Gikuro Tomioka

**Gikuro Tomioka** is a major supporting character in Demon Slayer: Blade of the Night. He is the current Water Tsuguko, and he is the son of Giyu and Shinobu Tomioka. He is the one responsible for saving Ryo Yorunoha's life and helping him join the Demon Slayer Core.

## **Appearance:**

Gikuro is a tall, pale teenager with a slim build. He has short black hair, kept in large clumps that fall evenly around his head until chin length, ending in unruly tips. Gikuro almost always has his face planted into a sarcastic, outstretched smile, that Ryo, and many others, have claimed to be quite off-putting. Gikuro's eyes have been said to be plain blue, with no pupils visible.

Gikuro wears a blue tinted Tsuguko Uniform, adorned with silver buttons and collar, while also doting a dark blue, wave patterned haori, occasionally displaying cloud shapes in its composition. It is almost an exact replica of Sakonji Urokodaki's kimono and original haori, albeit formed out of a darker blue.

## **Personality:**

Gikuro is generally a well-mannered and high-spirited teen, with a knack for poignant observations and the occasional underhanded jab. Gikuro has displayed multiple times that he is not above pushing discussions about sensitive topics with others merely to saciate his curiosity, such as the time he forced Murata into explaining his stake on the mission, as he wished to confirm his original suspicion.

Gikuro, as shown, has a very short temper, reminiscent of his mother. Mere insults and jokes can make him angry, forcing his face to visibly form veins and widen his smile. His rage, however, has never turned violent. He does, however, enjoy engaging in quip fights with either his brother Yushibo or Ryo himself, exchanging potentially deranged insults without getting offended as he usually would when he doesn't outright engage in the "sport".

Gikuro's overall work as a Tsuguko is plagued by a powerful mixture of impatience and irresponsibility. Gikuro usually arrives late at missions he's assigned to, as seen during his first appearance, when he just barely made it in time to save the Yorunoha Family. Gikuro, due to being raised in a mostly demonless world, in a high-class family, has a notable lack of seriousness when handling demons, leading to him not quite taking threats seriously, and when he does, he still vastly underestimates his foes. Gikuro has improved on this trait after his brief fight against Akaza.

Gikuro, despite this lack of commitment and responsibility, has displayed a strategic and analytical mind multiple times, to the point where he proved himself to be quite a competent teacher, being able to properly instruct Taro on concocting strategies and properly gauge his opponent's capabilities and power.

Potentially a reason why he is a good teacher, Gikuro is very empathetic. Given he chose to cave to Ryo's request and allow him into the Core, but most importantly his behavior during the Tokyo Arc, Gikuro has shown multiple times how quick he is to put others' necessities and feelings above his own. His reaction, or lack thereof to his own predicament was notable as it was evident he didn't want to worry anyone. Gikuro has a tendency to be painfully logical, and this was a positive result of that mindset.

Gikuro, however, does tend to stay silent when certain things afflict him. Be it mental or physical, he often keeps to himself, displayed when he did not inform his brother of the poisoning, when it would have no inherent negative effects, differently from his mother, who, at the time, was pregnant, and therefore could have genuinely been damaged by the information, Yushibo himself was neglected when it came to being informed of Gikuro's state. Aya is yet another example of such, but her situation is less egregious, given she was just a good friend at the time.

Gikuro, however, occasionally uses his extensive vocabulary to express his real feelings, rather than speaking with a deep layer of irony shielding every word to the point where discerning his actual intent becomes an impossible task, he outright says everything he has to say, with most of these occasions ending in awkward looks at the verbosity and needlessly heartfelt confessions he makes. Aya was one of the few to get a full brunt of it, though the confession itself was motivated by the looming fear of an early death.

Gikuro has also been shown to keep grudges. He is notoriously at odds with people like Natsu Suisen, who hasn't done anything to directly provoke Gikuro other than being laterally inconvenient. He is similarly quick to make judgements of others, seeing as Gikuro has not changed his opinion on Tsukuro Kanroji. Gikuro is not opposed to changing his mind about someone, but he does not make the effort to know others better.

Gikuro's irresponsibility and immaturity does not go unnoticed by himself. Especially after the fight against Akaza, Gikuro has descended into a spiral of demotivation and self-loathing, brought upon by the crushing realization that he is nothing that his father was, and there is no way he could possibly be the man that his father wants him to be.

Gikuro's keen eye for detail is further honed and utilized in his hobby as an artist. Gikuro is quite adept at drawing people and animals, and anatomy is one of his strongest facets, but when it comes to backgrounds and scenery he falters significantly, to the point where it can even be seen as subpar.

## **Synopsis:**

Gikuro is the son of Giyu and Shinobu Tomioka, born three years after their relationship officially started, he is the twin of Yushibo. The two began training at an early age, with Gikuro, differently from his brother, managing to master the Water Breathing with ease, and being quite the prodigy amongst the many of students that Giyu had to deal with during the earlier years after the Core Reformation.

