Demon Slayer Vol. 21: Ancient Memories
- ISBN
- 9781974721207
- Publisher
- Viz Media
- English release
- Pages
- 192
- Chapters
- 179–187
With Kokushibo gone, the series turns from duels to a siege. Chapters 179 to 187 open on the aftermath of the Kokushibo fight and then put every surviving member of the Corps against Muzan himself, with an objective that is not killing him: keep him where he is until the sun comes up. It is a different kind of fight from anything in Vols. 16 to 20, and it runs without a break into Vol. 23, so the last three books are one purchase. The final two chapters here step out of the battle altogether, and the volume is named for the first of them, 'Ancient Memories'. In Japan the regular and limited editions sold 2,041,177 copies between them in July 2020. There is one English edition, at $11.99.
Spoilers — why this volume matters. Tap to reveal.
Chapter 179 closes the Shinazugawa brothers' quarrel, and chapter 180, 'Recovery', is Muzan's. The siege follows, and it goes badly enough that Tanjiro is poisoned and brought to the edge of death. What he sees while dying is why the volume exists. Chapters 186 and 187 are a vision of one of his ancestors and of that man's meeting with Yoriichi Tsugikuni, who created the original breathing style, the one that came down the Kamado family disguised as a dance, the Hinokami Kagura. Every earlier hint resolves here: Daki's borrowed memory in Vol. 10, the demon who recognized the red blade in Vol. 13, the doll in Vol. 12, the older brother in Vol. 20. The series stops its own climax for a memoir, and it is the right call. Without it the final volumes are a test of stamina. With it they are an inheritance being delivered, and the question of whether Tanjiro is strong enough is replaced by the better question of whether he understood what he was handed. The last chapter is titled 'Innocent Person'.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Links on this page are affiliate links, which cost you nothing extra. They never influence what appears on this site or what the commentary says about it.