Giyu Tomioka

Giyu Tomioka is a major supporting character of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. He is a Demon Slayer of the Demon Slayer Corps and the current Water Hashira.

Appearance
Giyu is a tall young man of a muscular stature and pale complexion, who is almost always seen wearing an unimpressed or emotionless expression. He has unruly black hair of uneven lengths that sticks up in tufts around his head, which he wears tied back in a low messy ponytail at the base of his neck. His bangs fall over his eyes in an uneven fringe. His eyes are sharp and moderately large, their irises a deep sapphire that fades to a lighter blue and their pupils a bluish-black, and are framed by thin eyebrows.

Giyu wears a dark cyan-tinted version of the standard Demon Slayer uniform with buttoned white leg-wrapped Kyahan and a pair of white zōri with dark blue straps, the socks underneath the same cyan color as his uniform. Over this, Giyu wears a haori that's split down the middle into two different patterns: the right one a solid red, and the left one geometrically patterned with squares of green, orange, and yellow. These haoris were later noted to have belonged to his late older sister, Tsutako Tomioka, and his deceased friend Sabito.

During his battle with Muzan Kibutsuji, he loses his right arm. After the fight, Giyu cuts his hair down to shoulder length, now wearing it loose rather than tied into a ponytail.

Personality
Giyu always wears a serious expression on his face. He has a reserved personality and a strong sense of justice with no tolerance towards those who don't know their own limitations and throw away their lives. Despite letting Nezuko Kamado live due to Tanjiro Kamado's persistence, he shows zero hesitation when killing other Demons and has no respect towards them like most Demon Slayers. Even so, Giyu violated the Demon Slayer Corps' code of conduct when he protected Nezuko during Shinobu's attempt to kill her. This implies that he doesn't completely despise Demons as some other Hashira do, and is willing to make an exception for a Demon by letting them live if they don't kill and eat humans. This shows that he is more pragmatic in dealing with Demons rather than out of hatred for Demons like some other Hashira do.

Giyu appears to have a complex with what others think of him and is shocked when Shinobu Kocho claims he is hated by many. Besides that however, he doesn't seem to be hurt by Shinobu's other pokes, even ignoring her. Despite that, they are in fact decent friends with a good amount of history together.

He is a man of very few words and has trouble interacting with others, so he usually keeps himself at a distance. He even goes out of his way to tell Akaza that he hates talking, and wants to keep his name to himself, as he thinks names are not meant to be shared, especially to Demons.

It is revealed later on that Giyu suffers from an inferiority complex which he developed since his participation in the Final Selection. It gets severe to the point where he contemplates abandoning his position as the Water Hashira until Tanjiro helps him realize that instead of acting on his survivor's guilt, he should cherish his life and live on for the people who sacrificed their lives for him. This feeling of survivor's guilt strikes again when he believes Tanjiro has died after the fight against Muzan. Giyu, while he sheds tears, admits how he is always the one who is saved.

Despite his aloof and stoic nature, Giyu is shown to be protective and caring towards those he is close to and considers his friends. This is first shown when he puts his life on the line for Tanjiro and Nezuko by vowing to commit seppuku if the latter were ever to eat a human. Giyu has been shown to lose his composure and usual stoic demeanor when those he cares about are in danger, as seen when he is greatly angered by Akaza's attempt to kill Tanjiro and visibly shocked when he hears the news of Shinobu's death. This is further shown in the fact that he still wears half of Sabito, his late best friend's, and his older sister's haori as a memento of them. However, Giyu appears to be particular in who he shows emotions for, as he doesn't appear to react at all when informed of the passing of Genya Shinazugawa, Muichiro Tokito and Kyojuro Rengoku.

However, Giyu will not let his personal relationships get in the way of his duty. When Tanjiro begins his assault as a demon, Giyu is the first to announce that they need to take him down, despite his brotherly-type relationship with Tanjiro. Following this whole conflict, its clear that Giyu has been able to embrace his happier side, shown by his smiles towards the Kamado siblings and even Sanemi, which shows how much their combative relationship has slowly developed into one of mutual respect.

Abilities
Overall Abilities: As a Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, Giyu is a very powerful swordsman. He is able to easily defeat the Father Spider Demon in his transformed state and Rui, Lower Rank Five. During his fight against Akaza, Upper Rank Three, he was able to hold on his own for some time and like Kyojuro, Akaza is amazed by Giyu's skills to the point that he offers to transform the Hashira into Demon, something Akaza only asks of the most worthy of his opponents. Akaza states that he has not fought a Water Hashira as skilled as Giyu in fifty years.

