Kimetsu no Yaiba Episode 20 Recap & Characters (Spoiler-Free)

Episode Summary

Pretend Family

Rui survives Tanjiro's blow by cutting off his own head with his threads and nearly kills the exhausted Tanjiro, until Giyu arrives, cuts apart the blood-thread web and beheads him with Dead Calm. Meanwhile Daughter, fleeing the forest, recalls how Rui recruited her and punished those who failed their roles. Shinobu catches her, sees through her claim of only five victims and kills her with wisteria poison, freeing Murata from a cocoon. As Rui's severed head falls, he admits he has no human memories and hoped a family bond would bring them back.

• Rui survives, and Giyu ends the fight

  Rui reveals he had cut off his own head with his threads before Tanjiro's blade landed and nearly kills the exhausted Tanjiro, until Giyu arrives, cuts apart the blood-thread web and beheads him with Water Breathing, Eleventh Form: Dead Calm. Rui's severed head still wants to kill the siblings.

• Daughter's backstory

  Daughter recalls being recruited by Rui and initiated into his family, where the Lower Rank's blood gave her power and the family's bonds turned out to be false.

• Shinobu defeats Daughter

  Shinobu catches Daughter, who claims she killed only five people; Shinobu rejects the lie, saying she has devoured at least eighty, then kills her with Insect Breathing and wisteria poison and frees Murata from the cocoon.

Recent Timeline

• Spider Demon defeated by Zenitsu (Episode 17)

  Poisoned and close to turning into a spider, Zenitsu uses Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash to decapitate the Spider Demon on Mount Natagumo.

• Father defeated by Giyu (Episode 18)

  Tanjiro pins Father under a felled tree, but Father blocks his Tenth Form and flings him far away. Inosuke cuts off Father's forearm, but Father sheds his skin into a stronger form and nearly crushes him, until Giyu arrives, slices off Father's arm and cuts him to pieces with Striking Tide.

• Hinokami Kagura and Exploding Blood (Episode 19)

  Trapped in Rui's blood-thread cage, Tanjiro recalls his father's kagura and awakens Hinokami Kagura. Nezuko regains consciousness and ignites her blood on the threads with Exploding Blood, and Tanjiro's blade reaches Rui's neck.

• Rui killed by Giyu (Episode 20)

  Rui reveals he had cut off his own head with his threads before Tanjiro's blade landed and nearly kills the exhausted Tanjiro, but Giyu arrives, cuts apart the blood-thread web and beheads Rui with Water Breathing, Eleventh Form: Dead Calm.

• Daughter poisoned by Shinobu (Episode 20)

  Shinobu Kocho evades Daughter's silk and strikes her with Insect Breathing, Butterfly Dance: Caprice, and Shinobu's wisteria poison kills the demon. Daughter collapses, and Shinobu cuts open her last cocoon, freeing Murata.

Character Graph

Giyu Tomioka

Demon Slayer

The Water Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, who once spared Nezuko and sent Tanjiro to Sakonji Urokodaki. After killing Father, he saves the exhausted Tanjiro and beheads Rui with Water Breathing, Eleventh Form: Dead Calm.

• Tanjiro Kamado (Other, Mixed)

  Once spared him and sent him to Urokodaki; on Mount Natagumo he saves him from Rui's threads.

• Nezuko Kamado (Other, Mixed)

  Restrains Nezuko, then spares her after seeing she is different from other demons.

• Father (Other, Hostility)

  Cuts Father to pieces with Striking Tide to save Inosuke.

• Rui (Other, Hostility)

  Cuts apart Rui's blood-thread web and beheads him with Dead Calm.

Makomo

A young girl with a dreamy demeanour who meets Tanjiro in the forest, teaches him Total Concentration Breathing, and corrects his form. She was orphaned and raised by Sakonji.

• Sakonji Urokodaki (Guardian, Affinity)

  Was orphaned and raised by Sakonji and loves him dearly.

• Tanjiro Kamado (Mentor, Affinity)

  Teaches Tanjiro breathing and form and promises to look after him.

Sabito (Fox-masked swordsman)

A young swordsman who wears a fox mask and trains Tanjiro through sparring after appearing atop the boulder. He was orphaned and raised by Sakonji.

• Sakonji Urokodaki (Guardian, Affinity)

  Was orphaned and raised by Sakonji and loves him dearly.

• Tanjiro Kamado (Other, Mixed)

  Trains Tanjiro through sparring and knocks him unconscious, while also helping him improve.

