WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Season 2, Episode 11, "Tonight," now streaming on Funimation, Hulu and Crunchyroll.
Tanjiro Kamado has found himself in the crosshairs of an Upper-Rank demon once again in the fourth episode of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba's "Entertainment District" Arc. After Zenitsu Agatsuma was captured by the demon that Tengen Uzui and the boys have come to hunt, the Sound Hashira calls off the mission to prevent exactly what happens to Tanjiro at the end of the episode. Facing off against Daki, Upper Six of the Twelve Kizuki, Tanjiro's only hope of survival is the strength of his conviction.
When Tanjiro catches a demon's scent in the night air, he happens upon Daki as the demon is absorbing an Oiran into her otherworldly kimono. Daki's initial strike is so fast and hard that Tanjiro can't even react before being slammed into a building and stunned into temporary paralysis. Even though Tanjiro continues to improve upon Total Concentration Breathing: Constant, it's clear that, despite his training since the Mugen Train, he is still no match for an Upper-Rank, the most powerful demons in Muzan Kibutsuji's army.
As seen when Kyojuro Rengoku took on Akaza, Upper Three, fighting an Upper-Rank demon alone is a suicide mission. Zenitsu has already been caught, Inosuke Hashibira is preoccupied searching Ogimoto House and Tengen is hunting elsewhere in the city, meaning that Tanjiro can't count on anyone to come to his rescue. It's remarkable that Tanjiro even survived Daki's first strike, much less their brief scuffle, but his survival so far is likely a result of Daki toying with him despite Muzan's warning about being careless.
Daki's arrogance, however, is expected, as she has killed seven Hashira during her long history in the entertainment district and can tell at a glance that Tanjiro is nowhere near as powerful as a Hashira. Tanjiro, unfortunately, is not even halfway up the Demon Slayer Corps' ranking system. Kyojuro, a Hashira, was no match for Upper Three, so Tanjiro, a mere Kanoe, should be little more than a fly to be swatted by Upper Six.
The fact that Daki is "only" Upper-Rank Six might actually be a blessing for Tanjiro, considering that if this battle were against Akaza, Upper Three, he would already be dead. That Daki did not kill Tanjiro or even Zenitsu the moment she discovered they were Demon Slayers might be a sign that her arrogance is going to come back to bite her. After all, Tanjiro has already semi-rescued the Oiran the Daki just absorbed into her Kimono, meaning that he has already figured out a good way to combat the demon without relying on the Hinokami Kagura as he has with powerful demons in the past.
Despite initially being paralyzed by fear of having to fight an Upper-Rank demon alone, Tanjiro has already shown his spine by resolving to defeat her simply because he must. However, the next episode is titled "Things Are Gonna Get Real Flashy!!," so while Tengen might be on his way to save the day, Tanjiro has already decided that he can't just stall for time against such a powerful demon -- he has to give it everything he's got. Barring any tricks up his sleeve or a Hashira rescue, Tanjiro is in for the fight of his life. His greatest strength has always been his sheer force of will, and so far, this is the only thing keeping him alive against Daki.
