Episode 44

No Matter How Many Lives (何度生まれ変わっても) is the 44th episode of the Kimetsu no Yaiba TV anime series, and the 18th and final episode of its second season.

Synopsis
After defeating the Upper Rank Six demons, Nezuko stops the wave of blood with her fire, and quickly heals Tanjiro, Inosuke and Tengen of the poison. Tanjiro heads out to finish off the demons, only to see them berating each other as they die. Gyutaro reminisces on his past, born an outcast in terrible circumstances. Her sister brought short-lived joy before they were horrifically attacked in retaliation over her actions. In the afterlife, Daki refuses to leave his side and they walk to Hell as one. Obanai mocks Tengen's plan to retire but is stunned to hear Tanjiro had survived the battle. Elsewhere, Akaza realizes an Upper Rank has been killed.

Plot
In a combined monumental effort, Tanjiro, Zenitsu and Inosuke successfully decapitate Daki and Gyutaro; the dual holders of Upper Rank Six. In the wake of the battle, Tengen struggles to breathe and compose himself as the poison begins to take its toll. He sees that Gyutaro's body is preparing to spawn blood blades and warns Tanjiro, but the demon slayer is unable to respond due to the poison affecting him too. Tengen yells for him to run but the body erupts with enormous waves of blood tearing apart the district. With her box thrown in the air, Nezuko emerges and uses her fiery blood to burn the blades away, saving everyone.

Tanjiro regains consciousness to see Nezuko beside him, and turns around to see the what remains of Yoshiwara District around them, now a pile of burnt rubble and debris. She pushes her head to his side, as he realizes that she had saved him from the poison. He quickly wonders on the whereabouts on the others; when he tries to stand, his legs immediately give out. He suddenly hears Zenitsu call out; at this, Nezuko carries Tanjiro on her back to take him to help. Zenitsu, now awake and panicking over the state of his injured body, sees his friend and worriedly asks if his legs are broken. When Tanjiro assures him he is more or less fine, Zenitsu informs him that Inosuke's heartbeat is getting fainter.

Seeing his unconscious body, Tanjiro quickly assesses that the poison needs to be neutralized. He tries to think that sunlight could work to save him, but the moon's shine quickly shuts down his idea. He thinks about sending a crow to inform Shinobu but worries it would be too late. He begins to tear up at the idea of his friend's death, lamenting that he was spared. Suddenly, Nezuko touches Inosuke's chest and engulfs his body in her fire. To his amazement, Tanjiro sees the poison being burn away. Inosuke awakens and asks for something to eat, causing Tanjiro to cry and hug him in relief, much to his friend's bewilderment.

Elsewhere, Suma cries out over Tengen's waning life, unable to stop the poison affecting him with their antidote. Makio and Hinatsuru sit beside him in shock, seeing their husband dying. Tengen tries to give them his last words but is drowned out by Suma's loud wailing, causing Makio to angrily scold her and for Hinatsuru to yell at the two to be quiet. Now annoyed, Tengen wonders if he will ever say his last words, just as Nezuko approaches them. She touches Tengen's arm and surrounds his body in her Blood Demon Art's fire, causing his wives to be intensely startled at the sight. Suma grabs Nezuko and furiously reprimands her for cremating him too early. Now healed, the Hashira arises and is relieved to feel the poison no longer inside him, causing the three girls to throw themselves on to him in utter relief.

As they cry, he apologizes for worrying them. Tanjiro answers that Nezuko's Blood Demon Art had burned the poison away, though he urges Tengen to stay still. Tengen notes that he himself needs to be still with his wounds, but Tanjiro instead informs him he will look for the demons' heads. Carried by Nezuko around the burnt remains of the district, Tanjiro detects a pool of Gyutaro's blood and cautiously approaches it. Throwing a pebble into it to make it splash, he surmises that the blood is now inactive and takes a vial. Tamayo's cat emerges from the rubble, takes the sample and disappears to return to her. Tanjiro detects the scent of blood getting stronger and soon hears the Upper Rank siblings arguing with each other.

Gyutaro berates her for dying to the two "bottom-feeders" while Daki insults him for his failure to kill the Hashira. He retorts that he was aiming to kill "the kid with the earrings" first and tells her she could have been the one to kill Tengen. Daki retaliates by saying that he could have controlled her to do so but let his guard down and did nothing. Gyutaro insults his sister for claiming to be an Upper Rank and for not killing Zenitsu and Inosuke, calling her an idiot for her failure, as Tanjiro sees the two about to disintegrate while still fighting each other. Daki calls him the true idiot and responds that no one as ugly as him could be her brother, tearing as while doing so. Tanjiro and Gyutaro are shocked upon hearing her words but she continues, insisting they were never siblings to begin with. She states that his strength is his only saving grace and says he has no value when he dies, calling him a worthless, ugly freak.

