History Characters / DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaibaPillars

[[Characters/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaibaMainCharacters Main Characters]] | [[Characters/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaibaDemonSlayerCorps Demon Slayer Corps]] ('''Pillars''') | [[Characters/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaibaKibutsujiMuzanAndTheTwelveDemonMoons Kibutsuji Muzan and the Twelve Demon Moons]] | [[Characters/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaibaCivilians Civilians]] | [[Characters/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaibaOtherDemons Other Demons]]]]-]]]

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: The Hashira get to their position by being goddamn good at their jobs. You either kill a bunch of demons or kill a Lower Moon. Neither are easy tasks.

* HeroicSelfDeprecation: Giyu lives with the belief that he is not worthy of being the Water Hashira and standing with the other Hashira after he survives the selection because of [[spoiler:Sabito]]. Saying that he is underselling his abilities as a Hashira is an understatement, seeing as he is strong enough to trivialize demons as strong as a Lower Moon and even hold his own against Upper Moon 3 Akaza. Kagaya, Shinobu and Tanjiro try to get him out of this mindset with Tanjiro eventually succeeding.

* MakingASplash: He is the Water Hashira and has completely mastered the use of Breath of Water.

* GeniusBruiser: Gyomei is a massive beast of a man who strikes hard with his Breath of Stone, but he's also incredibly intelligent and analytical.

* PetalPower: Flower Breath users have flower petals added as a visual effect to their sword attacks.

* FamilyBusiness: The Flame Hashira like his father and several past generations of Rengoku family members dating back to at least the time Kokushibou was human, potentially 300 years ago; Kyoujuro says the Flame Breath always produces a Hashira no exception, so it seems the Rengoku family pretty much has an extensive record of Hashira in their records.

* PlayingWithFire: He is the Flame Hashira with mastery over the Breath of Flames.

* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Shinobu, realizing that she likely stands no chance in battle against Upper Moon 2, consumes tons of Wisteria Flower poison to make her body toxic, knowing if they encounter him, Douma's voracious appetite regarding women will make it so he is unable to resist eating her. As a result, even he will be susceptible to this high dosage of toxin, allowing Kanao to finish him off. It takes help from Inosuke, but it works.]]

* TheChosenMany: Like Tanjiro, he is connected to the Breath of the Sun legacy, meaning he's one of a few linked to said Breath. However, unlike Tanjiro, he's been unable to use it at all despite this. [[spoiler:It's only when he's able to remember his father's words (his father having been similar to Tanjiro) that he is able to reach an awakened state.]]

* {{Foil}}: To Tanjiro. Both are connected to the Breath of the Sun legacy and are about the same age. [[spoiler:However, Muichiro did awaken to his abilities before Tanjiro (implied to have been how he killed the demon), but he failed to save his brother.]]

* SuperMode: Is descended from a Breath of the Sun user... but for some reason isn't able to use it.

Zenitsu’s master who rescued him from being tied to a woman pilled with debts, once the Thunder Hashira but now retired he decided to pass on the Breath of Thunder style to the next generation. Originally an unnamed elder who Zenitsu affably calls ''Jii-chan'' (gramps in context) but is only identified as ''Shihan'' (master); he is the first person to see through Zenitsu’s layers of apparent cowardice, noticing that underneath Zenitsu has potential thus never giving up on his disciple despite the latter’s protests and tantrums. His name was later revealed to be ''Jigoro Kuwajima'' in the series' first supplementary light novel.

An old master of the Breath of the Water who taught Giyuu Tomioka and later, Tanjiro.

* SuperHearing: He possesses supernatural hearing like Zenitsu does, Tengen was able to pinpoint the location of the underground site where Daiki was keeping all her prey to later feast on by just hearing through solid layers of soil. This is also a key element for his Breath of Sound techniques. By listening to the rhythm and movements of his opponent, he can predict their next moves and find openings to use his techniques.
* ThrowDownTheBomblet: He incorporates the usage of anti-demon bombs with his Breath of Sound sword techniques.

Pillars ([=AKA=] Hashiras) are powerful demon slayers and nine of the Demon Slayer Corps' strongest warriors. They answer directly to Kagaya Ubuyashiki Kagaya.

