In Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Yoriichi Tsugikuni is one of the most important characters. He is a legendary Demon Slayer who lived in the Sengoku Era (the Golden Age of Demon Slayers) about 500 years ago.
Along with that, he is also the strongest Demon Slayer who has ever lived. He also made the first Breathing Style, which became the Hinokami Kagura used by Tanjiro Kamado and other members of the Kamado Family.
Michikatsu Tsugikuni, who later became a demon and joined the Twelve Kizuki, is Yoriichi’s older twin brother.
Yoriichi – Backstory
Yoriichi and Michikatsu, his twin brother, were born into the Tsugikuni clan in the middle of the Sengoku period when twins were thought to be a very bad sign.
Yoriichi was born with a strange birthmark on his forehead. This made his father say that he would kill him, but their mother, Akeno, got angry and stopped him. It was finally decided that when Yoriichi turned ten, he would be sent to a temple to become a monk. Even though their father thought the mark was bad luck, it gave Yoriichi great physical strength and the ability to see transparently through the bodies of living things.
Yoriichi’s First Time Wielding a Sword
Yoriichi smiled and spoke for the first time when he was seven years old. He said he wanted to be a samurai like his brother Michikatsu after seeing him practice sword swings, which shocked him.
Michikatsu didn’t care about this, though, because everyone knew that Yoriichi would be sent to the temple when he turned ten. Still, one of their father’s men who was supposed to train Michikatsu decided to show Yoriichi a simple stance to make him laugh.
After taking the stance, the young boy acted quickly and hit the man four times, which surprised his brother, who had trained for years but had never hit anyone. Michikatsu often asked him how he hit the man, and he told him about what was probably an early version of a Breathing Style.
Later, we see that Yoriichi was favored more than Michikatsu by his father and everyone else. Even though Yoriichi was always kind to his brother, Michikatsu grew to hate and be jealous of Yoriichi because he kept beating him at everything and kept showing gratitude for what seemed to be nothing.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni – Despair
Yoriichi met a girl named Uta who was about the same age as him. Her whole family had died. Yoriichi decided to move in with her, and 10 years later, Uta and Yoriichi got married. Later, Uta got pregnant.
When he finally got home, the sun had already set, and Uta and their unborn child had been killed by a demon. Yoriichi was so shocked by the tragedy that he held her body in his arms for ten days straight. He only buried her when a Demon Slayer who was following him told him to. Yoriichi picked up his sword again and started training to become a Demon Slayer.
Development of Breathing Styles
Yoriichi was a very powerful Demon Slayer, thanks to his Demon Slayer Mark and his natural skill with a sword.
He meets Michikatsu again after a demon killed all of Michikatsu’s fellow samurai and left him as the only survivor. Yoriichi easily killed the demon and apologized for the deaths of his brother’s friends.
Yoriichi tried to teach the other Demon Slayers his breathing technique, which became known as “Sun Breathing,” because it helped him and he wanted to help other people. But no one could match his exact shape. He didn’t let that stop him.
Instead, he changed the breathing techniques to fit their strengths, giving them the same boost in power and skills to help them hunt demons. The variations he made became the first Water, Wind, Flame, Stone, and Thunder Breathing techniques, and the best Demon Slayers became known as Hashira. Michikatsu tried to learn Sun Breathing, but he couldn’t. Instead, he made up his own style, which he called Moon Breathing.
Muzan vs Yoriichi
Yoriichi runs into Muzan Kibutsuji, the first demon, and the Demon Slayers’ sworn enemy.
When Yoriichi first met him, he could feel how angry he was, and he compared it to boiling magma from a volcano that was ready to eat everything. Then, he came to the conclusion that he was born with the skills to finally beat Muzan.
Muzan said he was no longer interested in swordsmen. He tried to avoid them, but he knew right away that any of those blows would kill him, and he felt fear for the first time. When Yoriichi looked into the Transparent World, he saw that Muzan had five moving brains and seven moving hearts inside his body. When he saw his chance, he put all of his forms into a single attack that cut through all of them and made Muzan look like a fool.
Muzan had a hard time keeping his head on, and he was shocked that he couldn’t grow a new one.
Yoriichi asked him what he thought about the value of life, but he didn’t answer. When Tamayo turned around to face him, he was shocked to see that she was looking at the pieces of her master’s body with hope in her eyes.
Yoriichi was about to kill him for good when he heard the sound of Muzan’s teeth breaking as his body broke up into a lot of small pieces. He was caught off guard, so he was only able to destroy 1,500 of the 1,800 pieces. This let Muzan heal with the rest of the pieces. Muzan never forgot what happened, and even though Yoriichi didn’t kill him, he was afraid of him for the rest of his life.
