Kyojuro Rengoku vs Hairo was a battle that took place in a city within Tokyo, Japan. It focuses on the battle between Kinoe-ranked Demon Slayer Kyojuro Rengoku against Lower Rank Two Hairo.
Prologue[]
Hairo, Lower Rank Two of the Twelve Kizuki, is haunted by a traumatic encounter with the Flame Hashira, Shinjuro Rengoku. Consumed and driven mad with revenge, Hairo launches a plan to attack the city of Tokyo, an area in the jurisdiction of the Flame Hashira, in the hopes of getting his tormenter's attention and a chance to finally rid his life of his source of pain.
After Shinjuro refuses to perform his duties as Hashira, Kinoe-ranked Kyojuro Rengoku offers to take his place. During the Hashira meeting he is supposed to attend, despite the doubts of the Hashiras present, including Tengen Uzui and Sanemi Shinazugawa, Demon Slayer Corps leader Kagaya Ubuyashiki expresses his faith in the young man, acknowledging that he knows the process of becoming a Hashira. Assigning him to a mission in Tokyo, due to reports that a demon, potentially one of the Twelve Kizuki, is lurking within the city, Kagaya tells Kyojuro to prove his worth and become the Flame Hashira.
Partnered with newly officiated Corps member Mitsuri Kanroji and a squadron of more Demon Slayers, Kyojuro sets off to Tokyo to find the demon. He orders them to split up, assigning the squad to investigate one half of the city, while he and Mitsuri survey the other.
Battle[]
Kyojuro uses First Form: Unknowing Fire against Hairo.
While scouring Tokyo for a potential demonic presence, a timed bomb explodes within a building very close to Kyojuro and Mitsuri's position. A second explosion follows near the squadron of Demon Slayers. Suddenly, Mitsuri narrow misses getting shot from a rifle as she attempts to run and help, the rifle being in the hands of Hairo. Hairo spots who he believes is the Flame Hashira and attempts to shoot him, but finds he has suddenly vanished in the moment. Kyojuro appears before the demon and uses Flame Breathing, First Form: Unknowing Fire to slash at him.
Hairo addresses the young man as Rengoku and tells him he will have his revenge. Kyojuro recognizes the kanji in Hairo's eye as the mark of Lower Rank Two, realizing that by killing him, he will become the Flame Hashira. He denounces the demon's attack against innocent lives as unforgivable, but Lower Two instead tells Kyojuro he had never forgotten him, preparing to exact vengeance. Stunned by the threat, Kyojuro brushes aside his supposed association with him and tells the demon he does not know who he is. The angered Hairo then shoots himself in the mouth, confusing the Kinoe.
Hairo fires at Kyojuro with rifles and pistols.
Another explosion shakes the city behind the Demon Slayer, but as he turns to see the blast, Kyojuro is struck by numerous bullets from an array of rifles and pistols within Hairo, though the bullets hit his blade and miss his body. Kyojuro runs behind cover but a shadowy portal appears before his feet, and more rifles emerge to fire at him. Using Flame Breathing, Fourth Form: Blooming Flame Undulation, he destroys the weapons and attacks Hairo directly. Hairo fires a rifle at Kyojuro but only grazes his cheek as he slashes into his neck. To his shock, the katana does not cut through, trapped within Hairo's shadowy aura, prompting Hairo to taunt Kyojuro for his short-sightedness. Lit sticks of dynamite then manifest from the demon and explode around them.
Mitsuri watches the explosion from below, but as she rushes to Kyojuro's aid, Hairo appears behind her and pins her to the ground. Holding her at gunpoint, he threatens to torture her to torment Kyojuro mentally, only for Kyojuro to suddenly appear, using Flame Breathing, Fifth Form: Flame Tiger to attack the demon and save Mitsuri; the attack cuts into Hairo's neck. Seeing the demon's unusual fixation on him, Kyojuro promises to defeat him, prompting Hairo to laugh and remark that his neck is nearly uncuttable. Hearing this, the Kinoe proudly declares that he will defeat him and become the Flame Hashira, as his family has done for generations.
Hairo uses Capture Cavity, Shadow Wolves.
