| “ | My wounds may have healed since that day, but I cannot control my fear and anger. I cannot stand to live in fear of him! My rage will kill me! Revenge! I will have my revenge... Kyojuro Rengoku! |
” |
— Hairo to Kyojuro Rengoku in Kyojuro Rengoku's Story: Part 1
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Hairo (
Quick Answers
What was Hairo's position in the Twelve Kizuki?
Why does Hairo seek revenge against Kyojuro Rengoku?
What role does Hairo play in Kyojuro Rengoku's Story?
Appearance[]
Hairo was a relatively tall young man with an athletic build. He had very spiky black hair with two chin-length bangs. As a member of the Twelve Kizuki, he had the kanji for Lower (
He wears an Western-style light colored suit with a black buckled belt with saggy pants and black boots. Over this, he wears a black cloak similar in appearance to a cape with protruding collars. Finally he wears a white sailor hat with a wolf emblem on its front center. He was frequently seen wielding a revolver.
Gallery[]
Personality[]
Hairo brags about his knowledge of torture.
Hairo was sadistic, vengeful, and ruthless. He did not care for the numerous innocent lives in Tokyo, or that of the Demon Slayers assigned to find him, only focuses on his revenge against the Flame Hashira who tormented him. Hairo was also a skilled torturer, recalling in his holding of Mitsuri that he knew the human limits when under extreme pain and he planned to use his experience to torture her before he would kill the young Demon Slayer. Most of all, his anger towards Shinjuro Rengoku essentially controlled who he was and blinded him from seeing that the Demon Slayer facing him was not the same man from the past but his son. Such was his fear of Shinjuro that Hairo believed that his entire life was dictated by anger and fear since that day, even remarking that he might die of sheer indignation. He had a habit of shooting himself in the head or mouth to alleviate his tension and anger when faced with a stressful situation.
In his battle with Shinjuro's son Kyojuro, Hairo was initially motivated by his false belief that he was facing Shinjuro; upon realizing he was mistaken, he seemingly lost most of his rage and motivation for revenge. Additionally, despite his proficiency in using guns, Hairo seemed to despise them, as during his last confrontation with Kyojuro, the demon wielded a katana to face him after running out of ammunition. In that moment, Hairo showed pride in his swordsmanship and demanded the Demon Slayer duel him and be allowed to kill him with a blade. In his final moments, Hairo even acknowledged that Kyojuro's swordsmanship surpassed his own.
History[]
As a human, Hairo learned Bushido and developed proficient swordsmanship, but during one encounter with firearm-wielding soldiers, his faith in his skills faltered when he saw the superiority of guns in comparison to his swords. The soldiers shot at him, but Hairo survived the shooting and was transformed into a demon soon after.
Hairo tortured by Shinjuro as a lowly demon.
As a demon, Hairo once had an encounter with the Flame Hashira, at the time Shinjuro Rengoku. Despite the demon being much weaker than him, Shinjuro mercilessly slashed his hands repeatedly without killing him and ignored his pleas for mercy, due to him forgoing his duties as Hashira and being drunk at the time. Though he was spared, Shinjuro taunted him for fleeing from him despite being a demon. This single traumatic event would prove to be Hairo's primary drive to become stronger, and eventually, Hairo developed a powerful Blood Demon Art to use both his fighting styles. In addition to making him stronger, the encounter had a profound effect on the demon's mentality, always filling him with fear and rage at remembering the face of Shinjuro.
In time, Hairo became Lower Rank Two of the Twelve Kizuki.
Synopsis[]
Kyojuro Rengoku's Story Part 1 & 2[]
While holding a Demon Slayer hostage with his Blood Demon Art wolves, Hairo spoke to him of his hatred towards Shinjuro Rengoku, remembering his appearance haunting him and promising to having his revenge. As he thought of him, the memories of Shinjuro began to cloud his mind and anger him, causing Hairo to shoot himself in the head to stop the painful memories, though he thinks of him again soon after.
Hairo is attacked by Kyojuro while attempting to shoot him.
To exact revenge on the Flame Hashira, Hairo attacked Tokyo and his actions gained the attention of the Demon Slayer Corps, who sent a squadron of Demon Slayers to kill him; two of these Demon Slayers were the Kinoe Kyojuro Rengoku and the Mizunoto Mitsuri Kanroji. As he waited for them, one of the bombs he hid in a building then detonated, catching Kyojuro and Mitsuri's attention. Hairo saw the two and fired his rifle, narrowly missing the latter. He saw who he thought was Shinjuro and took aim, but was suddenly attacked when the young man use his Flame Breathing on him. As he saw who he believed was Shinjuro before him, Hairo declared he would get his revenge for tormenting him, having become a Twelve Kizuki just for the moment.
To his surprise, the Demon Slayer did not know who he was and asked if he had common sense to know humans and demons don't associate with each other. In shock, Hairo shot himself in the mouth; simultaneously, another of his bombs exploded, distracting Kyojuro just long enough for the demon to fire at him with numerous rifles and pistols. Hairo taunted him by claiming more will die because of him and fired another volley of bullets. When Kyojuro retreated behind cover, Hairo summoned more guns beneath him through his Blood Demon Art, though they were destroyed by Kyojuro's Fourth Form: Blooming Flame Undulation.
