Jigoro Kuwajima

* Profile
* Full Body

## Familial Status

**Jigoro Kuwajima** (桑 (くわ) 島 (じま)  慈 (じ) 悟 (ご) 郎 (ろう) , *Kuwajima Jigorō*?) is the man who trained Zenitsu Agatsuma and Kaigaku He was formerly the Thunder Hashira (鳴 (なり) 柱 (ばしら) , *Nari Bashira*?) in the Demon Slayer Corps during the Meiji era.

## Etymology

His given name contains the Go-on pronunciation for "mercy, benevolent" (慈, *ji*?), the Kan-on reading for "enlightenment, realize" (悟, *go*?), and the common male suffix of "male child, son" (郎, *rō*?). Meanwhile, his surname contains the Kun reading for "mulberry" (桑, *kuwa*?) and "island" (島, *shima/jima*?).

## Appearance

In his youth during active service, Jigoro was of short stature with a lean muscular build with large, slanted eyes, as well as a straight scar with even six prongs running along his right cheekbone. He had notably bushy eyebrows and short yet slick dark green hair with his bangs slicked backward and standing almost upright leaving his forehead exposed.

He wears a paler brown version of the standard Demon Slayer uniform, which consists of a dark brown gakuran jacket tucked into tattsuke-hakama pants held up by a white katana belt, over which he wore a haori of yellow coloration with white triangle pattern yet closed with a white sash tied around his waist. He wore a pair of kyahan guards around his shins with the same pattern as his haori, black tabi socks and white-laced zōri.

During his battle against a demon at age 35, he lost his right leg from the knee down, forcing him into early retirement.

When he was training Zenitsu Agatsuma and Kaigaku, Jigoro was now elderly with visible forehead wrinkles and the same large, slanted eyes, as well as the same straight scar with the six prongs running along his left cheekbone. He still had the bushy eyebrows and grew a large moustache, as well as having his slick hair that is now white in color that he now wore smoothed down to puff out around the base of his head, with what would've been a fringe also swept back away from his face. Jigoro now wore a wooden peg to take place of his missing right leg.

Jigoro wore a jinbei kimono like the one worn by Sakonji Urokodaki, only with a yellow-brown base color and a pale triangle pattern in the stead of the blue and water-patterned theme Sakonji sports. He also carried a thick wooden cane with him to support his body due to age and his missing leg.

## Personality

Jigoro had a steadfast devotion to his students and strict training. Despite his status as a strong mentor and experience as a previous Hashira, he had a soft spot and unwavering dedication towards raising the next generation of students. Due to this passionate devotion, he was filled with grief after discovering that his former pupil, Kaigaku, betrayed the Demon Slayer Corps and joined the ranks of the Twelve Kizuki.

Zenitsu Agatsuma noted that, despite how often he whined and ran away, Jigoro never gave up on him once. He had saved Zenitsu from a lifetime of debt and taken him on as a student, and, showing unyielding patience, was happy just to see Zenitsu master the first form of his breathing technique. He had a great belief in training skills to perfect through repetition comparing it to forging and purifying the steel of their swords. This strong fatherly love for his students is further shown when he shown to be both flattered and touched by Zenitsu's declaration of his love and gratefulness for all of his efforts put into forcing Zenitsu to improve himself despite everyone else abandoning him and deeming him worthless.

## Abilities

### Overall Abilities

As a former Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, Jigoro is known to have been a very powerful and talented swordsman. His combat style was Thunder Breathing, which he was well-versed in. Throughout his active time in the organization, he faced various demons. After losing his leg in battle, he decided to abandon his position as a pillar.

## Fighting Style

**Master Swordsman:** Since he was one of the Hashira during the Meiji Era, Jigoro was an extremely skilled and powerful swordsman in his own right.

### Breathing Style

**Thunder Breathing** (雷 (かみなり) の呼 (こ) 吸 (きゅう) , *Kaminari no kokyū*?): Jigoro is the primary instructor of this Breathing Style. During his retirement from the Demon Slayer Corps, Jigoro is the primary instructor of this Breathing Style. During this training to become a Demon Slayer all the way to his active service, however, Jigoro seemed to have learned it on his own with his skill in it and the amount of demons he killed making him appointed to be the Thunder Hashira of his generation. Later, he passed on his knowledge to his students.

## Trivia

* Jigoro's title as a Hashira was revealed to be unique, as he was not called the Thunder Hashira, instead bearing the name of the "Roaring Hashira." This title was derived from the Izumi old word for "thunder" (神鳴, *kaminari*?), as in "God's Roaring", rather than the modern radical for "thunder" (雷, *kaminari*?), which is used to write the current Thunder Breathing and its styles.
* Jigoro lost his right leg from the knee down in the middle of a battle when he was 35 years old, which is also the reason why he retired from being a Hashira.
* In the opening of the Swordsmith Village Arc, it reveals that Jigoro was the first Demon Slayer of his generation to be appointed Hashira, with Sakonji Urokodaki appointed second and Shinjuro Rengoku appointed third.
* Jigoro has served as Hashira for 16 years (1873 to 1889).

## Quotes

* (About Zenitsu Agatsuma) "*That idiot disciple. I already said that you have talent that won’t lose to anyone, why won’t you understand—*"
* (To Zenitsu Agatsuma) *"Compassion can make a person's heart infinitely tough. A sword that you swing for the sake of others can have power that is immense. You must become that kind of person."*
* (To Zenitsu Agatsuma) "*Zenitsu, perfect it! It's alright to cry or go off by yourself. Just don't ever give up. Believe in yourself. You endured all that hellish training. You'll be rewarded for that without question. Work to forge yourself like a tempered **blade**... and become the most **resilient** of all! Focus on what you do best!*"
* (To Zenitsu Agatsuma) "*Zenitsu, you are my pride and joy.*"