Demon Slayer! Season 3 Episode 1 Overview [SPOILER]

 

     Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yiba

"Someone's Dream"

       After 2 seasons and a feature film, season 3 takes no time at all to give you what you've been waiting for. Starting the season off with a 49 minute opening episode that's packed full of answers to some cliff hangers left from the Entertainment District Arc's (Season 2) wild ending. With that being said, let's get into two of this episodes best moments... trust me I could go on forever with this master piece. 

    We start off the episode with images of the aftermath from season two's amazing fight sequence that had Tanjiro, Nezuko, Zenitsu, Inosuke, and Tengen battling Upper Demon 6, Daki and her twin Gyutaro. With the city and Demon Slayers in shambles, they're sent back to Butterfly Mansion to rest and recover. We find out later that the fight had landed the main trio in comas with Tanjiro being the last to awaken. Just before Tanjiro wakes up, we jump to a scene of a man with long red hair, a red kimono, a marking on his forehead, and hanafuda earrings! Not only that but a man that has just had a child with his wife that looks strikingly similar to Tanjiro. Tanjiro awakens and we progress through with our regularly scheduled Inosuke humor BUT WHO WERE THOSE PEOPLE?!

    I've come up with my own beliefs as well as know the truth behind this "dream" as Tanjiro calls it. I wonder if you have similar thoughts towards this scene as I do. I'll highlight some important quotes from the dream that made me come up with some questions of my own:

"You saved our lives!" - Sumiyoshi (Tanjiro look-a-like) tells unknown Demon Slayer

"Then the least I can do is to pass down your name to posterity." - Sumiyoshi, responded with

"No need for that." - unknown Demon Slayer

"I failed to protect anything that was important to me and throughout my life, I was unable to do what I was supposed to do. My name is as worthless as I am." - unknown Demon Slayer 

Tanjiro's response to this dream while waking up is repeating "So sad". 

    Sumiyoshi describes himself as a "coal seller", the Kamado family business if you will, so are we to believe this was a dream? Is Sumiyoshi a grandfather to Tanjiro? What era was this dream and should we still call it that? Is Tanjiro such an empathy or is the coma not allowing him, to critically analyze that he might have just seen an ancestor in his dream? Why was this man wearing hanafuda earrings and not Tanjiro's possible relative?

    Assuming this man was a demon slayer, was this man a Hashira? What breathing style technique does he use? Similar to the death of a sensei in Naruto and inheriting their "will of fire", does the Kamado family become Demon Slayers to try to accomplish this mans life goals? Knowing how old Kibutsuji Muzan is, was this mans goal to defeat him like Tanjiro? 

Let's get to the second great moment of this episode before getting too far ahead of myself. 

    In what has to be the greatest 15 minutes of most beautifully animated scenes I've ever seen, we get to FINALLY learn more about the infamous Upper Demons! What once was 6 Upper Demons, has now been diminished to 5. In order from 1-5 they're named: Kokushibo, Doma, Akaza, Hantengu, and Gyokko. One by one they're called upon and enter Muzan's Infinity Castle, they wait for Muzan's instruction where we find out they haven't been called to meet there in 113 years, an apparently bad omen and the last time a member of the upper ranks was killed. The interaction between them was similar to that of the Hashira meeting we witnessed in season 2. Their rank by number determining their level of power, respect, and from what happens during this scene, subordination. The power differences between them are palpable and their collective fear as demons was for none other than Muzan himself. Upset with their laziness, he scolds them and reiterates their efforts must double to do two specific things that haven't been accomplished by this bunch in "hundreds of years": the annihilation of the Ubuyashiki Family and finding the Blue Spider Lily. 

This cinematic masterpiece was a delight to watch but here I am with even more questions:

Is the man from Tanjiro's dream and Kokushibo the same person? Are they related? (Kokushibo has different markings on his face but demons do change appearance from their human form) At the end of the scene, Gyokko has information for Muzan, is he going to be the next Upper Demon to fight? If so, will we see Hantengu fighting as well since Muzan ordered them to go some place together? Who will be fighting them this season? What are their blood demon arts? WHY AM I SO EXCITED?!

If you're like me and thoroughly enjoyed this episode and came up with a million questions of your own, please comment them below. If you liked a different moment in this show, which is very likely because there were many, please share. I hope this overview was as fun to read as it was to write and I can't wait to watch the next episode.

Bai Bai!