Why is Giyu Tomioka not showing his face in Demon Slayer season 4 trailer? Explained

The teaser trailer for Demon Slayer season 4 was finally revealed on Sunday, December 10, 2023. With that, the anime revealed that the upcoming season would be released in Spring 2024. While that is brilliant news for fans, the Promotion Reel 2024 hinted at an odd story development surrounding Water Hashira Giyu Tomioka.

The teaser gave fans a glimpse of all the remaining Hashira, including former Sound Hashira Tengen Uzui. However, it did not show Giyu Tomioka's face. Instead, the teaser showed him walking away from someone. So, what makes Giyu Tomioka so different from other Hashira in Demon Slayer season 4?

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from the Demon Slayer manga.

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How will Demon Slayer season 4 focus on Giyu Tomioka?

Giyu Tomioka's appearance in the latest teaser is bound to confuse fans about his contribution to Demon Slayer season 4. Even though the upcoming anime will adapt the Hashira Traning arc, it seems like Water Hashira Giyu Tomioka will be singled out somehow. This is evident because his face was not shown in the Promotion Reel 2024.

The truth is that Giyu Tomiko does not believe he is worthy of being called the Water Hashira. As per the manga, the Hashira Training arc (Demon Slayer season 4) will see the Hashira training the Demon Slayer Corps to become as strong as them. However, Giyu Tomioka refused to be part of it.

Kamado Tanjiro as seen in Demon Slayer season 4 (Image via Ufotable)

Demon Slayer chapter 130 saw Kamado Tanjiro meet Giyu Tomioka. During their exchange, it seemed evident that the Water Hashira was angry at him. Upon further questioning, Giyu revealed that he was angry at Tanjiro for not mastering Water Breathing and instead mastering Hinokami Kagura.

While it would seem like Giyu saw a "master and prodigy" relationship with Tanjiro, he wanted Tanjiro to master Water Breathing and become the Water Hashira. As per him, there was no Water Hashira in the Demon Slayer Corps, and the spot needed to be quickly filled. He walked away from Tanjiro, refusing to speak further.

Giyu Tomioka and Kamado Tanjiro as seen in Demon Slayer (Image via Ufotable)

Confused, Tanjiro went after the Water Hashira to learn more, but Tomioka decided to speak to him about his turmoil only after four days. He revealed how he had never passed the final selection at the mountain with wisteria flowers.

Giyu revealed that he entered the exam with a boy his age named Sabito, who had killed nearly all demons on the mountain. Unfortunately, he ended up dying by the end of the exam, meaning that he failed it. Meanwhile, Tomioka had gotten injured by the very first demon he faced. At the time, he was rescued by Sabito, after which he survived and passed the final selection without defeating a single demon.

Sabito, as seen in the Demon Slayer anime (Image via Ufotable)

According to Giyu, since he did not defeat any demons and was saved by someone else, he hadn't actually passed the exam. Hence, he believed he did not deserve his spot as a Hashira and should not be standing shoulder-to-shoulder with his peers. He was convinced that he was not worthy of becoming the Water Hashira.

Consequently, Giyu Tomioka is set to be singled out in Demon Slayer season 4, which is also why his appearance was peculiar in the Promotion Reel 2024.