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: The Pillars get to their position by being goddamn good at their jobs. You either kill a bunch of demons or kill a Lower Moon. Neither are easy tasks.

* ElementalPowers: The "breaths" of the Pillars. Rengoku explains that the "breaths" of each pillar are derived from the basic elements of flames, water, wind, rock, and lightning.

* TwoGirlsToATeam: There are only two female Pillars out of nine total.

[[WMG:Active Pillars]]

The Water Pillar. When Tanjiro was thirteen, he convinced Giyu not to kill Nezuko. In response, Giyu sent Tanjiro to his former teacher Urokodaki to be trained.

* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Shinobu outright tells him none of the pillars can stand him. It seems to take him back a little bit.
* HeroicSelfDeprecation: Giyu lives with the belief that he is not worthy of being the Water Pillar and standing with the other pillars after he survives the selection because of [[spoiler:Sabito]]. Saying that he is underselling his abilities as a Pillar is an understatement, seeing as he is strong enough to trivialize demons as strong as a Lower Moon and even hold his own against Upper Moon 3 Akaza. Kagaya, Shinobu and Tanjiro try to get him out of this mindset with Tanjiro eventually succeeding.

* InadequateInheritor: Tomioka believes he is unsuited to be the Pillar of Water and that he took the position from a more worthy successor. [[spoiler:He later elaborates that Sabito, another pupil trained by Urokodaki at the time, should have been the Pillar of Water, while Tomioka only survived the selections because of Sabito protecting him. This is, combined with his grief at Sabito's sacrifice and the perception that he did not pass the selection out of his own merits. This fact haunts Tomioka and makes him doubt his worth as a Pillar, rejecting his position as Urokodaki's successor. However, this dissatisfaction is what leads him to recognize Tanjiro as a potential student worthy of Urokodaki's mantle.]]

* MakingASplash: He is the Water Pillar and has completely mastered the use of Breath of Water.

* TheStoic: Normally expressionless. Albeit he is far from being the most hostile of the Pillars, he is indeed the most antisocial and withdrawn, which according to Shinobu, has earned him no friends.

The Love Pillar.

* ActionGirl: One of the female Pillars and just as powerful as this implies.

* AllAmazonsWantHercules: Mitsuri aims for this to an extent, after being rejected by all of her previous normal male suitors who thought her being inhumanly strong was a turn-off Mitsuri then hoped she could meet a man who’s either equally strong as her or more so she can finally marry; as a Pillar this comment of hers ambiguously made it seem she either doesn’t consider the other male Pillars strong enough or she just isn’t attracted to any of them.
* AllLovingHero: She's the nicest, sweetest member of the Pillars who adores everyone.

* BunnyEarsLawyer: She's quirky, silly and a bit scatterbrained... but she's a Pillar for a reason.
* CustomUniformOfSexy: Mitsuri’s uniform is out of the perceived standards within the Demon Slayer Corps, through the series it can be seen that members add their own little touches to their uniforms but is mostly limited to them wearing a stylized coat over their proper outfit or just going sleeveless to shirtless; Mitsuri, on the other hand, wears a super short skirt, while other females wear long skirts, and her top is almost fully open showing a massive cleavage; at first it seems she came up with the style herself as she is the Pillar of Love but it is later shown that she got fooled by the Corps official tailor into wearing it, but she keeps wearing it anyway even after knowing her uniform was not the standard for female Pillars.

* LightningBruiser: At first Mitsuri’s great physical strength is put on the forefront as her main characteristic, as the setting gives her an extremely unique body condition in that her muscles are so tough that despite her small body her strength is that of a muscular structure exactly eight times bigger than she appears to have; later in the series however it is stated that Mitsuri actually excels at speed as well, her male muscle-bound colleagues, Himejima and Uzui, have pure physical strength her unique muscles didn’t surpass but Mitsuri is said to be even faster than Uzui, the Pillar whose speed was said to be incredible throughout his part in the Red Light District arc.

* NiceGirl: By far the kindest Pillar, she alone is the only Pillar who didn't want to kill Nezuko immediately upon meeting her. In fact, she's the only pillar who interacts with Nezuko at all.

* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: Her reason for becoming a Pillar, wanting to find someone who could accept her for who she is.

