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ouchthathurts · 10 months

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𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐈𝐒 𝐆𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑

𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 (𝐬) ⋮ Rengoku Kyojuro + Gender-Neutral! Reader

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 ⋮ 4.2k

𝐓𝐲𝐩𝐞 ⋮ One-Shot

𝐏𝐥𝐨𝐭 ⋮ You admired your husband’s writing, the inspirational words were ones that helped you overcome many past traumas, now, you read them one by one until you are met with one that comes from the Demon Slayer Corps…

𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 ⋮ These character ai bots got me feeling some type of way

𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 ⋮ Writing contains Major Character Death, Spoilers For Mugen Train, thoughts of hopelessness and mentions of deep depression.

You looked over at the mail left in your cubby, in a box outside your house that left you with the eagerness whenever you heard of the caws of the crow, you began to pump the blood you needed to bring yourself over to the door of your shared home with your husband, Rengoku Kyojuro. You were overjoyed everyday with all the letters sent to you throughout the marriage when the bright haired man was sent off for his job.

In the days following of his summoning to the Hashira position you both were wed, you found yourself very interested in the man you were to spend the rest of your days with as nothing truly combated the feelings you felt once you had gotten to know him. You heard his whispers in your ears at the ceremony, the ones that made you giggle endlessly while you tried to stop his behavior, he told you that the smile that graced his eyes was one that could leave Kyojuro in such admiration and hope for his world.

As Hashira he would be one who was sent to kill the demons that had taken the world to turn into their hunting grounds, the idea of it all was very overbearing as the mere idea of losing someone as loving and caring as Rengoku Kyojuro was one death that left your heart in immense fear. You told this Kyojuro, who looked at you with a hurt in his eyes yet, his smile stayed still as he looked into your eyes with the feeling of hurt and fear.

You felt his hand on your face, cupping it and bringing you close to him as he held you close to him, “I understand, my dear.” Kyojuro then brought his other hand to the other cheek, feeling the warmth on your face, God, even after being married to him there was still a feeling of butterflies whenever you were around the young man before you.

“I’ll write you letters, any second I get I will write as much as I can, and when they are sent off I want you to read them to know that I am okay…” Kyojuro looked into your eyes, the softness in them practically lulled your body into a comfortable tiredness that let your guard down, “Know that I will never want you to feel this fear and will combat it even in spirit.” The way Kyojuro said your name left you speechless, from the way it slipped with such ease that let him press his lips against yours to imprint that feeling of compassion and sentiment that he wanted for you to feel moment in the moments you read his letters.

The way your heart thumped violently against your chest as you looked over the newest letters sent to you, the letters that were sent out by his crow before heading back to him after delivering such words of endearment to you. You found yourself almost tripping over your feet as continued to run towards the door.

You were deeply in love with your husband, this feeling that transcends words and surpasses all insecurities that try to cloud your vision were disintegrated when you found the man you had fallen head over heels for. It's a connection that touches the depths of your soul and fills your heart with the feeling that no one could truly ever replace, the idea of being apart made you wonder about the state of your relationship.

Multiple times you had found yourself longing for Rengoku to stay with you, finding yourself very much cling onto him whenever he had returned to the shared home to envelope you in the smile that warmed your heart like a warm summer day with the cool winds that kept you in this calm and comforting environment. The mere thought of reading your husband's writing brings forth an overwhelming surge of emotions that make your heart practically explode.

The letters that were drowned in the love and affecting that your husband would pour into the pages had left you with so much admiration that you already had for Kyojuro, where every word he writes carries a weight of significance and meaning that bathes you in the beauty of your relationship. You unwrapped one letter, the familiar stamp that left you with the softest eyes and the beat of your heart to skip two as you found your breath hitch.

“My beloved, I look forward to your gaze when I enter through the screen doors of our home. Every day is continuing to draw me more and more hopeful for the future with you, I long for your touch and the warmth that not even I could muster with my breathing. It makes me feel alive. Every moment with you is a blessing I never take for granted, even with years on us, there is nothing truly more wanted in this life than to be by your side for even just a minute. To the sound you grace me with, the features that wipe everything I could ever thought as attractive only belonging to you, and even the feeling of your hand on mine as we admire the birds in the garden. You make me feel as if my soul is finally at peace. You understand? I must finish, I will be summoned for a new task. Know that these letters will never come to an end unless my life is handed to me. Nonetheless, even in death, I will write I love you in the blood of my own to signify my loyalty to you.”

When you read your husband's writing, it's as if you are being drenched in the very essence of his pure and undying thoughts and emotions for the one, he had married. Each word becomes a window into the inner world of Rengoku Kyojuro, offering glimpses of his hopes, dreams, and vulnerabilities. The love you share creates an intense desire to understand the man you had fallen so in love with on such a molecular level, and his writing that grants insight into what strengthens the bond between you.

