Demon Slayer is yet to reveal Hashira Training arc's saddest backstory, and it belongs to a Hashira

Modified Jun 16, 2024 12:30 GMT

Taking a look at one of the saddest backstories in Demon Slayer (Image via Ufotable)

Demon Slayer season 4 is in full swing and the current story arc is doing a good job of giving the Hashiras screen time. This story arc doesn’t have as much action and it relies on the character interactions involving Tanjiro and other popular characters. One of the highlights of this season is that fans will be informed about some of the Hashiras’ backstories.

A striking feature that every Hashira shares is their painful past. Every Hashira has undergone life-altering events that led them to the Demon Slayer Corps. The anime has shown some of the most sorrowful backstories.

Gyomei Himejima, the Stone Hashira, undoubtedly has one of the saddest backstories. The upcoming set of episodes will give fans some insight into his past and how he managed to become one of the strongest demon hunters in the Corps.

Disclaimer: The article contains massive spoilers from the manga chapters.

Demon Slayer: Gyomei Himejima’s backstory, explained

Gyomei as seen in the anime series (Image via Ufotable)

Gyomei Himejima is a powerful Hashira in the anime series. One thing that makes him stand out is the fact that he is blind. He is the only demon hunter who fights without vision. Gyomei Himejima suffered quite a bit in the past. He was a priest who took care of orphans and ensured they were safe within the temple grounds.

The temple always put up Wisteria incense to ensure that demons wouldn’t enter the grounds. The children were also forbidden from stepping outside the premises at night owing to the presence of demons.

One fateful day, an orphaned child stepped out of the temple grounds and encountered a demon. To save himself from getting eaten, he decided to put out the Wisteria incense. He let the demon enter the temple grounds and it located the orphaned children.

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Out of the 9 children, the first one escaped after letting the demon in, and this child was none other than Kaigaku. Of the remaining children, four were instantly killed by the demon. Gyomei instructed the children to hide behind him. However, they didn’t think he could save them because he was blind and had a frail structure. Three of them tried to run away and were eventually killed by the demon. There was only one child remaining and she hid behind Gyomei.

Despite his frail body, he had monstrous strength. Gyomei was so strong that he proceeded to physically beat the demon for hours until sunrise, which eventually killed the demon. This was the only option he had since he did not have access to a Nichirin Blade.

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Villagers rushed to the scene and found the little girl trembling in fear. She uttered the phrase “That man is a monster” and the villagers misunderstood her. They believed that Gyomei killed all the children and they imprisoned him. However, Kagaya Ubuyashiki intervened and saved him from an early death, despite putting his life on the line to save the child.

Gyomei took care of these orphaned children and watched them die right before his eyes. He also risked getting killed to save the child. Despite that, he was imprisoned due to a misunderstanding. Watching his loved ones die and then being punished for crimes he didn’t even commit, makes this one of the saddest backstories in Demon Slayer.

Stay tuned for more anime and manga news as 2024 progresses.

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Edited by DEEPALI