Chapter 45

Trial by Hashira is the forty-fifth chapter of Koyoharu Gotōge's Kimetsu no Yaiba.

Summary
The chapter begins with Tanjiro waking up confused on the ground before the PIllars. Shinobu is the first to speak, and informs Tanjiro that he has arrived at the Demon Slayer Headquarters and is being put on trial.

The scene cuts to inform the viewer with more background information regarding the Pillars. They consist of nine members of the highest ranked swordsmen within the Demon Slayer Corps and have mastered different forms of breathing techniques that general demon hunters have not.

The scene returns back to the main storyline introducing each pillar and their perspectives of the trial. The Flame Pillar is introduced to be a ambitious boy by the name of Rengoku Kyojuro, who comments that a trial would not be necessary and that since Tanjiro violated the conduct, the only option would be to decapitate Nezuko. The next swordsman introduced is the Sound Pillar, a tall muscular man with a unique accent around his eye, who goes by the name Uzui Tengen.

Characters in Order of Appearance

 * Kamado Tanjiro
 * Uzui Tengen
 * Kanroji Mitsuri
 * Kyojuro Rengoku
 * Muichirou Tokitou
 * Himejima Gyoumei
 * Kocho Shinobu
 * Shinazugawa Sanemi
 * Giyu Tomioka
 * Obanai Iguro
 * Kamado Nezuko
 * Kagaya Ubuyashiki