Sakonji Urokodaki (Sakonji)

Demon Slayer

A trainer of Demon Slayers living at the foot of Mount Sagiri who trained Tanjiro at Giyu's request. Forty-seven years ago he imprisoned a demon on Mount Fujikasane that later killed his students Sabito and Makomo.

• Tanjiro Kamado (Mentor, Affinity)

  Accepted Tanjiro as his student at Giyu's request and sent him to Final Selection hoping he would not die there.

• Sabito (Mentor, Affinity)

  A former student killed in Final Selection.

• Makomo (Mentor, Affinity)

  A former student killed in Final Selection.

Nezuko Kamado (Nezuko)

demon

Tanjiro's younger sister, turned into a demon, who protects her brother and does not eat humans. Her Exploding Blood burns away Rui's threads without burning Tanjiro, and she lies wounded after the fight.

• Tanjiro Kamado (Family, Affinity)

  Older brother she protects even as a demon; her Exploding Blood burns Rui's threads without burning him.

• Giyu Tomioka (Other, Mixed)

  Demon Slayer who restrained her, then spared her after seeing she was different from other demons.

• Tamayo (Other, Affinity)

  Hugs her after being healed.

Tamayo

demon · doctor

A demon doctor who freed herself from Muzan's curse, treats humans and is researching a way to turn demons back into humans. To make a medicine for Nezuko, she asked Tanjiro for blood from demons close to Muzan, and she has decided to move away to stay out of Muzan's reach.

• Medical work

  Treats injured people, transforms only those terminally ill or gravely injured, and asks them whether they wish to live as demons.

• Tanjiro Kamado (Colleague, Affinity)

  She asks Tanjiro to supply blood samples from Nezuko and from demons close to Muzan for her medicine, and he senses she can be trusted.

• Nezuko Kamado (Colleague, Other, Affinity)

  Studies Nezuko's blood, finding her rare for healing through sleep, and tearfully thanks her when Nezuko hugs her.

Tanjiro Kamado

Demon Slayer · Demon Slayer Corps · Mizunoto

A Demon Slayer of the Mizunoto rank who fights to turn his demon sister Nezuko back into a human. He awakens Hinokami Kagura against Rui, but Rui survives by cutting off his own head, and the exhausted Tanjiro is saved by Giyu.

• Tasks

  Agrees to supply blood samples from Nezuko and from demons close to Muzan.

• Nezuko Kamado (Family, Affinity)

  Younger sister turned into a demon, whom he refuses to abandon or hand over to Rui.

• Giyu Tomioka (Other, Mixed)

  Demon Slayer who first attacks Tanjiro and Nezuko, then spares Nezuko and sends Tanjiro to Sakonji Urokodaki.

• Sabito (Other, Mixed)

  Sabito is the swordsman who trains him, knocks him out, and is later defeated by his slash.

• Makomo (Mentor, Affinity)

  Makomo corrects his form and teaches him breathing.

• Tamayo (Colleague, Affinity)

  A demon doctor he has come to trust, who asked him for blood samples for her medicine.

• Mother (Other, Mixed)

  Gives her a peaceful death with Blessed Rain After the Drought after she surrenders, and she warns him of the Twelve Kizuki member on the mountain.

• Father (Other, Hostility)

  Pins Father under a felled tree, but Father blocks his Tenth Form and flings him far away.

• Rui (Other, Hostility)

  Fights Rui to protect Nezuko and seems to behead him with Hinokami Kagura, but Rui had cut off his own head and nearly kills him.

Mother

demon · thread-controlling demon

The demon who played the mother in Rui's pretend family and puppeted captured Demon Slayers with threads. Rui choked her with a thread when she reverted to her own appearance instead of the one she was given, and she died peacefully at Tanjiro's hands.

• Dolls and threads

  Controls captured Demon Slayers through threads attached to their bodies and fights with dolls; her threads and dolls grow stronger the closer they are to her.

• Fear of superiors

  Panics at Rui's threat to tell Father and fears punishment for failing to win.

• Rui (Hierarchy, Hostility)

  Afraid of Rui, who threatens to report her to Father and once choked her with a thread for breaking her role.

• Father (Hierarchy, Hostility)

  Fears Father, who harshly wounded her in the past and punishes her again.

• Tanjiro Kamado (Other, Mixed)

  Given a peaceful death by Tanjiro after accepting death, she thanks him by warning of the Twelve Kizuki member on the mountain.

