Episode 42

Defeating an Upper Rank Demon (上弦の鬼を倒したら) is the 42nd episode of the Kimetsu no Yaiba TV anime series, and the 16th episode of its second season.

Synopsis
While Zenitsu and Inosuke struggle with Daki's obi, Tengen and Tanjiro are repeatedly forced on the defensive by Gyutaro. The Upper Rank tries to kill Hinatsuru but Tanjiro combines his Breathing Styles to out-speed him. Despite this boost, they fail to decapitate Gyutaro together, who unleashes a powerful Blood Demon Art that forces Tengen to battle him alone. Tanjiro joins Zenitsu and Inosuke in a coordinate charge to defeat Daki. When the plan succeeds, their victory falls apart when the Upper Rank siblings retaliate to devastating effect.

Plot
Deflecting the wave of kunais, Gyutaro watches as Tengen ducks down his swing and slices off both his legs. Struck by a stray kunai laced with wisteria poison, he is unable to heal. Tanjiro and Tengen seize their moment and swing their blades at his neck, as Hinatsuru watches from above.

In a past visit to Tengen's family grave, he and his wives pray for them. Tengen, lamenting that he is unable to ever drink with them, pours sake on the headstone and says they can all drink together one day. All four shinobi then sit down for lunch. As he eats, Hinatsuru asks if Tengen still has his siblings in mind. He answers that not a day goes by where he doesn't recall them and it seems only recently that he left his home with his wives. As she, Suma and Makio stare in wonder at his remark, Tengen asks they eat as well. Suma loudly exclaims about the delicious food, causing Makio to berate her despite Tengen's words to "dig in". As the girls eat, Tengen mutters that he'll go to hell someday, much to their shock. He takes back his words but reminds them they do not need to berate him again. He stares at the headstone and claims he will live "the flashiest life possible... for my siblings' sake" with them.

A sudden gust of wind arrives, blowing sakura flower petals from the trees. Tengen gently picks a petal of Hinatsuru's head, causing her to blush. When Makio asks for the same treatment, she is denied and told she put the petals there herself, to her chagrin. Hinatsuru asks for the petal from him, clutching it gently in her hands and thanking him warmly. Suma and Makio see this and asks for a petal from Tengen as well; he remarks they can grab one themselves, causing them to exasperatedly call him cruel, to Hinatsuru's subtle laughter.

Hinatsuru watches as Tanjiro and Tengen close in on the Upper Rank. Gyutaro forces the kunai out his neck and regenerates his legs. The Sound Hashira realizes the wisteria poison has already been neutralized. Gyutaro remarks this poison will pack a punch and seeps blood from his arms. Using his Blood Demon Art, Rotating Circular Slashes: Flying Blood Sickles, he spins the blood blades around his sickles. Tanjiro narrowly misses the spinning blades, destroying his uniform sleeve; Tengen retaliates with Sound Breathing, Fourth Form: Constant Resounding Slashes, rapidly twirling his swords and dispersing the blood blades. Seeing Gyutaro has vanished, he hears Hinatsuru call to him and sees Daki's incoming obi. As the obi nearly wraps around him, Hinatsuru hurls a kunai at the sash and tells Tengen she will lure them to herself alone. At that moment, Gyutaro appears behind her and wraps his hand around her mouth; Tengen tries to save her but the obi block his path and encircle around him.

Seeing his wife in danger causes Tengen to relieve another memory; when he was at a sunset-lit field with his wives. Suma watches the dragonflies in the sky and remarks she would like to be one. Tengen says that is a flashy dream, only for Makio to interrupt their chat and berate Suma for her silliness. As Suma denies her words and tells Makio she hates her, an amused Tengen and Hinatsuru watch their bickering, causing her to laugh subtly. Hinatsuru asks Tengen about them living as ordinary people after he defeats an Upper Rank; she adds that as they were raised as shinobi, they still need to atone for the murders they had committed or live with the regret. She remarks that the day it happens, none of them may be alive and she gently asks him not to take her words too hard.

Remembering her words, Tengen angrily rips the obi apart and yells for Hinatsuru to be left alone. His pleas startle Tanjiro and he sees Hinatsuru in Gyutaro's grasp. Unwilling to lose another innocent life, he forces himself to run towards her, despite his severe wounds and exhausted state. Telling himself to stop always being the one to be saved, Tanjiro realizes that Gyutaro doesn't see him as a threat because he is weak and a surprise attack could save Hinatsuru. He fends off incoming obis and comments he can reach her quickly with Hinokami Kagura. As he tries to breathe the style again, it hurts him greatly and he feels he has lost all his stamina. Thinking quickly, he combines Water Breathing and Hinokami Kagura in an immense burst of speed, slices off Gyutaro's hand and saving Hinatsuru. Gyutaro is stunned by the lightning-fast move and but sees the exhausted Tanjiro, believing he can no longer move like that.

