Sabito

Did you come here to train? He was sitting on a rock and looking at you.

Sakonji eventually takes on a new student named Tanjiro, and, after one and a half years of training, Tanjiro is still unable to pass Sakonji's final test: splitting a boulder using his sword. Sabito sits atop the boulder, appearing before Tanjiro as he laments over his lack of progress, and tells him that a man should grieve in silence. He attacks Tanjiro and easily kicks him aside after a short clash of their weapons, saying that Tanjiro is slow, weak, and immature and telling him these are not the qualities of a true man. Tanjiro asks Sabito what he's doing, and the latter responds with the same question, continuing to ask how long Tanjiro plans remain on the ground. After he gets up, Sabito asks him to come and fight, but Tanjiro expresses concern over using a real katana against Sabito's wooden sword. Amused by the fact that Tanjiro thinks he can really harm him at his current skill level, Sabito laughs before rushing at his opponent. Sabito's wooden blade pressures Tanjiro just like a real one would. The masked boy claims he's the stronger of the two and denies the idea that he might get hurt, also revealing that he already sliced the boulder before. Sabito leaps through the trees, using his extreme agility to throw Tanjiro off before striking him down. Sabito tells Tanjiro that he hasn't mastered a single form of Total Concentration Breathing, claiming that Tanjiro has only memorized the practices and needs to slam those lessons into his flesh instead if he really wants to learn them. He pressures Tanjiro with a flurry of slashes and demands that he never forget the secrets he learned from Sakonji. Tanjiro claims he's working hard but can't make any more progress, and Sabito tells him to act like a man and go further to surpass his limits. He wants to see what Tanjiro is capable of in this fight and defeats him shortly after using a powerful uppercut swing. Sabito then entrusts the remainder of Tanjiro's training to Makomo.