Father (Father of the Spider Family)

demon · spider-like demon · Spider Family

An immense, spider-like demon who played the father in Rui's pretend family and harshly punished Mother. Giyu cut him to pieces on Mount Natagumo.

• Punishment

  Grabs Mother by the hair and hoists her up, causing her immense pain.

• Protective of family

  Yells at the Demon Slayer to stay away from his family while crushing Inosuke.

• Mother (Hierarchy, Hostility)

  Harshly wounded Mother in the past and punishes her again.

• Rui (Family, Affinity)

  The real head of the pretend family, under whom Father plays his role as father.

Daughter

Rui's family

A demon who joined Rui's pretend family as the elder sister and obeys him out of fear, having once abandoned an older sister who tried to flee with her. She is killed by Shinobu's wisteria poison after lying about how many people she had killed.

• Family initiation

  Joined Rui's family through an initiation in which she drank his blood and he remade her face, and was later punished for slipping back to her original appearance.

• Defection attempt

  Joined her older sister in trying to flee the mountain, but turned back to Rui out of fear of the consequences.

• Rui (Family, Hierarchy, Mixed)

  The demon who rules the pretend family as its youngest brother; she obeys him out of fear while he treats her with cruelty.

• Mother (Family, Neutral)

  The demon who played the mother in the pretend family; Daughter watched Rui punish her for reverting to her own appearance.

• Shinobu Kocho (Other, Hostility)

  The Hashira who fought and defeated her, questioning how many people she has killed.

Rui

demon · Spider Family · Twelve Kizuki · Lower Rank Five

Lower Rank Five of the Twelve Kizuki, who has no human memories and built a pretend family in the hope of regaining them. He survives Tanjiro's blow by cutting off his own head with his threads, but Giyu beheads him with Dead Calm.

• Threats

  Pushes Mother to hasten her efforts by threatening to tell Father.

• Rejection of family

  Rejects his demon family's bonds and views his siblings as having failed their roles, until he meets Tanjiro's bond with Nezuko.

• Desire for a true bond

  Longs for the genuine sibling bond he sees between Tanjiro and Nezuko and decides to make Nezuko his new sister.

• Lack of memories

  States he has no human memories and believes a familial bond could restore them.

• Mother (Hierarchy, Family, Hostility)

  Pressured her with threats of telling Father, and once choked her with a thread for reverting to her own appearance instead of playing her role.

• Daughter (Family, Hierarchy, Hostility)

  Took her into his pretend family and rules her through fear; Tanjiro smells only terror and hatred between them.

• Tanjiro Kamado (Other, Hostility)

  Mocks Tanjiro as too weak to cut his neck and tries to take Nezuko; he escapes Tanjiro's blow by cutting off his own head and nearly kills him before Giyu intervenes.

• Nezuko Kamado (Family, Hostility)

  Rui wants to take her as his new sister by force, binding her with threads while seeing her as a possession rather than a person.

Shinobu Kocho (Shinobu)

Demon Slayer Corps · Insect Hashira

The Insect Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, the only Hashira unable to behead demons, who kills them with poison instead. She sees through Daughter's lie about her victims, kills her with Butterfly Dance: Caprice and wisteria poison, and frees Murata.

• Hashira identity

  Introduced herself as 'Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kocho'; she is the only Hashira unable to behead demons and uses poison instead.

• Giyu Tomioka (Colleague, Neutral)

  Stands with him at the shrine and asks him whether demons and humans could coexist.

• Daughter (Other, Hostility)

  The demon she kills with poison after exposing her lie that she killed only five people.

• Murata (Colleague, Affinity)

  Cuts open Daughter's cocoon and saves him.

Murata

Demon Slayer Corps · Demon Slayer

The lone survivor of the Demon Slayers first sent to Mount Natagumo, who showed his fear at first. He stayed behind to hold off the controlled Demon Slayers, and is later trapped in Daughter's acid cocoon until Shinobu cuts him free.

• Tanjiro Kamado (Colleague, Affinity)

  Fought alongside Tanjiro against the controlled Demon Slayers, then stayed behind so he could go on.

• Daughter (Other, Hostility)

  Trapped in Daughter's cocoon, whose acid begins to dissolve his clothes.

World Memo

• Demon physical prowess

  Demons have great physical strength and powerful regeneration.

• Varied demon powers

  Some demons can shape-shift, while others have entirely different powers.

• Demon Slayers protect people

  Demon Slayers exist to protect people and kill demons, fighting on even though they heal more slowly and die more easily than demons.

