Episode 13

Something More Important Than Life (命より大事なもの) is the 13th episode of the Kimetsu no Yaiba TV anime series.

Synopsis
Tanjiro struggles to fight against Kyogai, the master of the mansion, as the room spins every time the demon plays his tsuzumi drums. Debilitated by the broken bones he sustained in his previous battle, Tanjiro must reassure himself as he desperately fights on against Kyogai’s overwhelming Blood Demon Art. Will he find a way to slice off Kyogai’s head?

Plot
Despite his injuries hampering him and Kyogai's endless waves of room rotations, Tanjiro urges himself to keep fighting, unwilling to lose everything he has been fighting for till now. Elsewhere, Zenitsu and Shoichi continue to wander the halls searching for a way out of the mansion, with the former worrying about Tanjiro's safety and the continual creepy sound through the mansion. Shoichi notices that they have seemingly been walking around in circles, with which Zenitsu concurs. As they look around for a door, the hallway flips forward, causing the two to fall down and eventually land back outside through an open window.

Kyogai continues his assault, manipulating the room to disorient his adversary and sending waves of slashes in an attempt to kill him. Tanjiro, still feeling the pain of his previous mission, can barely survive the onslaught; he is nearly killed when the room turns forward, leaving him hanging by a light fixture and vulnerable to the slashes till he dodges them in time. Kyogai, irritated by his refusal to die, repeatedly attempts to wear him down, still wanting to devour his target.

Tanjiro calls out to the demon and asks for his name; Kyogai responds, and the Demon Slayer calls out that he will not surrender Kiyoshi over to him. Tanjiro's unwillingness to quit reminds the demon of a moment in his past when someone told him to quit. Wanting to reclaim his place among the Twelve Kizuki, Kyogai speeds up the rate of his attacks, spinning the room entirely and causing numerous slashes to rip through. In his anger, he remembers when a musician in his past had denounced his songwriting as boring and uncultured. He insulted his hobby as a waste of pens and paper and mocked him for always being a shut-in indoors while playing his tsuzumis. Kyogai, having hidden that he was already a demon at that moment, unleashes a slash from his central tsuzumi in retaliation, slicing his tormentor to pieces. With the painful memory fresh in his mind, the former Kizuki unleashes Rapid Drumming, playing his tsuzumis faster than ever before and sending the room rotating out of control. Tanjiro isn't even able to land down as the room's gravity rapidly shifts, dizzying him, and his situation becomes even more dire as the claw attack of Kyogai's tsuzumi now has five slashes. Suddenly, as the drumming slows down, Tanjiro lands down gently on the floor and notices something. The Demon Slayer realizes he was able to land without aggravating his wounds and thinks of a new tactic. Utilizing shallow breaths to maintain power, Tanjiro is able to keep his stance up without getting hurt as the room shifts; he then senses a mould-like smell that appears when the claw attack is used. With his newfound knowledge, he is now able to avoid the slashes with little movement, shocking Kyogai. Preparing for a final stand, Tanjiro breathes in and uses Total Concentration: Water Breathing, Ninth Form: Splashing Water Flow, Turbulent. He closes the distance as the room shifts, and Kyogai is unable to retaliate. Finally, acknowledging his Blood Demon Art as incredible, Tanjiro senses the Opening Thread and successfully beheads the Drum Demon.

In a moment of relief, Tanjiro accidentally takes a deep breath, injuring him. Kyogai, through his severed head, then asks if he meant his words regarding his Blood Demon Art. Tanjiro restates that it was amazing but adds that he cannot be forgiven for killing others, which the demon understands. Remembering he needs to take a blood sample to Tamayo, he uses a syringe-like knife provided by Yushiro and jabs it into Kyogai's fading body, watching as the blood is collected. Tamayo's cat appears before Tanjiro at that moment, surprising him. He gives the cat the sample and watches as the cat walks away and suddenly disappears, before remembering that he needs to locate Kiyoshi and Teruko. In his final moments, Kyogai reminisces on when his song-writing was insulted in his past, now realizing it is untrue thanks to Tanjiro's acknowledgement. As the Demon Slayer prays for his soul to rest in peace and departs, the former Kizuki sheds tears as his Blood Demon Art and tsuzumi playing have been recognized before fading into ashes.

Tanjiro locates the children in a new room, though he sustains a book to the forehead when Teruko throws various objects at him in surprise. As the three make their way outside the mansion, Tanjiro suddenly senses the scent of blood. He quickly runs outside and sees the masked Demon Slayer kicking Zenitsu repeatedly, who is protecting Nezuko's box. Shocked by his act of kindness despite barely knowing him, Zenitsu gives his reason why.

After falling outside of the mansion to the ground, Zenitsu and Shoichi remain relatively unscathed, aside from a gash on Zenitsu's head when he landed on it. Suddenly, they hear a voice yelling, "Comin' through!" from inside the mansion. Bursting through the door is the masked Demon Slayer; Zenitsu quickly recognizes him as the fifth survivor of Final Selection, the first to enter and leave the mountain before everyone. Having sensed a demonic feeling outside, the masked Slayer sees Tanjiro's box and sprints towards it, only for Zenitsu to block his way. Angered, he reminds Zenitsu they are both Demon Slayers and need to kill what is inside the box, demanding he move once again. When he refuses again, claiming it belongs to Tanjiro, the masked Slayer then decides he will kill both what's inside the box and him; he threatens Zenitsu with his blade, but he remains steadfast. Finally, the unknown Demon Slayer tells him a demon inside, but Zenitsu reveals he already knows.

Zenitsu quickly realized that a demon was inside the box on Tanjiro's back when they first met, as it made inhuman noises. But he then perceived Tanjiro as so kind and gentle that it made him want to cry. As all organisms emit a sound, and through his excellent sense of hearing, Zenitsu is able to perceive people's thoughts through the sounds of their bodies. Time and time again, he was deceived by others, but since he saw Tanjiro had such innate kindness, he must have a good reason to carry a demon as a Demon Slayer. Despite his explanation, the masked Slayer refuses to back down and kicks him in the face. Zenitsu tackles him away and shields the box with his body, claiming that what is inside is precious to Tanjiro. Enraged, the masked swordsman repeatedly kicks him for intervening with his attack and the situation is seen by Tanjiro. Zenitsu reminds Tanjiro that he said what's inside is more important to him than his own life.

The masked Slayer continues to kick him repeatedly, insulting him for not drawing his blade to attack as a Demon Slayer. Tanjiro sees Zenitsu holding the box and remembers the pain of finding Nezuko's bloody body shielding Rokuta in the snow. As the masked Demon Slayer prepares to stab both Zenitsu and the box, an enraged Tanjiro yells at him to stop and charges toward him to protect Zenitsu.

Anime Notes

 * The scene of Zenitsu and Shoichi navigating their way around the mansion and eventually being thrown outside does not appear in the manga.

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Эпизод 13 Episodi 13