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.

"You're boring me"
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 Hotaru 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 Hotaru remains focused on doing his task. Angered at the smith not acknowledging his presence, the demon resolves to break his concentration out of spite.

The Mark Appears
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 Hotaru 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 cloud-like mark appearing on his face.

"I thought he was dying..."
Gyokko is now tired that all his attempts to stop Hotaru'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. Gyokko is shocked to see his opponent had managed to escape the water, but adds that it is just a testament to his concentration.

He looks closer and notices a mark on Muichiro's cheek and forehead, similar to the one Muzan had described was on Tanjiro; he is further surprised as the needles' poison does not seem to affect him since he is moving even faster. Muichiro charges at the demon, who points a vase at the Hashira and uses Octopus Vase Hell, creating giant tentacles that grab him.

Muichiro tries to cut the tentacles but they prove too durable to slice through. The tentacles burst open the shed and knock Hotaru away, but he picks up his sharpening stone and continues polishing his blade. Gyokko is exasperated that the smith is still ignoring the situation but decides to kill the Hashira first, the tentacles holding him and Kozo in its grasp. Suddenly, they are sliced apart by Muichiro, as Kozo has given him his own completed blade. He thanks the smith but Kozo tells him he only followed the notes provided to him, basing the blade on the work of his first swordsmith. As Gyokko creates even more tentacles to crush him, Muichiro uses Mist Breathing, Fifth Form: Sea of Clouds and Haze, moving in between them in a haze and slicing them apart. He swings at Gyokko, who dives back into his vase and appears at a new one in a tree. The demon applauds him for his cutting speed but claims that he cannot match the speed he can hide into his vases. Muichiro unexpectedly refutes him and claims his senses have dulled from his age, as Gyokko looks down to see his neck has been slit, unable to register the attack. He states that the next cut will behead him, not wanting to continue playing cat-and-mouse with a hiding demon, while Gyokko claims he should not mock him.

Trading Barbs
Muichiro claims the demon's death is an unavoidable fact as well as that his body is unexpectedly as its peak. Gyokko curses him for his attitude but the Demon Slayer continues by mocking his appearance and mannerisms. The demon retorts that he is too uncultured to understand 'his beauty' while Muichiro insults Gyokko for his cowardices and small arms. Gyokko claims that such desperate childish provocation will not get to him, only for the Hashira to wonder if his vases are slanting to one side, calling it shoddy workmanship. An enraged Gyokko retorts his claims and suddenly forms ten vases in his hands. He uses Blood Demon Art: Ten Thousand Gliding Slime Fish and sends them to devour his opponent. Muichiro uses Mist Breathing, Sixth Form: Lunar Dispersing Mist, slicing all of the fish instantly. The Upper Rank is surprised at his speed but remains confident, since the fish spray poison upon getting cut. Muichiro then uses Mist Breathing, Third Form: Scattering Mist Splash and diverts the poisonous cloud away from. He lunges to a shocked Gyokko and slice through his neck, only to find that the body had been a puppet. As the annoyed Demon Slayer demands he stop hiding, the real Gyokko appears in the trees in his true form; a snaking humanoid creature with shining scales as hard as diamond. Muichiro only shows minimal surprise at his appearance but Gyokko silences him while remarking about his body's transformation. The demon demands that Muichiro kneel before his presence, but the Hashira stares blankly at the Upper Rank with an unimpressed expression; Gyokko yells at him to at least speak, only for Muichiro to mention he had told him to be quiet.

Upper Five suddenly throws punches at the Hashira, causing fish to appear where his fists had hit. Kozo and Hotaru are knocked away by the punches but the latter picks up his sharpening stone and continues polishing. Gyokko mocks Muichiro for now being the one in the trees, but he responds by stating that the smell is bothering him. The demon haughtily talks about his abilities, stating that anything he hits becomes a fish, he has new speed, and thanks to his flexibly body, he can bend anywhere. He claims Muichiro is trembling with fear, but the Hashira responds by noting that, "Even the strongest attacks are pointless if they don't hit".

Obscuring Clouds
Muichiro recalls the memory of watching his brother's body rot, and how he too came close to dying till the arrival of help. He believes that even if he loses his memories, his body will never forget the rage he felt that day, which gave him the drive to push through hellish training as a Demon Slayer: the drive to destroy and eradicate demons forever. Wanting to end the battle, Gyokko uses Blood Demon Art: Killer Fish Scales, using his special scales to bend his body in any direction and speeding around the forest surrounding Muichiro, destroying trees and shattering the ground. As the demon gets close to his target to kill him, the Mist Hashira uses Mist Breathing, Seventh Form: Obscuring Clouds; Gyokko attempt to throw a punch but Muichiro suddenly vanishes. He reappears behind him in a haze, but Gyokko fails to hit him again. Muichiro appears in front of him but the demon fails again to hit his mark. The Upper Rank looks around the forest as it appears to be covered in a thick mist, with the Hashira hidden somewhere. He reappears in front of Gyokko once more but the demon misses. Muichiro mocks him for thinking he was the only one who did not take the fight seriously in the beginning; he gets close to the demon whilst obscured by the mist and swings his blade up, decapitating Upper Five. Gyokko sees Muichiro and tries to kill him, but sees that everything is now upside-down.

His severed head bounces along the ground, shocking him as he had not realized he had been decapitated. Gyokko begins to rant that this should not have, boasting of his power and muttering that he is superior to all worthless humans. Annoyed by his empty threats, Muichiro slices the head apart, demanding the demon go to Hell already.

Aftermath
With the battle now over, the marks on his head fade away. Kozo, who had been hiding behind a tree during the final clash, approaches his savior. Muichiro begins to tremble but claims he is fine, despite Kozo noting that his skin color is off and he is beginning to breathe heavily. Muichiro claims again that he is alright and must assist Tanjiro, only to begin foaming at the mouth and landing face first into the ground, affected by Gyokko's poison. Kozo is worried for his safety but is joined by Kotetsu. The young smith reveals that when the fish demon had stabbed him in the stomach, a flame-shaped hilt belonging to Tanjiro had blocked the blow, saving him. On the ground, Muichiro recalls Kyojuro Rengoku's words about working together, before being visited by visions of his parents and brother, who tell him that through the help of others, it had all worked out in the end, bringing Muichiro to tears.

Moments later, Muichiro recovers enough to witness the final confrontation between Tanjiro and Hantengu's manifestation of resentment, Urami. Seeing the demon walking away and noticing that Tanjiro does not have a sword, Muichiro hurls the blade that Hotaru had been working on towards Tanjiro, giving him a weapon to kill the demon, though Hotaru is less than pleased and begins to choke and slap him. After Hantengu is finally defeated, Muichiro is carried by Kotetsu to Tanjiro, asking if he is alright. He then thanks the Demon Slayer for giving back something he had lost, before asking about what happened to Nezuko. Suddenly, they are all pulled into a hug by Mitsuri Kanroji, relieved that they all survived the battles.