The Rock Pillar. He is the oldest among the Pillars.

* ChildHater: Thanks to his past he has a very low opinion of children. [[spoiler:But in the past, he was actually in fact a FriendToAllChildren when he was a young priest. And his conversation with Tanjiro in the Pillar Training arc helped soften him.]]

* GentleGiant: He's the biggest, strongest, and most compassionate of the pillars. [[spoiler:His compassion shows when Genya tells Tanjiro that Himejima accepted Genya as his disciple even after learning that Genya's been eating demons to make up for his lack of Breath skills.]]
* HandicappedBadass: He's blind, but he's no less effective as a Pillar and is even considered the strongest of the bunch.

* LightningBruiser: Not only does Himejima sport high defense, but he's also got incredible speed and attack power when swinging his hand-axe and flail. It shows that he is not a Pillar to be messed with.

* WarriorMonk: Regardless of whether he is actually a monk, this seems to be his theme. He carries prayer beads and his hands are always clasped. [[spoiler:He really was a priest at a small temple before becoming a Pillar.]]

The Snake Pillar.

* {{Jerkass}}: Let's see, he's very disdain towards Tanjiro during his trial, he clearly doesn't like Giyuu, he uses the trainees in the Pillar Training as obstacles for Tanjiro to face and threatens Tanjiro to never talk casually with Mitsuri ever again because Iguro is implied to like her. But then again, even Tanjiro notes that Iguro's behaviour wasn't as bad when compared to Sanemi's behaviour.

* WeakButSkilled: One extra tidbit of information for a volume release showed the pure physical strength rankings of all Pillars by using arm-wrestling as a gauge, Obanai was on the bottom rankings along with Shinobu who had already proclaimed herself to be the physically weakest Pillar; he, however, protests that physical strength isn’t everything, having great confidence in his sword skills and that is validated by him being chosen as the swordsmanship mentor during the Pillar training regime.

The Wind Pillar.

* AloofBigBrother: He's one of the Pillars and treat his brother coldly [[spoiler:because he's called a monster by Genya in the past and wants him to have a normal life instead of being a demon slayer.]]

* GoodIsNotNice: Sanemi was introduced in one of most unpleasant ways possible, he violently threatened and hurt Nezuko for being a demon based on principle alone as he is one of the strongest demon slayers around; as the series progresses however it is shown that despite being an established jerk Sanemi isn’t really disliked by his Pillar colleagues, and as long as one doesn’t push his buttons: demons and slacking off, he can be tolerated. All in all, Sanemi is a force that works towards eradicating demons and only hates them with a furious passion due to all the important people in his life they have killed, including slayer colleagues, showing he does care for others.

* {{Jerkass}}: The most unpleasant of the pillars who's willing to kill Tanjiro and Nezuko on principle.

[[WMG:Inactive Pillars]]

Shinobu's deceased older sister and [[spoiler:the former Flower Pillar.]]

* ActionGirl: Kanae was a demon slayer, so it came with the territory. Not to mention that [[spoiler:she was last seen in Sanemi's first Pillar meeting flashback, suggesting that she was a pillar at some point before her death.]]

The Flame Pillar.

* FamilyBusiness: The Flame Pillar like his father and several past generations of Rengoku family members dating back to at least the time Kokushibou was human, potentially 300 years ago; Kyoujuro says the Flame Breath always produces a Pillar no exception, so it seems the Rengoku family pretty much has an extensive record of Pillars in their records.

* PlayingWithFire: He is the Flame Pillar with mastery over the Breath of Flames.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: [[spoiler:Kyojuro is the first Pillar the main trio: Tanjiro, Zenitsu and Inosuke are officially drafted on a mission with, Kyojuro dies on that same mission, but he leaves quite the impression on Tanjiro, as a mentor figure and friend; while not performers of the same Breaths, Flame and Fire God had its synergy with Tanjiro first thinking Kyojuro would have the answers to know more about his new Breath, but even if the Breaths weren't the same Kyoujurou's flaming determination became a part of Tanjirou quite literally, as Kyojuro's original sword guard was preserved and then embedded on Tanjirou's fourth sword in the series. Kyojuro's death is also the first one Inosuke reacts with proper sorrow.]]

->''"I may be the only swordslady among the pillars who can't cut a Demon's head off. But anyone who creates poison that can kill demons can be quite amazing."''

The Insect Pillar.

* ActionGirl: One of the two female pillars and she backs up her rank.

* MySiblingWillLiveThroughMe: [[spoiler:She assumed her sister's disposition and mannerisms when she was killed as a way to provide for the Butterfly Mansion, for Kanao, and as a Pillar; she tells Tanjiro that it was her sister's boundless optimism and hope to establish a peaceful connection with the Demons that guide what she currently is, so she seeks to emulate her sister as much as she can.]]

* WeakButSkilled: Physically the weakest Pillar, as she doesn't even have the strength to decapitate a demon. But her speed and arsenal of poisons make up for it.

The Mist Pillar.

* TeenGenius: being 14 years old he is one year younger than Tanjiro, yet he became a Pillar within months.

Zenitsu’s master who rescued him from being tied to a woman pilled with debts, once the Thunder Pillar but now retired he decided to pass on the Breath of Thunder style to the next generation. Originally an unnamed elder who Zenitsu affably calls ''Jii-chan'' (gramps in context) but is only identified as ''Shihan'' (master); he is the first person to see through Zenitsu’s layers of apparent cowardice, noticing that underneath Zenitsu has potential thus never giving up on his disciple despite the latter’s protests and tantrums. His name was later revealed to be ''Jigoro Kuwajima'' in the series' first supplementary light novel.

* CoolOldGuy: He's a little rough towards Zenitsu, but ultimately cared for the young boy and wished him to share the position of Pillar with his rival Kaigaku.

* RetiredBadass: He is the former pillar of water before Giyuu.

The father of Kyoujuro and Senjuro and the former Flame Pillar. He retired and gave his position to his eldest son Kyoujuro.

* RetiredBadass: He handed the position of the Flame Pillar to Kyoujuro. [[spoiler:After Kyoujuro's passing, he returns to his position as the Flame Pillar after witnessing Ubayashiki's son using his ability to command the Demon Slayers, even after knowing that his father self-destructed to weaken Muzan. Defending Ubuyashiki's children alongside Tengen Uzui, he vows that he will follow his son Kyoujuro's example and protect the children so as to not bring shame to the Rengoku family.]]

The Sound Pillar.

* HairTriggerTemper: He's very strict about slackers as seen in the Pillar Training Arc.

* HiddenDepths: For all his narcissism, he does care about other people. He told his wives to focus on protecting their own lives rather than live by laying down their lives for missions, a mentality common among the ninjas especially women ninja. And he was quite enthusiastic to see Tanjiro healed up and ready for his Pillar Training.

* RetiredBadass: [[spoiler:Decides to give up his position as Pillar after the loss of his arm and eye though he does come back to help train Demon Hunters and to protect Ubuyashiki's children along with Shinjuro Rengoku while they assist the Demon Slayers against Muzan.]]

* TookALevelInKindness: After his life was saved by Tanjiro and Nezuko, he decides to retire due to the loss of his left arm. When he and his wives meet him again during the Pillar training, they're on good terms with him.

* CampStraight: A self-proclaimed elegant, flamboyant ladies' man.

* DistaffCounterpart: Tengen Uzui’s three wives are curiously similar to the main male lead characters: Tanjiro, Zenitsu and Inosuke regarding their basic personality traits; Hinatsuru is the peace maker and heart of the trio, like Tanjiro is, Suma is the overly emotional roller-coaster, cries and screams in fear a bit too much, like Zenitsu does, then comes Makio as brash and gutsy who’s always bickering with Suma, just like Inosuke acts with Zenitsu. The similarities are so obvious that several fan works do not let these similarities pass by unnoticed.

* ThrowingDownTheBomblet: He incorporates the usage of anti-demon bombs with his Breath of Sound sword techniques.

* SuperHearing: He possesses supernatural hearing like Zenitsu does, Tengen was able to pinpoint the location of the underground site where Daiki was keeping all her prey to later feast on by just hearing through solid layers of soil.

* LightningBruiser: Not only does Himejima sport high defence, but he's also got incredible speed and attack power when swinging his hand-axe and flail. It shows that he is not a Pillar to be messed with.

[[folder:Muichiro Tokito]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KengoKawanishi
[[quoteright:220:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/muichiro_tokito_anime.png]]
[[caption-width-right:220:''"He who holds peerless swordsmanship talent."'']]

The Mist Pillar.

* AnArmAndALeg: [[spoiler:Gets his left arm and leg cut off by Kokushibou. His arm from attempting to fight Kokushibou alone and his leg when he tries to stop Kokushibou for Genya to defeat Kokushibou after eating his broken blade.]]
* TheChosenMany: Like Tanjiro, he is connected to the Breath of the Sun legacy, meaning he's one of a few linked to said Breath. However, unlike Tanjiro, he's been unable to use it at all despite this. [[spoiler:It's only when he's able to remember his father's words (his father having been similar to Tanjiro) that he is able to reach an awakened state.]]
* ColorCodedEyes: Big gray eyes without visible pupils reflect his cold, detached attitude.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: [[spoiler:He lived together with his older twin brother Yuuichirou who was strict and tried to drill his kindness out of him due to the fact their father died trying to find herbs for their sickly mother. Then one night, a demon came and attacked Yuuichirou, causing Muichiro to snap and kill the demon. By the time he returned to his brother, he was on the verge of death begging for the gods to spare his kind brother and punish him instead. He then spent a few days watching his brother's corpse and himself be eaten by maggots and would have died had Ubuyashiki's wife and children not rescued him. The trauma of the incident caused Muichiro to completely shut himself off emotionally.]]
* EmotionlessGirl: A Gender-Inverted example. He constantly has a dull and expressionless appearance and overall lack of outward expression. [[spoiler:Though this is from suffering from emotional trauma and memory loss, and being unable to process his emotions and reactions. Once his memories do return, he begins to be more expressive.]]
* {{Foil}}: To Tanjiro. Both are connected to the Breath of the Sun legacy and are about the same age. [[spoiler:However, Muichiro did awaken to his abilities before Tanjiro (implied to have been how he killed the demon), but he failed to save his brother.]]
* ForgetfulJones: Regularly forgets what conversations he’s having halfway through. [[spoiler:Partly because he's recovering from amnesia after the incident which resulted in his older brother dying.]]
* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: [[spoiler:He is slice in half horizontally by Kokushibou.]]
* HandHidingSleeves: When his arms are at his sides. His oversized uniform makes him look even smaller.
* LonghairedPrettyboy: One could easily mistaken him as a girl.
* MeaningfulName: The 'mu' part of his name means 'nothing', which is used in two different ways. [[spoiler:His older brother used to tell him that the 'mu' in his name meant words like ineffective and invalid in an attempt to force his compassion out of him. But when Yuuchiro was dying, he confesses the actual meaning of the 'mu' in Muichiro's name is for infinity, being one able to have compassion for others to draw out infinite strength. Fittingly, Muichiro remembering this awakens to his mark.]]
* SmallAnnoyingCreature: His crow, who brags about him any chance she gets.
* SuperMode: Is descended from a Breath of the Sun user... but for some reason isn't able to use it.
* TeenGenius: being 14 years old he is one year younger than Tanjiro, yet he became a Pillar within months.
* TookALevelInKindness: After the Swordsmith Village arc, he's on friendly terms with Tanjiro. However, it's only reserved to him as he coldly dismisses the other trainees who were training under him for two weeks while Tanjiro was only there for five days.
* TraumaInducedAmnesia: [[spoiler:The sheer trauma of the event where a demon mortally wounded his older brother and he killed the demon in response caused him to not only suppress his emotions but even forget his brother's existence. It's only when he remembers him and his dying words that he is able to awaken.]]
* UsedToBeASweetKid: [[spoiler:Muichiro in his childhood was the kinder of the twin brothers, and believed in the words of their father about kindness to others being a source of a larger strength, something his brother often disparaged. Then a demon came and critically wounded Yuuichirou, and Muichiro killed the demon in response but was so badly injured he was unable to move and was forced to watch his brother's corpse for days to where maggots began eating it until he was rescued. The experience left Muichiro to repress his memories and left an empty shell of the person he was previously, ironically becoming similar to his brother.]]
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[[/folder]]

[[folder:Gyomei Himejima]]
!!! '''Voiced by:''' Creator/TomokazuSugita
[[quoteright:260:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gyomei_himejima_anime.png]]
[[caption-width-right:260:''"He who sheds peerless tears of compassion."'']]