Gikuro, due to his natural proficiency with the Water Breathing, reached the heights of a Tsuguko by the age of 17, when he was officially promoted to his father's right hand. Gikuro was assigned to save a random backwater town named Kurokawa, where he found and saved Ryo Yorunoha, while also allowing the boy into the Demon Slayer Core.

## **Abilities:**

**Immense Strength:** Despite his lithe frame, Gikuro is quite physically powerful, seen when he managed to end a widespread fire with a mere swing of his blade, and furthermore, pushed Akaza back, even if the demon wasn't particularly trying to stay in place, and momentum served a big role in the attack.

**Immense Speed:** Gikuro is immensely fast and agile, given that he was able to react to Rui's Thread Bullets, jabbing multiple of them in quick succession, but also the mere ability to keep up with Akaza while he was fatigued. He also vastly outspeeds cars. Gikuro's agility is displayed through his dexterity and techniques themselves, as Taro was unable to even see Gikuro's sword move when he performed the Eleventh Form: Dead Calm, and during their brief exchange, Taro was utterly outsped and blitzed, despite him realizing that Gikuro wasn't even trying.

**Immense Durability:** Gikuro, despite being fatigued from the battle against Rui, especially in his case, given he was the first to engage in combat with the Lower Moon, but he was still capable of speeding miles out into the road on foot, and be able to stand up against Akaza, even if for a minute or two. Gikuro might not have the highest physical durability out of the Tsugukos, or even his own family, but he stands as an insanely energetic fighter, being able to resist fatigue and remain with stamina for long periods of time.

**Genius Intellect:** Gikuro is immensely intelligent, both in academic and general knowledge. He can navigate most social situations easily, and he is quite proficient in multiple subjects. Gikuro himself is a creative strategist, albeit this ability tends to be hampered by his immaturity.

**Total Concentration Breathing:** Gikuro has mastery of Total Concentration Breathing, using it to become one of the strongest humans on earth, while he did learn it quite early on his career.

**Demon Slayer Mark:** Gikuro has already accessed the Demon Slayer Mark, which is composed of a dark blue stream running from the left side of his forehead to his jaw, crossing through his eye. The mark itself vaguely resembles the one Giyu Tomioka has.

## **Fighting Style:**

**Master Swordsmanship:** Gikuro, from an early age, was a prodigy at swordsmanship, picking up the art quite easily and while this might be one of the reasons why he struggles to take things seriously, this does not indicate that he is slacking off. Gikuro is extremely intelligent wielding his blade, knowing how and when to best use his honed skills.

### **Breathing Style:**

**Water Breathing** *(Mizu no Kokyu)*: Gikuro is a master of the Water Breathing Style, and he is said to be only below his father in terms of sheer skill and power. Gikuro, however, lacks enough experience to cross that threshold. This indicates that his potential is still quite high, and he should surpass Giyu soon enough.

#### **Techniques:**

* **First Form: Water Surface Slash** *(Ichi no Kata: Minamo Giri)* - The user generates enough momentum to create a powerful single concentrated slash, usually aimed at the neck.

* **Second Form: Water Wheel** *(Ni no Kata: Mizu Guruma)* - The user leaps and vertically spins forward in the air while releasing a flowing attack in a circular motion. One alteration of this form is to perform it horizontally.

* **Third Form: Flowing Dance** *(San no Kata: Ryuryu Mai)* - The user swings and bends their blade in a winding motion along with their body and dances in a flowing pattern, slicing everything in its path.

* **Fourth Form: Striking Tide** *(Shi no Kata: Uchishio)* - The user makes multiple consecutive slashes while twisting their body and sword in a flowing fashion to deliver multiple blows simultaneously. The user may increase the quantity of consecutive strikes and slashes in order to contact a specific target during a chaotic situation.

* **Fifth Form: Blessed Rain After The Drought** *(Go no Kata: Kanten no Jiu)* - The user changes the grip on their sword and decapitates the opponent in a single flowing strike that causes little to no pain. It is a “sword strike of kindness” used when the enemy willingly surrenders.

* **Sixth Form: Whirlpool** *(Roku no Kata: Nejire Uzu)* - The user fiercely twists their upper and lower body, creating a whirlpool of air that cuts anything caught in it. Its effect and efficiently is enhanced underwater, where the user can draw water around their weapon to enhance their slashes. This form can be combined with the Third to redirect projectiles

* **Seventh Form: Drop Ripple Thrust** *(Shichi no Kata: Shizuku Hamon Tsuki)* - The user performs a fast and accurate stab, hitting from a specific angle corresponding to the sword's structure, which nearly nullifies the impact and momentum of a moving object.

* **Eighth Form: Waterfall Basin** *(Hachi no Kata: Takitsubo)* - The user cuts the target vertically in a flowing motion which is most effective when they are falling downward.