The anticipation of reading his words ignites the same flame that resembled his hair, staring at it for hours as you looked into those eyes that drew you closer and closer to his face…To feel his lips on yours was nothing more than mere dreams, this yearning of him becoming endless within you, a passionate desire to connect with his mind and soul in order to intertwine the two of you into one being that no love could ever be created even after the mark the both of you left.

The beauty of reading your husband's writing lies not only in the content itself but in the realization that it is an extension of him. Every phrase, every sentence carries his unique voice and perspective, allowing you to witness his creativity and intellect firsthand. The emotions that surge through you as you read his words are a testament to the profound impact he has on your life. It's a love that goes beyond the physical realm, transcending the everyday to create a sense of unity and harmony between your souls.

You looked over the letters Kyojuro sent, some that plead to be in your arms once more, the desire to sleep in the same bed as you to quell your mind of the nightmares you had faced while he was gone, and the way he had just truly wanted to sit next to you for long hours just admiring your existence.

"While, yes, I know you like the back of my hand–Nothing beats the perfection of human radiance quite like the feeling I get when I feel your presence around me.”

In those moments when you immerse yourself in your husband's writing, time seems to pass quickly as you let yourself listen to the letter in your husband’s voice that continued to warm your cheeks at from the beauty of wording. The world around you fades into the background as you delve into the pages, fully engrossed in his thoughts and ideas.

The depth of your lover only allows you to fall deeper into this infatuation with his writing, cooing at the words as you appreciate his talent and appreciate the profound connection you share. Each word becomes a brushstroke on the canvas of your relationship, creating a masterpiece of love and understanding. As you read your husband's writing, you feel an overwhelming sense of pride and admiration.

You are first to witness the beauty of his growth in expression, his passions that he fleshes into all the things that he’s longed for, and the way he had viewed his life to this point that left you in pure admiration. You longed for what Kyojuro had offered to you, the loving feeling after all that has happened as you found yourself lost in the past of everything that you could never escape.

The demons had taken everything from you, your family snatched away from you at such a young age that the memory of them seems so fleeting in the outside look yet so overwhelming when reality comes to wrap their comforting arms around you like a lure into the darkness that you suffered from.

Kyojuro goes over such in the next letter, he mentioned his mission and told you of the demons that he made sure would never hurt you ever again. The demon, of course you remembered, watching them with fear whilst they held a glare. They scoffed at you, the blue lines on their face that curved through each of their eyes from below their ears to over their temples, the only feeling you could truly muster up had only been anguish as they left you there in your home for distant relatives to find you.

Those lines haunted you, the eyes that were laced in nothing but a pure disdain for your existence that let the feeling of self-hatred to bubble in you while they found the joy in making a child feel so angered by their own existence to be one that brought a smile to their face. These traumas, however, never burdened Rengoku Kyojuro.

In the letter he was reminiscent of how you stayed up after the encounter with the demon, staring from the porch of your shared home just looking into the dark of night with the only light being the dimmed moon, there was nothing that stopped Kyojuro from staying up with you every night until you were finally allowing yourself to fall asleep in his presence. Your relatives often sedated you, drugging your tea before sending you off, and while the tea method was one suggested to the Rengoku man he was quick to reject such.

You would stay up for such long hours, Kyojuro there by your side to help try and lull you to sleep as the two of you stared up at the moon together, his fingers slowly inching to intertwine with yours in hopes of bringing a smile to you face. There was more than just a smile, the feeling of his physical touch did more to help you than that tea has ever done for those past 5+ years.

The love you feel for Kyojuro only amplifies your appreciation for his talents and gifts. It's a feeling that leaves you in awe, reminding you of the incredible person he is and the privilege it is to be by his side, sharing in his journey. The feeling of being so in love with your husband that even the mere sound of paper had left you thinking back on those words he had sent you before, reading and re-reading his writing that second his presence in the ranks of your love.

You found your last letter, one that was of the same white color yet, it was one that addressed to you but was from a sender you had become familiar with in the upcoming days leading up to the trip of Kyojuro. You found yourself separating the letter from the others, putting the one sent to you from the Demon Slayer Corps in front of you as you unsealed it with ease. You looked at the beginnings of it, a feeling of immense confliction of opening the letter.

“To the family of Rengoku, We sent this letter as a notification of the status of Rengoku Kyojuro. Unfortunately, Rengoku has succumbed to an Upper Rank Three demon, after battle. All of us at the Demon Slayer Corps mourn with you as one the one who has brought us all with a sense of ambition, positivity, and relentless tribute to the Corps as one who continues to give us inspiration as we fight for the future without Demons. In the letter, we find one item on Rengoku’s person that we believed you should have. In our thoughts and prayers, Demon Slayer Corps.”

You let yourself find the will to reach for the photo inside the envelope, your face fallen as you find yourself staring down at the image before you, leaving it on the table for you to stare at as your hands reach to grip and scratched at your thighs in attempts to cause pain to your body. You looked down at the image in anguish, you let yourself try to find the feelings that you bottled within you.

