Yoriichi isn't a failure, and Demon Slayer fans who say so misunderstand his purpose

Demon Slayer is a series that would be looked at with kind eyes once it finishes. Though Demon Slayer has its naysayers in the anime community, it cannot be denied that anime has strong points. One place where Demon Slayer shines is in the way it weaves past, present, and future with ease. This can be seen in Tanjiro’s fight in Season 1 with a member of the Twelve Kizuki.

Tanjiro fights with an unknown breathing style that he learned from his father. This breathing style is later shown to be used by the most powerful Demon Slayer in history, Yoriichi. Tanjiro also carries a piece of Yoriichi wherever he goes in his Hanafuda earrings. This makes Yoriichi, a character that doesn’t exist in the series, still heavily involved.

There is a small subset of fans who insist on calling Yoriichi a failure despite his large influence. These fans see Muzan’s survival and his older brother becoming an Upper-Rank One as proof of his failure, but this conversation needs to be more nuanced. Yoriichi was everything but a failure, and his actions are responsible for humanity’s triumph against demons. Here is why Yoriichi is the biggest reason for humanity’s victory against the demons.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the author’s opinion and may contain spoilers.

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Did Yoriichi fail in Demon Slayer?

Yorichi's only failure is his not killing Muzan and Kokushibo (Image via Ufotable)

Yoriichi not killing Muzan and Kokushibo is one of the reasons he is heavily judged. Fans see it as a monumental failure and it is not surprising. Centuries after his death, Muzan wreaked so much havoc among humans. Most humans that even become Demons do so with Muzan’s blood. There is also Muzan’s Twelve Kizuki who are seen committing atrocities throughout the series.

His brother, Kokushibo, who he doesn’t kill, is also another huge problem in the series. Kokushibo also continues the cycle of pain by killing humans and transforming a demon slayer, Kaigaku, into a demon. Yoriichi shouldn’t be called a failure for not killing Kokushibo as he was already old when they met for battle.

His battle with Muzan should also not be held against him as the King of Demons is one of the most slippery villains in anime. In his battle with Muzan, the villain runs for his life and is still dealt with heavy damage. This damage hurts Muzan for centuries and traumatizes him heavily.

Apart from those two Demons he failed to kill, Yoriichi was far from a failure. The breathing style that all Hashira use in the series has its origins in the Hinokami Kagura or Sun Breathing.

Yoriichi developed these techniques and used them in his fight with Muzan. He later modified it as he passed it to other humans. He later adds a thirteenth form to his Sun Breathing, a technique solely created to destroy Muzan’s Seven Hearts and Five Brains. This form is later used by Tanjiro in his battle against Muzan.

There is also the Demon Slayer mark that Yoriichi is the first person to ever use. This mark enables anyone with it to fight with improved physical abilities. Yoriichi was the first person to use the mark and not die early from the mark. Tanjiro also uses the Demon Slayer mark during the final battle in the Infinity Castle.

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Final thoughts

Although he doesn't see it, Yoriichi is a huge success in the series. No other human touched the level of strength that he reached even though he failed in his promise to kill Muzan. His breathing techniques later lead to Muzan’s elimination.

Other elements of his life also play out in Tanjiro’s and the Demon Slayer Corps. Tanjiro inherits a memory from his ancestor, Sumiyoshi Kamado, and that memory teaches him how to use the Sun Breathing technique better. The Demon Slayer Corps also uses a mechanical robot named after Yoriichi to train.

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