Episode 10 of *Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba* Season 3, titled "Love Hashira Mitsuri Kanroji," bursts into action as Mitsuri unleashes her whip-like sword, shattering the dragon heads with effortless precision. She then turns her furious gaze upon Zohakuten, the Hate Clone, berating him for the injuries he inflicted upon Nezuko and Genya. His retort—a crude curse—leaves her momentarily stunned. Seizing the opportunity, the Clone launches a bolt of thunder, catching her off guard. Tanjiro cries out a warning, but Mitsuri, with lightning-fast reflexes, deflects the attack, her voice rising in a mix of anger and disbelief. "Even if you look like a child," she declares, her fury blazing, "I won’t hold back!"
As their clash intensifies, Tanjiro watches in awe, mesmerized by Mitsuri’s swordsmanship and breathtaking speed. Suddenly, he snaps back to reality, remembering his primary objective: to sever the main body of Hantengu. But before he can act, Mitsuri closes in on Zohakuten, her blade poised to strike. The Clone’s mouth widens ominously. Tanjiro’s warning comes too late—a deafening sonic blast erupts, hurling Mitsuri backward.
Nezuko, panic etched on her face, tears through her own limbs in a desperate bid to escape, only to realize Mitsuri had already braced herself, muscles tensed like steel, absorbing the impact. Zohakuten’s initial annoyance morphs into a sinister grin. "Eating you will make me even stronger," he taunts, lunging forward to crush her skull.
The scene cuts to a poignant flashback. A young Mitsuri, just 17, stands heartbroken as a man coldly rejects her marriage proposal. "Only an animal would marry you," he sneers, unable to fathom children inheriting her "odd" hair color. Memories flood back: her childhood admiration for her father’s strength, her mother’s astonishment when she effortlessly lifted heavy rocks to help around the house. Her insatiable appetite, indulged by her parents but met with sidelong glances from neighbors. She’d arm-wrestled grown men—and won.
The juxtaposition of her past vulnerability and present ferocity paints a vivid portrait of a warrior shaped by both ridicule and resilience.
It's only as she matures that she comes to a stark realization—she is different from others—and begins to wonder if she will ever find love in marriage. Her family, however, remains unconcerned, reassuring her that she can always stay by their side, forever if she chooses. After her engagement falls through, she dyes her hair a deep black, reduces her food intake, and feigns frailty. Eventually, she meets someone, but the thought of having to conceal her true self gnaws at her.
In that moment, her consciousness snaps back to the present, and she finds herself enveloped in the warmth of Tanjiro, Nezuko, and Genya's embrace as they narrowly escape Zohakuten’s ferocious assault. As Genya and Tanjiro strategize on how best to shield her, she is overwhelmed by a surge of emotion. But before they can venture too far, the Clone unleashes a bolt of lightning. As the dust settles, Mitsuri is seen effortlessly slicing through the rocky debris that had been hurled their way. She apologizes for any missteps and vows to protect them, leaving the trio in awe of her resolve.
In another poignant flashback, Mitsuri is taken aback when Ubuyashiki tells her to embrace her strength with pride. Tears well up in her eyes as she expresses her gratitude to her parents for everything they've done. She quickly forms bonds with the Kakushis by sharing meals and reassures the victims she rescues that they are now safe. Even the stoic Hashira, Iguro, ends up gifting her a pair of green socks. She promises to cherish them, and he nonchalantly remarks that he can always give her new ones if she loses them.
The scene shifts back to the present, revealing that the socks Mitsuri wears are the very same ones Iguro had given her. She confesses that she had been holding back, fearful that others might not see her as human. Remembering Tanjiro's words that she is their only beacon of hope, she urges them to stay back as she single-handedly confronts the dragon heads, allowing them to focus their efforts on the main body. Zohakuten quickly discerns their strategy, but Mitsuri dispatches the dragon heads targeting the junior slayers with ease.
Meanwhile, Tanjiro picks up the scent of Hantengu and rushes towards him, accompanied by Nezuko and Genya. As Mitsuri continues to slice through the relentless onslaught of dragons that keep reforming, Zohakuten suddenly notices a mark on her neck—reminiscent of the ones that had appeared on Tanjiro and Muichiro’s faces. He mistakes it for a demon crest but is more preoccupied with the fate of his dragons.
As for Hantengu, who is concealed within a tree, the trio finally reaches him but finds their blades unable to penetrate. Genya, resorting to his primal instincts, begins gnawing through the bark with his fangs and succeeds in splitting it in half. The tree retaliates with its tendrils, which Nezuko manages to slow down with her blood demon art. Tanjiro seizes the opportunity to unleash the Flame Dance technique, slicing through the tree. As the other two hold it open, they discover that Hantengu has fled.
A surge of frustration overcomes Tanjiro, and he screams at Hantengu not to run, demanding that he take responsibility for his heinous acts. As he gives chase, Hantengu stumbles and whimpers that he is only accountable for his own actions.
The scene shifts abruptly to a tense confrontation where an unknown assailant menaces him, hurling accusations of duplicity and branding him a two-faced liar. With tears streaming down his face, he vehemently denies ever having uttered a falsehood, pleading his innocence while acknowledging his own good-natured yet frail disposition. His maudlin soliloquy only serves to incense Genya, who, in a fit of rage, hurls a tree at him with lethal force. As the tree crashes down upon him, Nezuko instinctively reaches out, her eyes filled with concern.
In the epilogue, Tanjiro, Nezuko, and Genya express their heartfelt gratitude to Mitsuri for her valiant protection, vowing with unwavering determination to vanquish Hantengu. Tanjiro then playfully divulges a quirky anecdote, revealing that Mitsuri's once-monochrome locks had transformed into a vibrant spectrum due to her daily indulgence in 170 Sakura mochis. Muichiro, appearing out of nowhere, inquires about the veracity of this claim, skepticism etched across his face. He reasons that consuming such an astronomical quantity of mochis is beyond the realm of possibility, but his doubts are swiftly dispelled as Mitsuri bursts onto the scene, forcibly inserting a mochi into his mouth. With a mischievous grin, she extends an invitation to the rest of them, offering the delectable sweets as a gesture of camaraderie.
