Episode 26

New Mission (新たなる任務) is the 26th episode of the Kimetsu no Yaiba TV anime series, and final episode of its first season.

Synopsis
As Tanjiro and the others are devoted to their rehabilitation training, the absolute master of the demons, Muzan Kibutsuji, gathers the lower ranks of the Twelve Kizuki. The demons, too, are preparing to make their next move. As training draws to a close, Tanjiro has improved to the point where he can fight on equal terms with Kanao. Just then, he receives word of a new mission from his Kasugai Crow.

Plot
Tanjiro and Kanao face each other again at the reflexes test, with the match now very close, with Zenitsu and Inosuke noting the speed of them both. She edges out a win by grabbing her cup before Tanjiro can block it. Aoi calls the test finished; Tanjiro compliments Kanao for her sheer speed and Aoi states he now has tens wins and ten losses. Despite this, he claims he is not done; he asks his friends if they can run with him while maintaining Total Concentration, to Zenitsu's reluctance and Inosuke's excitement. A few months ago, in a distorted space containing numerous rooms, Lower Six is summoned by the strum of a biwa. As he wonders where he is, Lower One and Two appear in the space with him. Lower Six wonders if being summoned is the Blood Demon Art of the demon woman in the center of the space, a seemingly infinitely large fortress.

He sees that both Lower Three and Four are present as well, realizing that only the Lower Ranks have been summoned, which has never happened before. He then notes that Lower Five isn’t here. At the strum of the Biwa Demon, the Lower Ranks are placed on the floor before her and another female demon. As Lower Six wonders who she is, the woman commands them to bow down and kneel in a familiar threatening voice. Instantly, the demons bow down before her, with Lower Six suddenly realizing the woman is Muzan Kibutsuji, who had masked his appearance and aura. Lower Four apologizes on the demons’ behalf for mistaking him but Muzan orders her to silence herself, asking why is she speaking without permission and not to presume her “worthless” thoughts. He states they are only here to answer him and nothing else. Muzan tells them about the demise of Lower Five, Rui, and demands to know why they, the Lower Ranks, are so weak. He says being a Twelve Kizuki shouldn’t be enough for them as it is only the beginning point of becoming more powerful, and the starting point of them being useful to him. For over a century, the Upper Ranks have not changed and only they have been successful at killing Hashiras, yet the Lower Ranks continue to change and get replaced at the same time. Lower Six sarcastically thinks to himself about how it seems easy for Muzan to talk about, only for Muzan to say the same words aloud, “That’s easy for you to say, but we…” telling him to continue. Realizing he is caught, Muzan reminds him his thoughts aren't safe. Enraged, he demands the demon speak his mind. When Lower Six doesn’t respond, he grabs the terrified demon with an enlarged and monstrous arm and hoists him up high. Lower Six cries and begs for forgiveness, only for his master to gruesomely devour him alive, shocking the Lower Ranks.

Lower Three asks why this is happening, wondering if he will be killed too despite everything he did to become a Twelve Kizuki. Muzan asks if they are more afraid of the Demon Slayers than him. Lower Four denies this but Muzan claims all they think about when facing them is escape. She states she would give her life to fight for him but he only sees her pleading as refuting what he has just said. With his monstrous arm, Muzan kills Lower Four by crushing her body and absorbing her flesh. Knowing he will be killed despite what he says and that it will be unlikely to battle him and win, Lower Three sees Muzan is distracted and attempts to flee. With incredible speed, he races around the fortress and tries to find an escape route; Lower One sees him fleeing and calls him a fool. Lower Three manages to gain a considerable distance, only to be suddenly decapitated by Muzan, who states that it would be better if the Twelve Kizuki only consists of the Upper Ranks; hence why he is killing them.

