In this article, the manga “Demon Slayer Yuukaku-hen” will be discussed.
Please note that it contains spoilers for the Yuukaku-hen, so if you have not read or listened to the manga, be careful.
If you want to know what kind of manga/anime “Demon Slayer” is, click here to read the introduction.
Let us begin by focusing on the sound pillar, Uzui Tengen, who has become a central figure in the yuukaku version.
Profile of Otobashira(Sound Pillar), Tengen Uzui
He is a former ninja, a caring big brother.
- He is a flamboyant young man from a ninja family
- He displays a brightness and caring nature that belies his hardships.
- He is one of the Hashira who is especially good at leading group battles
Uzui Tengen’s family was a family of ninja.
Distressed by the decline of the ninja family business and the problem of successors, Tengen’s father decided to pit Tengen and his nine brothers against each other.
The loss of his brothers led him to turn his back on the family business and pursue a career as a demon hunter.
From this upbringing, we can infer that it was impossible for him to spend his life as a complete civilian.
Tengen had chosen a difficult path, but on the surface, he acted as a “showy man (god of festivals)” who did not show the slightest sign of such hardship.
He also takes good care of his subordinates, and Tanjiro feels at ease with his caring attitude.
One point that stands out in the first half of the story is his precise instructions to Tanjiro and the others after they are told to go undercover.
The fact that he ordered the remaining two to retreat after Zenitsu went missing suggests that he is one of the most caring individuals in Hashira.
Ha-neIt may be that Tengen Uzui was not as calm as usual when he tried to involve Aoi and the others at the beginning of the Yuukaku version.
What if all three of his wives, who are more important than anything else, were missing….
Solid, calm decision making, versatile tactics make up for lack of talent.
- He uses a variety of ninja-derived tactics to taunt his enemies.
- His physical abilities place him at the top of Hashira.
- His fighting style is solid and seamless.
At first glance, Tengen’s style of combat appears to be characterized by the flashy use of gunpowder, but behind the scenes, Tengen is a solid and precise strategist.
He uses espionage techniques developed through his training as a Ninja to gather information on the enemy, while also performing group commanding maneuvers to hunt them down.
He is also physically strong enough to engage in head-to-head combat with demons.
He is also resistant to poison, making him so seamless that the enemy cannot see where to attack him.
It is easy to imagine that any weak ogre he would have encountered before the Yuukaku version would have been killed in an instant, just like Daki.
DogAt the same time, you can see that Gyutaro that made Tengen suffer such a hard time was a demon of unknown strength.
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Contrast between Tengen Uzui and Gyutaro and Daki.
From here, let us compare Tengen Uzui and Gyutaro.
Tengen and Gyutaro have in common that they were “born and raised in a less fortunate background.
However, Tengen chooses to live his life by parting with his own destiny and following his beliefs in a new environment.
On the other hand, Gyutaro, bound by his birth and upbringing, could only spend hundreds of years in Yuukaku.
For them, who, despite their mighty power, continued to live trapped in their own birth and upbringing, Tengen was a dazzling and enviable presence.
It is inevitable that they were defeated by Tengen, who, despite his mighty strength as an ogre, had carved out his own path through self-discipline.
Contrast between ” Tanjiro Kamakado and Nezuko” and “Gyutaro and Daki”.
Now let’s compare the ” Tanjiro and Nezuko” siblings with the ” Gyutaro and Daki” siblings.
These two demons are considered to have a close relationship with the Kamakado siblings.
The “what-if destiny” of the two siblings is also implied in the film as the figure of Gyutaro and Daki.
Ha-neThere is a scene during the battle in which Tanjiro is thinking of Gyutaro over himself.
Tanjiro became an demon slayer because he was victimized by an demon and rescued by a human.
In contrast, Gyutaro was persecuted by humans and rescued by demons.
Therefore, he had a firm will that he would be a demon no matter how many times he was reborn.
Although he was “born and raised in a disadvantaged environment,” he was defeated by Tengen, who stood alone from his upbringing, and by Tanjiro, who could be regarded as his own if, he learned “the warmth given to me by others.
In the end, he was freed from his obsession to continue being a demon when his sister Ume(Daki) reminded him of the bond between brother and sister.
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Summary: Two happy endings
Compared to the Mugen Train version, we notice that the Yuukaku version has two elements that can be called happy endings.
- No deaths on the side of the demon slayers.
- Tanjiro and his men were able to defeat and redeem the ogres.
The Yukaku-hen can be called a victory for Tanjiro and his team because there were no fatalities on the demon slayer side.
In addition, the fact that they were able to “save the demons” can also be counted as a victory for the demon slayer team.
In view of the incident in the Mugen Train-hen, in which the Yuukaku-hen suffered a fatality on their side and were unable to rescue the demons, we can see the growth of Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke.
In the subsequent swordsmith village chapter, Tanjiro’s own growth in spirit and skill is emphasized even more.
It will also lay important foreshadowing that will unravel the history of the demon slayer toward the end of the story.
The swordsmith’s village version of the story has been on the air since April 2023.
Demon Slayer Article List
- 【Comics】Review and thoughts of “Tomioka Giyu Gaiden”
- 【Comics】Review and thoughts of “Rengoku Kyojuro Gaiden”
