A review by zakcebulski
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Vol. 8 by Koyoharu Gotouge

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Spoiler
This volume was fucking killer! All gas no brakes type thing. In it Tanjiro and the gang finish their fight with the Sleep demon, with the help of the flame pillar Rengoku. I absolutely loved loved Rengoku in this story.
He is such a jubilant, happy go lucky type character, but, when push comes to shove, he is a complete fucking badass. I really appreciate how you see the power disparity  between regular Demon Hunter swordsmen and a Pillar, as Rengoku unleashes amazing breath techniques.

That is until another High Moon shows up, this time in the form of a the Upper Rank Three- Akaza. I thought that the fight between Akaza and Rengoku was fucking awesome- it was comparable, or nearly so, to Naruto versus Sasuke at the Valley of the End in terms of characters unleashing all of the stops in order to kill one another.
I was in awe of seeing the character's skillsets and what the strongest of demons and demon hunters can do and it was a great gauge to show how masterful they are and where people like Tanjiro and Inosuke can get to.
But, it comes to an end with the, to me, sudden and tragic death of Rengoku. I wanted so much more of this guy in the series. It was a genuinely sad death to me, as I expected Rengoku to be present throughout much more of the series. But, I also appreciate that his death illustrated truly how dangerous the Demons are, especially of a higher rank. I also commend the series for not being scared to kill off a fucking amazing character like Rengoku. 

RIP GOAT.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings