Nezuko’s back and kicking heads on ‘Demon Slayer’

Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc episode six.

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Maybe you noticed there’s a popular new anime profile picture or GIFs of a gruesome kickball match going around anime Twitter today. The Winter 2022 anime season has started off strong, and in just its second episode of the new year, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc got fans talking with a dazzling fight sequence.

Season one depicted the first six arcs over 26 episodes, while the Mugen Train Arc was given an entire film — later made into the first cour of the show’s second season. The Entertainment District Arc picks up from there as the show’s second season. We’re now six episodes into the season, half of which are Tanjiro’s ongoing fight with the Upper Six, Daki.

Warning: Spoilers to follow.

In what’s sure to be one of the series’ most memorable moments, Entertainment District Arc episode six, “Layered Memories,” concludes with a punctual entrance from Nezuko, who saves her brother and holds her own against the Upper Six using her go-to attack — kicking. She sends Daki’s body and head flying across the rooftops.

Clips of the kick heard ’round the world have been shared widely, with one fan pointing out how Ufotable savors the collision by animating it from three different angles.

and they show it in some different angles 😭
— Lily (@sunshine__pil) January 10, 2022

And @survivelyfe points out an awkward frame of the moment of impact.

the best frame
— itachi_ (@survivelyfe) January 10, 2022

But that’s just the start. What has fans really talking about is Nezuko’s transformation. Since Nezuko became an immortal demon at age 12, her body has not aged. Now 14, she looks just the same. And while we saw early on she could make herself smaller — and her appearance younger — we’ve yet to see her grow.

Well, she did, taking on a more demonic appearance with horns and ivy growing around her body. One fan’s bombastic reaction sums up the fandom’s response: “NEZUKO’S HERE OMG I’VE WAITED MY ENTIRE LIFE.”

NEZUKO'S HERE OMG I'VE WAITED MY ENTIRE LIFE
— rhy (@jobisky) January 9, 2022

And while Nezuko finally broke her bamboo muzzle that has kept the character mostly speechless the entire series, others were speechless in her stead: “nezuko kamado … that’s the tweet”

nezuko kamado … that’s the tweet
— amber ♡ (@tanijrou) January 9, 2022

With her new form, she also has a speedy regeneration that rivals the Twelve Kizuki, something she integrates into her fighting style quickly. But the fight’s not over yet.

Demon Slayer’s official Japanese Twitter account left us with a preview shot of episode seven, due next week.