Honestly, what feelings did you truly have at this moment when you looked down at that image? You could cry, and what would it solve? You let the cynicism that drained your color of your childhood began to drag you into their arms once more, almost like they were waiting for you all this time. You could be angry? Throw the table over, join the Demon Slayer Corps, and avenge your husband…

Why bother?

You let yourself establish the feelings you had for the image, you and Kyojuro on your wedding day with him holding you tight in his arms with the look that could bring joy in a thunderstorm. That smile that you would never see up close again. You admired his eyes, the colors similar to the ones that brought you more and more joy as they began to brighten with enthusiasm and great compassion.

Where would you find such again?

You felt the waves of such feelings. You coddled the young Senjuro and every time when he had come over after being told about the incident. It continued to burden you as you looked into the boy’s eyes with the same drained of feeling you were dealt with the day you were reborn. Of course, you hugged the young boy, the way he rushed into your arms only brought him the comfort that he so rightfully deserved.

Losing the one you loved continued to eat you alive as you let this feeling continue to feed on you like a parasite with no fight for your body and reclaim it as your own, this hopelessness and miserable feeling that continued to swallow you only let you leave your bedroom to feed on the food you had stocked up on. Those days, the people in the village looked at you in despair as they noticed the appearance that reeked of grief and a never-ending feeling for something to bring you to the end of such a miserable life.

Rengoku Kyojuro was the only one who you loved, words that came from such a phrasing could never amount to how you felt for the young man at this moment, the spouse who had brought you immense joy. It was such a devastating experience that left you unfeeling to the world around you. You longed for something at nights, the bags under your eyes are heavy as well as the look of decay on your face that was commented on when Tanjiro came to visit you.

It was an act of kindness, one that some of the Demon Slayer Corps had held off in fear of the sight of your now painful existence that hurt the young demon slayer as he winced in horror at the view he was met with when you couldn’t even open the door for him. Tanjiro had never seen you, although Kyojuro called out for you in battle and talked of you often to the ones who accompanied him as he wanted to bring up the people who pushed him to do what he did.

You were brighter in the way Kyojuro described you, the looks that left him still bashful to be around you and caused his face to flush in seconds when you said his first name, "The song of angels…One I could never let myself tune out even in my busiest of days.” You cooed in response to such a compliment, the small smile begging to flourish on the lips that cracked from uncaring that could reveal the teeth that were damaged from lack of care.

Tanjiro told you how thankful he was to have had Kyojuro there, the impact he left and the way he will help the boy even in his darkest moments, you applauded him as you felt the same way he did. You liked him, it was as touching as when Senjuro came over to visit you and tell you stories that Kyojuro was too scared to tell you in hoped of fleeing from embarrassment as even your approval was one, he held in high regard.

When your husband, who was the soul source of your ambition, was now taken away by the same creatures that left you in disarray and depression. You would still be trying to kick and scream out of that hole of hopeless that let the feelings of lost continuing to pursue your psyche. You explained this to Tanjiro, trying your hardest to say anything to the young boy that wasn’t a hum or nod in response to what he said.

“Rengoku Kyojuro is irreplaceable in my heart, no one could ever ruin the mold or try to shove themselves into the young man who has taken me to the new sights of my future that were brighter than the sun.” You found this smile on your face, it was weak as the rare times you were left to remember Kyojuro in his brightest light had only left you falling into deep despair that seems to have no end.

You found your smile slowly falling, looking out the window with the smallest glimpse of hope to sprinkle into your eyes in result of the rustling of the foliage that would reveal your husband, you sighed to yourself before letting your eyes wander over to the brunette boy in front of you. “Knowing that the future of mine is now fleeting…” You tried to find the words for what you felt, your eyebrows furrowing in confliction with the words banging against your lips.

“I am not long for this world.” You stated, Tanjiro felt his face fall with a look of feeling hurt and disappointment, “What would Rengoku think of your hopelessness?” You found your heart was falling into the void left by the absence of your husband that is magnified by the haunting presence of the demon that took him away. The pain and sorrow you feel are intensified by the constant reminders of what you endured from that letter that still sat in the room where you used to read all of Kyojuro’s letters.

“I believe he would find you wanting to do your best in the event his death had happened,” You sighed, it was true, constantly mentioned by the hashira as it was his sworn duty to protect those who were unable to fight for themselves and to use the power he had for the selflessness he held close to his heart. You found yourself looking into the boy’s eyes, acknowledging him as one who carried a familiar aura to the man you loved.

“Rengoku wants your life to be one that lives on with the memory of him being one that sparks inspiration in him–” Tanjiro felt tears began to flood his eyes, he looked into yours with hurt and anger at the suggestion of you life even being close to over, “There is nothing that you can’t do! Rengoku believed you were one who could do everything even with just his writings!” You let yourself think back on those words, the ones that you read each night you two were apart that had held you liked a newly born child.

You being one to exist in this world, while Kyojuro existed alongside you for as long as he did, it was a blessing from those above in his eyes. You were one who he believed the world of, those letters that sung your praises as he worshiped the ground you walked and the touch that he was graced to be enveloped in when you were so detached from the world.