Lower Three’s severed head is unable to comprehend how he was beheaded since he didn’t hear the biwa’s strum. Muzan throws his head in front of the last two demons and asks if they have last words. Lower Two claims he can be of use to him and begs for a reprieve. Muzan asks how long of a reprieve and how he intends to be useful with his current level of skill. Lower Two asks for a portion of his blood and states he can successfully acclimate and fight as a more powerful demon. Muzan sees this request as an order and asks how he can instruct him to give his blood, denouncing him as shameless. Frightened, Lower Two states he misunderstands his ambitions, only for Muzan to say he misunderstands nothing, “I’m the one who calls the shots. My word is absolute”. He tells Lower Two he has no right to reject what he says and that he alone is always right, telling him he deserves to die for telling him what to do. As Lower Two’s blood spills off the floor, Muzan asks the last demon for his last words. Lower Three sees the interaction in his last moments and believes he too will die, as their lives hinge on Muzan’s mood. Lower One states the situation is like a dream he had wanted, to die by his hands. He adds that he enjoyed the dead Lower Ranks’ last gasps, saying he feels blessed from hearing their despair and thanking him for leaving himself as the last to die. As Muzan stares at him, Lower One is suddenly pierced by a giant spine from his master’s arm.

The demon is injected with a large amount of blood, before convulsing on the floor in agony. Satisfied, Muzan responds to his answer, “That’s what I like to hear”, telling Lower One he is given an ample share of blood, saying that while he may not withstand it and die, he will undoubtedly become more powerful should he survive. He tells him to be useful by killing the Hashira, adding that he can acquire more blood should he kill the Demon Slayer wearing hanafuda-earrings. With the strums of the Biwa Demon, the fortress space shifts, transporting Muzan to the surface and manipulating numerous doors to drop Lower One in an unknown town. The demon suddenly sees something as Muzan’s blood continues to change him; a vision of Tanjiro, and he surmises he can attain more blood by killing the Hashira and him.

In the early morning, the trio are awoken by Tanjiro’s Kasugai Crow giving them information about their new mission. The casualties of the Mugen train are increasing, with 40 now missing; they must join Kyojuro Rengoku on-site and travel west. At noon, Kagaya Ubuyashiki speaks to Shinobu about his decision to send Tanjiro and his companions to the Mugen train mission, which he was recommended to do so by her. When asked why she thinks so, Shinobu states it is because of his pure soul and ability to strive hard on a daily basis, adding that he managed to exceed her expectations. Above all, he has one clear goal; to defeat Muzan Kibutsuji.

Kagaya concurs with her thinking and logic. Shinobu also mentions that his father had used a “Fire Breathing” style, surprising Kagaya; and though he still has much ahead of him, Tanjiro could possibly be guided by Kyojuro. Kagaya comments on Tanjiro's sister becoming a demon and his encounters with Muzan, believing it may very well be his destiny to defeat him. Inside the mansion, Tanjiro is preparing to depart for his mission when he hears someone approaching him in the hallways. A tall young man walks his way and Tanjiro moves to the side to avoid bumping him; nevertheless, he goes out of his way to shove into Tanjiro's shoulder. Initially dismayed the young man purposely hurt him, he suddenly recognizes him as the quarrelsome survivor of Final Selection, though he is shocked to see him so muscular in such a short time period. Tanjiro calls out to him but the young man ignores him and walks away.

Outside, Aoi is told by Tanjiro about his upcoming mission. She states that while it wasn’t for long that they were together, she is glad to have spent that time with him and bids him good luck. He thanks her for looking out for them while being busy and that through her, they can go back out to battle once again. Aoi brushes aside his gratitude, claiming it was because of luck that she survived Final Selection and ended up too afraid to go into battle.

As she laments her inability to fight, Tanjiro tells Aoi it doesn’t matter; since she helped him, she is now part of him and he can take her emotions to the battlefield, surprising her. Tanjiro leaves her by asking she look after him should he be injured again, as Aoi stands still, awestruck by his sincerity and kindness. Tanjiro finds Kanao sitting by herself and thanks her for helping in his rehabilitation. She initially doesn’t say anything, confusing him. She then takes her coin, flips it, sees its side, and says, “All I did was follow the Master’s orders”. She claims he has no need to thank her and bids him farewell. Tanjiro is surprised to see Kanao speaking to him; he asks about the object she just flipped and why, as Kanao continues to say farewell. She states the coin is to help her make decisions she can’t make on her own, pointing out that she didn’t want to talk to him but the coin’s result made her.

Tanjiro asks why she didn’t decide on her own accord and she states it doesn’t matter; nothing matters to her so she can’t decide. He responds that there can’t be a thing that doesn’t matter. He concludes that the voice in her heart is “really small”. He suddenly has an idea and asks Kanao for her coin; though reluctant, she hands it over to him nonetheless.

