The Stranger (
Summary
Following Giyu Tomioka's advice to keep Nezuko Kamado away from the sun, Tanjiro Kamado buys a bamboo basket and covers it with a cloth so that he will be able to travel with his sister during daylight. The basket proves to be too small for Nezuko, however, Tanjiro persuades her to use her Demon blood and transform so her body would shrink and fit. After asking for directions, Tanjiro heads off towards a mountain with the basket containing Nezuko on his back.
The siblings encounter the Temple Demon
As night falls, they both find a small temple hut in the woods and decide to check it out. As they near the hut, Tanjiro smells blood and worries about the possibility of a traveler being injured, rushing into the hut. However, he instead finds a Demon feasting upon the three dead residents. The Demon shoots the siblings a glance and warns them that this is his feasting grounds. Upon seeing the bloodied bodies, Nezuko starts to salivate and Tanjiro falls into a state of shock at his first encounter of a man-eating Demon.
Tanjiro fighting the Temple Demon's head
The Demon suddenly realizes that Tanjiro is human and subsequently goes in for the kill. Tanjiro uses his axe to slash the Demon by the neck, but the wound immediately begins to heal. The Demon proceeds to force Tanjiro onto the ground with his agility and strength, but Nezuko kicks his head clean off from his neck while Tanjiro watches, shocked over her ability to kill.
The temple demon's body attacking Nezuko
However, the Demon's body continues to attack Tanjiro despite being beheaded, prompting Nezuko to give the headless body another kick. The Demon's head yells at Tanjiro, asking why a Demon would travel with a human. He runs to grab Nezuko, distracting her and Tanjiro while growing another pair of arms from the detached head. He charges at Tanjiro but the boy proceeds to headbutt and pin him onto a nearby tree with his axe handle. Tanjiro runs off to look for Nezuko, finding her under attack from the headless body which continues to kick her. Tanjiro tackles the body off the cliff and is narrowly saved by Nezuko, making the headless body fall straight onto the ground below. Although the destruction of his body causes the Demon great pain, it does not kill him.
The siblings return to the Demon's head by the tree and Tanjiro brings out a small knife, intending to end the Demon's life. However, he hesitates to kill it. All of a sudden, a person wearing a strange mask approaches him from behind and tells him that the knife that he is holding cannot kill the Demon.
Characters in Order of Appearance
Events
- Tanjiro Kamado and Nezuko Kamado vs Temple Demon
- Tanjiro and Nezuko have their first encounter with Sakonji Urokodaki.
Trivia
- The Head Demon is the first character in the manga to comment about Tanjiro's hard head.