After successfully completing training with most of the Hashiras (except Sanemi Shinazugawa), Tanjiro finally approaches the toughest, strongest one, as Stone Hashira Gyomei Himejima stands as the final obstacle. Among the Hashiras viewers have met so far, Himejima was the least explored one, and with an episode dedicated to his training segment, this was a good opportunity to flesh out the Stone Hashira as a character. However, the snoozefest of the fourth season of Demon Slayer continues with the sixth episode as well, as not only does Himejima have the bare minimum screen time in this one, but the entire episode once again feels like a filler, meant to simply complete the set quota of episodes in a season.Â
Previously, Tanjiro participated in Kanroji, Obanai, and Shigemetsu’s training, and aside from the last one where he got involved in Sanemi and Genya’s scuffle, which resulted in his suspension from Wind Hashira training, Tanjiro aced the other two. In the sixth episode, the final stage of Hashira training is overseen by Himejima, the Stone Hashira, where necessary qualities of a Demon Slayer like perseverance, temperament, and physical and mental strength are tested to their limit.
Spoilers Ahead
Himejima’a Training Pushes Trainees to the Limit
As the episode begins, Himejima’s training is shown to be divided into three specific drills. Standing right under a waterfall and enduring its strong flow and freezing temperature, lifting a set of triple logs and moving a giant boulder to a specific distance. The apparently simple tasks are daunting enough to let Zenitsu start his annoying antics, which stopped being funny a year ago already. Even the tough cookie, Inosuke, faints while enduring the waterfall challenge. The majority of the novice trainees get overwhelmed by the first task alone, and after failing a couple of times, Tanjiro manages to complete the first test. Inosuke mentions that, according to his observation, Himejima might be the strongest among the Hashiras, and his observation is completely correct.
There is a moment of team-bonding during this segment, as during the daybreak, while the Demon Slayers enjoy their meal after going through their tiring regimen, Tanjiro’s cooking skill is praised by everyone, which reminds the trainees of their home-cooked food. In that moment, Tanjiro remembers his family and life before he eventually became a Demon Slayer, and all of it feels like a distant dream. As for the log lifting challenge, Tanjiro is able to complete that as well, but his progress gets halted as he reaches the final challenge. Despite his best attempts, Tanjiro isn’t able to move the boulder even an inch over the course of the next several days, and Tanjiro starts wondering about the best possible way to approach the situation.Â
Muzan’s Spying Eye Network
On the other hand, the prying eye familiars of Muzan’s new fourth Kizuki, the cyclops demon Nakime, are once again shown to be following the novice Demon Slayers, and it is revealed that she has catalogued the presence and location of almost sixty percent of the Demon Slayer corps. Viewers get to see Muzan after a long time, patiently waiting in Nakime’s Infinity Castle. As the king of the demons congratulates her for her efforts, he also mentions his first priority being to hunt down the sun-conquering demon Nezuko and Demon Slayer chief Ubuyashiki as well. Given the fact that the Hashiras are miserably unaware of all the developments happening in the background, Muzan’s thorough knowledge about their presence could spell doom for the corps in the near future. However, it also seems that Kaguya Ubuyashiki has something in mind and has been planning for Muzan’s impending attack without even the Hashiras knowing about it.
How Did Genya’s Advice Help Tanjiro Complete His Training?
Genya meets up with Tanjiro to see his progress, and she thanks him for saving him from Sanemi the other day. If it were not for Tanjiro, Genya would have surely lost his eyes at the hands of his elder brother. Upon learning that Tanjiro is having a hard time completing the boulder challenge, Genya suggests that he use repetitive motion, which he was able to use to move the boulder. The technique has something to do with concentrating hard and opening up one’s senses, but despite trying to focus, Tanjiro isn’t able to move the boulder. Genya also mentions that Tanjiro’s Demon Slayer mark is darkening, which is a positive sign.
Later that night, Genya meets with Tanjiro once again during dinner, and after getting to know that he still hasn’t been able to complete the task, he advises working up his emotions to truly access the repetitive motion. Tanjiro goes alone in the forest in the middle of the night to test Genya’s advice. To access repetitive motion, he needs a strong emotional charge-up. For Tanjiro, the memory of his lost family and of the final moments of his idol, Kyujuro Rengoku, the former Flame Hashira, seem to cause the strongest emotional surge, and using it to access repetitive motion, Tanjiro finally completes his final task of moving the boulder.
Finally, after the completion of the training sessions, the storyline can move forward in the remaining few episodes, where the majority of the action sequences are going to take place as well. Overall, this season of Demon Slayer has been pretty lackluster so far, as attempts to stretch out a single volume to an entire season have proved to be ineffective. We are hoping that the remaining couple of episodes can change this disappointing trajectory and end the season on a decent note.Â
