Season 1, Episode 2, Trainer Sakonji Urokodaki

One of the early theme’s in this series is that Tanjiro is too empathetic to be a good demon slayer. When tasked with finishing off a demon, Nezuko decapitated, he is unable to decided what to do. He’s concerned with the demon that massacred people would suffer. It’s probably a good chance that this compassion will be to his benefit. However, so far it results in him making decisions too slow, which is bad.

Earlier in the episode, he crafts a basket for Nezuko to hid in during the day. While, I find it highly implausible that she can fit into the basket, its necessary for the story. Regardless, at night they stumble upon a temple. Tanjiro smells blood a goes rushing in. He witnesses another massacre and a demon feeding on a victim. Nezuko begins to cry as the demon attacks Tanjiro. The fight is weirdly violent but funny. Nezuko kicks the demons head off, then it’s body begins to move and Nezuko kicks it into a tree.

Tanjiro of course is never in real danger. The demon begins to talk, proclaiming that he knew that Nezuko “was strange.” The fight further it’s oddness when said head sprouts a pair of arms. Tanjiro pins the demon head (and new arms) to a tree. Just as he tries to “finish him off,” Sakonji Urokodaki arrives. We then get more of an understanding as to why the sense of smell is important. Sakonji is able to “smell” the “scent of kindness” coming from Tanjiro. Later, Tanjiro uses his smelling ability to “sniff out the traps.”

The details of this ability and why it’s important will be further elaborated on later obviously. However, the fact that Sakonji also has this sense of smell is clearly important. Finally, my thoughts that the demons in this series are vampire like have been confirmed, as the demon burns to death when the sun arises. After successfully surviving the test he was given, Tanjiro returns. Sakonji accepts Tanjiro as his student. Overall, another good episode and I’m looking forward to the next one.