Defeating an Upper Rank Demon

The sixteenth episode of season two, adapting chapters 90 through 92, intercuts the present battle with Tengen's memories of visiting his family grave and lazy afternoons with his three wives. Hinatsuru recalls asking him about living quietly once an Upper Rank falls, knowing some of them may not survive. In the present, Gyutaro shrugs off the wisteria poison and uses spinning blood blades, prompting Tanjiro to blend Water Breathing with Hinokami Kagura to free Hinatsuru from the demon's grasp.

A new technique

Realizing he must stop relying on rescue, Tanjiro combines two styles in a burst of speed, severs Gyutaro's hand, and saves Hinatsuru. He reflects on Sakonji's lesson that the style can be reshaped to suit any swordsman.

Daki falls, Inosuke bleeds

Inosuke, Tanjiro, and Zenitsu coordinate their forms to clear a path through the obi, letting Inosuke saw through Daki's neck with Palisade Bite. He flees with her head, but Gyutaro suddenly impales him from behind to recover his sister. Seeing Tengen's severed hand and unconscious body, Tanjiro despairs and apologizes to his friends.

The eyecatchers loosely recreate chapter 89's cover. The retirement memory places Tengen and his wives in an open field with trees, while the manga used bamboo behind them. The coordinated assault on Daki is extended in the anime, adding Inosuke's ground-cracking Explosive Rush, Tanjiro's Flowing Dance opening the way, and Zenitsu striking the obi before his eightfold Thunderclap and Flash.