Sword Of The Demon Hunter: Season 1 Episode 8 – Recap & Review (With Spoilers)
Jinya finds himself facing some competition, and with demon parts of him, facing a fellow ronin gives him his first formidable challenge in a while.
Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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Episode 8 Details
- Available On: HiDive
- Public Release Date: May 19, 2025
- Director(s): Dego Akao
- Writer(s): Sumika Takase
Episode 8 Recap (With Spoilers)
A Friendly Harlot: Harlot, Jinya
Being that money is money to Jinya, he has no issue working with a prostitute, who wishes to be referred to as “Harlot,” who gets him work. Whether it is killing a fellow lady of the night who has become a demon, or taking out a child demon pestering someone of wealth, Jinya takes the jobs and in return gives Harlot something for providing a lead. In their last conversation, she warns of a fellow ronin in the area that could complicate things.
Unexpected Friends: Natsu, Ofuu, Akitsu
Perhaps due to Natsu’s high status and Ofuu’s relationship to Jinya, the two girls become unlikely, or unexpected, friends. The type who talk about boys, vent to one another, and go to festivals together. In fact, at a local festival, they move about and meet Akitsu. He sells wares which appear to be charms, amongst other things, and even sells some stuff to Natsu.
Unfortunately, though, his charms seem to bewitch her in eyebrow-raising ways.
When One Demon Hunter Meets Another: Akitsu, Jinya, Natsu
Thanks to Akitsu’s hairpin, Natsu becomes clingy and weird towards Jinya. There were accusations of her loving him, maybe inappropriately, and now with her calling him her big brother, which he technically is, and refusing to leave his side, things get very weird in Sadanaga’s soba shop. This leads to Jinya seeking out Akitsu to figure out what and why he did what he did, only to learn Akitsu is the demon hunter the harlot mentioned, and with him sensing Jinya is a demon, the two face off.
New Cast and Characters
Harlot (Nabatame Hitomi)
- Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
- Character Summary: Harlot is a local sex worker who helps Jinya get work and warns him of Akitsu’s presence.
Akitsu (Koji Yusa)
- Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
- Character Summary: Initially, Akitsu presents himself as a merchant, using the name of a dead, but legendary merchant known for their metal craftsmanship. However, Akitsu is actually their descendant and uses being a merchant as a cover for being a demon hunter.
Review and Commentary
Highlights
Jinya Facing Someone Who Seems To Be Formidable [82/100]
Since the first episode, Jinya has mainly faced squash matches. Yes, Hatsu was formidable to others, but it still took only one battle, and Jinya defeated her relatively easily. So, in many ways, Akitsu’s appearance was overdue to show Jinya is truly strong and isn’t just, as shown in this episode, focused on battles he knows he can win, like when he took out that sex worker or that demon which looked like it could be Mosuke’s kid.
Overall
Our Overall Rating [82/100]
When it comes to Sword Of The Demon Hunter now, I find myself wondering what’s the long game? What is the story they are trying to tell and with presenting Akitsu, we’re reminded Jinya isn’t the sole demon hunter out there and, with being possessed and collecting demon powers, if not souls, Jinya can be considered a foe to his peers in the occupation. After all, he is driven by power, potentially revenge, and anger. Which, as shown through Ofuu and others, trauma doesn’t mean you are something which must be slain but in Jinya’s case, he does come off like a threat.
The only question is, since we know Jinya lives till the 1900s, what will happen to Akitsu once this battle ends?
Additional Links
Sword of the Demon Hunter: Season 1 Episode 17 – Recap and Review
As Jinya gets the hang of fatherhood, with Ofuu’s assistance, he meets an orchestrated rival whose skills may far surpass his own.
Sword Of The Demon Hunter: Season 1 Episode 16 – Recap and Review
What seemingly was going to be another ho-hum episode of Sword Of The Demon Hunter becomes the origin story of how Jinya became a father.
Sword Of The Demon Hunter: Season 1 Episode 15 – Recap and Review
Sword Of The Demon Hunter gets surprisingly political and like most shifts in the series’ narrative, it likely won’t be welcomed.
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