Kyojuro

Kyojuro was Mitsuri's mentor, and the two were very close, with Mitsuri even thinking of him as an older brother. While training under him, Kyojuro was notably strict with her training but still showed patience and at times doted on her. The two of them share a gluttonous side and enjoyed snacking on their breaks. Mitsuri derived her own unique Breathing Style, Love Breathing, from his Flame Breathing. She holds extreme gratitude towards Kyojuro for his guidance and kindness. Kyojuro was respected and well liked amongst all of the Hashira because of his constant positive attitude and passionate spirit. Tengen especially had high praise for Kyojuro, considering him a truly talented Demon Slayer unlike himself. Even Giyu, Iguro, Muichiro and Sanemi, who are usually anti-social and unapproachable to most, considered him a good person and pleasant to be around. They all acknowledged his strength.

During their initial meeting at the Ubuyashiki Estate, Kyojuro develops a strong dislike for Tanjiro since he broke the Demon Slayer Corps rule of not protecting a Demon and such he rules in favor of killing Nezuko as well as in seeking punishment for Tanjiro. However, as the story progresses, he begins to take a liking towards Tanjiro after meeting him again on the Mugen train. The two boys develop a mutual respect for each other as fellow Demon Slayer Corps members, to the point where Kyojuro offers to make Tanjiro his Tsuguko. Tanjiro develops a strong admiration and affinity for Kyojuro, to the point where he calls him "Aniki" showing their brotherly bond.

Kyojuro is sent to investigate a series of brutal attacks plaguing a small village, believing it to be related to the incident surrounding the disappearance of forty passengers aboard the Mugen train. He meets with another Demon Slayer at a ramen shop and they discuss their next plan of action, to which he is informed the Mugen Train is being held at a maintenance facility after being put out of service. After finishing their meal, they set off to a nearby train station. They encounter a young girl, Fuku, saddened by the lack of customers buying her bento boxes as the news of the attacks is scaring everyone into staying inside after dark. Kyojuro unabashedly tells her he is looking for a demon, to which she angrily hurls her bean bun and retorts that demons don't exist. However, he is unfazed by her actions. After being calmed by her grandmother, Fuku apologizes and asks if he would like to buy some bento boxes. He happily buys them all and gives them to his companion, telling him to return to the Demon Slayer Corps. as the bentos will make great gifts. Kyojuro, carrying a crate of bento boxes, boards a train headed for maintenance, believing he will be taken to the same facility as the Mugen train. After being confronted by a train conductor and told the Mugen train's actual location, he leaps off the train and heads to the train maintenance facility. There, he sees the train and senses the faint scent of a demon, confirming a demon is responsible for the disappearances. He is met by the chief engineer, to whom Kyojuro claims he was sent to the facility to give the workers the bento boxes. As the workers eat, Kyojuro is told the train is being repaired and will be put back into service again, unnerving him. Suddenly, a scream is heard, forcing Kyojuro to confront the situation. A marked demon appears, responsible for the attacks reported, clutching a young worker in his claws and causing him to bleed heavily.

Kyojuro is present with his fellow Hashira when Tanjiro Kamado awakens.[1] Shinobu Kocho notes that Tanjiro is on trial, for which Kyojuro sees no need for as he was protecting a demon, which is a clear violation of conduct; he states that it was a matter they could deal with themselves. He then agrees with Gyomei Himejima's idea to kill Nezuko Kamado, witnessing shortly afterward Tanjiro's coughing fit, and remains silent when his former student, now Love Hashira, Mitsuri Kanroji asks if they should be dealing with their subordinate's trial without Kagaya Ubuyashiki's input. After Tanjiro headbutts Sanemi Shinazugawa, Kyojuro looks at Mitsuri when she laughs with a neutral expression.

Kyojuro was the eldest son of Shinjuro Rengoku. His father was known as the Flame Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps until his unexpected retirement. Kyojuro also had a younger brother who trained alongside him until their father ceased to teach them. His mother, Ruka Rengoku, passed away after battling an untreatable disease some time after giving birth to Senjuro. His father on the other hand became negligent and abusive, due a mixture of grief from his wife's death and disillusionment after discovering the existence of Hinokami Kagura, and it's superiority to all other breathing styles. Kyojuro was still close to his brother and helped encourage his pursuit in swordsmanship, even when his brother lacked the talent to do so.

During his tenure as a Demon Slayer, he trained a young, abnormally strong girl. Although the two were very fond of each other, she couldn't master Flame Breathing, instead opting to use a style derived from it, known as Love Breathing. He also encountered a demon who was part of the Twelve Kizuki, Lower Rank Two: Hairo. The demon mistook him for his father, whom he held a grudge against, but Kyojuro, with the aid of his protégée, defeated the demon. For this achievement, he was promoted to being the Flame Hashira, like his father before him, although he reacted with nihilistic apathy.

