Demon Slayer: Hashira Training Arc episode 7 announces Muzan's deadly arrival

The second to last episode before the end of Demon Slayer: Hashira Training Arc had one of the best surprises we've probably seen all season, as Muzan finally arrived to make his next and, what we're assuming to be his, final move against Kagaya Ubuyashiki.

How exactly did this episode end up here? Perhaps that's a question you have if you missed out on the latest episode or forgot a few important details integrated into the episode. Either way, you've come to the right place because we're here to give you a quick recap of everything that went down in episode 7 of Demon Slayer: Hashira Training Arc titled "Stone Hashira Gyomei Himejima."

Episode 7 presents Gyomei's backstory and Muzan's calculated plans

At Gyomei's training grounds, Tanjiro is absolutely pushed to his limits. He, and the rest of the Demon Slayer soldiers, were required to do three things: withstand the freezing cold waterfall, pick up three heavy logs, and move a huge boulder a great distance. Fortunately, Tanjiro was able to do all three. That's where we meet him at the start of the episode; tired and dehydrated from finally moving the boulder to his desired location.

Gyomei swoops in to save the day by giving Tanjiro water, bringing our protagonist back to life and ready to chat with the formidable Hashira in front of him.

Gyomei acknowledges Tanjiro, commending him for his selflessness at the Swordsmith Village. Although Tanjiro definitely deserves the compliments, he rejects Gyomei's praise for now, as Tanjiro believes he did little to nothing to influence the income of what happened in the past. Tanjiro's selflessness and self-awareness shock Gyomei, forcing him to recall rather painful memories.

Years ago, Gyomei oversaw the well-being of several orphan children. He was happy like that, watching over them, feeding them, and, most importantly, doing his best to steer them in the right direction. However, unknowingly to him, children tend to be selfish and behave irrationally.

Despite putting a curfew in place, one of the orphan children stayed out far too long and, unfortunately, ran into a deadly demon. To stay alive, the child bargained with the demon, presenting him with a deal that if the demon spares his life, he can lead him to Gyomei and the others for a bigger feast. The demon agreed, leading the rouge orphan boy to remove all Gyomei's external defenses and allowing the demon inside Gyomei's shack.

The deadly demon quickly killed each child from top to bottom. There was very little Gyomei could do, as he wasn't as strong as we knew him to be today. Even so, he knew he had to do something to save the life of the remaining little girl, so, in a courageous fashion, he fought for his life.

Until dawn, Gyomei bloodied the demon's face in front of the newly traumatized little girl. The sun's power caused the demon to vanish into thin air, leaving the scene of the murder to look like no one's fault — no one's fault but Gyomei's.

The little girl, confused by the events, blamed Gyomei for the death of all the orphan children. Gyomei was eventually thrown in jail and sentenced to death. That is until Ubuyashiki stepped in.

After retelling his backstory, Tanjiro is moved, brought to tears now that Gyomei has sworn to prevent the talented demon slayer from straying from a good path.

When Tanjiro is finally done with Gyomei's training, he heads to Zenitsu to bid farewell. Zenitsu, however, seems different for an unknown reason but we can infer it has something to do with the letter he received from his bird at the start of the episode.

Zenitsu coldly lets Tanjiro know that his new path has become clear, prompting Tanjiro to worry about his best friend. Nevertheless, Tanjiro heeds Zenitsu's words, leaving him to go to his next training with the Water Hashira, Giyu.

At Giyu's residence, Tanjiro witnesses Giyu and the Wind Hashira, Sanemi, practicing their swords. It's a fierce battle that is, sadly, interrupted by Tanjiro misunderstanding the situation. This interruption mixed with Tanjiro talking a little too much about Sanemi's love for red bean mochi greatly angers Sanemi, causing the Wind Hashira to knock Tanjiro out cold.

Sanemi, now angrily walking through the night after his annoying day, vents to himself. But he notices something strange following him; an eye from an Upper Rank demon. This immediately lets him know that the Demon Slayer Corps has been infiltrated. However, he's too late in this realization.

Muzan is here.

The next and final episode of Demon Slayer: Hashira Training Arc will depict what Muzan will do now that he's finally found Ubuyashiki's headquarters. By and large, it's one you don't want to miss!

Don't forget to tune into the season finale of the Hashira Training Arc on Sunday, June 30, at 11:45 a.m. PT / 2:45 p.m. ET on Crunchyroll.