* **Ninth Form: Splashing Water Flow, Turbulent** *(Ku no Kata: Suiryu Shibuki - Ran)* - The user changes their footwork in a way that minimizes the landing time and surface needed when landing, allowing the user to move without limits. Ideal when fighting in a place with no solid foothold.

* **Tenth Form: Constant Flux** *(Ju no Kata: Seisei Ruten)* - The user performs a continuous flowing attack which seemingly takes the form of a water dragon that increases in strength and power with each rotation due to momentum.

* **Eleventh Form: Dead Calm** *(Ju Ichi no Kata: Nagi)* - The user ceases all body movements and enters a state of complete tranquillity, deflecting, blocking and cutting any incoming attacks with imperceptible speed with their blade. Despite being considered official, only its creator and his son, Giyu and Gikuro Tomioka, have been able to perform it

* **Twelfth Form: Sudden Tide** *(Ju Ni no Kata: Totsuzen no Shio)* - The user slides across the nearest surface to strike the opponent from below, slashing upwards in a diagonal cut, aiming to dodge the enemy's defences. While lacking power, this attack is difficult to block successfully.

* **Thirteenth Form: Continuous Current** *(Ju San no Kata: Renzoku Denryu)* - The user will use a modified version of the Third Form to slash a single target continuously. This form was designed to attack Muzan.

* **Fourteenth Form: Death, Tidal Waves** *(Ju Shi no Kata: Shibo, Naori Hato)* - The user will start performing the Eleventh Form, only to appear behind the opponent, bringing down their sword at immense speeds

* **Fifteenth Form: Ocean's Wrath** *(Ju Go no Kata: Umi no Ikari)* - The user leaps forward and attacks twice, spinning their body in two circles, forming a gigantic x-shape that strikes down anything in its path. This attack is incredibly quick and hard to follow.

* **Sixteenth Form: Brutal Waterspout** *(Ju Roku no Kata: Mugoi Suichu)* - The user twists and turns their entire body, spinning around extremely quickly while being capable of shifting surfaces. Moving extremely quickly, this attack can cause immense damage.

* **Seventeenth Form: Suffocating Brine** *(Ju Shichi no Kata: Chissoku Ensui)* - The user continually strikes the opponent near the head, not allowing them to move with continuous and incessant attacks that make the opponent unable to focus or strike back

* **Eighteenth Form: Red Tide** *(Ju Hachi no Kata: Akashio)* - The user slashes against the opponent's eyes, blocking their line of sight and distracting them, making an opening to get a clear blow against the neck. The Form is named as such because the Aura formed by it is oddly red.

* **Nineteenth Form: Deadly Vortex** *(Ju Ku no Kata: Chimei-Tekina Uzu)* - The user approaches from an off-angle, reaching the opponent and fiercely spinning them around with their blade. This attack, much like the others, can be used effectively underwater

* **Twentieth Form: Steaming Black Sea** *(Ni Ju no Kata: Mushi Kokkai)* - Obscuring their movement, the user crouches and attacks from below, sliding across the ground to approach the opponent as best as possible and avoiding detection, ending with a singular powerful slash to decapitate

* **Twenty-First Form: High Tide** *(Ni Ju Ichi no Kata: Michishio)* - The user builds up an insane amount of momentum, generated through movement. This Form is to be used with as much focus as the Eleventh Form, as they are nearly the same, although, this one is a massive, serpentine dragon in aura, and is so fast that it happens in a blink. This form is technically an esoteric technique of the Tomioka family, as no one other than Giyu and his son Gikuro have ever been capable of performing it.

## **Equipment:**

**Standard Nichirin Katana:** Gikuro wields a standard sized and shaped Nichirin Katana, with a cerulean blue blade with soft, wave-like marks along its surface, as expected for a Water Breathing user. His handguard is composed of a black hexagon with a dark blue border.

## **Familiars:**

* **Awamaru:** Gikuro's crow Awamaru is a mostly lazy crow, so much so that Gikuro has to berate it every single time he needs to send a letter, just to be sure that Awamaru will do his job in a timely fashion.

## **Battles:**

* Gikuro vs Taro (Sparring)
* Gikuro vs Rui
* Gikuro, Yushibo and Murata vs Rui
* Gikuro, Yushibo and Aya vs Akaza

## **Trivia:**

* Gikuro's name can be broken down into the following: [Gi], meaning "Righteousness/Justice" and [Kuro], meaning "Black/Dark". His surname, [Tomioka] is broken down into [Tomi], meaning "Wealth" and [Oka], meaning "Knoll"
* Gikuro's favorite food is chocolate. His second favorite food is whatever his mother makes
* The reason why Gikuro befriended Ryo so swiftly is because he wants his friends to treat him as an equal, rather than befriending people who already treat him with more respect than he believes he is owed.