->''"If I never got attacked by that demon, I would have lived my entire life not knowing I was strong."''

The Rock Pillar. He is the oldest among the Pillars.

-----

* DefrostingIceKing: After Tanjiro managed to open his heart.

* AnArmAndALeg: [[spoiler:Gets his left arm and leg cut off by Kokushibou. His arm from attempting to fight Kokushibou alone and his leg when he tries to stop Kokushibou for Genya to defeat Kokushibou after eating his broken blade. He later loses his remaining arm to Kokushibou when he tries to get him off.]]

* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: [[spoiler:He is slice in half horizontally by Kokushibou. Afterwards, he succumbs to his wounds.]]

[[folder:Gyomei Himejima]]
!!! '''Voiced by:''' Creator/TomokazuSugita
[[quoteright:260:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gyomei_himejima_anime.png]]
[[caption-width-right:260:''"He who sheds peerless tears of compassion."'']]

->''"If I never got attacked by that demon, I would have lived my entire life not knowing I was strong."''

The Rock Pillar. He is the oldest among the Pillars.

[[folder:Muichiro Tokito]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KengoKawanishi
[[quoteright:220:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/muichiro_tokito_anime.png]]
[[caption-width-right:220:''"He who holds peerless swordsmanship talent."'']]

The Mist Pillar.
-----
* AnArmAndALeg: [[spoiler:Gets his left arm and leg cut off by Kokushibou. His arm from attempting to fight Kokushibou alone and his leg when he tries to stop Kokushibou for Genya to defeat Kokushibou after eating his broken blade. He later loses his remaining arm to Kokushibou when he tries to get him off.]]
* TheChosenMany: Like Tanjiro, he is connected to the Breath of the Sun legacy, meaning he's one of a few linked to said Breath. However, unlike Tanjiro, he's been unable to use it at all despite this. [[spoiler:It's only when he's able to remember his father's words (his father having been similar to Tanjiro) that he is able to reach an awakened state.]]
* ColorCodedEyes: Big gray eyes without visible pupils reflect his cold, detached attitude.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: [[spoiler:He lived together with his older twin brother Yuuichirou who was strict and tried to drill his kindness out of him due to the fact their father died trying to find herbs for their sickly mother. Then one night, a demon came and attacked Yuuichirou, causing Muichiro to snap and kill the demon. By the time he returned to his brother, he was on the verge of death begging for the gods to spare his kind brother and punish him instead. He then spent a few days watching his brother's corpse and himself be eaten by maggots and would have died had Ubuyashiki's wife and children not rescued him. The trauma of the incident caused Muichiro to completely shut himself off emotionally.]]
* EmotionlessGirl: A Gender-Inverted example. He constantly has a dull and expressionless appearance and overall lack of outward expression. [[spoiler:Though this is from suffering from emotional trauma and memory loss, and being unable to process his emotions and reactions. Once his memories do return, he begins to be more expressive.]]
* {{Foil}}: To Tanjiro. Both are connected to the Breath of the Sun legacy and are about the same age. [[spoiler:However, Muichiro did awaken to his abilities before Tanjiro (implied to have been how he killed the demon), but he failed to save his brother.]]
* ForgetfulJones: Regularly forgets what conversations he’s having halfway through. [[spoiler:Partly because he's recovering from amnesia after the incident which resulted in his older brother dying.]]
* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: [[spoiler:He is slice in half horizontally by Kokushibou. Afterwards, he succumbs to his wounds.]]
* HandHidingSleeves: When his arms are at his sides. His oversized uniform makes him look even smaller.
* LonghairedPrettyboy: One could easily mistaken him as a girl.
* MeaningfulName: The 'mu' part of his name means 'nothing', which is used in two different ways. [[spoiler:His older brother used to tell him that the 'mu' in his name meant words like ineffective and invalid in an attempt to force his compassion out of him. But when Yuuchiro was dying, he confesses the actual meaning of the 'mu' in Muichiro's name is for infinity, being one able to have compassion for others to draw out infinite strength. Fittingly, Muichiro remembering this awakens to his mark.]]
* SmallAnnoyingCreature: His crow, who brags about him any chance she gets.
* SuperMode: Is descended from a Breath of the Sun user... but for some reason isn't able to use it.
* TeenGenius: being 14 years old he is one year younger than Tanjiro, yet he became a Pillar within months.
* TookALevelInKindness: After the Swordsmith Village arc, he's on friendly terms with Tanjiro. However, it's only reserved to him as he coldly dismisses the other trainees who were training under him for two weeks while Tanjiro was only there for five days.
* TraumaInducedAmnesia: [[spoiler:The sheer trauma of the event where a demon mortally wounded his older brother and he killed the demon in response caused him to not only suppress his emotions but even forget his brother's existence. It's only when he remembers him and his dying words that he is able to awaken.]]
* UsedToBeASweetKid: [[spoiler:Muichiro in his childhood was the kinder of the twin brothers, and believed in the words of their father about kindness to others being a source of a larger strength, something his brother often disparaged. Then a demon came and critically wounded Yuuichirou, and Muichiro killed the demon in response but was so badly injured he was unable to move and was forced to watch his brother's corpse for days to where maggots began eating it until he was rescued. The experience left Muichiro to repress his memories and left an empty shell of the person he was previously, ironically becoming similar to his brother.]]
----
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Muichiro Tokito]]
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KengoKawanishi
[[quoteright:220:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/muichiro_tokito_anime.png]]
[[caption-width-right:220:''"He who holds peerless swordsmanship talent."'']]