Demon Slayer Mark: During his battle against Akaza, Giyu awakens his Demon Slayer Mark, appearing as a fluid-water like design on his left cheek, complementing his breathing style, Water Breathing. When activated, he gains a tremendous increase in speed, precision, and endurance to the point where he could engage in a long battle against the Upper Rank on even ground.
 * Bright Red Nichirin Blade: During the fight against Muzan, Sanemi forcefully clashes his sword together with Giyu's turning both of their blades temporarily red, which grants them the ability to hamper the enhanced regeneration of Demons.

Enhanced Strength: As a Hashira, Giyu has honed his physical strength to nigh-superhuman levels. Even since the first encounter, he has displayed impressive feats, such as holding down a berserk Demon Nezuko Kamado with one hand effortlessly, and later, knocking her unconscious in one strike. In his Gaiden, he could break extremely strong ropes tied around his wrists when he was arrested for allegedly committing a crime without effort when talking to Shinobu Kocho. In the Infinity Castle Arc, he pulled Tanjiro Kamado as he was falling with one hand.

Immense Speed & Reflexes: Giyu is very fast, being able to tie up Inosuke Hashibira before he even realized what happened. He was also able to cut off Rui's head in the blink of an eye. When he awakened his mark, he could move so fast that even Upper Rank Three, Akaza had trouble keeping up.

Immense Stamina & Endurance: Due to extremely harsh training, Giyu has attained incredible stamina and endurance, mostly displayed in combat. In his battle against Akaza, he managed to continue fighting and remain determined even after sustaining dozens of powerful blows all round his body, severely weakening him, a feat which pleasantly surprised Akaza. In the Sunrise Countdown Arc, although Giyu lasted almost an hour fighting the Demon King, Muzan Kibutsuji, he was only able to assist other Hashira as his hand was already cut off.

Indomitable Will: Giyu has displayed an undaunted will and spirit, never giving up even in the face of Upper Rank Three, Akaza and later on the Demon King, Muzan Kibutsuji, despite being severely injured. Even when losing his arm, he still remained steadfast and managed to play an important role in defeating Muzan.

Fighting Style
Master Swordsman: Being a Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, Giyu is one of the most powerful and skilled swordsmen in the entire organization. Akaza, the Upper Rank Three, states that Giyu possesses finely developed swordsmanship.

Swordsmanship
Water Breathing (の): Taught to him by the Water Hashira before him, Sakonji Urokodaki, Giyu has completely mastered this breathing style, becoming arguably the most powerful and skilled user of this breathing style, to the point it even impressed Upper Rank 3, Akaza. Furthermore, Giyu created an entirely new form he named Eleventh Form: Dead Calm.


 * First Form: Water Surface Slash (ノ り) - The user generates enough momentum to create a powerful single concentrated slash.


 * Second Form: Water Wheel (ノ) - The user leaps and vertically spins forward in the air while releasing a flowing attack in a circular motion.


 * Third Form: Flowing Dance (ノ い) - The user swings and bends their blade in a winding motion along with their body and dances in a flowing pattern, slicing everything in its path.


 * Fourth Form: Striking Tide (ノ ち) - The user makes multiple consecutive slashes while twisting their body and sword in a flowing fashion to deliver multiple blows simultaneously.


 * Fifth Form: Blessed Rain After the Drought (ノ の) - The user changes the grip on their sword and decapitates the opponent in a single flowing strike that causes little to no pain. It is a “sword strike of kindness” used when the enemy willingly surrenders.


 * Sixth Form: Whirlpool (ノ ねじれ) - The user fiercely twists their upper and lower body, creating a whirlpool of air that cuts anything caught in it. Its effect and efficiently is enhanced underwater, where the user can draw water around their weapon to enhance their slashes.


 * Seventh Form: Drop Ripple Thrust (ノ き) - The user performs a fast and accurate stab, capable of reducing the impact of a moving target.


 * Eighth Form: Waterfall Basin (ノ) - The user cuts the target vertically in a flowing motion which is most effective when they are falling downward.


 * Ninth Form: Splashing Water Flow (ノ) - The user changes their footwork in a way that minimizes the landing time and surface needed when landing, allowing the user to move without limits. Ideal when fighting in a place with no solid foothold.


