Sharper Than Swordsmanship!? Muichirō Tokitō's "Provocation Breathing" Shines—His Verbal Showdown With Gyokko Takes the Crown in "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba"

Muichirō Tokitō (voiced by Kengo Kawanishi), the Mist Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, may be a genius at "verbal battles" as well! In Episode 9 of the anime "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc," he unleashed a barrage of ruthless remarks without changing his expression, infuriating an Upper Rank demon.

Muichirō is a prodigious swordsman who became a Hashira at the young age of 14. Though he usually appears absent-minded and elusive, he is known for his sharp-tongued comments. In Episode 9 of the Swordsmith Village Arc, Muichirō’s biting wit was on full display as he went up against Gyokko (voiced by Kousuke Toriumi), the Upper Five demon.

Muichirō calmly said things like, "You’re going to die when I cut off your head anyway," and "The way you look and the way you talk are both just plain disgusting." Gyokko responded arrogantly, "What cheap provocation. Did you really think Lord Gyokko would be rattled by something like this?" However, it seems Muichirō's next line truly struck a nerve.

With his trademark poker face, Muichirō mocked the shape of the pot Gyokko was in, saying, "Hey, doesn’t that pot look kind of warped? It’s not symmetrical at all. Pretty sloppy work." That finally pushed Gyokko over the edge, prompting him to yell, "That’s just because your eyes are rotten! What about my pot isn’t symmetrical?!" Enraged, he unleashed his Blood Demon Art, "10,000 Gliding Slime Fish," but Muichirō skillfully blocked all of them.