Episode 38

Things Are Gonna Get Real Flashy!! (ド派手に行くぜ‼) is the 38th episode of the Kimetsu no Yaiba TV anime series, and the 12th episode of its second season.

Synopsis
Facing Daki alone, Tanjiro tries to use Hinokami Kagura but is hampered by the extreme stress it causes his body. Inosuke and Tengen locate the demon's victims and meet the demon responsible for abducting Zenitsu and his wives.

Plot
Running across the rooftops, Tengen reaches the Kirimise section of Yoshiwara. He quickly sees his unconscious wife Hinatsuru, still bound by demonic sashes. He frees her, gives Hinatsuru an antidote to help recover her as she apologizes. She states that she suspected Warabihime to be a demon but that she soon became suspicious of her too. She adds that she had drank poison in order to leave the Kyogoku house, only for a belt she was gifted by Warabihime to prevent her from contacting Tengen. Hinatsuru quietly begs him to leave her and battle the demon, having heard the battle. When he asks if she will be okay, Hinatsuru silently answers before apologizes for being of no use. Tengen silences her and instruct her to leave Yoshiwara the moment the antidote works, to which Hinatsuru complies.

Tengen hones his hearing to triangulate the source of the sound, believing it to be where the demon is. He leaps across the rooftops before landing on the ground and detects the sound of an underground battle. He unsheathes his blades and uses Sound Breathing, First Form: Roar, causing a large explosion. The shockwave is heard by Daki. Annoyed at another interference, she asks Tanjiro how many of them are there, to which he refuses to answer. She offers to spare his life if he answers, noting that their short clash had already damaged his Nichirin Sword. Hearing her mock Hotaru's craftsmanship, he rebuffs her claims and declares he is amazing. Another explosions rattles the district, causing Daki to grow more annoyed and declare she will instead kill him. Realizing subpar usage causes swords to get damage, Tanjiro admits his body isn't suited for Water Breathing and realizes he is simply stronger using Hinokami Kagura.

He recalls a moment of training in the Butterfly Mansion. As Inosuke spars with Zenitsu, Zenitsu asks if he could slightly suppress his ferocity, to which Inosuke claims holding back is no way to train. Suddenly, they hear Tanjiro attempting to use train with Hinokami Kagura. Though he successfully performs Dance, swinging again to try Clear Blue Sky hurts him greatly, causing him to drop his sword and collapse. As his friends rush over to his aid, Tanjiro internally voices that he can't slash continuously due to its sheer force. Now facing Daki, he commits himself into using it. Remembering Kyojuro's word to "set your heart ablaze". Tanjiro swings at Daki's approaching obi and performs Hinokami Kagura: Raging Sun. Startled by the sudden change, Daki realizes his skills have just sharpened. Tanjiro charges towards the Upper and uses Flame Dance, narrowly missing her neck. Daki retaliates by stabbing her obi through his throat, only for the Demon Slayer to suddenly vanish. Shocked, she loses track of him as he had used Fake Rainbow. He smells a thread at her neck and uses Fire Wheel. Daki reacts in time and swats him away with her obi.

Suddenly, his body feels the fatigue of using Hinokami Kagura and Tanjiro collapses. Seeing him on the ground, Daki rushes towards him, dragging her obi to rip him to shreds. He quickly uses Recovery Breathing, building the strength to parry the attack and escapes. She sends multiple sashes at him, as he desperately blocks the blows and realizes the overwhelming attacks is preventing him from dealing a clean strike. He surmises he needs to raise his body temperature and breathes in the style of Hinokami Kagura.

Previously, Kiyo had worried about his rising temperature and believes consulting Shinobu to be the right measure. Tanjiro tries to calm her down and claims he is alright. Kiyo notes his temperature is 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit, having been so for the past 2 days. She begins to cry and claims that since something must be wrong, only Shinobu can help him. Realizing his worsening condition is hurting Kiyo, Tanjiro states that only during when he has a fever can he perform at his best and begs her not to tell Shinobu for only slightly longer. Kiyo relents and allows him to not lower his fever.

Tanjiro backs away and realizes his body temperature is indeed rising, giving him the motivation to use his Hinokami Kagura again. In the Ogimito house, a girls screams about a monster boar inside, to the bewilderment of her peers. At that moment, Inosuke erupts out from the floorboards, scaring them. He rips a hole in the floor and spots a hold leading underground, though it is only small enough for only his head. Undaunted, he dislocates all the joints in his body and slithers down the tunnel, reaching a chamber littered with skulls and covered in sashes; the sashes containing Daki's victims. He realizes the people within them are still alive, before spotting Zenitsu's image on one of them. Just them, a sash confronts him for entering the chamber, the sash having a face and mouth. It attacks Inosuke and forces his to defend the incoming blows. He slashes the sashes and unknowingly frees the people within them. The sash, unable to deal with his razor sharp intuition and keen senses, halts for a moment and tries to plan something. It hears Daki's voice, instructing it to capture him for his appearance, adding the sash may kill everyone but the ten most beautiful people.

It speeds towards Inosuke, who swings his swords to slice it. Unexpectedly, the sash wriggles when his blades touch, preventing good contact. He tries again and uses Beast Breathing, Sixth Form: Palisade Bite but fails to cut it. The sash decides to retake the people he freed, making him realize he needs to battle it and protect its victims at the same time. Suddenly, knives fly from behind him and stop the sashes, thrown by Makio and Suma. The two slice the sashes up but the battle is set back by Suma's cowardice distracting her and Makio snapping at her in annoyance. Learning that the main body of the demon isn't near, Inosuke realizes the battle might not end. To his shock, Zenitsu appears and uses Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash, Sixfold, speeding around the chamber and slicing numerous sashes at once.

Infuriated by the appearance of another Demon Slayer, the sash remembers it heard two distinct noises, one being Zenitsu's attack. It realizes too late the second sound is from above, as an explosion erupts from the top of the chamber's ceiling. To the relief of everyone, Tengen emerges from the dust cloud and he rushes around the chamber, cutting all the remaining sashes. Tengen apologizes to his wives for being late and says his relief in seeing them. Makio recalls that Tengen previously wasn't like he is now and remembers her past. As a Kunoichi among other Shinobi, dying never scared her since she was expected and trained to give her life in battle. When Tengen first met the three of them, he immediately instructed them to think about their lives, to the shock of the young women. Above all, their priority is to return to him. To Tengen, how they should live their lives is first about them, second is being respectful citizens and thirdly is focusing on him.

And to himself, though he knows to protect the public as a Demon Slayer, he places the three of them as more important to him. Unable to believe what he is saying, Makio talks to Hinatsuru about his advice, as she knows it contradicts their line of work. Hinatsuru reassures her that if Tengen is content with it, she is too. Tengen approaches them and playfully pats their heads, complimenting their work as "flashy" and happy that, "You are my wives, all right". Makio tears up and Suma loudly wails upon realizing Tengen does love them. He flamboyantly spins his swords in a display of skill and mutters, "Starting now, things are going to get real flashy!".

Anime Notes
This is the first episode to air in 2022.