He seethes with rage at her insults and tears into her by claiming she would have been long dead without him, calling her the true worthless one and insisting that she too knows it. As she hears his responds, Gyutaro wishes he had never protected her at all and he curses her for causing his life to be what it is now. Daki begins to cry and Tanjiro runs over to the siblings. As he laments always cleaning up her messes, Tanjiro gently closes his mouth when he wishes she had never been born, claiming it to be a lie. Tanjiro insists all he said was untrue and urges Gyutaro to get along with Daki before dying. He tells the Upper Rank siblings that with all they have done, they will be despised and resented by all in the world without anyone but themselves, lamenting that they shouldn't be cursing each other in their final moments.

Daki wails at his message and insists that Tanjiro shouldn't be lecturing them; she becomes scared at her fate and begs her brother to fix the situation before disintegrating completely. Gyutaro sees her disappear and calls out her name, "Ume". Gyutaro remembers it as her original human name and curses her demon name Daki, though he also insists that Ume was a terrible name too, being the disease that killed their mother.

Gyutaro reminisces on their past. He was born into the Rashomon Riverbanks, the lowest caste of the Entertainment District. Children were considered curses then, since they were looked at as just extra mouths to feed; because of this, his mother attempted to kill him several times over his existence. Born with a frail body, he nonetheless managed to survive, though he was berated and insulted over his appearance, uncleanliness and voice. He was especially despised for living in the Entertainment District, since beauty was a measure of value. When hungry, he devoured mice and insects, and his favourite toy was a customer's forgotten sickle. His life changed when Ume was born. Gyutaro considered her his pride and joy, as her great beauty caused even grown ups to be stunned. He discovered he was skilled at combat and used it in his work as a debt collector, along with his sickle. His appearance and horrid reputation instilled fear throughout the district, causing him to embrace his ugliness; and he was especially proud of Ume's beauty and believed it removed his sense of inferiority.

As Gyutaro felt that their life was getting better, that good feeling disappeared when Ume turned thirteen. As he walked about the district, he discovers Ume's charred body lying in a ditch to his utter horror. She had attacked a customer of hers, a samurai, and blinded him by stabbing his eye with her hair pin. In retaliation, she was bound and burnt alive by the man; Gyutaro only happened upon her body while returning from his work. When she struggles to breathe, Gyutaro realizes she is still alive. He tearfully grabs her body and yells for no one to get what he owns. He curses the man who took her sister and yells for Ume to be turned back to normal. Gyutaro angrily threatens to kill the gods but is suddenly sliced across the back.

As he collapses, the samurai from earlier is revealed to be the one who attacked him. He is accompanied by Ume's madam, who thanks him for killing Gyutaro, since he was troublesome throughout the district, unaware that Gyutaro is still alive and hearing her words. She laments that Ume is gone but offers another pretty girl as a reward. The samurai pauses and insists on finishing off the two, only for Gyutaro to leap into the air and stab the woman in the face with his sickle, killing her instantly. Shocked to see him still alive, the samurai hears Gyutaro menacingly compliments him on his kimono and skin complexion. He guesses that he eats plenty and has a nice, clean bed to sleep in. He believes that good things is all he knows, even a house to protect him from the weather, angrily calling him lucky. As the samurai takes a stance, Gyutaro states that someone as well of as him shouldn't be one to complain over a lost eye; the man charges towards Gyutaro but the boy slices his face in half in retaliation.

Gyutaro carries Ume's body throughout the district, but his efforts are in vain as no one offers them help. He collapses from exhaustion, still carrying his sister in her arms as snow begins to fall on the city. He grieves over the needed help they were never given no matter the situation, cursing the belief that "fortune and misfortune are intertwined" over their continual miserable existence. Without warning, the siblings are happened upon by the Upper Rank Six of then, who had been wandering about the district while eating his meal. He calls himself "kind hearted" and believes that Ume will die soon. The demon offers to give the two his blood and transform them. Moreover, he believes that if "he" accepts them, they can be demons as well. Dropping the head he was eating, he asks whether they can become a Twelve Kizuki and rise up like him.