• Demon power scales with victims eaten

  Demons eat humans to gain strength, as humans eat food; a demon's power is proportional to the number of victims it has devoured, and a Demon Slayer's sharpened sense of smell can reveal that number.

• Demon Slayer uniform fibre

  The Demon Slayer uniform is made of a special fibre that is waterproof, flame retardant, and strong enough to repel the claws and teeth of a weak demon.

• Marechi blood rarity

  Human blood has different rarity and value to demons; someone with rare blood called Marechi is worth fifty or even a hundred ordinary people when devoured.

• Twelve Kizuki demon rank

  The Twelve Kizuki are elite demons who serve directly under Muzan. True members have a number engraved on their eyeballs, so a demon without it is not a member whatever it claims, and their ranks are numbered, such as Lower Rank Six.

• Demon Slayer rank and pay

  Demon Slayers can climb the ranks, and higher rank brings better pay.

• Blood Demon Art

  Some demons wield supernatural techniques called Blood Demon Arts, each with its own name, such as Scent of Illusory Blood, Visual Dream.

• Demons avoid forming groups

  Demons do not form groups because it would let them band together against Muzan; Muzan himself manipulates demons into staying apart.

• Hashira

  The Hashira are the Demon Slayer Corps' elite swordsmen, sent when a mission is beyond lower-ranked Demon Slayers; Giyu is the Water Hashira and Shinobu the Insect Hashira.

• Wisteria poison

  Wisteria is poisonous to demons; Shinobu, who cannot behead demons, kills them by injecting wisteria poison with her blade.

Clue Board

• Other children always watching (Episode 3)

  Makomo says there are other children like her and Sabito, orphans raised by Sakonji, who are always watching Tanjiro; their identity and purpose are not explained.

• Black blade color (Episode 5)

  Tanjiro's Nichirin Sword turns black, against the smith's expectation of red for a sun-bright user; Sakonji dismisses it as uncommon, and the reason stays unexplained.

• Muzan posing as a family man (Episode 7)

  Muzan is seen living as a human with a wife and a little girl, while Tanjiro recognizes him as a demon. When the wife asks whether he has met Tanjiro before, Muzan denies it and says he must have mistaken him for someone else. Why he hides among humans and whether he truly does not know Tanjiro remains unexplained.

• Muzan's feared hanafuda-earring enemy (Episode 8)

  Muzan suddenly becomes terrified while alone, recalling a past figure standing before him, a feared enemy who raised a sword while wearing hanafuda earrings. The identity of this enemy is not revealed. In a memory, Tanjiro's own father asks him to pass down the kagura and his earrings.

• Medicine to turn Nezuko back (Episode 9)

  Tamayo believes there is a way to turn demons back into humans but does not yet know it; to make the medicine she needs blood from Nezuko and from demons with a high concentration of Muzan's blood, such as the Twelve Kizuki. On Mount Natagumo, Tanjiro resolves to take the blood of the Twelve Kizuki member there, but whether the medicine will work is still unknown.

• Unexplained power increase (Episode 10)

  Nezuko's strength rises without consuming blood, and Tamayo states the healing serum does not increase power. On Mount Natagumo she awakens a new Blood Demon Art, Exploding Blood, and Rui notices that something about her is different from other demons; the cause is left open.

• Marechi blood term (Episode 12)

  Kyogai calls Tanjiro 'Marechi', which Tanjiro's crow explains refers to someone with rare blood worth fifty or a hundred people if devoured; whether Tanjiro is Marechi is left open.

• Origin of Hinokami Kagura (Episode 19)

  Tanjiro's father danced the kagura to Hinokami all night in the snow using a special breathing that never tired him, and asked Tanjiro to pass down the kagura and his earrings. Tanjiro himself is unsure how the memory of the kagura helped him against Rui.

• One of 'that person's' favorites (Episode 20)

  In Daughter's memory, an older sister says Rui may share his strength through his blood because he is one of 'that person's' favorites. Who 'that person' is and why Rui is favored are not explained.

• Tanjiro unburned by Nezuko's flames (Episode 20)

  Rui wonders why Tanjiro was not burned by Nezuko's flames while his threads were, a question left unexplained.

• Rui's lost human memories (Episode 20)

  Rui states he has no human memories, and Mother suggests he made them pretend to be family because he believed a familial bond could let him regain those memories.

