Kanjuro Rengoku

Kanjuro Rengoku is one of the main characters in Demon Slayer: Blade of the Night, being a Demon Slayer, while also having been born as the son of the Flame Pillar Kyojuro Rengoku.

## **Appearance:**

Kanjuro does not deviate from the odd similarity between each generation of Rengoku male children, being of tall stature and muscular-athletic build. He has long bright yellow hair with red streaks akin to flames along with two shoulder-length bangs and two chin-length bangs on the side of his head, black forked eyebrows, and golden eyes that fade to red with white pupils.

Differently from his father specifically, Kanjuro usually wears a neutral to saddened expression, severely contradicting his bright appearance with his melancholic face

Kanjuro wears the traditional Demon Slayer Uniform, brown-tinted much like his father's own, and similarly to him as well, he wears a plain white haori, as he is not yet suited to don the traditional Rengoku Family haori.

## **Personality:**

Kanjuro is a totally distinct person from his father in nearly every conceivable way. While he originally kept up appearances as someone bright and eccentric like his father, Kanjuro's facade dropped after failing to even defend himself against a demon, and putting both Ryo and Taro at risk.

Kanjuro, in reality, used to be deathly scared of demons, regardless of how strong they were. Poised to be a Demon Slayer from birth, Kanjuro always found the concept of a mutant, cannibal human to be skin-crawling, meaning that regardless of how powerful he was in an actual fight, he would inevitably tense up and be useless in straight combat, usually relegating himself to dealing with summons or environmental dangers in order to conceal his fear to the others around him

Kanjuro's fear was so intense that during the entire Final Selection, he hid inside a small cave, and sat there for the entire duration of the challenge, in a manner not any different from Fubuki's. His fear was what drove nearly all of his life, as Kanjuro expected himself to grow out of it as he aged, and eventually trained enough to reach Pillar level, by which point, he would be in a level of strength so above demons that he couldn't possibly be scared of them. This idea of his was incorrect, and it was exactly the opposite that solved most of his fear.

Through experience in hunting demons alongside his friends, Kanjuro learned how to not tense up in combat against them, even if he doesn't particularly feel casual about slaying them. As displayed in a conversation with Ryo, Kanjuro is unsure if his work will amount to something, if he truly will be capable of fulfilling the promise his generation made to finally end demonkind once and for all. Despite his growth, he still feels unsure about himself and his place in the overall world.

Kanjuro, despite everything, loves his family and friends immensely, but does feel insecure that he cannot display that enough. Often, he also feels guilty for having such a good father, and being such a disappointment, a belief that only got stronger when Akaza told him outright that he was weak, incompetent, and not even a shred of what his father was. During the six-month timeskip, it is shown that Kanjuro has gained a much more work-driven personality, being capable of standing up to most threats of current.

Kanjuro is also an amazing actor. He faked an entire personality for a good chunk of his life, and notably, this was passed down from his father.

## **Synopsis:**

Kanjuro was born into the prestigious Rengoku family, and was poised to be the successor of Kyojuro Rengoku, his father. Kanjuro learned the Flame Breathing, and lived a lie for most of his life as he pretended to be just like his beloved father. Only now, is his facade starting to drop.

## **Abilities:**

**Superhuman Strength:** Kanjuro is immensely physically powerful, being able to drill into Hisame's black ice, which only came close to being broken by Iwajima's flail, which in and of itself is effectively a hammer. While he was Marked, it is still a powerful display

**Superhuman Speed:** Kanjuro might not be the fastest member of his group, but he is comfortably placed among the top spots, losing to Taro, Fubuki and Shinku, and besting Ryo and Iwajima in terms of sheer agility

**Total Concentration Breathing:** Kanjuro, since young, has mastered the Flame Breathing, and obtained the state of Total Concentration Breathing.

**Demon Slayer Mark:** Kanjuro, at the early age of 16, was able to unlock a Demon Slayer Mark, composed of flames that form two Pillars going from his eyes to his jaw, being similar to tears.

## **Fighting Style:**

**Skilled Swordsman:** Kanjuro is incredibly skilled when it comes to sheer swordsmanship, being capable of besting even Slayers that should be more powerful than him. That said, his skill is only barely put on field, mostly due to his reluctant personality, he isn't able to display everything he has.

### **Breathing Style:**

**Flame Breathing** (Hono no Kokyu): Kanjuro was taught the Flame Breathing since young by his father, who directly instructed him on the techniques, as Kyojuro desires Kanjuro to take over the role of Flame Pillar. Kanjuro has displayed immense proficiency in the Style, as expected of a Rengoku, to the point where Kanjuro successfully learned all, and mastered most of the Forms.

#### **Techniques:**

* **First Form: Unknowing Fire** *(Ichi no Kata: Shiranui)* - The user charges towards their target at high speeds and unleashes a singular slash that aims to decapitate them.

* **Second Form: Rising Scorching Sun** *(Ni no Kata: Nobori En Ten)* - The user releases an arching sword slash upwards.

* **Third Form: Blazing Universe** *(San no Kata: Kien Bansho)* - The user swings their blade downwards in an arc.

* **Fourth Form: Blooming Flame Ondulation** *(Shi no Kata: Sei En no Uneri)* - 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** *(Go no Kata: Enko)* - The user performs a series of powerful sword slashes that seemingly take the form of a flaming tiger.

