Demon Slayer Entertainment District Arc Episode 4: The Spirit of Comin’ Through

Quick Summary of Demon Slayer Entertainment District Arc Episode 4

In Demon Slayer Entertainment District Arc episode 4, “Tonight”, Inosuke and Tanjirou arrived at the appointed rooftop for their meeting with the Hashira Tengen Uzui. While they waited, Inosuke tried explaining what kind of demon he had encountered, but his the description made no sense to Tanjirou. Suddenly, so quickly and quickly that neither of them could even sense it, Tengen arrived. Astonishingly, he apologized for involving them. Saying that the situation was now so dangerous that they should leave, he stated his intention to continue alone. And then he vanished. Will Inosuke and Tanjirou leave without their friend Zenitsu? Will Inosuke ever make himself understood? And what made Tengen change his mind?

My Turn to Host!

Irina from I Drink and Watch Anime has graciously consented to review this season and this episode with me! Before we get into the episode, Irina, how was your Christmas? I hope you were able to enjoy it! It was so warm here in Ohio that when my family got together at my house, I had to open the windows. Because I certainly didn’t want to turn on the air conditioning!

I think I may have mentioned this but I’m actually celebrating tonight for various reasons so my Christmas hasn’t passed yet. I’m sure it will be great. The gifts look super nice and I’m already hungry so that means dinner will be the most delicious.

It snowed all day yesterday so it’s kind of perfect temperature wise. 

I hope your Christmas was good and that you and the family got everything you wanted!

I like that Uzui’s introduction created the exact expected reaction in fans. It’s rare that a character is that successful and I have to admit I’m pretty impressed. I might read the manga at some point and see if the framing is the same.

Demon Slayer Entertainment District Arc Episode 4 Review

Opening Thoughts

This episode gave me quite a shock, followed by another shock. Then there were plenty of death flags before we finally get to something that has never happened before: a battle scene made me feel sad. But in a good way!

Before we get into the episode, do you have any opening thoughts, Irina?

I do enjoy Warabihime as a character but part of me is wondering how great it would have been if we got Muzan in his lady form instead. Although I love her character design, I find her mesmerizing to look at, I do personally feel that Warbihime is a bit generic as far as villains go. I would have liked a slightly more nuanced personality.

And for some reason, this arc has got me missing lady Tamayo. I really liked how she made demons into more than just monsters. Also Yushiro, in fact he might be just a bit more interesting since he obviously still has a lot of that viciousness in him but willingly suppresses it. It’s the sort of thing I was hoping to see in this arc.

So far the higher demons don’t really seem that different from any of the other demons we’ve encountered, just stronger versions of the same.

And for a drastic change of subject, I’ve watched and read a few stories about Geisha’s and historical Japanese pleasure districts. There’s something I find very aesthetic about the setting. I’m happy I get to see Ufotable’s take on it.

Tengen Did What Now?

The two shocks came in rapid succession. I might jokingly say that’s bad for my heart, but really, I did find the moments very surprising. First, when Tengen showed up for their meeting on the rooftops, he told Tanjirou and Inosuke that Zenitsu would not be joining them today. Of course, we knew that, so it’s not the shock. The shock came next. Tengen apologized to them! I wasn’t aware that was something Tengen could do (the link makes sense at 00:17). What really sold the moment for me was how serious he was. That, and his parting statement to the two other Demon Slayers spoke of a back story I hope we find out more about: “Whoever survives, wins,” he said (05:27).

Tengen showed more humility than I expected from him. Or maybe it was simple honesty. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Irina, what did you think of that scene?

I have no clue why you had a shock here. Uzui never struck me as someone who enjoyed getting his subordinates killed or putting people in danger. I thought the scene flowed well. We’re in episode 4 of 11 (about ⅓ of the way through) so it’s the perfect moment for the leadership to doubt themselves and to have everyone separated. That way they can truly be in a tough spot and get horrified at the brute force of the enemy. I figure if we give each of the leads an episode or so to get their bearings and maybe one more for everyone to get back together that’s going to take us to like episode 7 or 8 leaving a few episodes for the final showdown.

I’m looking forward to the reunion with the wives. They all seem like cool ladies and I think they probably all make for a really interesting family. And Uzui obviously cares about them, although part of it is likely his guilt for putting them in the path of danger. He wouldn’t have, had he realized it was such a powerful demon.

It was him admitting he was wrong that shocked me. The guy struck me as someone who didn’t do that. 

Inosuke Paid Attention Because Rankings!

The next shock came when we found out Inosuke knew something bout the Demon Slayer Corps that Tanjirou did not! Okay, it’s less a shock and more an LOL moment, but I still thought it was worth noting that Inosuke knew how to check his Demon Slayer level and Tanjirou did not. Apparently, on Wisteria Mountain, at the end of the trials, the corps had “fiddled” with their arms. Tanjirou remembered it happening but had no idea what it meant.

For the record, they are now at the Kanoe rank.

Inosuke is just full of surprises this season! What did you think of that moment, Irina?

It was cute. I think that because it’s about rank and therefore measuring your strength against others, it’s the sort of thing that Inosuke would pay particularly close attention to. And as Tanjiro mentioned, he was pretty much passed out when that happened while Inosuke had already had the chance to recover a bit so I understand why Tanjiro didn’t remember. It’s not really what he’s in it for anyways.

I think Irina’s right. This is exactly the kind of thing that Inosuke would pay attention to! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

The next scene revolved around Tokito House’s Oiran, Koinatsu. We’ve seen her before. She’s really good with the two girls who work in the house. This scene showed her doting on them. Demon Slayer, showing someone being nice. That’s a death flag! A little later, Tanjirou visited her room, dressed in his normal outfit. He disclosed that he was, in fact, a male.

