In case you don’t already know, Demon Slayer is one of the most popular shounen anime of the current era. In fact, the anime was even presented with the title of “the Best Anime of the Decade” by Funimation. With some of the best quality animation, awesome characters and a unique story, there is a lot to like about this show. However, today, we’ll be exclusively focusing on Demon Slayer’s Hashira!
Before we talk more about these elite warriors, let’s talk about the unique plot of the series that has attracted many.
PLOT
Kamado Tanjiro is a warm-hearted child who lives alongside his family in a forest. One night he goes out collecting charcoal for his household when he is set back after getting late. Later when he returns, he is met with the gruesome image of his family’s blood painted on the walls. He realizes that his family was killed by demons and only his sister Nezuko survived the horrific assault. However, the poor girl had been turned into a demon! After meeting up with Giyu Tomioka, the water Hashira, and proving that his sister is still human at heart, Tanjiro sets out to train under the guidance of Giyu’s master. Clearing the demon slayer entry exam with flying colors, Tanjiro now sets his eyes upon becoming a Hashira level demon slayer so that he can avenge his family.
So, who are the Hashira?
Fire Hashira
Kyojuro Rengoku is the Flame Hashira and is regarded as one of the strongest Hashira of the demon slayer corps since its establishment. He practices Flame breathing which was passed on to him by his father, the former flame Hashira.
Looks and Personality:
With blonde hair having streaks of red, the Hashira has an exotic look to him. Flame in his eyes, the Hashira is the perfect embodiment of determination and hard work. He is also known for his over-the-top eagerness and expression of thankfulness. Brimming with energy, the flame Hashira is many fans’ favorite out of all the pillars.
Abilities:
Kyojuro had trained himself to the highest degree, being close to achieving the “Realm of the highest.” His reflexes are incredibly fast as shown when he saves Tanjiro from being attacked by Akaza. He attacks and slices Akaza’s arm clean off; all while moving Tanjiro’s fatigue-struck body away from the battlefield. Causing tremors when moving at full speed Kyojuro could easily outrun the Mugen train, nearly blowing it off its tracks. Practicing flame breathing, Kyojuro has 9 different forms, ranging from instant kill one-shot charges to sending fire dragons hurling towards the enemy demons.
Water Hashira
A pupil of the former water hashira, Giyu Tomioka is the current Water Hashira. He practices water breathing and is titled to be one of the most skilled water Hashira of the past fifty years.
Looks and Personality:
Giyu wears a murky cyan-shaded version of the demon slayer uniform. Over this, he wears a geometrically patterned haori which has a multi-colored theme (We also have a hoodie with the same pattern so be sure to check it out!). He has rough and uneven long hair which is clamped around his head. As pale as his skin, Giyu is portrayed as an emotionless identity. With a boring expression printed on his face, he doesn’t do well socializing with those around him.
Abilities:
When it comes to slaying demons, like any other demon slayer Hashira, Giyu has astounding strength combined both with technique and quick analysis of the situation he’s in. He uses swift movements to effortlessly bring down the demons he is fighting off. He has a total of 11 breathing forms out of which he created his own stance. The eleventh form, his original creation, puts the user in a state of full concentration with zero movements. All of this while blocking several of the enemy’s incoming attacks makes this technique of Giyu’s almost impossible to counter.
Love Hashira
Missouri Kanroji is the current love Hashira of the demon slayer corps.
Looks and Personality:
With a voluptuous figure, the Love Hashira is popular among the demon slayer corps and real-life fans alike. She has pink hair dyed with streaks of green. She wears a plain white haori which was gifted to her by Kyojuro. As the name suggests, Missouri is a sweet-natured person at heart. She often compliments others in her thoughts and always puts a smile on her face. But these emotions do not phase her at all during her line of duty, as she can be as ruthless as she needs to be while facing a demon.
Abilities:
Missouri had always been an outstanding fighter from the start, finishing the final selection course for being entitled as hashira with the training of just 6 months. Along with immense strength, her body also hones flexibility helping her dodge the attacks of upper-level demons. Adding onto this, even her sword bends to her will and slices her opponents to bits. Her muscles are also very unique as they are 8 times denser than normal muscles, allowing her to lift heavy objects with ease. She also knows how to use flame breathing but she solely relies on the 6 forms of love breathing.
Serpent Hashira
Obanai Iguro practices serpent breathing, a breathing technique that he built himself from scratch and honed to perfection.
Looks and Personality:
Obanai wears a black and white striped haori over his uniform. As a person with Heterochromia, his right eye is yellow whereas the left eye is turquoise. He also has bandages entirely covering his mouth. He is also extremely stringent in his dealings with other fellow demon slayers, belittling them in their failures and constantly pushing them to give it they’re all in performing all of the duties as demon slayers.
Abilities:
Obanai uses specialized Nichiren swords which are twisted in a shape which compliments his breathing technique. Even though, he is considered the second weakest hashira, he is still able to pin down Tanjiro, seizing him from breathing. He also has a snake for a companion which reads the opponent’s movements for him, aiding him in defense and offense. His breathing technique allows both his blade and the user to slither around the enemy like a snake, restricting their movement. It also allows the user to move at blinding speed and launch surprise attacks from the back.
Wind Hashira
Sanemi Shinazugawa is the current wind Hashira and the older brother of Genya Shinazugawa of the demon corps. He Practices Wind breathing, a breathing technique he learned from an unknown person alongside his partner Masachika Mumeno.
