Demon Slayer Author Gotouge reveals why Tanjiro never became a Hashira

Demon Slayer has had a pretty massive year, to be the biggest anime version of 2025thanks to the hit movie, Infinity Castle part 1. The main character of the story, Tanjiro Kamado, was central to the film, and fans got to see him engage in many intense battles, with more to come Infinity Castle part 2 and part 3. With the level of strength that Tanjiro has shown in Demon Slayerfans are truly amazed at his potential, and of course many question why Tanjiro is not a Hashira in the story. After all, to many he seems more than qualified to be considered one.

The truth is, while Tanjiro's strength is definitely on par with a Hashira at the end of the series, he never completed the criteria to be promoted to the rank. The story also ended way too quickly, and with Muzan's death, it makes no sense Demon Slayers longer, including Hashira.

Tanjiro never became a Hashira in Demon Slayer

• Tanjiro is a Hashira-Level Slayer

• Tanjiro never met the criteria to become a Hashira

Hashira is the strongest group of the Demon Slayer Corpsand they also have the highest rank. Their power is on a whole other level, which is quite evident in the series, and they are basically the best power that can be sent out against demons.

The original Hashira introduced in Demon Slayer consisted of Gyomei, Shinobu, Mitsuri, Sanemi, Giyu, Muichiro, Tengen, Obanai and Rengoku. As the story progressed, and before the final battle, Rengoku died and Tengen retired. While fans expected replacements, there were none. This seemed strange to many fans, especially like Tanjiro, who could be considered a Hashira-level slayercould have been promoted.

The truth is, while Tanjiro was truly as strong as any Hashiraif not stronger, he never met the criteria required to become one.

The three ways to become a Hashira

• Be a Tsuguko

• Kill 50 demons as a kino

• Kill a twelve Kizuki on your own

There is one some ways to get the Hashira rank in Demon Slayerand neither was achieved by Tanjiro. The first, and the most simple, is to be Tsuguko, or successor to a Hashira. Shinobu, for example, had some Tsugukos like Kanao, who could have become a Hashira if the war hadn't ended after her death.

The other way to become a Hashira is to kill 50 random demons as a Kinoe Demon Slayer. It is unknown how many demons Tanjiro has killed exactly, but it doesn't matter since his highest official rank is Hinoe.

The final way to become a Hashira is to kill a Twelve Kizuki on your own. While Tanjiro has greatly contributed to many battles against Kizuki, he has never defeated one on his own.

It must also be noted that Demon Slayer the story is very short. Tanjiro could have eventually been promoted to Hashira, but the battle against Muzan was already over, and the Demon Slayer Corps didn't need to exist anymore, which includes Hashira.

Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Part 1 is out in theaters now. Fans who don't want to wait for the movies to release can check out the manga on Manga Plus. Meanwhile, for the anime, the series currently has 4 anime seasons. These anime seasons can all be found on Crunchyroll. The rest of the series will be animated into movies, and fans will have to wait for the theatrical release to see them, depending on their country.

Release date

April 6, 2019

Network

Swimming for adults