Kyojuro Rengoku

Personality

Kyojuro was greatly enthusiastic in regard to his duties as a Hashira and often cheerfully eccentric. He was incredibly charismatic and generous and was almost always seen with a jovial expression. He boasted extraordinary technique and swordsmanship stemming from strict practice and discipline. Kyojuro was an honorable warrior who adhered to his code of morals and principles that were instilled into him by his mother during childhood, the most significant being that those who were born strong have a duty to protect the weak. He also loved his family immensely, displaying great respect and worry towards his father, Shinjuro Rengoku, despite him growing slowly more aggressive and apathetic towards Kyojuro. He was incredibly encouraging and optimistic towards his little brother, Senjuro Rengoku, believing in him and wishing him the best no matter what. This was further accentuated during his death where his final words for his father and his little brother were "take care of your body" and "follow your dreams no matter what". Kyojuro also believes that if someone lacks immense skill, their hard work towards their dreams and desire to help people doesn't count for nothing. Beneath his enthusiastic demeanor, Kyojuro was very logical and tactically intelligent, acting quickly and precisely in battle, especially when the lives of others are on the line. Kyojuro was also great in seeing talent in others, even in Nezuko Kamado, a demon which he wanted to kill beforehand, after seeing her risk her lives to fight and protect others. Though he was extremely optimistic, Kyojuro does sometimes have a sense of foreboding that those he believes in might die, especially his friends which he care deeply for. He, like most Demon Slayers, absolutely detests demons, usually because of their heinous deeds or because of their clashing morale values.

Personality

Despite this, Kyojuro recognized and accepted Nezuko as a member of the Demon Slayer Corps after seeing her risk her life to protect innocents, showing that Kyojuro was capable of not letting his hatred for demons cloud his judgement.

Appearance

Kyojuro was a young man with bright yellow hair with red streaks, black-forked eyebrows, and golden eyes. He was fairly tall by Japanese standards and possessed a relatively muscular build. His Demon Slayer outfit consisted of a brown gakuran jacket, a white belt around his waist and tattsuke-hakama pants. Over this, he wore a haori with a white-yellow gradient pattern and red flame-like ridges at the end that his father Shinjuro Rengoku once worn and more than likely his father worn when they were the Flame Hashira respectively. Finally, he wore red kyahan with yellow flames erupting from the bottom-up, with pale brown tabi socks and a pair of white zōri with red straps.

Overall abilities

As a Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, Kyojuro was a very powerful and skilled combatant. Before he took his father's place, Kyojuro was already shown to be an amazing fighter. He successfully avenged the death of the 9 Demon Slayers that died to the Flute Demon by himself and later managed to singlehandedly defeat Lower Rank Two, Hairo, who even appraised his swordsmanship before he died. Moreover, his father, Shinjuro Rengoku, stated that, after he stopped teaching his son, Kyojuro trained himself to become a Hashira by learning from the guide book of the Flame Breathing style, a book which only had three volumes. As another testament to his abilities, Akaza, the Upper Rank Three and one of the strongest known demons, acknowledged and praised Kyojuro's strength. He even went as far as to offer to turn him into a demon so he could surpass his human limits and become stronger, something he only offered to swordsmen whose abilities he believed were refined to their utmost peak. Akaza also complimented his fighting spirit and stated that it was getting close to the "Realm of the Highest," which implied that he was incredibly close to obtaining the Transparent World (きる Sukitōru Sekai?) and the Selfless State (の Muga no Kyōchi?). Indomitable Will: Kyojuro had an undaunted spirit and indomitable willpower, which even impressed the likes of Upper Rank Three, Akaza. Ever since he was a child, he has had a strong will and passion in himself due to his promise to his late mother. Even when the Upper Rank overwhelmed him with powerful attacks, giving Kyojuro insidious wounds, he remained steadfast and resolute. After Kyojuro lost an eye and had internal wounds caused by Akaza, he still persisted, vehemently expressing his unwavering will and determination, saying that he will protect the lives of the other innocent people no matter what.