Tanjiro looked you in the eyes, the eyes that reeked of determination and hope that you had so longed to have when you found yourself staring the mirror to count your insecurities, you looked back with a feeling of melancholy you now found at this moment before letting yourself speak to the boy.

You smiled at him weakly, while the trauma in you becomes an unwelcome companion, replaying in your mind, and adding layers of complexity to your grief. It feels as though you are unlatched from the deep depression that left you as a lifeless doll, unable to escape the overwhelming darkness that engulfs you. Yet, there you looked into that boys eyes, with tears rolling down your cheeks.

The boy was quick to ask you if you were okay, you nodded eagerly in response as you let the tears fall into your clothes and began to soak the top part of your clothes, you couldn’t help but feel the tears that were rushing out your eyes finally release all the feeling you had felt before. You almost broke down in front of the boy, these days left you drained of any emotions and yet, you found yourself so overwhelmed at the mere mention of Kyojuro was on that held a vice on the pools of emotions that flooded you.

“In the depths of your despair, it may seem impossible to find any glimmer of hope or light.” Tanjiro stated, you listened closely as you found the tears in comfort of your face, similar to hands of Kyojuro. “However, I advise you to look forward to what the future holds for you…” In those words, they cradled you with the sound of Kyojuro’s voice, those words spoken to you that were laid onto Tanjiro.

“Go ahead and live with your head held high! No matter how devastated you may be by your own weakness or uselessness… set your heart ablaze. Grit your teeth and look straight ahead.”

The loss of your husband and the lingering trauma had made you question your own sense of purpose and meaning. The heaviness of grief had consumed every conscious thought you had, making it challenging to see a future without him. “Those were his last words to me.” You hummed listlessly, “Of course.” Swooning at your husband's ohrasing that shared the similarity to those of compliments and praise he fed to you lovingly.

“Remember, even in the darkest moments, there is always the possibility of finding strength and passion in the love and memories you shared with pass loved ones.”

You and Tanjiro shared a knowing look with one another when he was about to leave, you gave the young man a tight hug that left you feeling even more emotional than you were before. You let go of the young man, a smile on your face lit up the world around and in aways brought Tranjiro with joy as he looked at you. “Rengoku was right.” Tanjiro closed his eyes, encasing the moment in his mind with a smile, “Your smile can give hope for the world.”

"Your face is imprinted in my mind when I am struck with harsh blows. The act of staring at you makes me feel as if I’m being touched by the one above with such a nurturing hand. Your eyes, filled with kindness, gentleness, as if a ray of sunshine was reflected in them. Your smile, gentle and graceful, like a warm spring breeze. Your voice, calm and soothing, making me feel safe and comfortable. Your touch, loving and delicate, like a rose blooming. This love pumps my blood, and I yearn to give all the love and care you deserve. I love you."

You smiled at the boy, thanking him for his presence before watching him walk away. You made your way back inside of your home once Tanjiro was a safe distance awayn from your home. You let yourself run to where your letters were stored, you read them over and over with never ending joy that continue to push the type of feeling that left you with the emotions that were called for the situation. Even late into the night, you looked at the letters from the porch you and Kyojuro would sit at when your nightmares were frequent.

©️ Please don't translate or claim as yours or plagiarize in any way! Like, Comment, and Reblogs are greatly appreciated!

The words were poured into your ears by the man you thought of in admiration, longingly you look into the night sky in hopes that Kyojuro is looking back at you with a softness in his eyes that reeled you into his embrace, you tilt your head in admiration just looking up into the stars above. In a way, you feel your head on Kyojuro’s shoulder once more, the feel of comfort coming to vanquish the deep depression you were dealt with.

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teamfreewill56-blog · 1 month

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Can you rank the hashiras and reasons why?

This ask took way longer than I thought it would, I believe I overthought the question and then it took me a while to really think over the hashira and choose. And putting it into words took longer than I expected.

@plutonianmoons I interpreted this question as who do I rank in terms of favorites and why, if you meant it in another way shoot me another ask and I’ll respond. I’m going to start with the list so that those who don’t want to know my reasons don’t have to go hunting for where their favorite hashira is.

Kyojuro Rengoku

Uzui Tengen

Mitsuri Kanroji

Muichiro

Shinobu

Sanemi

Iguro

Giyuu

Gyomei

Kyojuro Rengoku

I feel like this will come as a surprise to absolutely nobody lol. He’s my favorite character after all and probably my favorite of all time. I hopefully have been able to sprinkle my reasoning of why I love Kyojuro so much throughout my posts so I will try not to ramble too much. Though, not repeating myself is kinda impossible haha.

