterious swordmsan Yoriichi (the reference for Yoriichi Type Zero) also had a black sword in the past through another inherited memory. Tanjiro remembered an unknown girl talking about it, and it seems Yoriichi could turn his sword red in battle. We already know that a bright red sword is the strongest possible color.
Fans of the franchise already know the animator for his sequences in the Rui or Tengen/Gyutaro fights, and he delivered another brilliant work for his Hinokami Kagura Sun Halo Dragon: Head Dance. Tanjiro managed to behead 3 of the Hantengu clones in an instant, and it truly was a beautiful scene to behold.
Looking for the 4th and final clone, Tanjiro realizes that Genya has already beheaded him. However, it seems Genya is in the process of becoming a demon now, and of course the episode ends right there. If you enjoyed episode 5 of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc (Season 3), make sure to vote for it in week 6 of Spring 2023! It ranked first last week.
The Demon Slayer: Swordsmith Village Arc episode 6 preview features Genya, and it will premiere next Sunday on May 14.
Images via Crunchyroll, where you can also watch the anime.
©Koyoharu Gotoge / SHUEISHA / Aniplex / ufotable