overall abilities

Finally, when Akaza's fist pierced his solar plexus, it triggered a memory reminding Kyojuro of his mother again, giving him the final push to cut the Upper Rank's neck. In the end, though his efforts were in vain, his incredible determination had a profound effect on Tanjiro, giving the incentive to push on no matter the turmoil he faced. Keen Intellect: As a swordsman who came from a lineage of Flame Hashira, Kyojuro had access to generations of combat knowledge and tactics as well as training from previous Flame Hashira, like his father, Shinjuro Rengoku. Kyojuro could also master the entire Flame Breathing style just from reading 3 volumes of a book on it. During the battle against Akaza, he displayed keen judgement like after being attacked by Akaza's Destructive Death: Air Type, he realizes that he must fight at close range with he wanted to increase the chances of cutting of his head. Even when the usually deductive and sagacious Tanjiro Kamado was at a loss of how to kill Enmu, Kyojuro instinctively knew that, no matter what form a demon takes, it will always have a weak spot. He also possesses great knowledge in the use of the Total Concentration Breathing (の Zen Shūchū no Kokyū?), knowing how to plug minor wounds and hemorrhaging and saved Tanjiro from dying of blood loss. As another testament to his tactical intellect, Kyojuro could instantly read his allies' sign language at indicating the Flute Demon's abilities despite being unable to fully control their movements and execute a countermeasure before the demon's Blood Demon Art befell him.

physical abilities

Immense Speed & Reflexes: As a Hashira, Kyojuro possessed tremendous speed and reflexes, so much so that even gifted Demon Slayers like Tanjiro and Inosuke Hashibira were unable to register his clash with Akaza, with the latter stating that he was on a different dimension. Kyojuro could even cause tremors to the ground and nearly launching a train off its tracks by running at such high speeds. Moreover, Kyojuro could easily move at speeds much faster than the eye can see, decapitating demons before they can even react. His reflexes were so fast that he managed to cut Akaza's arm moments before the Upper Rank was going to hit Tanjiro. Kyojuro also managed to keep up with Akaza's high-speed techniques and incredibly swift movements, which he remarks is faster than the blink of an eye, sometimes even managing to out-speed him. This surprised and impressed Akaza himself, who openly expressed his amazement over Kyojuro's skill. Immense Stamina & Endurance: Kyojuro displayed superhuman stamina and endurance during his battles over the course of the series. In his battle with the Flute Demon, Kyojuro ruptured his eardrums, yet didn't flinch in the slightest, ignoring the pain and continuing to fight and win. In his battle with Hairo, he suffered dozens of severe wounds and injuries from gunshots and explosions coming from the former Lower Rank Two but continued to stall enough time for all the bombs he planted to be disarmed without showing any signs of pain or fatigue, which shocked Hairo into questioning whether the person he met in the past was really the same person he was fighting now. Furthermore, his battle against Enmu when he fused with an entire train, he was able to keep him at bay in five different train carts without tiring.

physical abilities

His incredible stamina and endurance was best displayed when he managed to keep up with Akaza, one of the strongest demons in existence, despite physically and mentally exerting himself beyond his limit and sustaining multiple irreparable and fatal wounds, like a smashed eye, shattered ribs and damaged internal organs. Most impressively, he managed to keep Akaza at bay despite having his solar plexus pierced by the Upper Rank's arm. Despite all of his fatal wounds, he did not once let go of his hold on Akaza in his attempt to let the dawn's light kill him, eventually forcing the demon to rip off his own arms to finally escape. Immense Strength: Having spent years of perfecting his physical prowess, Kyojuro possessed amazing physical strength, being capable of swinging his katana at speeds faster than the eye can see incessantly with faultless accuracy while engaging in combat and even sending Akaza flying an astonishing distance into a forest with a single blade swing. Kyojuro could also lift an entire train off its tracks by simply dashing forward. Even when he first became a recognized Demon Slayer, he had enough strength to instantly rupture his own eardrums by hitting his ears with his hands. Kyojuro also possessed exceptional grip strength that enabled him to hold down Akaza, one of the physically strongest characters in the series, despite having his solar plexus pierced earlier and sustaining multiple other fatal wounds, to the point which Akaza expressed his disbelief and shock over Kyojuro's strength which he describes as "unbelievable".

supernatural abilities

Extrasensory Perception: Kyojuro had incredibly honed senses, such as when he was able to sense and perceive Akaza's immense presence and demon aura. Kyojuro was also capable of sensing demonic presences faster and more accurately than Tanjiro Kamado, who harbors an acute sense of smell, when he detected two demons right after another on a train before anyone else noticed. This ability also allowed him to precisely gauge the regenerative abilities and weaknesses of most demons, like Enmu. Kyojuro was also able to perceive Tanjiro's injuries and torn blood vessel accurately, which allowed him to teach him how to plug up that wound and prevent him from dying of blood loss. Furthermore, he was able to detect malice in Enmu's spells and prevented himself from getting incapacitated. Master Swordsman: As a Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, Kyojuro was one of the most powerful and skilled swordsmen in the entire organization. Additionally, Kyojuro is part of the Rengoku family which has an impressive lineage of powerful swordsmen and Flame Hashira, giving Kyojuro an edge in developing and polishing his swordsmanship. His extraordinary swordsmanship skill has been displayed on multiple occasions across the series. In his battle against the former Lower Rank Two, Hairo, Kyojuro was able to out-wield the demon's bushido sword style, which Hairo appraised as he was decapitated. Kyojuro's precise blade work could also slow down Enmu in his fused form, which gave him the opportunity to explain his plan to Tanjiro and Inosuke. His mastery of the blade is best showcased during his battle with Akaza, in which he was more than capable of fighting on equal ground with the Upper Rank who had killed countless Demon Slayers and even multiple Hashiras over the last century, even to the point that Akaza constantly praised Kyojuro's swordsmanship.

