| “ | The young children are rousing themselves to the degree of action. Like Kyojuro, I will risk my life to protect them, so I will not bring shame upon house Rengoku. |
” |
— Shinjuro's determination to atone for his past ways in Small Cogs
|
Shinjuro Rengoku (
Appearance[]
Shinjuro is a man with muscular build, fair skin, bushy black eyebrows, and bright, orange eyes that redden near his white pupils, that are slanted inwards and shaped so as to give him a furious appearance. He possessing unruly orange hair that flares out around his face, becoming redder near the ends above his ears, that he wears messily tied back behind his head. When he was younger and a more active father, Shinjuro notably cut his hair much shorter. Shinjuro strongly resembled his two sons, Kyojuro and Senjuro in terms of appearances. In fact, despite his gruffer and aged appearance, Shinjuro's resemblance to his elder son was so strong that Kyojuro was mistaken for his father on two separate occasions.
Shinjuro wears a dark grey kimono robe that fades to darker blue from the top, tied with a black obi, and wearing pair of zori. When Kyojuro informed him of his promotion to Hashira, he wore a beige kimono. In the Infinity Castle Arc, he is shown with a katana with a flame guard similar to Kyojuro's, with what appears to be a flame pattern on the sheath.
When he was the Flame Hashira, Shinjuro donned a brick-colored kimono, dark tattsuke-hakama pants, and a pair of red kyahan decorated with yellow flame motifs. He also wore the haori with flame-like ridges at the end that Kyojuro wore when he was the Flame Hashira.[4]
Personality[]
Shinjuro's unreasonably wrathful demeanor.
Shinjuro is a very short-tempered man, especially when regarding the Demon Slayer Corps and his son, Kyojuro, with the mention of either causing him to grow furious. He appears to be abusive, harshly insulting the recently deceased Kyojuro and knocking Senjuro to the ground during his fight with Tanjiro. He is also an alcoholic - his first action upon awakening after being knocked out by Tanjiro is to buy alcohol, and he is often seen drinking with sake. In fact, it's possible that the worst of Shinjuro's abuse is due to his inebriation.
Shinjuro possesses feelings of inferiority, which stemmed from reading the chronicles of the past Flame Hashira, where Sun Breathing is described as the original and most powerful breathing style. He mocked the other styles as "cheap imitations" of Sun Breathing and accused Tanjiro of coming to their residence to mock them for his superiority, after recognizing his Hanafuda earrings.
However, it is later revealed that Shinjuro truly cared for Kyojuro despite what he said to Tanjiro, and the memory of Kyojuro causes Shinjuro to begin breaking down in tears. Afterwards, Shinjuro, sober and earnest, writes to Tanjiro apologizing for his shameful actions and taking back his words. He praises his sons and Tanjiro, the latter demonstrating his exceptionally notable growth due to his prior envy and hatred of Sun Breathers.
He later defends Kiriya and the rest of the Ubuyashiki Family with Tengen Uzui, vowing to follow Kyojuro's example and not to bring shame to the Rengoku family.
History[]
Shinjuro crying over Ruka's death.
Shinjuro married Ruka and had two sons named Kyojuro and Senjuro. He would go on to train his two sons in swordsmanship. However due to his wife falling to a disease contracted after Senjuro's birth and discovering Hinokami Kagura, and its superiority to all other breathing styles, Shinjuro abruptly stopped training sons and become negligent and abusive.
After his wife's passing, Shinjuro began drinking while doing duties as a Hashira and eventually encountered Hairo. Shinjuro, in a drunken rage, proceeded to cut various parts of the demon's body without ever cutting his head whilst lamenting on why his wife had to die. Yet Hairo, a demon, managed to survive. Shinjuro saw all the things he'd done as utterly pointless and proceeded to tell Hairo that he was a coward despite being a demon, and questions him if he really wants to keep escaping like a coward until he dies.
Shinjuro saves a young Obanai.
He once saved a young woman and her daughter from being harmed by a demon, using Flame Breathing, First Form: Unknowing Fire. That woman would remember his actions once more when she and her granddaughter was saved again by Kyojuro.