Looks and Personality:
Sanemi has spikey white hair and ripped muscles. His tall and masculine figure gives off intimidating vibes. His body is covered in scars from a previous encounter with a demon when he was younger. He keeps his demon slayer corp uniform untidy, opening the front buttons and displaying his perfectly toned abs. Hot blooded down to the bone, Sanemi is a man who acts before thinking. He rushes to battle on the whim of impulse, neglecting unfavorable outcomes beforehand. This allows him to stand strong against enemies far stronger than himself in strength and technique. Sanemi is also really stubborn as he never goes back on his words. This is displayed when standing with his belief of humans and demons not being able to coexist, he stabs Nezuko from inside her box and forces her to smell blood to make her go berserk. Even after Nezuko rejects his blood, Sanemi still doesn’t accept her as a fellow demon slayer.
Abilities:
Sanemi is regarded as the second strongest Demon slayer of the current generation. He possesses super speed allowing him to blitz through large distances making it seem as if he teleports. His blows pack a great amount of damage as he can make Tanjiro bleed from his ears merely by kicking him. His body covered in scars commends his endurance, and the scars don’t phase his movement one bit. He doesn’t display any sign of pain as he cut himself in front of Nezuko. His blood “Marechi” is an extremely rare type of blood that is highly intoxicating for demons. Even getting a small whiff can lead to the demon losing his/her focus from the battle at hand. He also has superb muscle control as he can target any of his muscle wounds and stop them from bleeding, allowing him to fight while being heavily injured. Using a jagged Nichirin sword, his wind breathing has 9 forms.
Stone Hashira
Gyomei Himejima is the stone Hashira and uses stone breathing.
Looks and Personality:
With a robust and tall figure, Gyomei is easily one of the tallest characters shown throughout the series. He has spiky short hair and a distinguished scar running across his forehead. His eyes are also pearl white as he was born blind in the eye. He wears a necklace constituted of large dark red ball-like beads. He also wears an olive-green cloak around his shoulders, carrying his weapon alongside him. He is shown to be really pious and soft-natured, despite his intimidating appearance. Along with being soft-spoken, he carries around his prayer beads wherever he goes and indulges himself in constant prayer when he is not out slaying demons. Even so, due to the past events throughout his life, he is suspicious about people’s attitudes. This leads to him taking time trusting someone new to him.
Abilities:
Acknowledged by both Tanjiro and his friend Inosuke, Gyomei is considered the strongest of the eight pillars. This is mostly because of his dominating and hulk-like figure. As he was blind from the start, he focused his life training on his hearing skills to compensate for the loss of vision. This made his ears hypersensitive to the smallest sounds. He uses the rattling of his weapon to locate nearby enemies and plan his next attacks. Practicing counter-movements beforehand allows him to execute them with total concentration and less reaction time. His breathing makes use of his unique weapon of an axe linked to a spiked flail via a chain link.
Sound Hashira
Tengen Uzui is the sound Hashira and practices sound breathing. As a playboy, he is shown to have many wives.
Looks and Personality:
Uzui is considered to be one of the most handsome characters of the series. He is very tall and has bulky muscles. His hair is tied around his head hidden by his hair and has stones implanted in it. He wears 2 big gold rings around his upper arms along with fingerless gloves on both hands. He has a flirtatious and flamboyant nature but also deeply cares about those whom he cherishes the most – his wives. He also believes that he is not fit to nurture the upcoming generation of demon slayers, taking a laxer approach to his later life.
Abilities:
Uzui has superhuman listening abilities as he can locate underground movement, deconstruct movements into sounds and understand the rhythm of sound. This also allows him to make use of echolocation. His body has been trained to endure much pain as he was expected to revive his father’s ideologies and start again the way of the ninjas. He is poison resistant and is a great strategist as well.
Mist Hashira
Muichiro Tokito is the current Mist Hashira. He is a descendent of the Upper rank one demon of the Twelve Kizuki, Kokushibo.
Looks and Personality:
Muichiro has black hair which are dyed mint from the bottom. With mint-hued eyes, he has a short height and is the youngest of all Hashira. His attire somewhat resembles a kimono because of the strange design. Just like Giyu, Muichiro is an airhead who constantly drifts in his thoughts. He has a factual personality, preferring logic over emotions. Even so, when it comes to the duties of a Hashira, he takes his responsibilities with much earnestness.
Abilities:
Coming down from Kokushibo’s lineage, he is shown to be an outstanding slayer who’s praised by friends and foes alike. Taking Tanjiro as a scale to gauge his strength, Muichiro didn’t flinch even after Tanjiro gripped his hand by all his might! His mist breathing is the fruit of his countless hours of hard work, racking up to 7 different forms.
Insect Hashira
Shinobu Kocho is the current insect Hashira. She uses Insect breathing and is highly proficient in making drugs and medicines. Although she is considered the weakest Hashira of demon slayer, her drugs are extremely powerful and allow her to slay demons effortlessly.
Looks and Personality:
Shinobu is pale-skinned and beautiful with big compound eyes. She wears a butterfly themed cloak over her uniform, which she received from her late sister. She also wears her hair as a bun around her head and uses dark lipstick. With a tongue sugar-coating every sentence from her mouth, Shinobu seems too sweet to Tanjiro until he lifts the mask off her facade. It turns out that Shinobu hates demons of all kinds, including Tanjiro’s little sister and that nothing could change this hate deeply rooted inside her heart.
Abilities:
To compensate for her lack of strength, Shinobu uses anti-demon drugs which she administered herself. She also has her Nichirin sword carefully curated for her fighting style, with a tip imbued with poison. Her Insect breathing induces slumber in the enemy and makes their movements dull along with the deadly effects of her poison. Such clever methods prove extremely effective and allow her to snatch a chair amongst the Hashira. Talking about this cutie, we have a cool Shinobu shirt so be sure to check it out!