Kyojuro resonates with me so deeply, and even I don’t fully understand why. One reason I think is because he makes me feel….seen. His struggles and grief and pain, and how it came about, a lot of it I can relate to, it hits very close to home for me. And seeing what he goes through and how he dealt with it, its helped me to see and realize that my own experiences and feelings are valid, and its helped me process things I haven’t been able to, even with years of therapy. He isn’t just a ball of sunshine who hides his pain, that’s such a gloss over. He IS a flame, all his feelings make him burn, his anger, righteous and otherwise, his love of his family, his comrades, of his hobbies, the way he devotes his all into everything he does and how so many of his actions are driven by love and compassion and that that’s what drives him to be so duty-bound. He’s someone like many of us, has gone through grief and pain and so much and because of his situation didn’t get to have it addressed or dealt with, he just figured out how to live with it. I love how he isn’t Mr. Positive, if he is confronted by something negative, by someone’s hurt feelings he addresses it, he validates, and yet he’s not perfect in doing that either, because with some people he can’t address it even though he wants to. I love brave he is, standing up for others but also facing criticism and cynicism and hatred again and again and being so certain of his creed and who he is that he doesn’t let those things infest him, he burns them up immediately. I love how much he loves Ruka, how even though he lost her at such a young age he never resented her but kept her with him always. He thought of her, shared his memories of her, she touched every aspect of who he grew up to be and he never forgot that. I love that even though he is stubborn he isn’t unyielding where it matters. If he makes a snap judgment and realizes it he will change it, will he always? No probably not because just like everyone else that’s going to be different from situation to situation. I love how even though he was told he could never be a Hashira and that he should abandon it, that he didn’t. He worked and worked and worked and he accomplished it. I love how warm and welcoming he is to others, that even though he can sit there stiff as a board he does things that make you know he’s paying attention, the way he invites the Corp member from Mugen Train episode 1 to join him, the way he pats the seat indicating he wants Tanjiro to sit right next to him. The way he gives Senjuro his complete attention and focus when they are talking about emotionally difficult topics. I love how he is honest when he easily could lie to try to spare feelings and yet he is so careful and mindful during those times too. I love how freaking intelligent he is, and that it’s subtle. That it’s not just book intelligence but he’s just actually intelligent. The conversations he has, the way he breaks down what’s going on around him, the choices he makes when he acts. The questions he ponders and asks himself and tries to figure out the answer to. The fact that when Shinjuro told him he didn’t have what it takes to become a Hashira, the way that he thought about that question and pondered it and came to his answer---he could have just got upset and hurt and focused on those feelings, but he didn’t, he delved into it and found his answer. I love his expressions, and I know people joke that sometimes there’s not a thought going on behind his eyes but I disagree, I think he looks like that cause his brain is thinking of so much at once. I love how he has a bunch of shared traits with the other Hashira but in a way that’s uniquely him. I will cut myself off here because if I don’t I’m never gonna stop lol.

2. Uzui Tengen

One of the reasons I love Tengen is I was so surprised by him, I thought I was going to hate this man’s guts--especially after his introduction to the boys. But instead it was just character beat after character beat of why I would and do like him. You look at him and its like “oh he’s the wild one” but he actually isn’t. He had a lapse of judgment and was rushing when he kidnapped Aoi and wasn’t thinking straight but he also got talked out of taking her pretty easily. I don’t like that he slapped her butt, and I think its still a weird thing for him to do but its in there and I’m sure his wives and Shinobu got on him for that whole incident. But after that we see quickly that he’s one of the responsible ones, and like Kyojuro he really really cares about people and their safety, he sees and acknowledges the boys as boys and does his best to take care of them and watch over them while at the District. Of course, he doesn’t do it perfectly, but he does a pretty damn good job. I love that he actually verbally acknowledges to them that he made mistakes and he put them in danger and owns his poor behavior and decisions. I love that once Zenitsu gets taken he instructs Tanjiro and Inosuke to leave and gives them that important wisdom that surviving isn’t a loss and it isn’t failing. I love that he doesn’t try to shoo the boys off once they are in the fight, he adapts and lets them help him. And even though he lets them stay he consistently is making moves to protect them during the fight and trying to take as much weight off them as he can. He is aware of what the boys’ states are in the midst of the fight and tries to finish things quickly and change the battle to keep them safe. I also love his dynamic with them--he absolutely understands how teenage boys are and how they work and he lets them be boys in his presence without letting them do something terrible. Inosuke gets overwhelmed and starts trying to headbutt people and just rampage in his anxiety? No you don’t boar boy back over here with me. Zenitsu wanders off and starts getting enticed by the women? Boy don’t you even think about going in there I will carry you by the collar through the whole place. His dynamic with Zenitsu is so fun, because they bicker at each other and he teases him like a guy who is 10+ years older than their younger brother would. I love how Tengen truly loves his wives, and that he doesn’t love them all in the same way or show love in the same way to them all. He knows his wives and treats them as his individual partners. I love how calculating but also wild he is in his fighting. His fight with Gyutaro and Daki was such fun to watch.