Out in the yard, he tells Kanao of his intentions; he will flip to decide if she should listen to the voice in her heart from now on. He flicks it but the coin goes too high, making him lose sight of it. He decides that landing “Heads” will make her listen; Kanao appears somewhat concerned throughout the entire situation. Eventually, the coin lands, and Tanjiro catches it, bringing it over so that they can both see the result; Kanao is anxious since she couldn’t see the moment the coin landed. Upon revealing the result and seeing it has landed “Heads”, Tanjiro is overjoyed whilst she is surprised. He gives the coin back; when she stretches her hand to take it, he suddenly puts it in her palm while holding her hand, shocking her. Tanjiro bids her good luck and says it is the heart that drives people. And now made to listen, hers' can grow “as strong as you want it to”. He bids her goodbye and walks away, only for Kanao to ask how he made it land on “heads”. She is unsure to feel about the result but knew she saw his hand and that he didn’t cheat. He only tells her it was by chance, and that had it landed “tails”, he would have continued to flip to get the right result. Tanjiro smiles brightly at Kanao and leaves. Visibly struck by his bright personality, she holds the coin close to her.

In from of Kiyo, Sumi, and Naho, the trio attempt to break the largest gourd in a final test. Cheered on by the girls, they all successfully break them, signifying their mastery of Total Concentration, Constant. As the girls see them off, Tanjiro suddenly sees Giyu Tomioka in the distance, calling out to him. Giyu sees they are about to embark on a mission and he commends them for mastering Total Concentration, Constant. Tanjiro thanks him for his dedication to helping Nezuko, unaware he was putting his life on the line for her. Unsure of how to thank him, Giyu tells him he can do so by killing demons.

Tanjiro suddenly hears the girls crying as they are about to leave, telling them to take care. Zenitsu tears up while Inosuke is giddy over holding the food. Kiyo tells Zenitsu to learn to respect and be considerate to girls, shocking him with her blunt request. He asks whether they feel sad that he is leaving, to which the girls say they don’t, disappointing him. With this, Tanjiro takes the lead and the trio leaves for their mission. At a train station, they see the location of their mission; the Mugen train. Inosuke is in awe at the sight of the “creature”, believing it is the “master of this land”. Zenitsu corrects him and states it is simply a train. Inosuke decides to lead the charge and prepares to draw his blades but Tanjiro stops him, only to erroneously think the train is in fact the “guardian spirit of the land” and that he shouldn’t attack it. An annoyed Zenitsu tells him it is a train to transport people, calling him a “country bumpkin”.

In front of all, Inosuke head butts the train’s carriage to attack it, causing police to arrive at the scene. They see the trio have swords and attempt to arrest them. After evading the authorities, Zenitsu explains that the Demon Slayer Corps isn’t recognized by the Japanese Government, hence why they can’t have their weapons exposed in public. Tanjiro is dismayed to learn all their work goes unknown, to which Zenitsu agrees as well. They decide to hide the swords in their back, which does not work on the shirtless Inosuke. At that moment, the train begins to move, forcing the trio to chase it and climb aboard; Zenitsu lags behind, forcing his friends to help him get on. As Inosuke becomes amazed at the train’s speed, Zenitsu asks Tanjiro whether it was wise to take Nezuko with him, believing the Corps’ Headquarters is the safest place. He reassures him and says, “Wherever we go, Nezuko and I will be together. We’re never going to be apart again”, reminiscing on the long journey they had taken together to reach this point. Onboard the train with them are the Flame Hashira and Lower Rank One of the Twelve Kizuki.

Anime Notes

 * In the anime, Giyu arrives at the Butterfly Mansion to visit Tanjiro before he sets off on his mission. However in the manga, it does not mention Giyu visiting Tanjiro, and only depicts the boys bidding the girls farewell.
 * In the anime, Kanao was shown to be surprised at Tanjiro's actions and holds the coin near her heart, after which the scene switches. In the manga, Kanao was called by Kiyo to tell her that Shinobu was looking for her. Kanao was still thinking about Tanjiro, and Kiyo's sudden arrival caused her to be surprised and fall to her face. This scene was not shown in the anime.

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Эпизод 26 第26話