Demon Slayer: It's Time the Series Gave Its Former Hashira a Spin-Off
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba has finished its run (at least in manga form), but there's so much room for the series to be expanded into an entire universe of stories. One premise that a lot of Demon Slayer fans want to see is a spinoff series that is centered around some of the former Hashira that appear as supporting characters in the series: former Flame Hashira Shinjuro Rengoku, former Water Hashira Sakonji Urokodaki, and former Thunder Hashira Jigoro Kuwajima.
If you need a quick refresher: Shinjuro Rengoku was the father of Kyojuro Rengoku, the modern Flame Hashira who died in battle alongside Tanjiro Kamado during the climax of the Mugen Train Arc. The elder version of Shinjuro we met was a broken, drunken mess; however, his backstory has already been teased to include the Shakespearian tragedy of falling in love with a wife who eventually dies, breaking Shinjuro's heart, and the slow decline of his mind and will as he drinks himself into ruin. Seeing Shinjuro happy and heroic in his prime as a Demon Slayer would be an interesting new look at the character.
Sakonji Urokodaki was the first Demon Slayer sensei that Tanjiro ever had. Sakonji is the main master of the Water Breathing technique, having trained most of the modern Demon Slayers in the technique (Giyu Tomioka, Tanjiro, Sabito, Makomo). Sakonji is one of the most mysterious characters in Demon Slayer: never once in the series does he ever reveal his face, always showing up in his signature red tengu mask. Sakonji's history has wide-open gaps to fill when it comes to when and how he mastered Water Breathing and became a Hashira – all we know is that he eventually captures the Hand Demon that the Demon Slayers use for their Final Selection test. It would be great to see who is under that mask; just how much of a hero he truly was; and why he chose to eventually hide his face and stick to teaching.
Jigoro Kuwajima's story is one steeped in both tragedy and mystery. We know he was the former Thunder Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, who eventually retired to become a teacher of the Thunder Breathing style. While his time as a Hashira is largely a mystery, Jigoro's fate of having one of his two apprentices surrender to becoming a demon (Kaigaku) led him to commit ritualistic suicide in disgrace. It would be good to see the foundation honor and service that made Jigoro's resolve so serious he ended his life over it.
Of course, the deeper joy of a spinoff series about these three characters wouldn't just be their individual backstories and characterizations: it would be seeing them interact as a group with other Hashira of their time. One of the best parts of Demon Slayer is seeing Tanjiro fighting alongside his friends Inosuke and Zenitsu, seeing how these solitary and lonely old men used to be part of a lively group would be both heartwarming, and heartbreaking.
What kind of Demon Slayer spinoff would you like to see?