He also possesses great knowledge in the use of the Total Concentration Breathing (全ぜん集しゅう中ちゅうの呼こ吸きゅう, Zen Shūchū no Kokyū?), knowing how to plug minor wounds and hemorrhaging and saved Tanjiro from dying of blood loss.[15] 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.

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.[8] Even when the Upper Rank overwhelmed him with powerful attacks, giving Kyojuro insidious wounds, he remained steadfast and resolute.[9] 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.[10] 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.[11] 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.[12]

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.[5] 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.[13] 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.[14

As another testament to his abilities, Akaza, the Upper Rank Three and one of the strongest known demons, acknowledged and praised Kyojuro's strength.[6] 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.[7] Akaza also complimented his fighting spirit, stating that it was getting close to the "Realm of the Highest". 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.[8] Even when the Upper Rank overwhelmed him with powerful attacks, giving Kyojuro insidious wounds, he remained steadfast and resolute.[9] 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.[10] 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.[11] 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.[12]

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.[5] 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

As a Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, Kyojuro was a very powerful and skilled combatant.[4] 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.[6] 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.[7] Akaza also complimented his fighting spirit, stating that it was getting close to the "Realm of the Highest".

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 that he wanted to kill beforehand, after seeing her risk her life to fight and protect others. Though he was extremely optimistic, Kyojuro did sometimes have a sense of foreboding that those he believed in might die, especially his friends who he cared deeply for. He, like most Demon Slayers, absolutely detested demons, usually because of their heinous deeds or because of their clashing moral values. Despite this, Kyojuro recognized and accepted Nezuko as a member of the Demon Slayer Corps after seeing her risk her life to protect the innocent, showing that Kyojuro was capable of not letting his hatred for demons cloud his judgement.

Kyojuro was greatly enthusiastic in regard to his duties as a Hashira, and often came across as cheerfully eccentric. He was amiable, pure of heart, and boasted extraordinary technique and swordsmanship stemming from strict practice and discipline. He was an honorable warrior who adhered to his code of morals and principles that was instilled into him by his mother at a young age; the most significant being his belief that those who were born strong have a duty to protect the weak.

Kyojuro 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 believed that if someone lacks immense skill, their hard work towards their dreams and desire to help people doesn't count for nothing.

Kyojuro was a young man of tall stature and lean-muscular build, with fair skin. He had long, somewhat messy, bright yellow hair that flares out around his face, with red streaks akin to flames along with two shoulder-length bangs, two chin-length bangs on the side of his head, and wears a messily ponytail behind his head. He had black forked eyebrows, and golden eyes that turns to red around the irises with white pupils. He was known to be charismatic and had an air of great optimism, having an enthusiastic smile plastered on his face nearly all the time.

Kyojuro wore the standard Demon Slayer Corps uniform, which is black in the manga and tinted a deep brown in the anime. It consisted of a brown button-up jacket with a stand-up collar and long sleeves, featuring gold buttons and a shirt pocket on the left breast, with the kanji for Destroy (滅めつ, Metsu?) engraved on the back of the uniform. Beneath the jacket, he wore a white long-sleeved collared undershirt. His uniform was fastened with a white belt at the waist and included traditional tattsuke-hakama pants of matching color. Over this, Kyojuro wore a striking haori draped on his shoulders like a cape, with a white-to-yellow gradient pattern and red flame-like ridges at the end. This haori originally belonged to his father, Shinjuro Rengoku, and was more than likely worn by him when he served as the Flame Hashira before Kyojuro inherited the role. For legwear, he wore a pair of red kyahan decorated with yellow flame motifs rising from the bottom up, brown tabi socks, and a pair of white zōri sandals with red straps.

When he first joined the Demon Slayer Corps, he only wore the regular Demon Slayer uniform but as he rose up the ranks, Kyojuro started wearing a completely white haori identical to Mitsuri's before donning on his signature flame-patterned one come his ascension to Hashira.

Kyojuro Rengoku (煉れん獄ごく 杏きょう寿じゅ郎ろう, Rengoku Kyōjurō?) was a major supporting character of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba and a major character in the Mugen Train Arc. He was a Demon Slayer of the Demon Slayer Corps and the Flame Hashira (炎えん柱ばしら, En Bashira?) of the Taisho era.

The narration is in the third person, it is expressive, aligned with the character, and it is a detailed narration.