Deduction Board

Facts

• Joined Rui's family

  Daughter was cornered by Demon Slayers at a house in a clearing, and Rui offered to save her in return for obedience; she agreed to join his family.

• No human memories

  Rui says he has no human memories.

• Belief in regaining memories

  Rui believed he could regain his human memories if he felt a familial bond.

Evidence

• Stood with Rui on the mountain

  Fearing the consequences, Daughter left her sister's side and stood with Rui.

• Mother's question

  Mother asks whether Rui made them pretend to be his family because of this.

• Rui's realization

  Rui sees Tanjiro hugging Nezuko and realizes he did everything to get what they have.

Inferences

• Higher Muzan blood concentration

  Tanjiro concludes the Kizuki member must hold a higher concentration of Muzan's blood, reaffirming his goal to extract it for Nezuko's medicine.

• Loyalty tied to fear

  Daughter's loyalty to Rui appears rooted in fear of punishment for disobedience.

• Family as a route to memory

  Rui's pretend family appears aimed at recovering his lost human memories.

Suspicions

• Someone once treasured her

  She cannot recall her human past but believes a person who looked at her kindly, as Tanjiro does, treasured her.

• One of 'that person's' favorites

  In Daughter's memory, an older sister says Rui may share his strength through his blood because he is one of 'that person's' favorites.

• Hidden kill count

  Shinobu claims Daughter has devoured at least eighty people, while Daughter insists she has killed only five.

Battle Record

Rui survives Tanjiro's blow by cutting off his own head, but Giyu cuts apart the blood-thread web and beheads him with Dead Calm. Elsewhere, Shinobu kills Daughter with wisteria poison and frees Murata.

Tanjiro, Inosuke and Giyu vs Father

Father's final stand · Episodes 17–18

Location: Mount Natagumo forest

Trigger: Father hunts the Demon Slayers who entered the mountain

Demon Slayer Corps vs Spider Family

• Demon Slayer Corps — fighters: Tanjiro Kamado, Inosuke Hashibira, Giyu Tomioka
• Spider Family — demon: Father

Outcome: Father is slain by Giyu Tomioka

Aftermath

• Inosuke is left badly wounded

Tanjiro vs Rui in the forest of Mount Natagumo

Giyu ends the fight · Episodes 18–20

Location: Mount Natagumo forest

Trigger: Rui's pursuit of the siblings

Demon Slayers vs Rui

• Demon Slayers — combatants: Tanjiro Kamado, Nezuko Kamado, Giyu Tomioka
• Rui — combatant: Rui

Outcome: Rui survives Tanjiro's blow by cutting off his own head and nearly kills the exhausted Tanjiro, but Giyu beheads him with Water Breathing, Eleventh Form: Dead Calm.

Aftermath

• Rui's severed head falls while still wanting to kill the siblings

Shinobu vs Daughter

The Insect Hashira's poison · Episode 20

Location: Mount Natagumo forest

Trigger: Daughter flees through the forest and traps Murata in a cocoon

Demon Slayer Corps vs Spider Family

• Demon Slayer Corps — Hashira: Shinobu Kocho
• Spider Family — demon: Daughter

Outcome: Shinobu sees through Daughter's lie that she killed only five people and kills her with Insect Breathing, Butterfly Dance: Caprice and wisteria poison

Aftermath

• Shinobu cuts open the cocoon and frees Murata

Ability Table

Season Summary

Season 1 — Season 1

Episodes 1–20

After a demon slaughters his family and turns his sister Nezuko into a demon, Tanjiro Kamado trains under Sakonji Urokodaki and joins the Demon Slayer Corps. He crosses paths with Muzan Kibutsuji, the progenitor of all demons, and promises the demon doctor Tamayo blood samples for a medicine that could make Nezuko human again. With Zenitsu Agatsuma and Inosuke Hashibira, he survives the tsuzumi mansion, where he defeats Kyogai.

On Mount Natagumo, Tanjiro gives the thread-controlling Mother a peaceful death, the poisoned Zenitsu beheads a spider demon, and Giyu cuts the giant Father to pieces. Facing Rui of Lower Rank Five, Tanjiro awakens Hinokami Kagura and, with Nezuko's Exploding Blood, seems to behead him, but Rui had cut off his own head with his threads; Giyu then kills Rui with Water Breathing, Eleventh Form: Dead Calm. Shinobu, the Insect Hashira, sees through Daughter's lies and kills her with wisteria poison, freeing Murata.

Music Releases

• Gurenge (OP)
• from the edge (ED)