Muichiro Tokito vs Gyokko

Muichiro Tokito vs Gyokko is a battle that takes place in the surrounding forests of the Swordsmith Village, between the Mist Hashira Muichiro Tokito and Upper Rank Five, Gyokko.

Prologue
While talking to Tanjiro Kamado about their respective swordsmiths, Upper Rank Four Hantengu enters the building and crawls towards them, hiding his engraved eyes. The demon is able to thwart both Muichiro's Mist Breathing, Fourth Form: Shifting Flow Slash and Tanjiro's Hinokami Kagura: Sunflower Thrust. In her awakened demon form, Nezuko Kamado kicks the Upper Rank with great force, allowing Muichiro the chance to quickly behead Hantengu. However, the demon does not die; the severed head forms a new body and the headless body forms a new demon, manifestations of Hantengu's emotions. Wielding an uchiwa, the manifestation of joy, Karaku, blasts Muichiro out of the building with a gust of wind, sending him hurtling into the forest.

Landing safely, Muichiro tries to make his way back to Tanjiro and Nezuko but finds a fish-like demon about to attack a young smith. He initially deems him to be of low priority and prepares to move on, but Tanjiro's previous words regarding helping others suddenly cause Muichiro to attack the demon. He beheads it but it regenerates, leading him to destroy the vase on its back, causing it to disintegrate. The young smith, Kotetsu, apologizes for previously insulting him and repeatedly thanks the Hashira, though Muichiro seems to have forgotten their encounter. Though Kotetsu begs him to save Kozo Kanamori and Hotaru Haganezuka, Muichiro attempts to move on to his top priority. He then remembers a moment he had with Kagaya and Amane Ubuyashiki when he was injured; Kagaya had offered him something to focus on in times of distress: one's survival. Carrying Kotetsu on his shoulder, Muichiro speeds through the forest to find the swordsmiths. He finds another fish demon about to kill Kozo and saves him. Asking for his own sword, since the one he is presently using is damaged, Kozo walks to a shed to retrieve the Mist Hashira's blade. However, Muichiro holds him back and stops him from proceeding, noting that "It's here". From a hidden vase in the bushes nearby, Upper Rank Five of the Twelve Kizuki emerges, Gyokko. The demon offers a chance to chat with Muichiro before killing him, wanting to show his 'creations'. Out of another vase, he showcases a piece he had made dubbed 'Death Throes of the Smith'; a cluster of mangled bodies consisted of swordsmiths he had found and tortured. Gyokko then shows that by twisting a katana imbedded in them, they all scream in agony, showing that they are still alive. Kozo and Kotetsu are horrified at the sight of familiar faces being tormented, while Muichiro grows angry at the demon's actions.

Battle
Muichiro lunges forward and swings at Gyokko's neck, but the Upper Rank dodges and hides back into his vase, before reappearing in another vase atop a roof. Muichiro then leaps up to shatter it but Gyokko appears out of a new one on the ground, angry at his vase's destruction. The Hashira notes that unlike Hantengu welcoming his swings, this demon hide from them, meaning that he can be killed through decapitation. Gyokko produces a vase in his hand and creates two demon goldfish. He uses Thousand Needle Fish Kill, causing the fishes' cheeks to inflate and spit out hundreds of poisonous needles. One targets Muichiro but misses, while the other aims at Kozo and Kotetsu. Before they can be hit, Muichiro speeds in and stands in front of them, taking the hit and sustaining numerous puncture wounds. He demands the smiths flee the scene and they run away. Gyokko is amused at the sight of his opponent repeatedly skewered by his spines, asking if he feels the poison paralyzing him. The demon's words suddenly remind Muichiro of a memory but he cannot recall it completely. He lunges at Gyokko again but Upper Five uses Blood Demon Art: Water Prison Pot, producing a vase from his flesh to trap Muichiro in a large pot of water. He attempts to stab through but cannot puncture the water. Gyokko is satisfied to see him unable to breathe, deeming it a Demon Slayer's greatest weapon. He notes that with the village destroyed, the Corps will weaken and they can soon move on to killing Kagaya Ubuyashiki, before leaving his foe to die.

Running out of oxygen, Muichiro gives one last attempt to pierce the pot; he uses Mist Breathing, First Form: Low Clouds, Distant Haze but the blade does not go through. Believing it is over, Muichiro begs Kagaya to send at least two Hashiras to aid them. Tanjiro seemingly appears and asks why he thinks so, stating no one knows what the future holds. Muichiro becomes confused as Tanjiro had never said that to him. Elsewhere, Gyokko finds a shed and kills the swordsmith protecting it, where he sees Haganezuka polishing and admiring a blade he has been given to work on. Not believing him to be the village chief, Gyokko launches a demon at him; it causes severe lacerations to the smith but Haganezuka remains focused on doing his task. Angered at the smith not acknowledging his presence, the demon resolves to break his concentration out of spite. As he slowly suffocates to death, Muichiro sees Tanjiro asking he is accepting his death. He refuses to listen to him when Tanjiro states that someone will help him, believing that leaving something in the hands of others is the worst possible decision. He accepts that he had overestimated himself and surrenders his life. Kotetsu then appears and attempts to help the Hashira break free, futilely stabbing the pot with a knife. Muichiro wonders why Kotetsu is helping him, believing it to be of higher priority to flee and protect the village chief. A small fish demon then appears, slashing and stabbing the young swordsmith. Muichiro begs Kotetsu to leave him and flee but he removes his mask and blows air bubbles into the pot. As he breathes in the oxygen, the vision of Tanjiro becomes that of someone else, who tells Muichiro that as human beings, working together can help them tap into unbelievable strength. Muichiro accepts the words and uses Mist Breathing, Second Form: Eight Layered Mist, breaking out of the water pot; he then realizes that the new face in the vision is his father. As he feels the poison's numbness and pulls out the needles, he remembers that Kagaya's illness is advancing and decides to push on, but he sees the heavily wounded Kotetsu on the ground. He protects him from the fish demon. Kotetsu begs him to leave, instead to help Haganezuka and protect the smiths. As he remembers his past, his parent's deaths, as well as the moments his brother chastised him for his optimism and how he had failed to save him from dying to a demon attack, an enraged Muichiro grabs his blade to kill Gyokko, a misty cloud-like mark appearing on his face.

Gyokko is now tired that all his attempts to stop Haganezuka's concentration have failed, watching as the smith continues to polish his blade while severely wounded. Moving forward to kill him, the demon tries to grab the smith but ducks into his vase when Muichiro's blade suddenly comes close to his neck.