Hashira

* Taisho Era
* Meiji Era
* Sengoku Era

The **Hashira** (柱, *Hashira*?, lit. Pillars) are the highest ranking combatants in the Demon Slayer Corps.

## Overview

The Hashira are the most overall powerful members and combatants in the entirety of the Demon Slayer Corps, and often regarded as the most skilled swordsmen among all Demon Slayers, protecting humanity against more dangerous threats that cannot be handled by other Demon Slayers.

The Hashira, in accordance with their great strength, are the highest ranking members in the organization, second only to the Corps leaders, Hideyoshi Ubuyashiki and later Aoki Ubuyashiki (during the Sengoku Period), Kagaya Ubuyashiki and later, Kiriya Ubuyashiki.

Each of the Hashira are all assigned a specific region that they are required to patrol, usually to gather information about the demons inhabiting the said area and to improve their swordsmanship. They are also deployed on missions only if members of lower ranks are unable to complete it.

Each Hashira possesses a distinct and unique Breathing Style, some of which are even created by themselves. Swordsmen who can use the Flame Breathing, Star Breathing and Water Breathing have become Hashira in every era, Storm Breathing, with no exceptions thus far.

### Joining

To be a member of the Hashira, a Demon Slayer must be among the strongest combatants in the entirety of the Demon Slayer Corps. There are two known methods (both extremely difficult) that allow one to prove that they are worthy of becoming a Hashira: the first method is to accumulate a demon kill count of at least 50 as a Kinoe-ranked Demon Slayer or slay a member of the Twelve Kizuki, to become Hashira. The second method is being a Tsuguko of a Hashira, which requires immense talent, Additionally, Tsuguko can only inherit the rank, if their respective Hashira dies or retires.

The effort required to achieve either of these methods requires almost five years worth of training, though, the talented might take only two or so years to do so. However, there were two cases that were much faster than that; Muichiro Tokito and Gyomei Himejima, who managed to rise to the rank of Hashira just two months after becoming Demon Slayers.

#### Finding Successors

*Main Article: Tsuguko*

In some cases, an exceptionally talented Demon Slayer can become the designated successor to one of the Hashira, known as a Tsuguko. To become a Tsuguko, a Demon Slayer can either apply for the position and get accepted, or get scouted by one of the current Hashira

### Hashira Training

**Hashira Training** (柱 稽古, *Hashira Geiko*?) is a special training session conducted by the Hashira and undertaken by numerous lower ranked Demon Slayers. The aim of Hashira Training is to improve all Demon Slayers' physical abilities and overall health and condition, giving the members of the Demon Slayer Corps a better chance of winning the war against demons.

Each of the Hashira oversees a different part of the training program. Known training includes: basic stamina training, flexibility training, quick movement training, sword skill training, pounding training, muscle reinforcement training and hand-to-hand combat training.

Hashira Training is extremely strenuous; because of this, a majority of the Demon Slayers view the training session as an everlasting trip in hell, with a few notable exceptions who see the session as a chance to improve themselves.

As a general rule, Hashira must take part in each other's training sessions. It is considered a win-win situation for both the Hashira and the Demon Slayers, as even the Hashira get to improve due to being constantly attacked by wave upon wave of juniors ranked lower than themselves.

This training method had proven to be very effective in the 1917 Infinity Castle Arc where the majority of Demon Slayers were able to effectively kill Lower Rank-level demons regardless of their ranking.

## List of Known Hashira in Japan

* Sengoku Era
* Meiji Era
* Taisho Era

## Trivia

* In the official Kimetsu no Yaiba storyline, the character for Hashira (柱, *Hashira*) consists of nine strokes, which is said by Koyoharu Gotouge to be the reason for there being nine Hashira at the start of the main series.
	+ In IKItheindize's Kimetsu no Yaiba Makuai anthology, however, there are a total of ten Hashira or more.
* All of the Japanese Hashira have **Destroyer of Demons** (惡鬼滅殺, *Akki Messatsu*?) engraved on their weapons.
	+ Shinobu (a Taisho Era Hashira from Japan) has **Evil Demon** (惡鬼, *Akki*?) engraved on the right side of the blade, and **Destruction** (滅殺, *Messatsu*?) engraved on the left side due to her sword's structure.
	+ Dumisani (An African Demon Slayer who became a Hashira) had **Exterminator of Demons** (የአጋንንት ማጥፊያ, *Ye'āganiniti Mat'ifīya*?) engraved on the left side of the blade, and **Destroyer of Demons** (惡鬼滅殺, *Akki Messatsu*?) engraved on the right side due to his asking.
* Although not fully touched upon, it is hinted that a Hashira can retire whenever they want to.
* As the Hashira are a separate group of elite slayers, they have their own symbol on the back of their hand. These symbols correlate to what Breathing Style they are associated with.
* Of the ten Japanese Hashira in the Taisho Era, only five of them use a standard Nichirin katana, those four being Kyojuro Rengoku, Giyu Tomioka, Sanemi Shinazugawa, Muichiro Tokito and Tatsuji Fujita.
* The Japanese Hashira with the biggest appetite is Mitsuri Kanroji, and the one with the smallest appetite is Obanai Iguro. Obanai can go about three days without eating.
* Almost every Japanese Hashira of the Taisho generation had awakened their Demon Slayer Mark, the only ones who did not being Kyojuro Rengoku, Tengen Uzui and Shinobu Kocho.

## Rankings

### Height

The following is the Hashira ranked in terms of height.

### Arm Wrestling

 Shinobu Kocho | Weak

Tanjiro Kamado was stated to rank between Muichiro and Obanai.

### Kindness

The following is the Hashira ranked in terms of how easy they are to talk to.

 Sanemi Shinazugawa | Chosen as the most difficult to talk to. Perhaps this was influenced by his fierce look and violent personality.