Demon Slayer vol 8 by Koyoharu Gotouge

With the events on the train wrapping up, an high level demon appears amongst the wreckage and picks a fight with Rengoku. Tanjiro was wounded in the battle and is trying to concentrate on not bleeding out of the wound in his stomach, but he still senses the strength of the demon and is powerless to help Rengoku. Inosuke, who survived unscathed, is reluctant to intercede. The two watch the fierce battle and chase the demon as he escapes, fleeing from the oncoming sunrise. Tanjiro once again loses his sword. Rengoku tells Tanjiro to go to his family's estate and consult the records the other Flame Hashira have kept to see if there is any more information on the Hinokami Kagura breathing form. There, Tanjiro confronts Rengoku's drunken father, who becomes belligerent when he sees Tanjiro's Hanafuda earrings, and his starts railing about Sun Breathing.

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This is the volume everyone has told me to get as it has the most payoff, and I can see why. There is a frenetic energy in this volume, and the emotional stakes are very high. Gotouge showcases other characters, especually Rengoku, the Flame Hashira, and there is a lot of great characterization and backstory sprinkled in throughout the fighting to keep the pace moving quickly. We also got a fair bit of insight into the workings of Kibutsuji's demon world, which really upped the stakes on just what the Demon Slayer Corpse is fighting against. The volume gave the biggest insight into Tanjiro's Hanafuda earrings and the power of his family, so readers are definitely going to be happy for a payoff of something that calls back to the first volume of the series.

This is also the conclusion of the Mugen Train movie that came out in 2020, so while there is still a lot of unanswered questions and open storylines at the end of this volume, this would be a good place to stop if you're needing to buy the series in piecemeal.

Sara's Rating: 9/10
Suitability Level: Grades 7-12

Reviews of previous volumes in the series: vol 1, vol 2, vol 3, vol 4, vol 5, vol 6, vol 7

Publisher: VIZ Media
Publication Date: September 3, 2019​​
ISBN: 9781974704422 (Paperback)

​Tags: Rating: 9/10, Suitability: Middle School, Suitability: High School, Manga, Demons, Action Adventure, VIZ Media