Episode 11

Tsuzumi Mansion (鼓の屋敷) is the 11th episode of the Kimetsu no Yaiba TV anime series.

Synopsis
Tanjiro’s next destination, according to his Kasugai Crow, is to the south-southeast.

On the way, Tanjiro runs into his fellow Final Selection survivor, Zenitsu Agatsuma. Tanjiro has to put up with Zenitsu’s pessimistic attitude, as they make their way deep into the mountains. Then, they encounter two children whose older brother has been taken away in front of a mansion. Zenitsu notices the ringing sound of a tsuzumi drum…

Plot
While travelling to his next mission, Tanjiro encounters another Demon Slayer as he begs a woman on the footpath to marry him. He is met by the guide bird accompanying him, a sparrow, who informs him of what is happened. He pulls him off the woman’s clothes and questions his actions. The Demon Slayer recognizes Tanjiro as a fellow survivor of Final Selection. Tanjiro loudly claims he doesn’t know who he is, but suddenly remembers him as the one who doubted he would survive.

Tanjiro clears the situation with the woman, but when the Demon Slayer pushes her again, she repeatedly slaps and rebukes him. She tells him all she did was check on him as he was ill-looking on the side of the road, and that she clearly doesn’t love him since she already has a fiancé. The Demon Slayer asks aloud why he got in his way, only for Tanjiro to look at him with a disappointed  and unnerved expression. When he doesn’t say anything, he claims he will die soon and that Tanjiro would need to protect him till he gets married. Instead, Tanjiro introduces him and the Demon Slayer states his name is Zenitsu Agatsuma.

Tanjiro asks why he claims he is why and questions why he became a swordsman. Zenitsu replies that he deceived out of all his money by a woman and racked up debt. The person who took him was an old man who turned out to be a trainer. After hellish training, he claims his experience felt it was so bad he willing entered Final Selection to die. Despite surviving, he continues to experience hell everyday since and shows his great of dying to a demon to a shocked Tanjiro.

After calming down, the two travel to Tanjiro’s next mission. Saying he is hungry, Zenitsu is provided by Tanjiro with an onigiri. After taking a bite, he asks if Tanjiro is hungry too. Tanjiro says that is all he has, leading Zenitsu to split it in half for him. While walking, Tanjiro states that while he can respect his fear of demons, Zenitsu can’t use it to trouble his sparrow. Zenitsu wonders how he knows and Tanjiro mentions that his sparrow had said that he whines during each mission, beckons the attentions of girls and snores loudly. He is stunned to learn that Tanjiro understood his sparrow but is interrupted by Tanjiro’s Kasugai Crow instructing them to begin running, causing Zenitsu to freak out over seeing a talking bird.

Making their way through a forest, Zenitsu tries to avoid going to the location and claims he is tired and will be useless anyway. On the other hand, Tanjiro is focused and senses the demon’s scent getting stronger. In a clearing, they find their location, a large woodland mansion. Tanjiro says he can smell blood and another strange scent. Though Zenitsu cannot smell it, he asks if Tanjiro can hear a strange sound. Tanjiro looks around and finds a pair of siblings near by. When he approaches them, they back away, obviously very frightened. To calm their nerves, he shows Zenitsu’s sparrow. Slightly more relieved, Tanjiro asks if they live in the mansion. Instead, the boy claims the mansion belongs to a monster, adding that their oldest brother was taken from them.

They encountered the monster at night and followed their brother’s trail of blood to the mansion, as he was injured. Tanjiro reassures them they will defeat the monster and bring their brother back. Zenitsu then asks if Tanjiro can hear something, a creepy sound like a tsuzumi. Though he cannot hear it, he and Zenitsu looks at the mansion’s open window. Suddenly, a bloodied and injured man flies out of the window, landing hard on the ground in a pool of blood and startling everyone. Tanjiro rushes to his aid but the man dies of his wounds moments later. At that moment, an ominous tapping sound erupts from the mansion, scaring the children, Zenitsu and steeling Tanjiro’s resolve. The boy comforts his sister by remembering that their brother wore a different colored kimono to the dead man.

Tanjiro calls on Zenitsu to join him into the mansion but he vehemently refuses. Annoyed, Tanjiro decides to move on but gives him a spiteful look, making Zenitsu reluctantly join him. He leaves Nezuko’s box in the care of the children and the Demon Slayers enter the mansion. When Zenitsu asks if he will be protecting him, Tanjiro answers that he is still injured from his previous mission. He becomes startled that he will die with him injured. Tanjiro attempts to calm him down but sees that the children have entered the mansion as well, scared by scratching noises in the box. Dismayed they left Nezuko alone, he tells them it is too dangerous in the mansion but is accidentally bumped by Zenitsu frightened by the mansion shaking.

Before they regroup, the beat of a tsuzumi changes the rooms they’re in, separating Zenitsu with the boy and Tanjiro with the girl. Each beat changes the location Tanjiro is in until he ends up in a large room. Separated from her brother, the girl cries but Tanjiro gently comforts her, saying she is protected and Zenitsu will protect him. Asking for her name, she answers her name is Teruko. Tanjiro suddenly detects a scent and sees an immense demon walking by them, with tsuzumis imbedded in its body. He senses that it is the strongest one in the house and surmises it must have devoured a great number of victims.

Zenitsu becomes terrified that he is separated from Tanjiro, clutching on the boy for comfort. The boy admonishes him for acting so frightened with a sword on his belt, shocking him. Nonetheless, he tries to drag him out so to escape the mansion but finds that the door leading to outside now opens to a different room. He tries opening multiple door but ends up finding a room with a person inside, wearing a boar mask. The unknown stranger excitedly yells and leaps out of the room, frightening Zenitsu into hysterics. After they leave, Zenitsu is left with the boy’s disappointed expression.

Seeing the giant demon in front of them, Tanjiro instructs Teruko not to scream. The demon curses about “them” ruining his hunt and losing his prey. Tanjiro draws his sword and prepares to attack the demon, introducing himself, his rank and declaring he will kill them. He tries a straight frontal lunge at the demon but is thwarted when the demon beats the tsuzumi on its body, causing the room to turn sideways.

As he sees that the shifting rooms are its Blood Demon Art and the mansion is his domain, Tanjiro suddenly senses a new scent that isn’t demon. Bursting through the wall is the stranger from earlier. After seeing the boar mask, he notices they wields a pair of serrated Nichirin Swords. The stranger declares he will kill the monster and get stronger, preparing to attack with the phrase, “Comin’ through!”.

Characters in Order of Appearance

 * Tanjiro Kamado
 * Zenitsu Agatsuma
 * Shoichi
 * Teruko
 * Kyogai
 * Inosuke Hashibira

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Эпизод 11