Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba, Volume 21 (Demon Slayer Volume 21) is an action-adventure fantasy manga that is created by mangaka Koyoharu Gotouge and published by VIZ Media. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba takes follows Tanjiro Kamado as he tries to support and provide for his mother and younger siblings. Tragedy strikes when a demon devours Tanjiro’s entire family while he is away selling firewood. Now the only survivor of the attack is his younger sister Nezuko who is transformed into a demon. Now Tanjiro must go on a dangerous journey to become a Demon Slayer, avenge his family, and find a cure for Nezuko in order to save her humanity.
Demon Slayer Volume 21 opens the aftermath of the Kokushibo, the highest-ranking demon among Muzan’s servants, finally comes to an end. Although Himejima and Sanemi are victorious and were able to defeat Kokushibo, the price the Demon Slayer Corps has paid is very high. Kiriya Ubuyashiki, the new leader of the Demon Slayers, struggles to recover from the losses. With the battle against Muzan far from over, the remaining fighters will need his help more than ever. Meanwhile, deep within Infinity Castle, Tanjiro and his friends come face-to-face with their nemesis at last.
Right from the jump the mangaka, Koyoharu Gotouge, sets the tone for this volume. And those tones are carnage and casualties. This volume does not hold back on the casualties in this volume. As the battle with Muzan continues to intensify and the numbers of the lower-ranked Demon Corps members drop it almost feels hopeless that Tanjiro and his comrades can defeat Muzan. There are some especially gruesome and brutal moments with some slightly graphic imagery. Especially in the scenes where Muzan literally rips through dozens of lower-ranked members in the blink of an eye.
Additionally, the design for Muzan’s new form in this volume is gruesome, horrific and I loved it! Koyoharu Gotouge does an excellent job illustrating the villain’s second form to be even more menacing than the first. I especially liked their use of sharp jagged teeth covering his body.
Lastly, the moment that I was most excited for in this volume finally happened. Nezuko is on her way into the battle…granted I know it might seem foolish for her to go to Muzan since so many people have been working to keep him from getting to her in the first place. However, several times throughout theories Nezuko has shown that she is a strong and capable fighter. I am excited to see what having her go up against Muzan will look like in the next volume.
Overall, Demon Slayer Volume 21 is worth the read. The mangaka sets the tone of this volume within the first few pages to let the readers know that there will be casualties. I loved the horrific imagery of the villain’s new design. There are some especially gruesome and graphic scenes throughout the volume to illustrate the severity of the situation that Tanjiro and his comrades have to face. Lastly, I am excited to see what comes next in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba, Volume 22 now that it seems Nezuko is finally going to join the final batter too.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba, Volume 21 is available wherever books are sold April 6, 2021.
TL;DR
Overall, Demon Slayer Volume 21 is worth the read. The mangaka sets the tone of this volume within the first few pages to let the readers know that there will be casualties. I loved the horrific imagery of the villain’s new design. There are some especially gruesome and graphic scenes throughout the volume to illustrate the severity of the situation that Tanjiro and his comrades have to face. Lastly, I am excited to see what comes next in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba, Volume 22 now that it seems Nezuko is finally going to join the final batter too.