breathing style

Flame Breathing (炎の呼吸, Honō no kokyū?): This technique allowed Kyojuro to increase the amount of oxygen in his blood by controlling his breathing pattern, which increased his strength and agility to equal that of a demon. Kyojuro had learned to do full focus breaths at all times, further increasing his base strength, speed and stamina. By focusing his breathing on specific points, he was capable of stopping bleeding from injuries. There are at least a total of nine styles that can be used with the Breath of Flames, although Kyojuro only displayed five of these, with the other four techniques being unknown. First Form: Unknowing Fire (壱ノ型　不知火, Ichi no kata: Shiranui?) - Kyojuro charges towards his opponent at high speed and decapitates them in one or multiple slashes that burns the flesh of his enemy. This technique had enough force to launch the entire Infinity Train off the tracks a short distance. Second Form: Rising Scorching Sun (弐ノ型　昇り炎天, Ni no kata: Nobori En Ten?) - Kyojuro releases an arching slash attack upwards. Third Form: Blazing Universe (参ノ型　氣炎万象, San no kata: Kien Banshō?) - Kyojuro swings his blade downwards in an arc. Fourth Form: Blooming Flame Undulation (肆ノ型　盛炎のうねり, Shi no kata: Sei En no Uneri?) - Kyojuro spin his sword in a circular motion, deflecting his enemies attacks. Fifth Form: Flame Tiger (伍ノ型　炎虎, Go no kata: Enko?) - A series of sword slashes that took on the form of a tiger. Kyojuro used this technique to contest Akaza's Destructive Death: Disorder. Ninth Form: Rengoku (玖ノ型　煉獄, Ku no kata: Rengoku?) - A devastating dashing slash that Kyojuro initiates from a high stance, the technique had enough power to carve a deep impression in the ground where he used it. Before using this technique he remarked to himself about "thoroughly hollowing out most of the area".

who is he?

Kyojuro Rengoku (煉獄 杏寿郎, Rengoku Kyōjurō?) is a major character in the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba franchise. He is the deuteragonist of the Mugen Train arc and its 2020 anime movie adaptation of the same name, as well as the titular main protagonist of its spin-off Kyojuro Rengoku: Gaidan, which depicts his time in the Demon Slayer Corps before officially becoming the Flame Hashira. He was one of the nine Hashira, a group of the nine greatest Demon Slayers in the Demon Slayer Corps. Specifically, Kyojuro was the Flame Hashira who made use of the Flame Breathing. While not having his life being directly affected by demons like many other members in the Corps, The Rengoku household had produced demon hunters for generations. Kyojuro, with his sense of duty instilled by his ailing mother since childhood, saw it as a duty to protect the innocent from Demons and entered the corps to serve humanity. During a mission on the Mugen Train, Kyojuro was killed in battle against Akaza, the demon who held the position of Upper Rank Three within the Twelve Kizuki. Despite his death, his influence on Tanjiro still continues to strengthen the boy's determination on ending the Demon race.

other

aliases: Flame hashira, Roll-and-tumble eyeballs, bug eyes, Mr. Rengoku. Powers/skills: Constant total concentration, Flame Breathing-styled combat, Blood circulation manipulation via breathing, Exceptional strength, Nimbleness, Honed tactical wits, Perceptiveness, Adaptability and Improvisation. Hobbies: Eating, Watching sumo, and Watching kabuki and noh plays. Family: Shinjuro Rengoku (father), Ruka Rengoku † (mother), Senjuro Rengoku (younger brother),Tojuro Rengoku (distant great-nephew/indirect descendant) and 21st Flame Hashira (ancestor). Friends/allies: Kagaya Ubuyashiki † (master), Hashiras, Mitsuri Kanroji † (ex-intern/little sister figure), Giyu Tomioka, Gyomei Himejima †, Muichiro Tokito †, Obanai Iguro †, Sanemi Shinazugawa, Shinobu Kocho †, Tengen Uzui, Tanjiro Kamado, Nezuko Kamado, Zenitsu Agatsuma and Inosuke Hashibira. ennemies: Demons, Muzan Kibutsuji †, Twelve Kizuki, Akaza † (killer), Enmu †, Hairo † (victim), Flute Demon †.