Hairo attempted to fire at the attacking Kyojuro but narrowly struck his cheek and was slashed, only for Kyojuro to discover his blade being pulled into Hairo's Blood Demon Art. As he taunted him to remain calm in battle, he summoned lit sticks of dynamite to destroy the roof they were on. The explosion was seen by Mitsuri but Hairo suddenly appeared behind her and pinned her down. Aiming his rifle at her head, he realized she was Kyojuro's subordinate. With someone close to him in his hold, Hairo prepared to torture Mitsuri to hurt Kyojuro mentally, mentioning his skill as a torturer as a human and promising to give her the maximum pain a human will ever experience. But before he could hurt Mitsuri, Hairo was attacked by Kyojuro with Fifth Form: Flame Tiger, before he ordered Mitsuri to regroup with the others and defuse the remaining bombs as he faces Hairo.
Hairo vs Kyojuro.
Hairo taunted him for his confidence and stated that his swordsmanship was futile and his neck was nigh-uncuttable. Using Blood Demon Art: Capture Cavity, Shadow Wolves, Hairo summoned numerous armed shadow-like wolves to attack Kyojuro. As Kyojuro began defeating the shadowy entities, Hairo launched lit Molotov cocktails to douse him in fire. He then recalls his encounter with the Flame Hashira, who repeatedly slashed him despite his pleas and taunted him for being a weak demon. Remembering his hair and eyes, Hairo believes the man he is facing is his tormentor, remarking the intense fear and anger he felt then still remains to this day. He shoots himself in the mouth once again, before hitting Kyojuro with numerous bullets from a Gatling gun he manifests. The two then charged towards each other.
Hairo remembers his human past.
As he continues to hit Kyojuro with his Gatling gun, Hairo realizes he cannot hear the sound of explosions and he has less wolves. Surmising he must defeat Kyojuro before the other Demon Slayers, he is then slashed in the neck by the Demon Slayer. The demon is stunned to see him still fighting despite numerous severe wounds, wondering if the man who tormented him in the past is really the man he is now facing. After failing to shoot Kyojuro, Hairo realizes he has depleted his ammunition, but when Kyojuro questions if he is finished, Hairo angrily denies this and summons a final weapon with his Blood Demon Art, a katana. Recalling his near-death experience of his inferiority against guns with swordmanship, Hairo angrily uses Blood Demon Art: Warwolf of Horror, transforming himself into a shadowy wolfman.
Hairo is defeated by Kyojuro.
He asks for confirmation of Kyojuro's name and introduces himself as Hairo, before promising to kill the Demon Slayer in the true way of a warrior: with a blade. Kyojuro accepts the duel and the two clashed blades. Despite believing his swordsmanship will be futile, Hairo is shocked to see his shadows burning away as Kyojuro continues to attack him, questioning what kind of power he possesses. Eventually, using Flame Breathing, Ninth Form: Rengoku, Kyojuro slashes through Lower Rank Two's neck to behead him. In his last moments, Hairo compliments his opponent's swordmanship before burning to ash.
Abilities[]
Overall Abilities[]
As the holder of the second highest position among the Lower Ranks of the Twelve Kizuki, Hairo is a very powerful demon. Armed with his Blood Demon Art, marksmanship, and swordsmanship skills, he is an extremely formidable foe. He was able to stand his ground against Kyojuro Rengoku, dealing great damage to the Demon Slayer and nearly killing him multiple times, despite Kyojuro being ranked as a Kinoe at the time, which is the highest non-Hashira rank of the Demon Slayer Corps. Hairo was also able to immediately subdue Mitsuri Kanroji, though she was a relatively inexperienced Demon Slayer at the time. The Lower Rank put up an extremely good fight against Kyojuro, evidently pushing the latter to his limit as he collapsed after the battle, only being defeated when the Demon Slayer unleashed his Ninth Form: Rengoku technique.
Skilled Torturer: As stated by Hairo himself, when he was human, he was extremely experienced in torturing people using a variety of methods. Hairo instinctively knew when someone was about to hit their breaking point as long as they are alive. He even has the mindset of someone who enjoys inflicting pain and suffering on others.
Demon Abilities[]
Enhanced Regeneration: As a member of the Twelve Kizuki, Hairo possesses great regenerative abilities, shown when he regrew his entire upper body in a matter of seconds after having it completely destroyed in an explosion. Hairo also took mere seconds to recovers from gunshot wounds causes by the demon shooting himself in the head or mouth to alleviate his tension and anger when faced with a stressful situation.
Physical Abilities[]
Hairo "teleporting" behind Mitsuri.
Enhanced Speed & Reflexes: Hairo possessed exceptional movement speed and reflexes, being able to keep up with a Kinoe-ranked Kyojuro, evading many of the Demon Slayer's techniques. He was also able to travel from a building far from Mitsuri to right behind her in an instant, even subduing Mitsuri before she could react.