Gyutaro reflects on the demon's words and his transformation, insisting he doesn't regret being one. He believes that no matter how many times he is reborn, he will always be a demon. Despite his proudness in being the Gyutaro who collects, he has one underlying regret: Ume. He laments over what her life could have been had she been born differently. Had she worked in a better house, she could have been a well-known Oiran. If she was born to normal parents, she could have been a normal girl. Had she been born to a good family, she could have been a respectable young woman. He laments that with her impressionable and pliant personality, he unknowingly shaped her into what she became in the end. Gyutaro admits that his teachings even led to her attacking the samurai, since she could have turned out better had she ignored what she was taught by him. He believes that his only regret in life is her.

The Upper Rank sees himself in a dense, foggy void, believing it to be Hell. Wondering at his situation, Ume calls out to him and comments that she hates it here. Gyutaro realizes that though he retains his demonic appearance, Ume has reverted to her looks before she was burned. He turns to walk away from her, causing Ume to ask if he is heading to the exit. Hearing this, Gyutaro urges her to stop following him; when she tries to ignore his words, he angrily repeats them. As he walks away, Ume believes he is angry at her final words before she died and urges him to forgive her, taking back her insults and insisting she was only upset over their defeat. She apologizes for not fighting hard enough, believe they could have won had she been more useful and apologizing for always bring the two of them down. Urging him to listen, Gyutaro instead responds by saying they are no longer siblings, insisting he walk his path while she will walk to the light away from him.

Instead of listening, Ume tearfully clings to her brother and refuses to leave him, exclaiming that no matter how many times she is reborn, she will always be his little sister. She cries while urging him not to hate her, asking him never to leave her alone and refusing to forgive him if he does so, "Because we're always going to be together". Ume reiterates a promise he had made as they were young, causing Gyutaro to remember that moment again. With just each other, he had insisted that they can't be beaten together and promising they will always be together. As she cries, Gyutaro lifts her legs up and the two enter the fires of Hell together. Tanjiro and Nezuko watch as the last remnants of Gyutaro's head fade into ash; he wonders whether the siblings had made up.

Seeing the wounded Tengen, Obanai Iguro commends him for defeating Upper Rank Six, sarcastically offering his praises over the feat. Tengen denies his words but Suma angrily confront him for being late, causing Obanai's snake to hiss at her. The Serpent Hashira asks what he will do now that he's lost his left eye and hand, wondering if he can recover and return to his duty. Hearing this, Tengen announces that he will retire from being a Hashira, believing that Kagaya will accept his choice. Obanai angrily refuses to listen to his wish, retorting that too many new Demon Slayers are dying without reaching their potential and claiming that having someone "as uninspiring as you" is still better than nothing. Unsatisfied with his decision, he urges the Sound Hashira to battle till he dies. Tengen ignores him and retorts his earlier statement, stating that "the young guy you hate" is reaching his potential. Hearing this, Obanai becomes stunned, unable to believe that Tanjiro had survived the immense battle.

When a Kasugai Crow announces that Tengen, Tanjiro, Nezuko, Zenitsu and Inosuke have defeated an Upper Rank, Kagaya Ubuyashiki becomes ecstatic. With his condition worsening however, he begins to cough blood, causing his wife Amane to worry at his state. Instead, he tells her that an Upper Rank had not been defeated for a hundred years. Kagaya sees this as an omen that fate is taking a dramatic turn, and it will affect everyone greatly. He states that eventually, they will reach "that man". He reaffirms his promise that they will kill Muzan Kibutsuji without fail in this generation, cursing him as the sole blemish in his family. His coughing begins to worsen, causing his children to rush by his side. Amane urges them to help their father, as they worriedly call out to him. Elsewhere, Akaza sees himself inside the Infinity Castle, and he quickly realizes that he is summoned here because an Upper Rank demon was killed.

Tengen is supported by his wives on their way out of Yoshiwara. While he comments on the smarting pain he is feeling, Suma expresses thankfulness that he survived the battle. Makio agrees and Hinatsuru is relieved that the four of them will be returning together. Tengen hopes that they would return like heroes and "be flashy about it". Hugging Zenitsu, Inosuke and Nezuko, Tanjiro cries tears of relief that they survived. Zenitsu exclaims his feeling of thankfulness that the battle is done and Tanjiro tearfully states he is glad that his friends made it out alive in the end.

Anime Notes

 * Episode 44 has an extended runtime, amounting to around 32 minutes of episode content.
 * This episode doesn't have any intermission eyecatchers.