Ever since the Mugen Train Arc, fans have been dreading the release of each season. After all, Gotouge Koyoharu set the expectations that any character could die. The death of the beloved Rengoku still left heartaches for many. As such, it isn’t a surprise for fans to know if any character dies in advance. However, with the end of the Entertainment District Arc, we presented another proposition. What if, just what if, no character died in the succeeding arcs? In this article, we will be talking about who died in the Swordsmith Village Arc deaths… or lack thereof! Spoilers ahead.
Quick Synopsis of Swordsmith Village Arc
The death of Enmu in Mugen Train set off a series of events among Muzan’s demons. Day by day, the new generation of Demon Slayers was getting harder to defeat. The “Man in the Mirror” singer look-alike was running out of time, so his demons did what they do best. They looked for a way to stop the Demon Slayers from proceeding further.
And what better way to do it than strike at the heart of their sword production? With Tanjiro’s sword chipped in the last battle, he is unfit to fight until he received a new sword. Unfortunately, Haganezuka refused to provide him with another sword. The Swordsmith Village Arc sees Tanjiro pay a visit to the titular village to replace what he owned.
Who Died in the Swordsmith Village Arc?
I’ve already written an article that summarized and explained the Swordsmith Village Arc. So, we will not get into too much detail for this one. Instead, I’ll be focusing on the characters that suffered! For this arc, the grand total of the main protagonists that died is zero. Yup, you heard me right! Not a single important character died in this arc. Only the antagonists died, but that’s only because they were Demons to be killed. However, there have been a lot of deaths among the Swordsmiths.
Side Character Deaths in Swordsmith Village
In Dead Meat’s Kill Count style, I took my time to count the deaths. Six Swordsmiths and two demon slayers died in this arc through various means. There are probably more of them, but I can only count what’s on the page! Most, if not all, of the deaths, came from Gyokko’s hands. The latter’s creations were sent amock the village where they killed everything on their way. The worst way the Swordsmiths died is through Gyokko molding their bodies together. Like a sculpture straight out of the body horror genre!
Flashback Deaths in Swordsmith Village
There were also a few deaths shown in the flashbacks. We discovered both Genya’s and Muichiro’s families were killed off by demons. In the case of Genya, his six siblings died at the hands of his mother. By that point, his mother had been turned into a demon. Meanwhile, his father was stabbed by a “rival”, leaving Genya an orphan. He only had his brother, Sanemi the Wind Hashira, left.
Muichiro experienced a similar fate. His twin brother died at the hands of a demon. On the other hand, his two parents died through sickness and natural disasters.
We can also count here the countless humans Hantengu killed in the past and the one child Gyokko skewered.
Near-Misses
There were more than a few near misses in this chapter that could’ve gotten the characters killed. Unfortunately, due to plot armor, they survived! Kotetsu is the chief among these. This boy was supposedly stabbed in the solar plexus and poisoned by the needle. However, by the end of the chapter, he was doing fine. Other characters like Tanjiro, Nezuko, and Genya also suffered the same. Nezuko even more so when she was faux-killed as added tension.
At the end of the day, they still lived with minimal to no injury.
Hashira Deaths in Swordsmith Village
Unlike Mugen Train, there have been no Hashira deaths in this chapter! Both Kanroji and Muichiro survived to the end of the arc. They even received power-ups due to their close-death encounter! In the case of Kanroji, she almost died after being paralyzed by Zohakuten. The demon was about to punch her head off but the protagonists saved her in time.
For Muichiro, he was about to be drowned in a pot of water. It was only through Kotetsu’s “last breath” that he survived. However, as we realized earlier, Kotetsu survived the whole ordeal.
Why Have There Been Nearly No Deaths in Swordsmith Village?
You may notice that not a single important character died in this arc. Sure, they were injured and maimed, but they survived! Even the side characters who were given some backstory lived to tell the tale. Fortunately, the lack of essential deaths in this chapter can be explained.
Gotouge made this arc in mind to power up the protagonists. The final battle with Muzan was coming soon and none of them were ready. Through this arc, the author was able to give us some good fight scenes while progressing the story. It’s a win-win for everyone!
If you wish to know more about what happened to the story, we have an article written for that!