Episode 16, Letting Someone Else Go First

Murata offers to hold off the controlled Demon Slayers, allowing Inosuke and Tanjiro to progress. They run into a living member of the Demon Slayers. Controlled, she is force to fight beyond her psychical limits. Rui, the male child demon, arrives to tell his “mother” to hurry up. In this moment we get the impression that they’re not really that close, as the demon doesn’t want Rui to tell his father. As a result she becomes inpatient. She increases her intensity with regard to how she uses the female Demon Slayer, breaking her bones as she swings violently.

Tanjiro, not looking to kill anyone, decides to toss the girl into the tree tangling the webs. Inosuke eager to prove he can do what Tanjiro can dose the same to the remaining two. Mother, now angry, breaks all of their necks. This was a shocking turn of evens for me. I mean all the work Tanjiro did, lead us into believing that he would be rewarded for his efforts. This isn’t the first time Tanjiro will be let down, but it was surprising that they weren’t saved. Regardless, they have no choice but to move on. Mother releases her “trump card,” a headless demon doll with bladed arms.

Meanwhile, Zenitsu is wandering the forest whining and loudly calling for Nezuko. He is followed by the smaller spider demon. Considering his advanced hearing it’s likely the case that he knows he’s being followed or will realize it at some point. When that happens he’s likely to run than fight. Anyway, Inosuke is becoming an interesting character. He seems like a complete moron that doesn’t think thing through, however, it seems like he does think on some level. He’s also appears to have developed an admiration for Tanjiro. Together they defeat the demon doll by working together, with Tanjiro taking the lead.

Tanjiro is tossed in the air by Inosuke, this sends him towards Mother. It’s unclear whether Inosuke intended to that or was mindlessly throwing Tanjiro in the air. Regardless, Tanjiro heads for Mother preparing to decapitate her. She initially is preparing to defend herself but decides that she rather die. When Tanjiro notices that her body language changed, he shifted to a more gentle form killing her without pain. We see her interaction with Father. The dynamic is clearly modeled what is typical for a domestic abuse situation. As usual, the demon is a former victim with a sad backstory. As a reward for his kindness, she tells Tanjiro that a member of the Twelve is around.