 * Tenth Form: Constant Flux (ノ) - The user performs a continuous flowing attack which seemingly takes the form of a water dragon that increases in strength and power with each rotation due to momentum.


 * Eleventh Form: Dead Calm (ノ) - The personal creation of the current Water Hashira, Giyu Tomioka. The user ceases all body movements and enters a state of complete tranquility, deflecting, blocking and cutting any incoming attacks with imperceptible speed with his blade. However, its effectiveness is limited as fast and numerous attacks can break through.

Equipment
Standard Nichirin Katana: Like the majority of Demon Slayers, Giyu harbors a standard Nichirin Blade. His katana is in a shade of blue, complementing his breathing style, Water Breathing. His katana's hilt is hexagonal shaped with a bronze core and with an overlapping fuschia border and his scabbard is black in color. On the side of his katana, the words Destroy Demons are carved.

Trivia



 * Giyu's name contains the kanji for "heroism, loyalty and courage". His surname contains the kanji for "wealth" and "hill".
 * Giyu's favorite food is simmered salmon with daikon (Winter radish). Seeing a fresh plate made Giyu smile, a sight which impressed and also disgusted Shinobu.
 * Giyu's rankings in the popularity polls are as follows:
 * Giyu ranked 4th place in the first popularity poll with 2,190 votes.
 * Giyu ranked 2nd place in the second popularity poll with 13,281 votes.
 * Giyu is one of two characters who have their own spin off, the other being Kyojuro Rengoku. Giyu's spin off is a two-part story depicting events after Giyu's encounter with Tanjiro and Nezuko, called Giyu Tomioka: Gaiden (Part 1) and Giyu Tomioka: Gaiden (Part 2).
 * Giyu's crow is a very old crow, so it tends to make mistakes when giving messages. He is said to also make Giyu very nervous.
 * Giyu's Japanese and English voice actors both share the role of Sasori from Naruto: Shippūden.
 * Koyoharu Gotōge's initial design for Giyu was roughly the same as the official design, except it featured him with fingerless sleeves, a cloth that tied the ends of his haori around his waist, and looser hakama pants.

Quotes

 * (To himself, regarding Tanjiro Kamado) "Don't cry. Don't despair. Now's not the time for that. I know you're devastated. Your family was massacred, and your sister became a demon. I know it's painful. I know you want to scream. I get it. If only I'd gotten here a half-day sooner, your family might not have ended up dead. But there's no way to turn back time. Feel the rage. The powerful pure rage of not being able to forgive will become your unswerving drive to take action!"
 * (To himself) "She must've wanted to feast on a human right away, even if it's her own brother... Yet, she protected him instead, and she even intimidated me. I wonder... These siblings might be different from others."
 * (To Shinobu Kocho) "I'm not disliked by people."
 * (To himself, regarding Sabito and Tsutako) "Why did I forget that exchange with Sabito? It's important. I didn't want to remember because my tears would never stop. When I did remember, I was so sad I couldn't do anything. Tsutako. Sabito. I'm sorry I'm so immature."
 * (To himself, regarding Tanjiro Kamado) "Tanjiro... your techniques have improved by a lot. It would not be an overstatement to say that your ability is equal to a Hashira's. You do this well against an Upper Rank Kizuki. That snowy day all you could do was hang your head in despair. You wailed and begged for your sister's life. But now you can fight. Now you won't lose... either life... or dignity."
 * (To himself) "I really don't want to draw my sword. And I don't like to fight anyone for amusement. But now, for the first time in a long while, I'm up against a strong opponent who can overwhelm me and I realize that my senses have been sharply honed in a short time. Senses that were closed off to me have been awakened and dragged out to the place where my strong opponent stands. Now I understand how the intense struggle to survive increases in one's skills."
 * (To Akaza) "If you want to kill Tanjiro... First defeat me!!"
 * (To himself, regarding Tanjiro Kamado)"I must pass on what was entrusted to me. Never again will I let family and friends die before my eyes. I'll save him. I will save Tanjiro the same way I was saved."
 * (To Yae) "''What is it now? You know this already. That is a monster that can no longer be called a human. A Demon. Face it Yae, that is no longer your father.
 * (To Shinobu Kocho) "Even if something does happen, my heart will never waver. We are the nine strongest swordsmen in our organization. The literal 'Hashira' of the Demon Slayer Corps. That is why we will never forget who we wield our swords for and who we are protecting. There are things that must be supported. So the Hashira must act as Hashira."

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