Koyoharu Gotouge’s Weekly Shonen Jump hit manga, Demon Slayer, released its anime adaptation in 2019, which immediately became a massive hit thanks to Ufotable’s incredible animation. The first episode sets up the premise of the story with the tragedy of the Kamado family as well as Nezuko’s unfortunate fate. Just when Tanjiro was at the end of his rope, he met Giyu Tomioka, who initially intended to kill Nezuko but ended up helping the siblings. Giyu is the one who set Tanjiro on the path to becoming a Demon Slayer, so his importance in the story is unparalleled.
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We learn later in the first season that not only were Giyu’s actions against the rules of the Demon Slayer Corps, but he did something that no other slayer, especially a Hashira, would have done. This revelation sheds more light on Giyu’s personality, and while the major reason behind his actions was that he felt the siblings were special, he had one more goal in mind. Although the subbed version already revealed Giyu’s intentions in the second episode, the English dub changed this crucial scene into something else. As a result, dub watchers learned about Giyu’s true goal in the Hashira Training Arc, which was released in 2024, about five years after the anime’s debut.
Giyu Wanted Tanjiro to Succeed Urokodaki Since the Second Episode
After sending Tanjiro to his master, Sakonji Urokodaki, the former Water Hashira, Giyu sent a letter sharing his experience with the siblings. He told Urokodaki that his gut told him there was something different about those two, and no doubt, Urokodaki picked up on that as well. However, in the subbed version, Giyu specifically says that he thinks Tanjiro can become Urokodaki’s heir apparent. Meanwhile, in the dubbed version, he only says that Tanjiro will be able to “break through,” which doesn’t really explain much.
Giyu must have thought about it the moment he discovered Tanjiro’s potential and his fearlessness to charge straight at him despite being unarmed. Not only that, but he also couldn’t ignore the fact that Tanjiro and Urokodaki both have a heightened sense of smell. He took everything into consideration and decided that Tanjiro was the best candidate to become a Water Hashira. It’s also worth noting that the term Hashira was revealed much later in the first season and that Giyu was one of them.
So, his statement about Tanjiro being a candidate for Urokodaki’s heir was more important at the time, but it was excluded from the dubbed version. The series left this topic for several years until the Hashira Training Arc began, and Giyu revealed that Tanjiro was supposed to be the Water Hashira. He even said that there was no Water Hashira at the moment, despite being one. Giyu pinned all his hopes on Tanjiro succeeding Urokodaki, so he was visibly upset and angry at the boy.
Giyu Was Already a Worthy Water Hashira, But He Realized It Much Later
Despite being introduced in the first episode, Giyu remained more or less a mysterious character until the Hashira Training Arc. We learn everything we need to know about him, including his heartbreaking past and the burden of guilt he has been carrying all these years. His path to becoming a Hashira wasn’t easy, but he pushed through regardless of everything he had been through. Giyu always believed that since he passed out during the Final Selection and was saved by Sabito, he had no place in the Corps.
Despite being trained by a former Hashira, one cannot gain the highest rank in the Corps without skill. The requirement is to kill one of the Twelve Kizuki or slay at least 50 demons. We see in the Mount Natagumo Arc that Giyu has no trouble slaying the lower ranks—it’s too easy for him. Even so, he climbed to the rank of Hashira without ever considering himself one. Not to mention that Giyu was always on the lookout for someone to replace him. Even in the Corps, he was an outcast, believing he had no place among the other Hashira and was unworthy of standing with them.
Despite his guilt, he was an incredible Slayer who put all his energy into training to become stronger. The Water Hashira had existed since the time the Breathing Techniques were created. It always had ten forms, and yet he created an 11th one in just a few years. Additionally, his skills were honed to perfection, so much so that he awakened his Mark during his fight with Akaza, the Upper Rank Three. Even though he already had more than enough skill to be one, he realized his true strength much later on—and it was mostly thanks to Tanjiro.
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