The Mist Pillar.

* AnArmAndALeg: [[spoiler:Gets his left arm and leg cut off by Kokushibou. His arm from attempting to fight Kokushibou alone and his leg when he tries to stop Kokushibou for Genya to defeat Kokushibou after eating his broken blade.]]
* TheChosenMany: Like Tanjiro, he is connected to the Breath of the Sun legacy, meaning he's one of a few linked to said Breath. However, unlike Tanjiro, he's been unable to use it at all despite this. [[spoiler:It's only when he's able to remember his father's words (his father having been similar to Tanjiro) that he is able to reach an awakened state.]]
* ColorCodedEyes: Big gray eyes without visible pupils reflect his cold, detached attitude.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: [[spoiler:He lived together with his older twin brother Yuuichirou who was strict and tried to drill his kindness out of him due to the fact their father died trying to find herbs for their sickly mother. Then one night, a demon came and attacked Yuuichirou, causing Muichiro to snap and kill the demon. By the time he returned to his brother, he was on the verge of death begging for the gods to spare his kind brother and punish him instead. He then spent a few days watching his brother's corpse and himself be eaten by maggots and would have died had Ubuyashiki's wife and children not rescued him. The trauma of the incident caused Muichiro to completely shut himself off emotionally.]]
* EmotionlessGirl: A Gender-Inverted example. He constantly has a dull and expressionless appearance and overall lack of outward expression. [[spoiler:Though this is from suffering from emotional trauma and memory loss, and being unable to process his emotions and reactions. Once his memories do return, he begins to be more expressive.]]
* {{Foil}}: To Tanjiro. Both are connected to the Breath of the Sun legacy and are about the same age. [[spoiler:However, Muichiro did awaken to his abilities before Tanjiro (implied to have been how he killed the demon), but he failed to save his brother.]]
* ForgetfulJones: Regularly forgets what conversations he’s having halfway through. [[spoiler:Partly because he's recovering from amnesia after the incident which resulted in his older brother dying.]]
* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: [[spoiler:He is slice in half horizontally by Kokushibou.]]
* HandHidingSleeves: When his arms are at his sides. His oversized uniform makes him look even smaller.
* LonghairedPrettyboy: One could easily mistaken him as a girl.
* MeaningfulName: The 'mu' part of his name means 'nothing', which is used in two different ways. [[spoiler:His older brother used to tell him that the 'mu' in his name meant words like ineffective and invalid in an attempt to force his compassion out of him. But when Yuuchiro was dying, he confesses the actual meaning of the 'mu' in Muichiro's name is for infinity, being one able to have compassion for others to draw out infinite strength. Fittingly, Muichiro remembering this awakens to his mark.]]
* SmallAnnoyingCreature: His crow, who brags about him any chance she gets.
* SuperMode: Is descended from a Breath of the Sun user... but for some reason isn't able to use it.
* TeenGenius: being 14 years old he is one year younger than Tanjiro, yet he became a Pillar within months.
* TookALevelInKindness: After the Swordsmith Village arc, he's on friendly terms with Tanjiro. However, it's only reserved to him as he coldly dismisses the other trainees who were training under him for two weeks while Tanjiro was only there for five days.
* TraumaInducedAmnesia: [[spoiler:The sheer trauma of the event where a demon mortally wounded his older brother and he killed the demon in response caused him to not only suppress his emotions but even forget his brother's existence. It's only when he remembers him and his dying words that he is able to awaken.]]
* UsedToBeASweetKid: [[spoiler:Muichiro in his childhood was the kinder of the twin brothers, and believed in the words of their father about kindness to others being a source of a larger strength, something his brother often disparaged. Then a demon came and critically wounded Yuuichirou, and Muichiro killed the demon in response but was so badly injured he was unable to move and was forced to watch his brother's corpse for days to where maggots began eating it until he was rescued. The experience left Muichiro to repress his memories and left an empty shell of the person he was previously, ironically becoming similar to his brother.]]
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[[/folder]]