Yoriichi – Abilities
Yoriichi is known to be the strongest Demon Slayer in history and probably laid out the foundation of the Demon Slayer Corps. He was born with the Demon Slayer Mark, Transparent World, and Selfless State, and he has a god-like body and a natural ability with a sword.
As a seven-year-old who had never touched a sword before, he was able to easily beat a trained sword instructor, and he was called a miraculous prodigy that could not be compared to anyone else. Yoriichi became a Demon Slayer and was able to defeat many demons. His older brother said that he couldn’t even compare to him as an adult when he was a child.
He was the only one of the Demon Slayer Corps who was able to trap Muzan Kibutsuji, beat him in an instant, and have him on the verge of death before he managed to get away.
Even though Muzan didn’t die, he was deeply affected by that encounter. He called Yoriichi a monster. When Muzan saw the same earring that Yoriichi had on Tanjiro, he shivered in fear. Other demons who had never met Yoriichi were also shaken when they thought about him.
Just before he died, at least 85 years old, he fought his older twin brother Kokushibo, who had become a demon. Even though he was old and seemed to be blind, he quickly got the upper hand in the fight with a single move. He cut his throat, and then he died standing up, unharmed. Kokushibo says that if Yoriichi had taken a second swing before he died, he would have killed him. He also says that Yoriichi’s power was still at its best.
Demon Slayer Mark
Yoriichi is the one who created the Demon Slayer Mark because he was born with it and has always had the amazing physical abilities it gives him. Yoriichi was able to defy fate, which none of the other marks users of his time could do. He lived to be about 85 years old. At the moment, no one knows why Yoriichi is immune to the effects of the Mark, but it’s likely because he was the first person to have it and was born with it, while everyone else has to train to get it.
Bright Red Nichirin Sword
Yoriichi is the only person who has ever been able to turn his Nichirin Sword into a bright red color. This is because he was born with the mark that lets people turn their blades bright red as well. Yoriichi can turn his black sword into a bright red one when he’s fighting. This lets him stop demons from regenerating faster and even stops Muzan from regenerating instantly. It also burns Muzan at the cellular level, leaving scars on his body for hundreds of years. Muzan has also said that Yoriichi’s bright red blade was much more powerful than those of Hashira and Tanjiro. This is because Yoriichi was able to stop Muzan’s near-complete regeneration for a short time, while Hashira and Tanjiro could only slow it down a little. This was true even though Muzan was in a much weaker state because of the Anti-Kibutsuji Drug.
Transparent World
Yoriichi has had access to the Transparent World since he was born. He could use it with surprising skill, as shown by the fact that he could watch a person’s breathing and muscle movements to figure out when to hit them. The transparent world allowed him to see through a person’s body like an x-ray.
He also had an advantage over Muzan because of this ability. He could find Muzan’s weaknesses right away and use them to beat him.
Unparalleled Swordsmanship
Yoriichi is the most skilled swordsman who ever lived. Even as a seven-year-old with no training, he was able to easily beat a trained swordsman the first time he picked up a sword, hitting him in multiple places faster than the eye can process.
His swordsmanship was so good that a battle doll made to look like him would have to have 6 arms holding katanas and use 108 techniques to even come close to what he could do. Even then, the doll would be far less skilled than Yoriichi.
Muzan Kibutsuji, the Demon King, was no match for his swordsmanship. If he hadn’t died of old age, he would have killed Kokushibo, the strongest swordsman of the time, who was his twin brother.
Sun Breathing Style
Sun Breathing Style is the original breathing style from which all the other breathing styles are derived. All the other breathing styles are based on the Sun Breathing Style and adapted to the user’s skills, preferences, and capabilities.
Even though other styles are derived from the Sun Breathing Style, doesn’t mean that it’s weak. In fact, it’s still the purest and most powerful technique out there.
On top of it, Yoriichi was so incredible at Sun Breathing that he could easily kill demons and even beat the Demon King and the strongest Upper Rank.
Tanjiro said that when Yoriichi used the Sun Breathing technique, he looked more like a spirit than a man because the forms were so beautiful and stunning. Yoriichi Tsugikuni has a bunch of techniques and forms that he uses along with his sun breathing style.
DANCE
He delivers a single full-powered slash with his katana.
CLEAR BLUE SKY
He spins his body rapidly to deliver a hit.
RAGING SUN
He sends out two horizontal slashes to attack or block attacks.
SUMMER SUN
He lets out a big circular slash that protects them from attacks coming from the front.
SETTING SUN
He does a backflip into the air and then swings their sword upside down in an attempt to cut off the head of their target.
SOLAR HEAT HAZE
He charges toward the target and lets out a horizontal slash that looks like it doesn’t hit, but actually does.
