Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Season 3 Episode 7 Recap & Review

Saving Others

Episode 7 of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba season 3 titled ‘Awful Villain’ begins with Tanjiro chasing Hantengu till he finally catches up and slices his neck. He is almost successful when a new clone shows up – the Hate Clone aka Zohakuten. Tanjiro tries to kill Hantengu quickly but the Hate Clone reaches him. Genya tries to help but fails as Tanjiro is in his line of fire. The Hate Clone finally attacks and Tanjiro is blown away as a huge serpent with multiple heads appears. Nezuko saves him but her limbs get bitten by the serpent.

As she slowly recovers, the powerful Hate Clone introduces himself. Tanjiro realises that the other clones are missing and Genya fills in the missing blanks. Worried that Tanjiro will succeed, Sekido suddenly absorbs all of the remaining clones and transforms into Zohakuten. Before Tanjiro or Genya can attack, the clone hides Hantengu amidst the serpent. Tanjiro tries to stop him but Zohakuten makes it difficult for the two slayers to breathe with just one glance. His presence saps their strength and it becomes they are unable to move. He calls them villains for tormenting something weak like Hantengu. 

Tanjiro retorts that Hantengu is not weak as he and his clones have devoured hundreds of weak people. He calls out the Hate Clone on his hypocrisy and gets ready to attack. Zohakuten says he hasn’t hurt him so he has no reason to attack. Tanjiro says being family is not the only reason to help others and they clash.

Meanwhile, Tokito is still stuck in the water prison. Gyokko enjoys the sight and gushes over his creative trap. He is curious as to what is in the hut Tokito tried to hide and goes to investigate. At that moment, the Mist Hashira realises he only has enough breath for one last attack but his sword is chipped. He feels hopeless and wishes someone can help him. At that moment, he sees Tanjiro who says there is no surety of what will happen in the future. He knows Tanjiro never said it and wonders if it is a memory with someone else.

As for Gyokko, he heads to the hut where Kanamori is hiding with a sword. He tries to attack but the potted demon easily injures him. Gyokko wonders what Kanamori is protecting and he spots Haganezuka polishing the 300-year-old sword. He is engrossed in his work and does not pay attention to Gyokko. This angers the demon who feels jealous about his focus. He attacks him but Haganezuka doesn’t stop despite bleeding. An angry Gyokko keeps attacking to the point that the swordsmith’s mask falls yet he doesn’t stop. Haganezuka instead wonders why the swords maker just carved one letter instead of his name and marvels at the determination of making such a powerful sword. It becomes a challenge for Gyokko who knows that he can kill Haganezuka easily. But with his pride hurt, his aim now is to make the swordsmith lose his focus.

Outside, Tokito’s vision starts to blur as he runs out of air. Dream Tanjiro tells him not to give up as someone will save him. Tokito says no one can save him as everyone is weak. He should have been strong but he underestimated himself. At that moment, Kotetsu shows up and starts stabbing the prison. Tokito listlessly tells him it’s no use and that he should just run away with all the swords to safety. At that moment, a fish minion attacks and injures the kid. Tokito begs him to run but Kotetsu doesn’t as he tries to help the Hashira.

He doesn’t understand why the kid is trying to save him even when injured. But at that moment, the Kotetsu puts his face in the prison and blows air to Tokito. Dream Tanjiro gives one last piece of wisdom – what you give others they will come back to you. He changes into someone from Tokito’s past and adds that humans get unimaginable strength when they need to help others. Rejuvenated, Tokito attacks and breaks the prison. As he gets up, he remembers that the man is his father and he had the same red eyes as Tanjiro.

In the epilogue, it shows that when Tanjiro was searching for Haganezuka, the swordsmith was working out in secret. Kotetsu wonders why and Haganezuka says that his slayer puts his life on the line so he is under more pressure to give him the perfect sword. The kid then reveals that the knife the swordsmith used to chase Tanjiro is made by Haganezuka. It is so sharp that he is scared to use it for cooking, making it pointless. An angry Haganezuka hears it and starts chasing the kid with it.

The Episode Review

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba gets back its groove with episode 7. Full of action, introspection and different philosophies, this episode has been a rollercoaster of emotions. Firstly, we have to talk about the Hate Clone and his powers. With him being able to sap the slayers’ energy without even moving will make him a formidable foe. 

As for Haganezuka, is it wrong to focus on how pretty he looks while he is in a life and death situation? It’s the first time we see his face while he continues to work hard on the sword. His single-minded perseverance would possibly make him a great slayer if he wanted.

And outside, we have poor Tokito battling with himself as his apathetic nature is in conflict with his memories as he sees Kotetsu sacrificing himself. On top of that, with his father and Tanjiro not only spouting the same bouts of advice but also looking similar, it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to theorize that they may be related.