Barehanded Fight

Lying unconscious, Zenitsu reflects on his exceptional hearing, which even works in sleep. He senses Kyogai's sound has vanished, meaning Tanjiro prevailed and is returning. A tearful Shoichi explains they escaped through a window and thanks him for keeping him safe. Zenitsu's relief breaks when the boar-headed swordsman smashes out of the house.

Recognizing the man as the fastest survivor of Final Selection on Mount Fujikasane, Zenitsu blocks him from attacking Nezuko's box. He admits he always sensed a demon inside but trusted Tanjiro because his sound was pure, a judgment his hearing has long allowed him to make.

Refusing to let the box be harmed before Tanjiro can explain its contents, Zenitsu stands his ground and is beaten down. Tanjiro arrives with Kiyoshi and Teruko, struck by how the defense mirrors Nezuko shielding Rokuta during the family's massacre. He lunges and lands a rib-breaking punch, lecturing the attacker that slayers are forbidden from striking one another.

The masked fighter chooses to settle things with fists rather than blades. Tanjiro notices the man's low, beastlike movements and tries to attack at ground level, but the stranger's extreme flexibility lets him dodge and counter. A frustrated headbutt from Tanjiro knocks off the mask, exposing an unexpectedly feminine face, and the swordsman asks if his looks are a problem.

This chapter confirms the unknown slayer ranked fifth among the survivors and cleared Final Selection faster than anyone else, and it shows Zenitsu had long known Tanjiro carried a demon. It begins the Tanjiro versus Inosuke clash and opens Volume 4 within the Tsuzumi Mansion Arc.

The events are adapted across Episodes 13 and 14, and the mask reveal sets up the formal introduction of Inosuke in the chapters that follow.