Demon Slayer Author Gotouge Reveals Why Tanjiro Never Became a Hashira

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This article contains spoilers for the Demon Slayer series.

2025 was a huge year for Demon Slayer, largely due to the incredibly popular movie, Infinity Castle Part 1. The film focused on the main character, Tanjiro Kamado, and showed him fighting in several challenging battles, with more action planned for Infinity Castle Parts 2 and 3. Many viewers have been impressed by Tanjiro’s power and are wondering why he hasn’t been given the rank of Hashira, as he appears to be strong enough to join their ranks.

Although Tanjiro becomes as strong as a Hashira by the series’ end, he doesn’t officially achieve the rank because the story wraps up too quickly. With Muzan defeated, the Demon Slayers, including the Hashira, no longer have a purpose.

Tanjiro Never Became A Hashira In Demon Slayer

  • Tanjiro is a Hashira-Level Slayer
  • Tanjiro Never Fulfilled the Criteria to Become a Hashira

The Hashira are the most powerful members of the Demon Slayer Corps, holding the highest rank. They are significantly stronger than other demon slayers and represent the Corps’ most effective fighting force against demons.

The first group of Hashira in Demon Slayer included Gyomei, Shinobu, Mitsuri, Sanemi, Giyu, Muichiro, Tengen, Obanai, and Rengoku. Later in the story, Rengoku passed away and Tengen retired. Surprisingly, no new Hashira were appointed to replace them. Many fans found this strange, especially since Tanjiro had demonstrated skills comparable to those of a Hashira and could have been a potential candidate for the position.

Although Tanjiro demonstrated strength comparable to, and sometimes exceeding, that of the Hashira, he didn’t fulfill all the requirements to officially join their ranks.

The Three Ways To Become a Hashira

  • Be a Tsuguko
  • Kill 50 Demons As A Kinoe
  • Singlehandedly Kill A Twelve Kizuki

Becoming a Hashira in Demon Slayer isn’t easy, and surprisingly, Tanjiro never achieved the rank. One of the clearest paths is to be chosen as a Hashira’s direct student, known as a Tsuguko. For example, Shinobu had several Tsugukos, including Kanao, who had the potential to become a Hashira if the battle hadn’t ended when it did.

Besides inheriting the title, you can also become a Hashira by defeating 50 demons while ranked as a Kinoe Demon Slayer. We don’t know exactly how many demons Tanjiro has killed, but it’s irrelevant because his current highest rank is Hinoe.

The last path to becoming a Hashira is to defeat one of the Twelve Kizuki all by yourself. Although Tanjiro has helped a lot in fights against them, he hasn’t yet managed to defeat one on his own.

It’s worth mentioning that the Demon Slayer story is relatively brief. While Tanjiro had the potential to become a Hashira, the final battle with Muzan concluded quickly, and the Demon Slayer Corps – including the Hashira – were no longer needed.

I’ve been following Demon Slayer, and the first part of the Infinity Castle arc is currently playing in theaters. If you can’t wait for the theatrical release, you can read the manga on Manga Plus. As for the anime, there are currently four full seasons available to stream on Crunchyroll. From now on, the rest of the story will be released as movies, so fans will need to catch those in theaters when they come out, depending on where they live.

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2025-11-05 01:34