* **Sixth Form: Wave of Flames** *(Roku no Kata: Hono no Nami)* - The user will slash strongly in a single, long-ranged attack that can clear multiple enemies or projectiles at once.

* **Seventh Form: Dying Sun** *(Shichi no Kata: Hinshi no Taiyo)* - The user will strike downwards with all their weight. This attack can be used while falling to break the user’s fall, and will leave burn marks on the ground

* **Eighth Form: Fire of Soul** *(Hachi no Kata: Tamashinohi)* - The user will slowly retreat, one step at a time, biding until the opponent makes an opening. From which, they will slash upward diagonally on the weak point, crossing the heart of the enemy

* **Ninth Form: Purgatory, Embers** *(Ku no Kata: Rengoku - Yojin)* - The user takes a high stance with their sword before dashing forward at high speeds. The technique is powerful enough to carve out the ground in its wake completely. Originally an esoteric art of the Rengoku family, it was considered official later.

* **Tenth Form: Flame Typhoon** *(Ju no Kata: Hono no Taifu)* - The user will advance strongly, jumping and back flipping behind their target, slashing the opponent all over their back. It feels to the opponent as if the user is surrounding them with flames.

* **Eleventh Form: Ignited Whirlpool** *(Ju Ichi no Kata: Hakka Nejire Uzu)* - The user will dash while using diagonal ground and spinning their whole body in circles, this devastating attack can hit multiple enemies at once

* **Twelfth Form: Lance of Fire** *(Ju Ni no Kata: Hi no Yari)* - The user will charge with all their strength, hitting multiple targets at once, and piercing through them in one powerful jab.

* **Thirteenth Form: Fire God** *(Ju San no Kata: Hi no Kami)* - The user will surround their opponent in quick and coiling movements, slowly closing the spiral and diminishing movements.

* **Fourteenth Form: Purgatory’s Punishment** *(Ju Shi no Kata: Rengoku Batsu)* - The user will perform a technique similar to the Ninth Form, though they will do so repeatedly, striking Muzan’s organs.

* **Fifteenth Form: Bright Embers** *(Ju Go no Kata: Akarui Nokoribi)* - The user blocks any incoming attacks with swift but still fairly slow attacks. Because of the confusing tempo of this move, enemies find it hard to predict what the user will do next.

* **Sixteenth Form: Infernal Flames** *(Ju Roku no Kata: Jigoku no Hono)* - The user lowers their stance, dashing strongly against the opponent, forcing them off their ground, and aiming to not just decapitate, but completely destabilize the opponent

## **Equipment:**

**Standard Nichirin Katana:** Kanjuro, as a Demon Slayer, carries a regular sized Nichirin Katana, which is dark red in color, notably having flame-like patterns that run across the blade, as is expected of one colored by the Flame Breathing. Kanjuro's handguard is a black circular one with no apparent pattern, other than small indentations along its build, almost like it is a cog.

## **Familiars:**

**Oki:** Kanjuro's crow, Oki is a competent crow, which is a bit overprotective of Kanjuro. It does have the trait of being quite a coward, fearing anything that insists upon "bothering" its owner.

**Yorumaru:** Shared with his group, Yorumaru is a demon serpent that has displayed at the very least affection for the main group, while also providing support in battles with its abilities.

## **Battles:**

* Kanjuro, Ryo and Taro vs Mind Demon
* Kanjuro vs Asahi
* Kanjuro and Ryo vs Taka
* Kanjuro, Ryo and Iwajima vs Kyojin
* Kanjuro vs Meigen
* Kanjuro vs Hisame
* Kanjuro, Fubuki and Hibitaro vs Hyoshi
* Kanjuro, Ryo, Taro, Fubuki, Iwajima, Shinku, Aya, Gikuro and Yushibo vs Akaza
* Kanjuro vs Rengoku Family
* Kanjuro, Fubuki and Yorumaru vs Koriru

## **Trivia:**

* Kanjuro's name is comprised of [Kan], which signifies [Passage of Time, Interval]. The second meaning applies much closer to Kanjuro himself than the first, being that he feels less like a member of an important generation, and instead like he is but an interval in strength, and that his children will be great in his place. [Juro] is merely the common suffix shared among all known Rengoku male names. His surname, [Rengoku] is just [Purgatory]
* Kanjuro's favorite food is pretty much anything that prominently features sweet potatoes. He acquired the taste from his father
* Part of the reason for Kanjuro even being a main character is because the author really wanted to include a Rengoku in the new generation, which is also one of the reasons why Kyojuro was spared from death by Akaza.
* Kanjuro's openness level is about 30%
* Kanjuro's favorite color is blue
* Kanjuro isn't particularly passionate about any hobbies due a strong sense of responsibility at becoming his father's successor, and he proceeded to not devote nearly any time at all to finding something he likes to do
* The reason why family members and friends don't question Kanjuro's new behavior is because they expected his beginning as an independent Slayer to catch up to him at least a little anyway.
* If Kanjuro was in Kimetsu Academy, he would be well-liked by pretty much everyone, but would disregard the attention anyway. Especially the one gained by his father being such an eccentric History Teacher. He most likely would not understand that people want to befriend him, and not just make fun of him in an oddly cruel way.