Demon Slayer Chapter 96

Demon Slayer Chapter 96, profoundly titled "No Matter How Many Lives, Part 1," delves into the heartbreaking and brutal origins of the Upper Rank Six siblings, Gyutaro and Daki, immediately following their apparent defeat. As their heads disintegrate, the siblings continue their bitter arguments, with Daki chastising Gyutaro and questioning their familial bond, and Gyutaro retaliating with hateful remarks, regretting ever protecting her. His cruel words, wishing she had never been born, bring Daki to tears, highlighting the deep-seated emotional wounds and toxic dynamics of their relationship. Tanjiro Kamado, witnessing their agonizing final moments, intervenes with compassion, covering Gyutaro's mouth and urging them not to spend their last breaths fighting. Daki, in her final phases of disintegration, desperately cries out for her brother to save her, prompting Gyutaro to impulsively call out her birth name, Ume, revealing a flicker of his forgotten humanity and the profound tragedy of their shared existence in the gripping narrative of the Demon Slayer manga.

As Gyutaro succumbs to his demise, his memories vividly resurface, transporting him to his past as a human born into the squalor of the Kirimise, to a prostitute mother who repeatedly attempted to kill him. From a young age, Gyutaro was ostracized and detested for his appearance, voice, and lack of hygiene. His life began to change only with the birth of his younger sister, Ume, whose beauty became a source of pride and dispelled his inferiority complex. This newfound motivation transformed him into a brutal yet efficient debt collector, using his perceived ugliness and burgeoning fighting skills to navigate his harsh world. This poignant revelation sheds light on the societal cruelty and personal struggles that shaped Gyutaro's dark path, providing a tragic context to his demonic transformation within the Demon Slayer manga.

The fragile semblance of happiness for the siblings is shattered when Ume, at the age of thirteen, blinds a samurai with a comb and is brutally burned alive as punishment. Gyutaro, returning from his work, finds his sister clinging to life, embracing her in despair and cursing the gods for their cruel fate. He is then ambushed by the vengeful samurai. As Gyutaro bleeds out, a callous brothel manager dismisses him as a nuisance, expressing only regret for losing Ume as a courtesan. Enraged, Gyutaro viciously murders both the manager and the samurai, fueled by a lifetime of indignation. Trudging through the snow-laden streets, seeking help for his dying sister, Gyutaro finds no compassion, ultimately collapsing alongside Ume. Their tragic end is interrupted by the arrival of an Upper Rank demon (revealed to be Doma in the anime), who offers them a second chance as demons. Gyutaro, embracing his monstrous identity, defiantly declares his willingness to become a demon again, "no matter how many times he is reborn," forever seeking to instill fear as "Gyutaro the Debt Collector." This horrifying backstory humanizes the demon siblings, offering a deeper understanding of their choices and their tragic journey into damnation within the compelling narrative of the Demon Slayer manga.