3. Mitsuri Kanroji

I love how Mitsuri allows herself to feel all her feelings, how once she stops pretending to be who and what she isn’t, our Love Hashira wears herself completely on her sleeve. And she isn’t ashamed of it or prideful about it. In her fight against Zohakuten she starts out confidently attacking him, jumps right in there and saves Tanjiro and her character beats are so good, she’s freaked out about how big Zohakuten’s dragons are and yet immediately turns her attention to Tanjiro with a smile, confidence and warmth. She sets him down and tells him to take a break, praises him and tells him she’ll take care of it. When Zohakuten calls her a “shameless tramp” she shows such a genuine reaction of shock and upset and I can’t help but adore how honest she is in showing her feelings and being able to show multiple feelings at once. She isn’t arrogant when confronting Zohakuten that first time, but even then, she doesn’t stay dwelling on the fact that he insults her she is ready to go and move to attack once Zohakuten strikes at her. When the dragons start dodging her and moving faster she doesn’t hide her feelings of nervousness, she shows her panic but she doesn’t stop attacking or give up, she just freaking adapts and keeps going, seriously goes “can I take on this many at once?” AND THEN JUST DOES IT. She gets smacked point blank in the face with a sonic blast and instinctively defends her whole body by tensing it up. I love how her confidence isn’t iron-clad, insults, harsh words and reactions, they all hurt her and she doesn’t ignore them but tries to deal with them the best way she can, even if sometimes its the wrong way like she does when she becomes more reserved after finding out Shinobu’s reason for being a Slayer. I love that instead of being ugly or mean to the person who is ugly or mean to her, she honestly defends herself and feels her feelings without trying to hurt the other person. I love how she wants to have a husband but also wants to help people love themselves and once she becomes a slayer these two things no longer conflict for her. She loves people and trusts that one day she’ll find a good man in the Corp to marry. I love how genuine she is with her acceptance of people. She genuinely accepts Tanjiro and Nezuko and treats Nezuko like a younger sister, hugging her, singing with her, playing with her, and protecting her. The fact that she sheds tears of joy seeing not only that Nezuko is alive but also talking--there’s no doubt she loves these kids. Her love for people as individuals is so strong: even though Genya is mean to her she wanted to talk to him, when she saves the Village leader and he makes a flirty comment she teasingly chides him. And in both instances she could have gotten really angry but didn’t. Nor does she call Genya names or anything, and she talks about him kindly when he’s brought up later. I love how Mitsuri actually is willing to do the tough things, but isn’t shy about saying how she feels about it. I love how she never actually hated the things that made her different, she always cherished them, but it just took her a little while to reach her full acceptance. I love how much she has in common with Kyojuro and that in some instances you can see it and it doesn’t have to be brought up. Mitsuri reminds me a lot of Sailor Moon’s Usagi and I kind of love that.

4. Tokito Muichiro

Muichiro is part of my little brother baby trio. Comprised of Muichiro, Genya and Senjuro. I love how well this amnesic child does deadpan humor and yet in the same breath can be so RELENTLESSLY sassy. Like I’m sure Tengen thinks he is the sass master but Muichiro would DEVESTATE HIM. His sass is sharp and clever and our little Mist Hashira knows how to time his humor beats perfectly and in the optimal way to jab his opponent. The way that he’s passive-aggressive while he has amnesia, without meaning to be is also really funny. Karate-chopping Tanjiro, holding his nose to make him wake up, like Muichiro really is going for the fastest route here.

I also love how fierce he is, like yes Muichiro was taunting Gyokko but he was not messing around in his fighting and you could see it in how he moved. Plus the way that he came at Gyokko from within the mist and then minced him into sushi? So hardcore.

I adore how he isn’t bitter about having amnesia, like, he could very easily and rightfully be angry and upset and hold those feelings but he doesn’t. Instead, he focuses on trying to remember things but also not let it stress him out if he can’t. I love how truly kind and gentle he is, even when Yuichiro was being mean to him and aggressive, Muichiro didn’t return that. He loved and cared and respected every member of his family. He admired all of them.

I love how his motives to originally become a swordsman were so pure and kind-hearted and that he wanted to help people the way their parents taught them. I love how when he regained his memories he was able to revisit those memories and realize that his brother did love him, that he was worried and scared and just a 10-year old trying to take care of his only remaining family. I admire so much that he was able and willing to think about his past and realize that the way he thought about his brother was wrong and not the truth. His relationship with Tanjiro is so adorable, like hands down Tanjiro is his favorite person and the favoritism and kindness he shows Tanjiro after he gets his memories back is so cute it’s like that aggressive best friend who is nice only to their bestie and just a terror to everyone else.

5. Shinazugawa Sanemi

There are so many wonderful, devoted big brothers in Demon Slayer and Sanemi is one of the top for me. We can tell in Genya’s flashbacks that Sanemi was completely committed to his role as provider and caretaker for their family. He loved and respected his mother and he loved his siblings and Genya trying to support him and stand with him back then meant so much to him and you can tell. Even after what happened to their siblings and mother, that devotion stayed, Sanemi just had to go about it differently.

