Thunder & Beast Breathing // Kimetsu no Yaiba Ep. 12 Review

The Boar Bares Its Fangs, Zenitsu Sleeps: Kimetsu no Yaiba Episode 12

Otaku Voice Staff

Its an all out panic in Kimetsu no Yaiba episode 12. Tanjiro is split from Zenitsu and now has a mad man ready to kill anything and anyone regardless of demon status. Zenitsu is a useless blubbering idiot leading a more calm child with a long tongued demon in tow.

There are two halves to this episode that have some high points, but without going far enough to advance the plot. Tanjiro is stuck deciphering the rules of the tsuzumi demon and keeping the young girl alive. Zenitsu is tasked with escorting the brother to safety without giving himself a heart attack. The light amount of action in the episode is great now that we get a chance to see another demon slayer in action. It just feels action light for an episode that has two demons slain.

Thunder Breathing

Over this episode and the last Zenitsu hasn’t been the most useful character. Half of his screen time in episode 12 consists of him crying and being spooked by the mere voice of a child. It isn’t that much fun watching him panic through the halls for as much screentime as he has. Everything is worth it for his one second of glory though.

To get through Final Selection, Zenitsu must have something up his sleeve. That ace is his own sensei’s special demon slaying technique, thunder breathing. Not having all of Tanjiro’s technique listed out I don’t know how unique Zenitsu’s attack it, but it is sweet nonetheless.

I guess Zenitsu actually has two super powers. The first is his super hearing we got a look at last episode. Zenitsu’s second super power is demon slaying sleepwalking. The scene is built up nicely with the tongue-lashing demon almost on top of him and the boy when he passes out. The sound of his lightning flash and strike on the demon is impressive. Its over in a second, but it really shows the strength of the character. Both naming his move and striking instantly while unconcious is pretty useful for an idiot who can’t do anything awake.

Marechi Blood

Somewhere else in the mansion, Tanjiro is still dealing with the boar headed idiot and the dangerous tsuzumi demon. After tossing the idiot to the side, the whole manor changes again and Tanjiro finally finds the long lost oldest brother of the two siblings from outside. It turns out he has a special blood called marechi blood. I appreciate that the plot and exposition crow is still hiding among them to explain marechi blood.

Once Tanjiro catches wind of the last remaining demon, he sends the brother and sister off. He is still injured which means that he can’t attack with the same force as normal. In the brief part of the scuffle we see this episode, this demon isn’t as aggressive as others are. The tsuzumi demon is far too concerned with wallowing in his own self-pity.

The tsuzumi demon is formerly one of Kibutsuji’s twelve kizuki. That marks him as one of the more powerful demons out there and his abilities show. Without even stepping towards Tanjiro he can attack with a force greater than most of his opponents so far. While this episode feels like mostly a tease, it does a good job setting up the next for hopefully an exciting battle.

Final Thoughts and Beast Breathing

In the middle of the fracas this episode is the boar headed idiot executing a random fat demon. In his attack he calls out his own breathing technique, beast breathing. There is an interesting difference here between him and the other two. He says to himself that his breathing technique is self-taught. He doesn’t have a master.

The other two proper demon slayers have a sensei who gave them their respective techniques. Tanjiro learned Urokodaki’s water breathing, and Zenitsu learned his from his yet unnamed master. There is a distinct visual flair when Tanjiro is using his technique. Water flows from his blade. During Zenitsu’s sleep walking trip, there is a quick crack of thunder and lightning in his attack. For the beast breathing technique, there really isn’t much visually to it, but the swinging of the sword. Its a cool visual element that is missing from the boar-headed ronin in Kimetsu no Yaiba Episode 12.

[Source and Further Reading]
[Episode 11 Review]
[Image via Crunchyroll]