'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
While speaking about the popular anime Demon Slayer, Yoriichi Tsugikuni's name often comes to mind. Hailed as the man who defeated the Demon King Muzan with little to no difficulty, Yoriichi was undoubtedly the strongest character in the story.
Until now, Yoriichi has only made a few brief appearances in the anime. His mysterious and terrifying aura in those appearances often led fans to question if he was a former Hashira. Although the anime hasn't delved into his backstory as of this writing, in the manga, he was indeed confirmed to be a Hashira of the Demon Slayer corps.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the Demon Slayer manga. Reader's discretion is advised.
Trending
Exploring Yoriichi Tsugikuni's backstory in Demon Slayer
Demon Slayer provided a short glimpse at Yoriichi Tsugikuni early on in the series. In episode 8 of the first season, Muzan comes across Tanjiro Kamado, who was wearing Hanafuda earrings at the time. These earrings were worn by Yoriichi as well, which triggered a flashback where he could be seen towering over Muzan. What's even more surprising is the fact that the main villain of the series was visibly trembling at the sight of Tanjiro, as the earrings reminded him of the only man who ever beat him in his entire life.
The manga explores the complete backstory of Yoriichi in the last few arcs. He was a legendary Demon Slayer of the Sengoku Era and was also the one who created Breathing Styles. He was likely the Sun Hashira of the time, considering that he had engraved something on his sword, a practice only followed by the Hashira.
Possessing unrivaled strength and combat abilities, Yoriichi was said to be 'chosen by God' and was certainly the strongest Demon Slayer in the series. Furthermore, he was also the person responsible for passing down the Sun Breathing technique to the Kamado family, whom he seems to have close ties to.
Despite all his strength, Yoriichi's story is perhaps, the most tragic one in the entirety of the series. He left his clan after his mother passed away and kept on moving from one place to another.
One day, he came across a girl his own age and decided to reside with her. Eventually, they got married and for the first time, Yoriichi had found peace in his life. However, on a fateful day, he came home to discover that his wife and their unborn child had been killed by a demon. This incident left him traumatized and he held on to his wife's remains for 10 days.
He later joined the Demon Slayer Corps and quickly became a Hashira in no time due to his unmatched skills and possession of the Demon Slayer mark. One day, he came across Muzan, the Demon King who has been terrorizing humanity for quite some time.
During their brief encounter, Yoriichi effortlessly cut down Muzan into thousands of pieces. Ultimately, the Demon King narrowly escaped with his life, but the conflict left him terrified of Yoriichi.
Letting Muzan live proved to be a terrible mistake on Yoriichi's part. His twin brother Michikatsu, who was also a part of the Demon Slayer Corps, grew jealous of his brother's strength. He soon turned to the dark side by betraying the Corps and becoming a demon under Muzan.
Blamed for his brother's defiance and failure to kill Muzan, Yoriichi was stripped of his status as a Hashira and banished from the Corps. He spent the rest of his days in exile and at the end of his life, he was confronted by his brother Michikatsu, who was now going by the name Kokushibo.
Yoriichi defeated him effortlessly, before dying of old age while still being on his feet.
Is Tanjiro related to Yoriichi?
When he was still a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, Yoriichi had saved the Kamado family from a demon attack. He befriended them and would often go to meet them. After being banished from the Corps, he went to visit them one last time.
Yoriichi showed them the different forms of Sun Breathing and handed Sumiyoshi (the father), his Hanafuda earrings. Sumiyoshi knew at once that they would never see Yoriichi again, and promised that he would pass down the Sun Breathing to their descendants to honor him.
While the Sun Breathing was passed down from one generation to another in the form of the Hinokami Kagura dance, it was not until Tanjiro that the Breathing style was actually put to use. The Hanafuda earrings that he wears now are the same ones that were once worn by Yoriichi.
Although there's no direct connection between them, Tanjiro's resemblance to Yoriichi is likely because of the divine nature of the Sun Breathing.
To conclude
Despite being dead for over 400 years, Yoriichi's memory haunted Muzan for the rest of his life. He is undoubtedly the strongest character in the series and remained unrivaled till he died.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni's character had a significant impact on the plot as a whole. He remains the only man whose mere earrings made the Demon King tremble with fear. His various contributions to the Demon Slayer Corps and humanity itself solidify his place as a legendary figure in the story.