I think the way he acts towards people is understandable although not justified, like many other characters he was completely unaware of demons before his family got slaughtered and unlike Gyomei, Giyuu and Tanjiro his family got slaughtered by his own mother and he killed her not realizing it was her until too late, and then had to deal with the realization that he killed his mother as well as having the brother he fought tooth and nail to protect curse him and things just got worse from there. Yes, Sanemi isn’t the only one who has lost comrades but he is one of the few slayers who has to wonder if a demon showing up is because of him and not the other way around. He never hated Genya for the things he said when their mom died, he was never bitter towards him. He loved him and knew his little brother well enough to know how kind hearted and sensitive Genya was and that’s why he was so harsh because he was so scared of losing Genya too and of Genya going through the traumas he had. Scared enough that he was willing to maim him if it meant getting him out of the Corp. And more than willing to let Genya hate him forever. I mean seriously, think about the mental and emotional will power you’d have to conjure up to be able to look at your younger brother who is pleading to talk to you and make the decision to try and blind him and keep insisting you’re not family. I don’t agree it was the right thing to do but the fact that he could even bring himself to attempt that geez.

Not to mention hearing Genya had eaten demon flesh probably scared him because that kind of makes Genya a demon and if he goes out of control someone would have to kill him. I think his rage is understandable, I think his anger initially at Nezuko and Tanjiro is very understandable and it’s shown on his face when he looks down after Nezuko rejects his blood. This demon rejects human flesh, why couldn’t my mom? Why did I have to kill my mom, lose all my siblings and lose my remaining brother, lose my best friend, but this kid gets to keep his sister who is a demon? Would anyone else in his shoes respond differently? I really doubt it.

I love how he’s like the unexpected wild child of the Hashira---not completely unexpected I mean look at him--but the fact that he just pulls an Inosuke and just picks fights with people left and right and he really seems to enjoy his fights but he’s also not ignorant about it. He is aware of what’s going on and he is calculating and strategizing and he’s so -adaptive- like Sanemi will try literally anything in battle if he thinks there’s even a hint it might work. The fact that he knows how to be annoying and cocky to his opponent but isn’t arrogant in his fighting (exception being his fights with Giyuu I think) is a refreshing take on this type of character. Sanemi doesn’t think he can beat everybody, he doesn’t think he’s invincible but that’s okay with him because he still wants to try it regardless. And like Muichiro he knows how to push those buttons and he has such fun doing it and honestly, I have so much fun watching him antagonize his opponents.

6. Obanai Iguro

I love Iguro’s design. I love that he could have just hated people and cursed them because that’s kind of what you’d expect from someone who’s own family treated them the way the Iguro clan did to Obanai. His family sliced open his face, tried to sacrifice him to a demon and then cursed him for surviving when it backfired on them. He had no social interaction until he was friggin 11 with anyone outside of his messed up family. I appreciate how honest he is about his reasons for being a demon slayer. He isn’t doing this to be noble or because its the right thing. He wants to try to purge his family’s tainted blood from himself by killing demons for others, knowing he can never truly purge that blood but at least its -something-. I love how even though he was hurt all for the sake of a snake demon that he doesn’t hate Kabamaru (check spelling) and he treats that precious white snake so well and that Kabamaru isn’t just a decoration but his partner. I appreciate how even though he doesn’t know how to tell Mitsuri he loves her verbally---he’s constantly showing it. Writing letters back and forth with her, sitting with her and just letting her eat as much as she wants, giving her socks that match her eyes because he knew she was uncomfortable at first with her uniform. When she starts trying to explain how she got the Demon Slayer Mark and its all gibberish and he just face palms---not even upset just like “my poor wife she’s doing her best”. The way that he gets jealous of Tanjiro being buddy buddy with Mitsuri is so funny because its so stupid and yet he has Muichiiro’s petty streak, just listing off all the Corp members “crimes” when Tanjiro is like “did these people commit some sort of crime?” I love how he changed his mind about Tanjiro and he was -such- a good battle partner with Tanjiro when it was just the two of them for a bit. The fact that he got right between Tanjiro and Muzan’s Akira-like jaws knowing that would definitely kill him, he didn’t go to pin Muzan he went directly to save Tanjiro from getting swallowed.To me it seemed so clear that in this final battle Iguro accepted Tanjiro and supported him, they worked as a team and Loner Iguro is good at it I can’t wait to see him in the new anime content.

7. Kocho Shinobu

Shinobu is also kind of a typical anime girl but I still like her. Short angry girl is a pretty common trope but she does it well. I love that she is biting and vicious with a smile on her face, kind of like what you expect from the stereotypical mean rich girl, but you can tell that’s also not Shinobu because she will -actually- mess you up in a heartbeat. I love that she’s not a “mean girl”, she loves her friends and her butterfly girls and she cares a lot about people and she’s not ashamed of being a “healer”. I love that instead of writing herself off, “I’m small and therefore can’t fight the same as everyone else” she figured out a method that worked for her, and it is probably one of the worst ways a demon can die---it’s definitely the most painful. I love how one way she showed Kanae her love for her was choosing to always smile even though she’s never actually happy. That it’s not forced positivity, and Kanae wasn’t asking that of her. But it was “My sister loved my smile, so I will continue to smile for her.” I love how she is constantly stepping in to show support to the characters. Talking to Kyojuro before he left, confronting Mitsuri about her starving herself once she found out about it, encouraging and showing happiness for Kanao starting to speak up for herself and being a sort of mother figure for Inosuke where she cared for him but was also able to discipline him in a way that no one else really could. I do feel like her best interactions are when she’s with Zenitsu, Douma and Giyuu but it could just be that I find those moments with her to be the most fun and entertaining.