Shinjuro saved a young Obanai Iguro from the Serpent Demon and reunited him with his only surviving cousin. Nonetheless, due to his cousin resentfully accusing Obanai of being responsible for their family's deaths, Shinjuro had to physically restrain her and then separate the cousins.[5]
Before retiring as the Flame Hashira, Shinjuro tore apart the Generational Flame Hashira Record of the Rengoku family due to his disillusionment towards Flame Breathing. In addition, Shinjuro became more uncooperative with the Demon Slayer Corps, even refusing to attend a Hashira meeting when summoned, telling his at the time Kinoe-ranked son to take his place. As such, Shinjuro was quietly retired and Kyojuro later succeeded him as Flame Hashira after defeating Hairo, who had then risen to Lower Rank Two of the Twelve Kizuki.
Synopsis[]
Mugen Train Arc[]
In Kyojuro's Blood Demon Art-induced dream aboard the Mugen Train, Shinjuro first appears, lying on the floor of their house and gazing out of the open doors at the garden. Kyojuro remembers that he's supposed to have just reported to him that he has become a Hashira and his father, unimpressed, says that it was pointless because neither himself nor Kyojuro can ever become great people.
Kyojuro recalls that Shinjuro wasn't always this dismissive and that he used to be a man of great skill and passion for demon slaying, but suddenly, one day, the man, who had raised himself and Senjuro Rengoku so passionately, simply gave up on the blade.[6]
Entertainment District Arc[]
Shinjuro accosts Tanjiro for appearing at his home.
Shinjuro suddenly appears from his house, yelling that what Tanjiro's come to tell them is useless and belittling and cursing Kyojuro for becoming a Demon Slayer since he always knew it would just get him killed.[7] Tanjiro and Senjuro are shocked by his words, but remain silent as the man continues to rant about how people's powers are already decided for them at birth, but Kyojuro still went and became a Demon Slayer despite the fact that he had none. At the sound of these sharp words, tears begin to form in Senjuro's eyes, but, instead of stopping and comforting his son, Shinjuro tells him to stop making that pitiful expression since the funeral is already over.
Angered by this display of cruelty, Tanjiro asks Shinjuro to stop talking to and about his sons in that way, which only causes the latter to turn his attention to him and yell at him to get off his property, and, defiantly, Tanjiro says that he is a Demon Slayer. The bottle Shinjuro is holding smashes to the ground as he considers what this could mean, and, jumping to the first conclusion that comes into his mind, he angrily asks Tanjiro if he is a Sun Breathing user. Without waiting for an answer, Shinjuro swiftly attacks Tanjiro and pins him to the ground, forcefully slapping Senjuro away when he tries to pull his father off the injured Demon Slayer.
While Shinjuro is distracted by his son, Tanjiro swiftly delivers a blow to his face, forcing him off of him, and, as Tanjiro's patience has finally worn thin, furiously asking him what the hell he's been doing, badmouthing Kyojuro, who gave up his life for the Corps, and then hitting the only son he has left. Shinjuro shouts that he knows Tanjiro is just mocking him because he's a Sun Breathing user who's just full of himself because he can use the original Breathing Style. Tanjiro shouts back that he can never get full of himself because of how badly he's just been beaten down. Running at Shinjuro, the young Demon Slayer tells him never to speak ill of Kyojuro again.[8]
Shinjuro finally cracks and mourns Kyojuro.
Senjuro tries to warn him that Shinjuro is a former Hashira, but, because he's being driven by so much anger and sorrow, Tanjiro continues to charge at him. Shinjuro hits Tanjiro's face, ignoring the yells of protest from his son, and begins to repeatedly land blows on Tanjiro's body until the young Demon Slayer hits him square in the jaw with a spiralling headbutt, causing them both to fall down on top of each other.[9]
After Tanjiro leaves, Senjuro returns to the house and finds Shinjuro drinking on the porch. Upon hearing Senjuro's voice, Shinjuro immediately lashes out and shouts for him to leave; however, before Senjuro leaves, he says Kyojuro's last message: "please take care of your body." Shinjuro then puts down his drink and breaks down in tears over Kyojuro.
Shinjuro writing to Tanjiro.