Tanjiro commends himself for blending the two styles and the higher attack power over normal Water Breathing. He comments that the best swordsmen only became great after they thought long and hard and found the style that best suited them. He remembers he was taught by Sakonji Urokodaki to modify the style into any form, and though he can never master it like Giyu Tomioka, he resolves to not let the lessons go to waste. Gyutaro leaps at Tanjiro and prepares to kill him, blocking his sword with his left sickle and attacking with the right. Tengen appears suddenly and exclaims Tanjiro has his gratitude, as he swings his sword into Gyutaro's neck. Elsewhere, Inosuke and Zenitsu struggle with the sheer amount of obis to look out for. Inosuke becomes intensely annoyed that he is also unable to attack them directly, with the obi being too slithery and hard to cut. Launched into the sky by Daki, he panics seeing Tengen about to make contact with Gyutaro; Zenitsu warns him of an incoming obi and he narrowly dodges it. Realizing they would need to get to Daki and cut her head off too, an angered Inosuke begins to charge towards her, erratically swatting the obis away. Regardless, he is forced back again and Zenitsu tells him to calm down, for they still need to attack despite Tengen and Tanjiro beheading Gyutaro, causing Inosuke to exclaim about his friend's sudden seriousness.

Tanjiro swings his sword together with Tengen but Upper Rank Six blocks the blades with his sickles, mocking them for believing they could behead him. Flesh from the sickles attaches to their blades and the two are unable to free them. Using his second blade, Tengen tries to behead him again but Gyutaro twists his head around and bites down onto it. With the two locked in place, Gyutaro seeps more blood again into another wave of Rotating Circular Slashes. As Tanjiro and Hinatsuru brace for impact, Tengen pulls himself and Gyutaro away from them, sending the two to the ground, where the blood blades burst and nearly hit Tanjiro and Hinatsuru. With Tengen fighting the demon alone, they call out to him but are suddenly warned by Inosuke as the obi now converges on them. He and Zenitsu fends them off while the two fall back.

With Inosuke incensed that the obi is forcing them to change tactics, Zenitsu reminds them that Daki is still weaker than Gyutaro and they can behead her. Asking if Tanjiro can still move, he is answered when Tanjiro escapes being cocooned again with his Water Breathing. Suddenly, blood blades fly and nearly hit him, making Tanjiro realize that Gyutaro is still actively attacking him while fighting Tengen. Hinatsuru retreats to safety, while Daki happily notes that their movements are now slower. Inosuke laments that with Tengen and Tanjiro both badly wounded, it's up to him and Zenitsu; remembering all their training since Kyojuro's death, he angrily states it was all for nothing. Tanjiro tells him it will take incredible speed to take down Daki and they would need to slash her from multiple directions or risk failing. Watching as the obi closes around Tanjiro, Inosuke sees the attack is seemingly slowing down as well. Reinvigorated, Inosuke leaps into the sky and deflects all the obi around him. As he exclaims it is up to him being the dual wielder to attack in multiple direction, he states the three of them will beat her. Tanjiro acknowledges the plan and informs Zenitsu they will both protect Inosuke from the obis.

Daki hears them and denies that adding one more "ugly freak" would mean they could beat her. She launches even more obis towards the trio, sending them back. As Tanjiro calls out to Inosuke, he tells his "underlings" not to be late, as he prepares to lead the attack. With the obis deflected by his friends and his path freed, Inosuke breathes harder, strengthens his body and uses his Beast Breathing, Eighth Fang: Explosive Rush. As he speeds towards the obi demon, he is saved from getting slashed by Tanjiro and Zenitsu flanking his side. Charging behind Inosuke, Tanjiro uses Water Breathing, Third Form: Flowing Dance, while Zenitsu simultaneously uses Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunder Clap and Flash, Eightfold; together, the two eviscerate all the obis in Inosuke's path. He continues the charge to his target and ignores sustaining multiple cuts to focus on his goal.

Unable to hit him moving too quickly, Daki is forced to watch as Inosuke swings both his swords into her neck. As she tells him there's no way he can behead her, Inosuke uses Sixth Fang: Palisade Bite, sawing the chipped blades and decapitating Daki. As her head falls, Inosuke catches it and sprints away to prevent her from reattaching it to her body. When the obi chase him, Tanjiro and Zenitsu parry them away from him, while Inosuke instructs them to help Tengen. As he runs away with Daki's severed head, she demands he let her go and tries to grab the Demon Slayer with her hair. He slashes them away and calls her attacks lame, infuriating her.

Without warning, Gyutaro appears and stabs him through the chest from behind with his sickle, retrieving his sister's head in the process. As a shocked Tanjiro watches from afar, he realizes Inosuke is now both wounded and poisoned. Wondering how Gyutaro managed to reach him, he looks around for the Sound Hashira and he stares in horror at the sight of Tengen's severed left hand and unconscious body. Too slow to react, Tanjiro hears Zenitsu suddenly calls out to him as the area begins to glow brightly. Daki's obi rip into the surrounding houses as Zenitsu pushes Tanjiro away from the attack's path. Tanjiro tells his friend to forget about him, as he laments his lack of focus has led to Inosuke and Tengen both getting mortally wounded, apologizing to everyone and Nezuko.