The following contains spoilers for Demon Slayer Season 4, Episode 2, “Water Hashira Giyu Tomioka's Pain,” now streaming on Crunchyroll.

Summary

• Demon Slayer Season 4 focuses on character development and world building leading up to the final fight with Muzan.
• Tamayo returns in Season 4 to support the Demon Slayer Corps with her demonic doctor skills in dire circumstances.
• Giyu Tomioka reveals his emotional backstory to Tanjiro, struggling with impostor syndrome and survivor's guilt.

Season 4 of Demon Slayer is underway for the Spring 2024 anime season, albeit slowly. So far with the double premiere episode and regular episode 2 Demon SlayerSeason 4 is taking its time with setup and exposition before the final fight with Muzan Kibutsuji can begin. Fans might call this the calm before the storm, and it may be. Demon SlayerIt's the last chance for serious world-building and character development before the final fight takes over the narrative.

While the double episode 1 establishes the general concept of Hashira's training and reminds fans of the importance of the demon slayer's mark, episode 2 delves into more personal matters for key cast members like Tanjiro Kamado, Giyu Tomioka, and Shinobu Kocho. Episode 1 was about how these characters train and fight, and episode 2, "Water Hashira Giyu Tomioka's Pain," is about why they fight and the results are emotionally impactful. It's a great reminder of how strong Demon SlayerThe emotional core of it is to give a meaningful context to all the struggles and sufferings.

4 Tamayo prepares to support the Demon Slayer Corps in the best way she knows how

Supporting character Lady Tamayo finally returned for more screen time here in season 4 of Demon Slayer, as Episode 1 already showed. Episode 2 generally recaps what Episode 1 already did, with a deep-voiced Kasugai crow from the Ubuyashiki mansion inviting Tamayo to visit the demon slayer corps and lend them her aid as a skilled demon doctor. It is highly unusual for the corps to ask for help from any demon, friendly or otherwise, but these are dire circumstances. The stakes are high, and the surviving slayers are about to face the final and most difficult battle of all. They cannot afford to hide anything, hence the Ubuyashiki family's invitation to Madam Tamayo.

Tamayo has a brief flashback upon hearing this invitation., showing her, Muzan Kibutsuji, and Yoriichi Tsugikuni together. This is a hint at Tamayo's connection to powerful men like them, and Demon Slayer Fans will be able to see more of this in future episodes as Tamayo's mysteries are finally unraveled. It's possible that this final mission is personal for Tamayo, and if so, it could mean she could join the club, as several important characters have a personal stake in all of this.

Demon Slayer fans likely won't see much of Tamayo's work on screen, as she can't contribute much to any combat-oriented training like the remaining Hashira members can, but she can still do a lot of good for Shinobu Kocho, the Insect Hashira. Tamayo's job is to help Shinobu make new poisons and take care of Nezuko Kamado. as she can, and when the time is right, the Demon Slayer The anime will show the fruits of Tamayo's work as the final fight unfolds.

3 Giyu Tomioka breaks down and explains his heartbreaking story to Tanjiro

Until now, Giyu Tomioka has remained a quiet character about his own history and experiences, so Demon Slayer fans didn't know much about him until now. Eventually, Giyu explains his heartbreaking story to Tanjiro Kamado and the viewers, although it takes a lot of convincing. First, Kagaya Ubuyashiki sends Tanjiro a letter, politely but urgently asking Tanjiro to help calm Giyu's heart and build a stronger bond with him.

Tanjiro complies, humorously pestering Giyu nonstop for a few days, until even the stoic and stubborn Giyu finally gives in. The problem is, Giyu refuses to participate in the Hashira's new training regimen, having apologized for the whole affair in the previous episode. Now Tanjiro finds out why Giyu dropped out of the training program. Giyu Tomioka does not consider himself a proper Hashira, even though the Ubuyashiki family and the other Hashira clearly recognize him as the Water Hashira.

Giyu suffers from both impostor syndrome and survivor's guilt regarding his entry into the demon slayer corps and his promotion to Hashira after rising through the ranks, meaning he has carried a serious emotional burden throughout. Being a stoic introvert, however, Giyu hid this fact with his kuudere exterior, which until now has been laughed at. When Giyu participated in the final selection exam as a teenager, he failed to kill a single demon and needed Sabito, one of Sakonji Urokodaki's students, to bail him out of trouble.