Later on, Shinjuro writes to Tanjiro in a letter. In it, he apologizes for his past behavior, explaining that since his wife's death, he had been in a spiraling decline and turned to alcoholism to cope. He states that he is a fool unlike his two sons, who are more akin to their mother than himself. He adds that Senjuro is well and thanks him for mourning Kyojuro. Additionally, he explains that Tanjiro himself must be a Sun Breathing user because those who use the style all have a mark.
Infinity Castle Arc[]
Following Kagaya Ubuyashiki's death and Upper Rank Four Nakime's summoning of the Infinity Castle, Shinjuro is seen sitting in the Butterfly Mansion alongside former Sound Hashira Tengen Uzui. He praises Kiriya Ubuyashiki's ability to command the Demon Slayer Corps even after his father's death, and silently vows to follow Kyojuro's example and risk his life for their protection and to not bring shame to the Rengoku family. When Tanjiro fights Akaza, Upper Rank Three backhandedly compliments Kyojuro by stating that he was glad that the Flame Hashira had died, causing Tanjiro to fill with rage thinking of his living father and brother.
Sunrise Countdown Arc[]
During his time guarding the Ubuyashiki children, Shinjuro and Tengen are startled by Nezuko Kamado suddenly fleeing the Butterfly Mansion. He alerts Kiriya, who tells them to let Nezuko be. Shinjuro also tends to Kiriya when he is injured by Muzan's shockwave attack, surprised about the attack reaching the Ubuyashiki children. In the aftermath of the final battle, Shinjuro timidly visits Tanjiro in Butterfly Mansion alongside Senjuro. He thanks Tanjiro for using Kyojuro's tsuba for his own sword and states that he would've been proud. He later poses for a picture with the rest of the surviving Corps members and is last seen returning home with his younger son.
Abilities[]
Overall Abilities: Due to his status as the former Flame Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, it can be assumed that Shinjuro is a very powerful swordsman. In a brief skirmish, he was able to completely overwhelm Tanjiro Kamado, a talented Demon Slayer who was pivotal in the defeat of Lower Rank 1 , Enmu, in hand-to-hand combat. He was noted by Tanjiro to not "move like an average person", hinting to his above average physical abilities as a seasoned Demon Slayer. A further testament to Shinjuro's strength is that he was able to defeat the future Lower Rank Two, Hairo, while in a drunken rage.[10]
Fighting Style[]
Breathing Style[]
Flame Breathing (
Techniques[]
Shinjuro slays a demon using First Form: Unknowing Fire
- First Form: Unknowing Fire (
壱 ノ型 不知火 Ichi no kata: Shiranui?)[11] - The user charges towards their target at high speeds and unleashes a singular slash that aims to decapitate them.
- Second Form: Rising Scorching Sun (
弐 ノ型 昇 り炎 天 Ni no kata: Nobori En Ten?)[12] - The user releases an arching sword slash upwards.
- Third Form: Blazing Universe (
参 ノ型 氣 炎 万 象 San no kata: Kien Banshō?)[13] - The user swings their blade downwards in an arc.
- Fourth Form: Blooming Flame Undulation (
肆 ノ型 盛 炎 のうねり Shi no kata: Sei En no Uneri?)[14] - The user swings their blade in a circular motion that is used to defend from incoming attacks or slash multiple targets in one swoop.
- Fifth Form: Flame Tiger (
伍 ノ型 炎 虎 Go no kata: Enko?)[15] - The user performs a series of powerful sword slashes that seemingly takes the form of a flaming tiger.
- Ninth Form: Rengoku (
玖 ノ型 煉 獄 Ku no kata: Rengoku?, lit. Ninth Form: Purgatory)[16] - The most powerful Flame Breathing technique. The user takes a high stance with their sword before dashing forward at high speeds. The technique is powerful enough to completely carve out the ground in its wake. In the movie and anime adaptation, this technique seemingly took the form of a flaming Japanese dragon that envelopes the user as they are charging towards the target.
Equipment[]
Standard Nichirin Katana: Shinjuro carried a standard sized and shaped Nichirin katana that appeared identical to his son's katana; it had with a flame-like pattern blade, along with the words Destroyer of Demons (
Gallery[]
Relationships[]
Ruka Rengoku[]
Shinjuro with his family at Senjuro's birth.
