Rengoku and Shinobu Share Their Last Conversation
The episode opens with the Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kocho, asking Kyojuro Rengoku if he is heading out. The Flame Hashira has fresh intel on a demon and suspects it may be one of the Twelve Kizuki, possibly an Upper Rank. Shinobu tells him that if he is the one going, there is nothing to worry about.
According to the reaction roundup on Japanese anime news site Anime! Anime!, viewers watching the rerun with the whole story in their heads treated the exchange as Rengoku and Shinobu's final conversation, with comments along the lines of "please come back safe" and "so it's finally Mugen Train." The scene sets up the Mugen Train arc that follows.
Murata Drops By, Then the Training Starts
Back at the Butterfly Mansion, Zenitsu Agatsuma is screaming that he cannot swallow any more medicine while Aoi Kanzaki, who works at the mansion, orders him to drink up. Tanjiro Kamado takes his without complaint, which only sets Zenitsu off again. Inosuke Hashibira, nursing a throat injury, is unsettlingly quiet.
Then Murata, the Demon Slayer Corps member Tanjiro met on Natagumo Mountain, comes to visit. The roundup notes that the minor character remains a fan favorite, with reactions like "the strongest swordsman, Murata!" and "Murata is wearing clothes!" Murata explains he was summoned to the Hashira meeting to report on Natagumo Mountain and describes it as hell. The Hashira are on edge about the falling quality of new recruits, he says, and he mentions swordsmen who ignored orders on the mountain. Viewers immediately pinned that on the fan-nicknamed "Diced Steak Senpai."
Shinobu appears, Murata bolts, and she announces that rehabilitation training begins. Tanjiro and Inosuke go first and come back hollow-eyed every day, telling Zenitsu only "sorry" and "don't worry about it."
The training itself has three stages. First, the mansion's three young helpers, Naho Takada, Sumi Nakahara, and Kiyo Terauchi, loosen up bodies gone stiff from bed rest. Second comes reflex training, where each trainee tries to splash the person sitting across from them with a cup of medicinal tea before getting soaked themselves. Last is full-body training: a game of tag against Aoi and Kanao Tsuyuri, the swordswoman Shinobu is raising.
Zenitsu's Rant, Overheard by Everyone
Once Aoi explains all this, Zenitsu drags Tanjiro and Inosuke around the back of the building and explodes. Voiced by Hiro Shimono, he accuses the two of looking like they have been in hell when they were in heaven, getting to play with girls every day, and demands they apologize on their knees. He then lays out the math: every girl comes with two breasts, two butt cheeks, and two thighs, they smell nice when they walk past, and just looking at them is fun.
This is the same Zenitsu who earlier sized up Shinobu and figured she could get by on her face alone, so the training reads to him as paradise. The catch is that Aoi and the girls heard every word.
Anime! Anime! reports the rant lit up Japanese social media, with viewers calling it a signature Zenitsu scene and joking about his unwavering stance on women. One commenter noted that in Zenitsu's accounting even a single backside counts as two.
The joy does not last. Once Zenitsu realizes he cannot beat Kanao, he deflates, and within days he and Inosuke stop showing up. Tanjiro alone keeps squaring up to Kanao and asking for another round, exhausted as he is.
Shinobu Entrusts Tanjiro With Her Dream
The three girls give Tanjiro the push he needs, asking whether he keeps up Total Concentration Breathing morning, noon, night, and even while sleeping. The question rattles him, but he rethinks his breathing and takes up their gourd exercise, blowing into a hard gourd until it bursts. After about 15 days of solo practice, he has noticeably improved, and Shinobu quietly watches him work.
One night, while Tanjiro steadies his breathing on the mansion roof, Shinobu appears beside him, close enough to make him blush. After some small talk she tells him she wants to entrust him with her dream of getting along with demons, adding that she is sure he can do it. Tanjiro, who can smell emotions, asks if she is angry, because she always smells that way. Startled, Shinobu begins to talk about her beloved older sister, who was killed by a demon.
The roundup quotes viewers saying they cry every time at the flashback and that rewatching the scene after Infinity Castle deepens their read of Shinobu. One viewer felt that handing the dream to Tanjiro visibly lightened her load. The scene feeds directly into Infinity Castle Part 1: Akaza Returns, which opened in Japanese theaters on July 18, 2025. Shinobu leaves with a reminder that Tanjiro's breathing has stopped, and he gets right back to it.
The Butterfly Mansion Trio's Voice Actors Weigh In
The official Demon Slayer account has been posting cast comments each week of the rerun, and this time all three of the mansion helpers' voice actors appeared together.
Yuki Kuwahara, who voices Naho Takada and is familiar to fans as Tohru in Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, said she loves anyone who works desperately hard at anything, and expects to rewatch Tanjiro's "Effort!" scene many times over the course of her life. She added that she is happy to cheer him on as Naho.
Ayumi Mano, who plays Sumi Nakahara, said the scenes with the four of them warm her heart, and singled out the moment where Kiyo, Sumi, and Naho loosen up Zenitsu's body as a personal favorite.
Nanami Yamashita (Miku in DARLING in the FRANXX), the voice of Kiyo Terauchi, said she enjoyed the ad-libbed scenes with the three lookalike, soundalike girls, and wants to root alongside viewers for Tanjiro as he masters Total Concentration: Constant.
Looking Ahead
The rerun airs Sundays from 9:30 to 10:00 a.m. on Fuji TV, a schedule that has been running since April 5, 2026, so episode 25, "Tsuguko, Kanao Tsuyuri," should land the following Sunday, September 27. That episode keeps the Butterfly Mansion setting and puts Kanao front and center.
International fans do not need the Japanese broadcast to follow along. The original series streams on Crunchyroll and Netflix, and Infinity Castle Part 1 has been available on Crunchyroll and digital storefronts since July 28, 2026, which makes now a convenient moment to revisit Shinobu's rooftop scene before or after the film. Koyoharu Gotouge's manga is complete at 23 volumes, published by Shueisha in Japan and by Viz Media in English.
(C)吾峠呼世晴／集英社・アニプレックス・ufotable