[[folder:Obanai Iguro]]
!!Obanai Iguro
!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KenichiSuzumura
[[quoteright:230:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/obanai_iguro_anime.png]]
[[caption-width-right:230:''"He whose peerless gaze lets no demon escape."'']]

The Snake Pillar.
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* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Shinobu outright tells him no one of the pillars can stand him. It seems to take him back a little bit.

The Rock Pillar.

* DistaffCounterpart: Tengen Uzui’s three wives are curiously similar to the main male lead characters: Tanjiro, Zenitsu and Inosuke regarding their basic personality traits; Hinatsuru is the peace maker and heart of the trio, like Tanjiro is, Suma is the overly emotional roller-coaster, cries and screams in fear a bit too much, like Zenitsu does, then comes Makio as brash and gutsy who’s always bickering with Suma, just like Inosuke acts with Zenitsu. The similarities are so obvious that several fan works do let these similarities pass by unnoticed.

* DistaffCounterpart: Tengen Uzui’s three wives are curiously similar to the main male lead characters: Tanjiro, Zenitsu and Inosuke regarding their basic personality traits; Hinatsuru is the peace maker and mediator of the trio, like Tanjiro is, Suma is the overly emotional roller-coaster, cries and screams in fear a bit too much, like Zenitsu does, then comes Makio as brash and gutsy who’s always bickering with Suma, just like Inosuke acts with Zenitsu. The similarities are so obvious that several fan works do let these similarities pass by unnoticed.

* DistaffCounterpart: Tengen Uzui’s three wives are curiously similar to the main male lead characters: Tanjiro, Zenitsu and Inosuke regarding their basic personality traits; Hinatsuru is the pacifier and mediator of the trio, like Tanjiro is, Suma is the overly emotional roller-coaster, cries and screams in fear a bit too much, like Zenitsu does, then comes Makio as brash and gutsy who’s always bickering with Suma, just like Inosuke acts with Zenitsu. The similarities are so obvious that several fan works do let these similarities pass by unnoticed.

* DistaffCounterpart: Tengen Uzui’s three wives are curiously similar to the main male lead characters: Tanjiro, Zenitsu and Inosuke regarding their basic personality traits; Hinatsuru is the pacifier and mediator of the trio, like Tanjiro is, Suma is the overly emotional roller-coaster, cries and screams in fear a bit too much, like Zenitsu does, then comes Makio as brash and gutsy who’s always bickering with Suma, just like Inosuke acts with Zenits. The similarities are so obvious that several fan works do let these similarities pass by unnoticed.

* InadequateInheritor: Tomioka believes he is unsuited to be the Pillar of Water and that he took the position from a more worthy successor. [[spoiler:He later elaborates that Sabito, another pupil trained by Urokodaki at the time, should have been the Pillar of Water, while Tomioka only survived the selections because of Sabito protecting him. This fact haunts Tomioka and makes him doubt his worth as a Pillar.]]

* TheStoic: Normally expressionless.