ADVANCED REVIEW: ‘Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba,’ Volume 13

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Volume 13 is an action-adventure fantasy manga that is created by mangaka Koyoharu Gotouge and published by VIZ Media. In the previous volume,  which contains chapters 98-106, the story follows Tanjiro and his friends after they defeated one of the upper ranked demons in Muzan Kibutsuji’s Twelve Kizuki. The decline in numbers marks the first time in over 100 years that Muzan’s top ranks are not full. Extremely angered by this, Muzan sends his followers on another mission. Meanwhile, after healing, Tanjiro travels to a village of swordsmiths and has to explain how his sword was so severely damaged again to Haganezuka, the smith who made it for him. While Tanjiro waits for his sword to be repaired, enemies begin to close in to strike.

Volume 13 picks up with Tanjiro as he and his friends are attacked by the strange shape-shifting demons, Hatengu and Gyokko. The attack, which happens at the village of swordsmiths, is completely action-packed. Muichiro Tokito, known as the Mist Hashira of the Demon Slayers, is first to challenge the demons. Tanjiro steps in to help him out, alongside Genyam another Demon Slayer. This battle proves to be challenging for the Demon Slayers since they’re going up against two upper-rank demons. To make matters worse, one of those demons can split himself into four separate bodies and regenerate almost instantly.

I’ve been a fan of the Demon Slayer manga series for over a year for a multitude of reasons. The one that stands above all others is because of the action sequences. I was immediately amazed by how incredible the action sequences were drawn. While I do enjoy the character progression and story development, I look forward to the various fights. I was overjoyed to see that Volume 13 goes above and beyond with fight sequences. I appreciate them more since the previous volume was a lot more slow-paced. It did however set up everything that would happen in this volume.

I was quite surprised by Hatengu’s special ability to clone himself. Sure, cloning isn’t necessarily something new within the world of manga, but it’s still great to see. That one ability, as well as how he fights, made him a formidable foe. He’s one of the few demons in the series that has managed to capture my full attention. His design was also very captivating, especially when he undergoes his transformation. As the series progresses, more and more dangerous demons are introduced. The way things are looking, I’m very excited to see what sort of new demons the Slayers will go up against.

The art style in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Volume 13 was incredible. I spoke about how the fight scenes looked incredible, but what helped most is that they flowed well together. Nothing looked overdone while also added the proper amount of action. However, there’s so much more that blew me away. For one, Hategun and Gyokko’s character designs were superb. They’re menacing enough to fit within the horror aesthetic that the Demon Slayer series has developed. The colorless pages somehow make them more menacing since it brings out a more ominous look.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Volume 13. The change of pace in this volume to include more action was a major highlight. With Demon Slayer as the series’ title, it’s hard to imagine that it doesn’t involve more than its fair share of action. Hategun’s character design and ability to clone himself made these fights much more memorable. It’s not fun when a hero defeats the villain without much difficulty. The series’ aesthetic and artwork continues to be a major element that carries the series forward. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Volume 13 is available for preorder now where manga are sold and releases June 2, 2020.