Kyoju Kiriha

## Portrayal

**Kyoju Kiriha** is a character in Demon Slayer: Blade of the Night. He was the master of Muichiro Tokito.

## **Appearance:**

Kyoju, at the time of teaching Muichiro, was a kind-looking man who appeared older than he really was, with brown hair that had already began graying, and a small stubble in his chin.

He wore a regular Pillar Uniform of the time, which omitted most gold details, and a plain dark blue haori. During the time of Muichiro's training, where he had already retired, he wore that same haori with a teal kimono underneath.

## **Personality:**

Not much is known about Kyoju's personality, but he was a very patient man, given that he was able to teach a stubborn, and rude Muichiro. Despite the boy being immensely determined, his personality at the time was hard to deal with, and Kyoju was the only teacher with enough inner peace to teach the boy.

Due to this, Muichiro thought extremely fondly of Kyoju after he had matured, and the man didn't hold any grudges for his younger, ruder demeanor.

## **Synopsis:**

Nothing is known of Kyoju's past, except that he used to be Muichiro Tokito's instructor, and he died of natural causes.

## **Abilities:**

Not much is known of Kyoju's capabilities, but Muichiro surpassed him quite early on. He is at least strong enough to be a Pillar back in his time.

## **Fighting Style:**

**Master Swordsman:** Kyoju was at least very capable of wielding a blade to teach Muichiro Tokito

### **Breathing Style:**

**Mist Breathing** *(Kasumi no Kokyu)*: Kyoju had to be at least a master of the Style in order to properly teach Muichiro on how to use it.

#### **Techniques:**

* **First Form: Low Clouds, Distant Haze** *(Ichi no Kata: Suiten Togasumi)* - The user unleashes a powerful thrust attack in front of them.

* **Second Form: Eight-Layered Mist** *(Ni no Kata: Yaekasumi)* - The user unleashes eight forward slashes with each one on top of the other in swift succession.

* **Third Form: Scattering Mist Splash** *(San no Kata: Kasan no Shibuki)* - The user releases a powerful circular slash in front of them that can be used to blow away projectiles.

* **Fourth Form: Shifting Flow Slash** *(Shi no Kata: Iryugiri)* - The user quickly unsheathes their sword and dashes towards their enemy at blinding speeds and delivers a quick slash from beneath them.

* **Fifth Form: Sea of Clouds and Haze** *(Go no Kata: Kaun no Umi)* - The user dashes forward at high speed and unleashes a flurry of slashes that cover a wide area while obscuring their movements.

* **Sixth Form: Lunar Dispersing Mist** *(Roku no Kata: Tsuki no Kasho)* - The user backflips into the air while upside down and delivers countless ranged slashes downwards, capable of decimating dozens of targets at once.

## **Equipment:**

**Standard Nichirin Katana:** Kyoju wielded a regular sized and shaped Nichirin Katana, which was colored diamond blue. His handguard was a plain black square with a silver border.

## **Familiars:**

**Riha:** Riha was Kyoju's crow. She is now extremely old and resides in the Tokito Household, it is one of the few animals Muichiro's crow tolerates.

## **Trivia:**

* Kyoju's name literally means "Teacher", while his surname can be broken down into [Kiri], meaning "Fog" and [Ha], meaning "Blade"
* Kyoju was revived by Kyojin in his invasion of the Wind Pavilion, but he was cut down relatively early by Akio Moriyama, rendering his appearance as entirely omitted from the story itself
* Kyoju served alongside Shinjuro Rengoku, and he was present during Gyomei Himejima's first year as a Pillar.