To Giyu's horror, Sabito was killed fighting the hand demon. Then Giyu was accepted into the Demon Slayer Corps, despite having failed the exam. Giyu trained hard to rise through the ranks and become a Hashira, but in his mind he is a complete fake. No matter his skills and recognition, he believes he does not deserve his position and says he is not even the real Water Hashira. Instead, Giyu hopes that Tanjiro will become the Water Hashira. Giyu is unsure of how to overcome his guilt and feelings of inadequacy, hence his refusal to participate in the Hasira training program.

Furthermore, in a similar thematic vein, Giyu suffered from survivor's guilt again when his older sister, Tsutako, sacrificed her life to save Giyu from a demonic attack., meaning Giyu's guilt runs deep. He even designed his jacket front and back to honor Sabito and Tsutako, half for each. And while Tanjiro Kamado is devastated to hear all of this, he won't accept Giyu's defeatist attitude, as he can relate to it all, but has a different solution in mind than just wallowing in guilt.

2 Giyu and Tanjiro have a strong connection through Sabito and Kyojuro Rengoku

Being the emotionally sensitive boy that he is, Tanjiro Kamado cries when he hears Giyu's story, but unlike Giyu, Tanjiro doesn't see any of this pain and guilt as an excuse to abandon his duty or trivialize his accomplishments. Giyu thinks he's a fraud and allows these negative feelings to consume and control him, hence his apathetic and defeatist demeanor, while Tanjiro Kamado draws strength from emotional trauma.

Tanjiro knows that pain and loss can leave lasting scars on a person, and even the strongest people can suffer and struggle with these feelings. So, pound for pound, Demon Slayer anime explores the theme of loss more deeply than its shonen peers like My Hero Academia and Jujutsu KaisenLoss isn’t just a reason to seek revenge—it’s a reason someone can fall apart. After all, people like Giyu are only human.

That said, a defeatist attitude like Giyu's shouldn't last long, and a demon slayer like Giyu Tomioka must eventually find the strength and conviction to carry on. Up until this point, Tanjiro feels empathy for Giyu, having lost his family when Muzan attacked, and also having lost his role model Kyojuro Rengoku in the Mugen Train arc. Sabito is to Giyu what Kyojuro is to Tanjiro, so Tanjiro understands Giyu's position - and uses this sympathy as a way to get Giyu back on track as a hero. Fortunately, it works, and Tanjiro convinces Giyu to participate in the Hashira's training to some extent and keep his head in the game as the final battle against Muzan approaches. Tanjiro is determined to live up to Kyojuro's high hopes for him, and Giyu may do the same for Sabito.

1 Shinobu Kocho prepares Kanao Tsuyuri for the final battle of revenge

Episode 2 of the new Demon Slayer The anime continues to make this final fight personal for the main cast, as the final scene involves Shinobu Kocho and Kanao Tsuyuri, who have a blood feud with the Upper Moons. It's both amusing and sad to see Shinobu Kocho practice her polite expressions as she struggles to hide her perpetual anger, seeing how she lost her beloved sister, Kanae Kocho, to a powerful demon.

Then the quiet Kanao Tsuyuri arrives and the two girls have a quick chat. In private, Shinobu prepares to tell Kanao all about the demon that killed Kanae, a little scare for the next episode. This promises to fill in some essential gaps in the story of Shinobu and her sister Kanae, and will most likely be a defining factor in Shinobu's final battle against Muzan Kibutsuji, the demon king, and the remaining Upper Moons.

Shinobu doesn't exactly tell Kanao to "go kill that demon" in episode 2, but given Kanao's skills as a killer and the overall context, it's easy to infer that Shinobu wants Kanao to help her fight and kill the demon that killed Kanae Kocho years ago.. If yes, then Demon Slayer Fans will finally see little Kanao in a battle royale, and see her Flower Breathing fighting style in action, the same fighting style Kanae once used.

This could help expand the anime's combat system while also empowering Kanao with some excellent combat sequences where she can play an active role in avenging Kanae, the woman who saved her from slavery. This helps the second season of Demon Slayer begin in an emotionally appropriate way, with each Hashira having a personal stake in this fight and emotional issues to ultimately resolve, from guilt to revenge.