Preparing to fight the Demon Slayer, Hairo uses Blood Demon Art: Capture Cavity, Shadow Wolves; dark wolf-like shadows armed with rifles in their mouths manifest and attack Kyojuro. He uses Fourth Form: Blooming Flame Undulation and destroys the shadowy wolves, but Hairo throws Molotov cocktails into the air to douse Kyojuro in fire, all while remembering his past encounter with the Flame Hashira. Angered by the painful memories, Hairo shoots himself in the mouth again; Kyojuro sees the moment as his chance to attack but is shot numerous times by the demon's Gatling gun, as he hears the demon loudly proclaiming he will have his revenge.
Despite numerous severe wounds, Kyojuro continues to stand up.
In severe pain, Kyojuro hunches down, recalling a memory when his brother Senjuro had asked him about his father after their mother had died. Kyojuro, who was instilled his drive to use his strength to protect the weak by his mother, promises to fulfill his promise to her; he stands up and attacks Hairo head-on, determined to become the new Flame Hashira. Summoning more guns within his body, Hairo shoots Kyojuro away but notices he does not hear any more explosions, nor does he feel the presence of his wolves. To his surprise, Kyojuro slashes through his rifles and cuts into his neck. He shoots him with another volley of bullets but the Kinoe continues to stand up and begins to walk towards him.
Hairo is angered and confused at how a mere human with only a sword can endure so many of his powerful attacks, questioning if he is actually facing the Flame Hashira who tortured him. He aims his revolver at Kyojuro but the gun is empty, his ammunition reserves having been depleted by the Demon Slayer. Kyojuro taunts him and asks if he is finished, causing Hairo to yell out in anger and push the gun to his own head, throwing it down when it does not fire. He claims he is not done yet and tries to find a way to deny Kyojuro of something, angered by his persistence. His Blood Demon Art then manifests a katana, causing the demon to relive painful memories of experiencing the inferiority of swordsmanship against the use of firearms.
Blood Demon Art: Capture Cavity, Warwolf of Horror.
Kyojuro lunges at the demon but is knocked back as a powerful blast erupts from in front of him. Hairo uses Blood Demon Art: Capture Cavity, Warwolf of Horror and has manifested into a dark tenebrous wolfman, cloaking himself in his shadows. Kyojuro sees this and realizes that Hairo is now more dangerous than ever, as even getting close to him will result in being cut down. Hairo gives the Demon Slayer his name and asks that he give him the honor of killing him with a sword.
Kyojuro answers his challenge, while determining that with stronger shadows than even the wolves of before, his blade will be trapped in the demon the moment he touches him, and he would have to surpass the demon's swordsmanship with his own to succeed. The Kinoe and the Lower Rank lunge at each other and clash blades, causing a powerful blast to explode from their weapons. Hairo tells Kyojuro his efforts are futile as his sword will never overcome his Blood Demon Art, but to the demon's shock, Kyojuro's katana begins to burn away the shadows.
Kyojuro uses Flame Breathing, Ninth Form: Rengoku, defeating Hairo.
As he persists, the shadows continue to be destroyed by his Flame Breathing, culminating in Kyojuro using the Breathing Style's last and most powerful form, an attack that the user pours their entire body and soul into, allowing him to burn anything. With his final attack, Flame Breathing, Ninth Form: Rengoku, Kyojuro overcomes Hairo's Blood Demon Art and slashes through the demon's neck. As the Lower Rank begins to disintegrate to ash, his final words are a compliment to Kyojuro's swordsmanship.
Aftermath[]
As the last of Hairo's remains fade, Kyojuro attempts to stand despite his extreme fatigue, and is determined to disarm the bombs around Tokyo. Suddenly, Mitsuri appears and hugs him, welling up with tears as she commends him for defeating a member of the Twelve Kizuki, allowing him to become the new Flame Hashira. The squadron of Demon Slayers soon appear around them, though their attempts to pull Mitsuri away from the wounded Kyojuro fails. His mind and thinking hazy, Kyojuro looks to the sky.
Kyojuro returns home with Mitsuri and is embraced by Senjuro, who is ecstatic to learn that Kyojuro has officially succeeded their father. At a later Hashira meeting, Kagaya calls Kyojuro a remarkable child and asks if he would continue to do his duties as the new Flame Hashira. Kyojuro answers with a proud, "Yes!".