Fighting Style[]
Expert Marksman: With the nearly infinite supply of weapons at his disposal, Hairo has displayed the ability to be extremely proficient in his plethora of firearms and ranged weapons, using them to great effect against Kyojuro Rengoku.
Expert Swordsman: After depleting his supply of firearms, Hairo switches his combat stance and uses his Bushidō sword technique. His sword skill can even match the likes of the Kinoe-ranked Kyojuro.
Blood Demon Art[]
Hairo using his Blood Demon Art against Kyojuro.
Umbrakinesis: Hairo's Blood Demon Art allows him to create and manipulate shadows with special properties and characteristics from his flesh and blood. His shadows have unique shapes and designs on them, ranging from white triangular patterns to eyes. These shadows contain a suction effect with not only absorbs damage from physical attacks, but also makes it extremely difficult to escape when in contact with them. Furthermore, the shadows also have a special property that seemingly gives even a dimensional pocket to store countless items and he can conjure these items from anywhere his shadows occupy. Hairo usually opts to shape his shadows into wolf-like creatures to increase his attack potency and striking range. Otherwise, he would turn parts of his body into his Blood Demon Art to nullify attacks and trap his enemies.
- Weapon Manipulation: Hairo's shadows contain a countless number of weapons, ranging from pistols and shotguns, to automatic and bolt-action rifles , even containing a Gatling gun. He also utilized explosives such as timed bombs, dynamite, and Molotov cocktails. His melee weapon consisted of a large katana. He can command these to fire at will, whether it be from his own body or from shadows he has sent out in the environment as traps, or even from the shadow wolves he creates. However, these guns are real and not mystical, having a significant but limited amount of ammunition. Thus if he runs out of bullets, the guns become useless.
Techniques[]
- Capture Cavity (
鹵 獲 腔 Rokaku-Kō?) These techniques involve shaping his shadows into wolf-like entities and using his countless supply of weapons to attack his targets.- Shadow Wolves (
影 狼 Kagerō?) - Hairo creates multiple shadowy wolves from his blood that emanate from his cloak, these wolves have the same vortex effect as his regular shadows and thus can absorb a plethora of physical attacks and make them exceptionally hard to kill. These wolves can also conjure guns and other weapons. - Warwolf of Horror (
戰 禍 陣 狼 Senka Jinrō?) - Hairo gathers all his shadows to him and cloaks himself in them, transforming into a large shadowy wolf standing on its hind legs, akin to a werewolf.
- Shadow Wolves (
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Equipment[]
Weapons Arsenal: Hairo possessed a wide arsenal of weapons, both melee and ranged weapons used for combat purposes found around that time period. His ranged weapons include a variety of revolvers, bolt-rifles, shotguns, and a Gatling gun. He also utilized explosives such as dynamite and Molotov cocktails to deal tremendous damage up close and destroy his surroundings. He possessed a single melee weapon, which was a heavily damaged katana.
Battles[]
Pre-Series Battles
Trivia[]
- Hairo's name contains the Kan-on'yomi reading of the kanji for both "to wear (a sword)" (
佩 hai?) and "wolf" (狼 rō?). - Hairo would usually collect Demon Slayers's Nichirin Sword tsubas as trophies for him killing them.
- Judging from his flashbacks and period of events in the story, Hairo was likely a member of the Shinsengumi, a special police force organized by the Bakufu (military government) in Ezo, "now known as Hokkaidō", during Japan's Bakumatsu period (late Tokugawa shogunate) in 1863 the very end of the Edo Period.
- Based on the visual factors of Hairo's flashbacks with him interacting with his opponents, it seems that he has participated in the Boshin War and has taken side of the Republic of Ezo. It is unknown which battle he has partook/lost in whether it was the Battle of Toba–Fushimi or the Battle of Hakodate.
Quotes[]
- (To Kyojuro Rengoku) "Heh Heh...You are pitiful! Anger is clouding your vision, Rengoku. In battle, you must remain calm!"
- (To Kyojuro Rengoku) "Defeat me? You cannot cut off my head. A sword cannot win against a firearm and your corps cannot defeat the demon."
- (To Mitsuri Kanroji) "You mustn't die so easily! I want my revenge to be painful for him! He'll watch as I torture and kill his comrades and family! I was good at the kind of thing even when I was still human. I know how to break people without killing them."
- (To Mitsuri Kanroji) "I will subject you to the limits of human suffering... in ways you could never even imagine! You are a victim of my revenge! But it's your fault for joining the Demon Slayers! How pitiful! You Corps members die such pitiful deaths... yet no one admires or even knows you!"
- (To himself, then Kyojuro Rengoku) "My wounds may have healed since that day, but I cannot control my fear and anger. I cannot stand to live in fear of him! My rage will kill me! Revenge! I will have my revenge... Kyojuro Rengoku!"
- (To himself) "Impossible! I shot him with bullets... and caught him in multiple explosions... so why won't he fall?! Why face me with nothing but a katana? He's just a pathetic human! Why is he coming at me with a mere sword? How can this human stand up against me? That guy... Is the warrior before me now... really the one I encountered that day?"
- (To Kyojuro Rengoku) "I admire... your swordsmanship."
References[]