REVIEW: ‘Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc’ — Episode 6

After the badass moment last episode where Tanjiro used his flame technique combined with his Nezuko-enhanced blade, Demon Slayer Season 3 Episode 6 picks up with the reveal that Genya appears to have been turned into a demon. Tanjiro may have found a new level of strength, but will it be enough? Or will he continue to struggle to save those he cares about?

One of the more prominent focal points of Demon Slayer Season 3 Episode 6 is the story of Genya. Often shown as a foil to Tanjiro, a rival young demon slayer, he is not the friendliest of good guys in the series. What this episode does so well is give us more context as to why he is the way that he is, and boy does it hit hard. Genya was forced to watch his siblings get slaughtered in his very home and then discovered his beloved mother was dead too. What makes it even worse is that his own older brother is the one who did it. Genya didn’t realize the demon that murdered his family was their own mother, and he denounced his only remaining family member.

It’s a brutal emotional sequence that showcases what Demon Slayer has always done well. It is not just a world full of demons and altruistic heroes. Beneath every Demon Slayer themselves is a tragic reason for why they fight a seemingly unwinnable battle. Genya is so driven to become a Hashira because of his older brother Sanemi, who went on the become the Wind Hashira. He isn’t driven by a sense of rivalry though, he wants to earn the respect of his brother in a twisted and tragic way. Like Tanjiro, he has to face insurmountable odds, but unlike Tanjiro he doesn’t have the personality to draw others to him.

None of that stops Genya from having a great redemption moment in Demon Slayer Season 3 Episode 6. While fighting alongside Tanjiro against Upper Four and his Emotional Demons, Genya defers to Tanjiro’s strength. He knows he isn’t powerful enough to defeat Upper Four so he tells Tanjiro he is going to let him have the chance to win the battle. It is a nice little moment where Genya does not completely change from his jerkish ways, but in his own way, he still recognizes his own shortcomings. It also shows the impact Tanjiro has on those around him.

Tanjiro may be the most powerful up-and-coming Demon Slayer out there, but he never lets it get to his head. It would be easy for someone like him to have an inflated ego and put down those climbing the ranks beneath him, but he never does. Even when Genya is constantly at his throat, Tanjiro still wants to see the best in him. When Genya says he is going to become a Hashira, Tanjiro immediately supports his goal. He does not hesitate to say that he and Nezuko will gladly help Genya achieve his goals. It shows that Tanjiro, in spite of all that he has seen and gone through, is so determined to see a better world that he refuses to let himself get bogged down in despair or selfishness. He does not just want a better life for himself but for everyone he encounters. It’s that selflessness that makes him such a compelling main character.

Demon Slayer Season 3 Episode 6 is not all emotional pain, though, thankfully. Ufotable continues its streak of excellent animation by giving viewers more of Tanjiro’s stunning flame technique in his battle against Upper Four’s Emotional Demons. I audibly gasped watching the last episode when I saw it for the first time and was happy that that feeling didn’t wane when it appeared again. There is also the fascinating dual-colored lightning attack that flashes blue and red across a beautifully destroyed battlefield that really caught my eye. It is hard to keep impressing with a show that already has some incredible sequences, but Demon Slayer Season 3 Episode 6 delivers.

I get the sense that Tanjiro is getting closer to victory, but there is still so much uncertainty after Demon Slayer Season 3 Episode 6. Can Muichiro free himself, something that was only shown for a few brief seconds in this episode? Or will the demons claim more Hashira lives as the battle progresses? Demon Slayer Season 3 Episode 6 brought the emotional pain to combine with the excellent fighting scenes this season to create a perfect batch of demon-slaying goodness, and it’s only going to get better from here.

Demon Slayer Season 3 Episode 6 is available now on Crunchyroll with new episodes every Sunday.