8. Tokito Giyuu

Giyuu’s is kinda funny because he’s typically the type of anime character who is my favorite in a series but compared to the previous 7, yeah he’s here. I do love that he’s a tried and true introvert, like he is a devoted Hashira but at the same time gives off the Shikamaru vibe of “Gosh I’d rather be at home”. I enjoy that even though he has a bond with Tanjiro that doesn’t like cure him of his introvertness, he still gets overwhelmed by Tanjiro sometimes and is just like “no, not today” and tries to split. I love that that’s not really attempted to get fixed, that’s just how Giyuu is and that’s okay. He still has moments of joy and sass and all the other feelings but there’s no “we need to heal Giyuu” thread in the story besides the side story of everyone trying to get him smile/laugh. I will always be saddened by the fact that he for the longest time didn’t feel like he was a Hashira and just wrote himself off but I also kind of like how the Hashira weren’t suddenly like, “That’s crazy, we love and accept you Giyuu!” But by the end I feel like he was mostly accepted, particularly by Sanemi which was nice since those two were almost like unspoken rivals it felt like. His scenes with Tanjiro and Shinobu are the best to me, because he obviously cares about Tanjiro a lot while he simultaneously just has no idea what to do with this kid unless he’s fighting alongside him. I love his dynamic with Shinobu, its not one I usually love a lot but theirs is so much fun and Shinobu really brings out Giyuu’s sass and sarcasm which is fun to see especially with him doing it deadpan. I appreciate Giyuu’s struggle as a character because I feel like its one that a lot of us can relate to and its nice to see him accept and grow comfortable with himself as the story progresses.

9. Himejima Gyomei

I will probably get a lot of hate for this one, but oh well. Unlike the other Hashira where I do like them on some level, I don’t like Gyomei at all. If you pushed me I guess I would say his extremely impractical weapon? But like, that’s really reaching. I feel like the only reason I don’t immediately forget about him is because he’s massive and is always crying with his hands in prayer stance. He’s a monk but like in name only. Maybe its just because there wasn’t enough time but I can’t think of a single time where Gyomei showed monk behavior besides saying “Namu Amida Butsu” and Genya mentions that the mantra he used fighting the Emotion Demons was something he learned from Gyomei but nothing past that. Even his crying seems to be more of an at-random thing and not a “he’s feeling deep or spiritual emotions”. We never get an explanaton for why he cries all the time and then suddenly doesn’t cry during his fighting and gets all….macho? I guess I would call it. But yeah look at that conversation between him and Tanjiro at the boulder, if those are spiritual teachings they are not good ones…so to me he doesn’t practice what he preaches, but we also aren’t really shown what he believes spiritually.

My biggest issue with him is his attitude towards children. He was bitter and mistrustful towards children after the demon attack because the TRAUMATIZED FOUR YEAR OLD didn’t express gratitude for him saving her life. Children struggle with expressing gratitude period, especially that young, they definitely aren’t going to be thinking about expressing gratitude after going through watching you bash another adult’s skull in.

And because of this he believes that children “Are pure and innocent. Weak. They lie easily…are casually cruel…and selfish.” Children are this way unless they are taught correctly, adults are this way even if they ARE taught correctly. Children’s brains aren’t fully developed at four years old, and yeah, Gyomei doesn’t know that science but seeing as he was raising other kids there, he should understand kids better than he does. Children lie easily because at that young of an age the worst thing that can happen to you is getting in trouble, so you lie to avoid it. You have to be taught how to deal with that properly. Children are not “casually cruel”, they don’t understand that their words and actions impact other people’s emotions and feelings the way that adults do they have to be shown and taught it, just like everyone else. That’s not something that just comes from predisposition. Children are selfish? So are adults, and children don’t become selfless unless they are shown and taught it. Gyomei went through this trauma too, so I don’t blame him for his knee jerk reaction being upset at the child, but the fact that afterwards he stayed upset and decided that children are all these things, and staying upset that she didn’t show gratitude? That’s ridiculous.

#demon slayer #kyojuro rengoku #flame hashira #demon slayer mugen train #rengoku kyojuro #flame pillar #set your heart ablaze #mitsuri kanroji #iguro obanai #muichiro tokito #giyuu tomioka #shinobu kochou #sanemi shinaguzawa #anon ask #hashira rank #sorry this too so long buut i have been going through a lot and there was a lot to write #my opinions

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