BENEFICENT RADIANCE
He spins up into the air and hits the enemy with a powerful slash that goes all the way around them.
SUNFLOWER THRUST
The point of the blade is used to make a single thrust attack.
DRAGON SUN HALO HEAD DANCE
He unleashes a fast, powerful sword attack that looks like a Japanese dragon made of solar flames. This technique can cut off the heads of more than one target at once.
FIRE WHEEL
He jumps behind their opponent and spins in the air while falling, letting out a sword attack in a circle.
FAKE RAINBOW
The user performs high-speed twists and rotations, thus creating afterimages used mostly to evade attacks. The afterimages work most effectively on enemies with good vision.
FLAME DANCE
A two-part attack that starts with a vertical slash and then goes straight into a horizontal one.
THIRTEENTH FORM
Yoriichi keeps doing all twelve forms of Sun Breathing over and over again to make his movements more precise and quick while reducing fatigue. This form was made only with the goal of defeating Muzan Kibutsuji.
The goal of this thirteenth form, i.e, doing all twelve forms over and over again is to destroy Muzan’s twelve vital organs, which are his seven hearts and five brains.
Weapon of Choice
Yoriichi Tsugikuni carries a simple Nichirin sword which was pure black in color. It changed to bright red whenever he was in combat. On his katana, the words “Slay” was engraved which resembled the demon slayer corps.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni – Appearance
Yoriichi is tall and strong like his twin brother. He has long, spiky hair with red tips that he keeps in a ponytail. But he was a little bit thinner than his brother and had shorter bangs and wavier hair than him.
His Demon Slayer Mark was on the top of his forehead, just like Tanjiro’s, but it was lighter in color. Yoriichi always has a serious and calm look on his face, and he rarely shows how he feels.
Yoriichi wore a red haori over a very pale orange nagagi kimono. He also wore a black umanori-style hakama, red-strapped Japanese sandals, and white Japanese socks.
Like most Demon Slayers, he carried the Nichirin Sword on the left side of his waist. When people thought he was deaf, he wore hanafuda earrings made by his mother as charms. He later gave them to his friend Sumiyoshi, who gave them to his descendants. It was later passed on to Tanjiro. And that is how Tanjiro obtained the hanafuda earrings.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni – Personality
Yoriichi was a calm and polite person who always had a serious look on his face and rarely showed any signs of emotion. He usually had a calm and low-key personality. This was clear when he killed demons without changing his face or when Muzan was surprised by his great skill because he didn’t look like he was capable of much.
Even though he had godly powers, he was very humble and didn’t think of himself as anything special.
For example, when Suyako asked him to perform the Sun Breathing forms for her, he almost seemed embarrassed afterward. Yoriichi’s brother also said that he always had faith in the future and was sure that, even though the Demon Slayers were very powerful after they started using Breathing Styles, a new generation would come along that would be even stronger.
As a child, it was clear that Yoriichi looked up to and admired his older brother, Michikatsu. He even said that he would support his brother’s dream of becoming the strongest samurai in the land and that he would become the second strongest.
Final Thoughts
Yoriichi Tsugikuni is no doubt the strongest demon slayer in the whole series, Kimetsu no Yaiba. He is a pretty mysterious man with incredible power and skills. Muzan scared himself just by seeing his earring.
He believed that the next generations will be extremely powerful and will surpass him and all others in his generation. He wanted a new demon slayer word.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Yoriichi Tanjiro’s Dad?
No, Yoriichi is not tanjiro’s dad. A lot of fans believe that this is true considering that Yoriichi was the most powerful demon slayer and Tanjiro is the protagonist of the series, Kimetsu no Yaiba. The hanafuda earrings that Tanjiro wears originally belonged to Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
Is Yoriichi Tsugikuni brother a demon?
Yes, Yoriichi’s twin brother later became a demon. He is currently the Upper Moon Rank One, Kokushibou. In the current generation, he has 500+ years of experience.
Did Yoriichi win against Muzan?
No, even after taking down Muzan to his knees and near death, Yoriichi was not able to defeat Muzan. Muzan escaped by breaking his body into 180 pieces and running away, later merging into one.
Who is Yoriichi in Demon Slayer?
Yoriichi is one of the most powerful (possibly the most powerful) demon slayers in the whole series, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no yaiba. He was the first user of breathing techniques and used the sun breathing style. He developed all other breathing styles and fought Muzan to the brink of death.
Who is stronger, Yoriichi or Muzan?
Yoriichi Tsugikuni is much stronger than Muzan. But, due to different skills of Muzan, he was able to run off when fighting with Yoriichi. Later, Yoriichi develops a skill especially to kill Muzan. But, before he could do that, he died of old age and his own demon brother.