Ruka was Shinjuro's wife. Although little is shown of their married life, Shinjuro and Ruka's marriage was shown to be a very loving one as most demonstrated with the catalyst of Shinjuro's sudden depression and alcoholism, is her death. Moreover, in the Gaiden, his torture of Hairo was motivated by grief and anger that Ruka had died while a demon like Hairo lives.
Kyojuro Rengoku[]
Shinjuro originally trained Kyojuro with love and passion, although due to his grief and disillusionment, he suddenly stopped. Afterwards, Kyojuro began to heavily neglect both his sons; he did not care about his son passing Final Selection, becoming a Demon Slayer, or becoming the Flame Hashira, instead frequently insulted him while proclaiming the supposed worthlessness of them both. After Kyojuro was killed, Shinjuro still insulted him and proclaimed he had no talent. Later on, when Senjuro reveals Kyojuro's final message towards his father, Shinjuro who initially believed to be complaints against him breaks down into tears when it turned out to be a request to be well. After Shinjuro begins to turn his worldview around, he takes back his words and praises his son.
Senjuro Rengoku[]
Shinjuro similarly trained his younger son, although he had an even shorter window of time before suddenly quitting. He similarly neglected his younger son, with his Senjuro being frightened by his bursts of anger. After Kyojuro's death, Shinjuro became Senjuro's only living relative; he drunkenly scolds Senjuro for still crying after the funeral, and later strikes Senjuro across the cheek when he tries to break up a scuffle between him and Tanjiro. However, after Shinjuro learns of Kyojuro's final words and begins to sober up, he praises Senjuro. Afterwards, Shinjuro is shown to have a much healthier and loving relationship with his youngest and only surviving son.
Relatives[]
| Shinjuro |
| Ruka | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Kyojuro |
| Senjuro | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Tojuro | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
*The story does not indicate which child of Senjuro carries on the lineage nor the quantity of generations that follow prior to Tojuro.
Trivia[]
- Shinjuro's entire first name contains the Go-on'yomi reading for the kanji for "twig, yew plum pine" (
槇 shin?), "longevity" (寿 ju?) and "son, male" (郎 rō?).- Interestingly, the first kanji of Shinjuro is the traditional Kyūjitai character (
槇 ) instead of the simplified character (慎 ).
- Interestingly, the first kanji of Shinjuro is the traditional Kyūjitai character (
- It is unknown why, but Shinjuro hates animals.[17]
- In Kimetsu Academy, Shinjuro is the Kimetsu Town Sword Dojo teacher, husband of Ruka and father of Kyojuro and Senjuro. He's been getting disheartened as of late, because he's been losing pupils.[18][19]
Quotes[]
- (In response to Tanjiro Kamado) "A person's capabilities and limitations are set at birth. A rare few enter the world with talent the rest are just rabble! They're dust! Of no value!"[20]
- (To Tanjiro Kamado regarding Sun Breathing) "The first breathing technique ever created! The most powerful of them all! All the other techniques are derived from Sun Breathing! All the others just mimic Sun Breathing. They're just cheap imitations, retrograde versions of Sun Breathing! Fire, Water, Wind... all of them!"
- (In response to Tengen Uzui) "That's right. The young children are rousing themselves to this degree of action. Like Kyojuro, I will risk my life to protect them, so I will not bring shame upon House Rengoku."[21]
References[]
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 81 (Page 3).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 55 (Page 11).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 68 (Page 12).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Setting Book 4
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 188 (Pages 16-18).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 55 (Pages 9-12).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 67 (Page 20).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 68 (Pages 1-12).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 68 (Pages 13-15).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Extra: Kyojuro Rengoku's Story: Part 1.
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 54 (Page 15).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 63 (Page 5).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Movie: Mugen Train.
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 63 (Page 17).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 63 (Page 21).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 64 (Pages 8-9).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba First Fanbook.
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Volume 7.
- ↑ Kimetsu Gakuen: Volume 1, Chapter 5
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 68 (Page 1).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 147 (Page 4).