“Oh, I already knew that. It was obvious at a glance,” she said. To be honest, that made me feel a bit better. I mean, seriously: Their make up was kind of, how shall I put it, unconvincing? But now she knew a secret. That’s a second death flag!

Death Flags for Koinatsu

Then she said that she planned to leave Tokito house because a man had agreed to take her as his wife. She said she had never been happier! And that’s when I knew she was about to become demon food.

Irina, what were you thinking at this point in the story?

Ok, I have no reason for this, but I was thinking, is she a demon too? I guess this show is making me paranoid but she was just so suspiciously nice to everyone and she was so chill about Tanjiro. I mean even if she already knew the boy part, he appears heavily armed out of nowhere in her room and she’s like, Oh hey… I’m thinking, wait – two warring demons. She might be the calmer type that just takes a human here and there so as to not raise suspicions and is actually a little tufted that this clumsy oafish demon is ruining her nice comfy buffet.

You gotta admit, that could have been an interesting twist to the season.

It would have been an interesting twist if Koinatsu had been a demon! Talk about deep cover! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

In my notes, I actually noted the death flags – and said, “Or is she the other demon?” That would have been interesting! 

After Tanjirou left Koinatsu, he intended to meet up with Inosuke to track down the demon there. But he didn’t get far before he caught the scent of a demon. He had perceived the demon that had just abducted Koinatsu. And we all know who that demon is: Daki, Upper Moon Six. 

Tanjirou tracked the scent. He opened a window to find that only Koinatsu’s head seemed to remain. Tanjirou saw the demon’s eyes and realized who she was. Daki’s ribbons had consumed the rest of her body. Daki perceived him and dismissed him, saying she was only interested in fighting Hashira. Tanjirou did his usual “you let her go!” style of speech. The only effect was that Daki flicked him away with her ribbons.

The force of the blow sent him through a fence and into a wall. He did not even see the strike coming. But I’ll give him credit: The dude felt terrified, but he talked himself back into a fighting stance. I liked seeing that. No insane bravery or dismissal of fear for him!

Daki Greets Tanjirou in Demon Slayer Entertainment District Arc Episode 4

Surprised he was still alive, a little intrigued at his strength and now interested in eating his eyeballs (seriously, who does that?), she attacked. What came next was a battle that had me feeling actually sad. Partly, it was the music. But partly, it was because Daki was obviously just playing with Tanjirou, though he was going flat out. The animation was, as I now expect from this show, immersive and beautiful to see. 

In the end, Tanjirou did manage to slice off a portion of ribbon, which was the portion that had consumed Koinatsu. You could see her face as part of the ribbon’s pattern, which was a detail I thought was interesting. 

What did you think of that fight, Irina?

As usual, the fight animation was gorgeous. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

The obi thing is interesting. From everything we have been told, the people trapped in her obi are still alive. A pocket dimension? Maybe a doorway to somewhere else. I’m not sure but I’m curious about how it works. I wonder if Tanjiro is going to let himself get trapped on purpose so that he can reunite with the other victims. That was my first thought. And of course he can still do so next week.

My other thought was that now Tanjiro has seen her face and has an idea of her powers. That puts the Demon Corp in the best position they’ve been so far with regard to this particular demon. And obviously, I’m not worried that Tanjiro is going to die here. I mean there are limits.

Nezuko and Closing Thoughts about Demon Slayer Entertainment District Arc Episode 4

I am curious whether Nezuko is really just going to stay in her box. In season 1 she would fight along Tanjiro all the time, why the change? Is it because they are in a large city?

Zenitsu’s still missing. Tanjirou’s caught in the fight of his life. The next episode should be interesting! Irina, any closing thoughts?

You didn’t mention the muscled mice. I understand that their awesomeness is beyond words but I feel like we should at least acknowledge them. I also want muscled ninja mice!

Thanks for mentioning them! I just did not feel I could do them justice.

Other Posts about Demon Slayer Entertainment District Arc Episode 4

Other Anime Sites

• Reddit: Kimetsu no Yaiba: Yuukaku-hen – Episode 4 discussion
• AngryAnimeBitches Anime Blog: Kimetsu no Yaiba: Yuukaku-hen Episode 4
• Random Curiosity: Kimetsu no Yaiba S2 – 03, 04

This Collaboration (I Drink and Watch Anime and Crow’s World of Anime!)

• Demon Slayer Mugen Train Arc Episode 1: Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku
• Demon Slayer Mugen Train Arc Episode 2: Deep Sleep
• Demon Slayer Mugen Train Arc Episode 3: Should Have Been
• Demon Slayer Mugen Train Arc Episode 4: Insult
• Demon Slayer Mugen Train Arc Episode 5: Move Forward!
• Demon Slayer Mugen Train Arc Episode 6: Akaza
• Demon Slayer Mugen Train Arc Episode 7: Set Your Heart Ablaze
• Demon Slayer Entertainment District Arc Episode 1: Sound Hashira Tengen Uzui
• Demon Slayer Entertainment District Arc Episode 2: Infiltrating the Entertainment District
• Demon Slayer Entertainment District Arc Episode 3: What Are You?
• Demon Slayer Entertainment District Arc Episode 4: Tonight
• Demon Slayer Entertainment District Arc Episode 5: Things Are Gonna Get Real Flashy!!
• Demon Slayer Entertainment District Arc Episode 6: Layered Memories
• Demon Slayer Entertainment District Arc Episode 7: Transformation
• Demon Slayer Entertainment District Arc Episode 8: Gathering
• Demon Slayer Entertainment District Arc Episode 9: Defeating an Upper Rank Demon
• Demon Slayer Entertainment District Arc Episode 10: Never Give Up
• Demon Slayer Entertainment District Arc Episode 11: No Matter How Many