Warning: Major spoilers if you have yet to watch the Demon Slayer 2023 movie or have yet to read until chapter 98 of the manga.
The To the Swordsmith Village movie was filled with pivotal scenes that lay the groundwork for major events to come in the series.
One particular scene showed Tanjiro Kamado having a vivid dream involving key characters who lived nearly 500 years ago during the Sengoku Era, the golden age of Demon Slayers.
The flashback scene connects the dots between Tanjiro and the mysterious Hinokami Kagura, the powerful Sun Breathing technique he uses to cut down demons.
Demon Slayer 2023 movie reveals where the Hinokami Kagura originated from
Tanjiro had been unconscious for two months at the Butterfly mansion after his epic battle against the Upper Rank Six demon siblings Gyutaro and Daki from the Entertainment District Arc finale.
While recovering from his wounds, Tanjiro dreams of a conversation between two mysterious individuals. A man can be seen sitting in a house talking to another man named Sumiyoshi, who was wearing the same green and black patterned haori Tanjiro is known for.
The mysterious man talking to Sumiyoshi is Yoriichi Tsugikuni, the legendary Demon Slayer who invented Breathing Styles. The flashback scene explains the relationship between Sumiyoshi, an ancestor of the Kamado family, and Yoriichi, the strongest Demon Slayer who ever lived.
It is revealed that Yoriichi saved Sumiyoshi and his family. In return, Sumiyoshi invited Yoriichi to stay with them and offered to pass down the Demon Slayer’s tale, as he didn’t have any successors.
However, Yoriichi turned down Sumiyoshi and explained that his past could cause problems for their family. Yoriichi even explained that despite Sumiyoshi deeming him a powerful fighter, he was still unable to protect what was important to him.
The scene shifts as Tanjiro is seen asking Yoriichi to not think of himself like that. As he wakes up from his dream, he finds himself in tears.
Tanjiro is the only Demon Slayer in his time who can use the Hinokami Kagura, a powerful Breathing Style that is highly effective against the Twelve Demon Moons. The Hinokami Kagura was first shown in the anime in Season 1 during the Mount Natagumo Arc, when Tanjiro fought Lower Rank Demon five Rui.
A previous flashback scene from Tanjiro’s childhood showed his dad enacting the Hinokami Kagura, a dance performed from sunset to sunrise. The performance is offered to the Hinokami, the fire god, to ward off threats and diseases.
It is later revealed that the Hinokami Kagura is a Breathing Style passed on from father to son in every generation of the Kamado family, alongside the Hanafuda earrings.
In Season 2, Kyojuro Rengoku’s father and former Flame Hashira had previously revealed that the Hinokami Kagura is a legendary technique known as Sun Breathing, the Breathing Style created by Yoriichi.
The Kamado family has passed on the Kagura dance for nearly 500 years. Tanjiro was able to revive the long-forgotten Breathing Style to aid the Demon Slayer Corp in their battle against the Demon King Muzan Kibutsuji.
To find out what happens next, Demon Slayer fans must wait for the premiere of Season 3. The one-hour special airs on April 9, 11:15 a.m. JST | 10:15 a.m. GMT+8 | 2:15 a.m. GMT | April 8, 6:15 p.m. PT.
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