WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba manga by Koyoharu Gotouge, available in English through Viz Media.
The Hashira started out as mysterious, seldom-appearing characters in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. The most powerful sword-wielders in the Demon Slayer Corps, the Hashira are so strong that they fill the Lower Ranks of the Twelve Kizuki with terror and even the Upper Ranks fight them with a healthy respect for their skills. As the series went on, the Hashira became more and more involved, going from fleeting cameos to key players in several major story arcs.
Demon slaying is dangerous, even for Hashira, and unfortunately, not all of these elite warriors make it out of the series alive, and none of them make it to the end in one piece. The manga for Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba concluded some time ago, so the ultimate fate of each of the Hashira has already been established even as the anime soldiers on. In honor of the Hashira and their battles, here is an in-depth look at each of these characters' ultimate fates. Anime-only fans beware: Major spoilers lie ahead.
Kyojuro Rengoku's Noble Demise Shaped the Rest of the Series
The Flame Hashira, Kyojuro, was the first of the Demon Slayer Corps' Pillars, as they're also known, to enter the series' spotlight. During the "Mugen Train" arc, Kyojuro successfully saved the lives of 200 people on the Mugen Train when it derailed from Tanjiro's beheading of Enmu, Lower Rank One. Although Kyojuro was killed by Akaza, Upper Three, his legacy carries on. Tanjiro Kamado, and even fellow Hashira Tengen Uzui, fight with their admiration of the fallen Flame Hashira close to their hearts. In the manga's final chapter, set generations after the events of the series, the characters all live on through their various descendants and reincarnations. Kyojuro's spirit is carried on in Tojuro Rengoku, descendant of Senjuro Rengoku -- Kyojuro's younger brother. Tojuro is close friends with Sumihiko Kamado, Tanjiro's descendant.
Tengen Uzui Retired to Live His Best (Flashiest) Life with His Wives
The Sound Hashira is the Pillar of focus in the series' "Entertainment District" arc. Squaring off against Upper-Rank Six, a title shared by demon siblings Daki and Gyutaro, Tengen thankfully survives this encounter -- barely. Tengen's clash with Gyutaro cost him an arm and an eye, and the poison from Gyutaro's Blood Sickles would have taken his life if Nezuko had not used her own Blood Demon Art to cure him. Surrounded by his wives, Tengen announced that he would retire from the Demon Slayer Corps, as he can't fight with one arm and one eye.
Despite being forced into early retirement, Tengen made a handful of cameos during the series. When the "Hashira Training" mini-arc began, Tengen was the first Hashira that Corps members had to train with. During the "Infinity Castle" arc, Tengen stood guard outside Corps Headquarters with Shinjuro Rengoku, as Kiriya Ubuyashiki oversaw the battle against Muzan and the Upper-Ranks. After Muzan's defeat, Tengen visited a wounded Tanjiro and requested that Tanjiro come visit sometime. In the manga's final chapter, Tengen's descendant Tenma Uzui is a cocky, Olympic gold medalist in gymnastics.
Shinobu Kocho Scored a Major Victory from Beyond the Grave
The Insect Hashira, unfortunately, met with an untimely death in Demon Slayer's climactic storyline, the "Infinity Castle" arc. When she encountered Doma, Upper-Rank Two and the demon who killed her sister Kanae, Shinobu was quickly overpowered and consumed. As Kanao Tsuyuri and Inosuke Hashibira battled on and began to lose ground, Doma's body suddenly began to melt. A flashback revealed that Shinobu had 37 kilograms of Wisteria poison coursing through her veins. By consuming Shinobu, Doma ingested every drop of poison in her blood, and even Upper Two could not overcome such a stunning amount of Wisteria, allowing Kanao and Inosuke to decapitate him. In the manga's final chapter, the descendants of Zenitsu Agatsuma and Nezuko Kamado pass a pair of students on the street -- the reincarnations of Shinobu Kocho and her sister Kanae.
Muichiro Tokito's Violent Death Came at the Hands of His Ancestor
The Mist Hashira suffered an unspeakably gruesome demise in the "Infinity Castle" arc in the fight against Kokushibo, Upper-Rank One. Even though the Moon-Breathing demon deduced that Muichiro was his descendant, he still cut off Tokito's arm, stabbed him through the chest, sliced off his legs and blew off his remaining arm during their fight. Although Muichiro dealt Kokushibo a lethal wound with his burning-red katana that allowed Sanemi and Gyomei to finish the job, the Mist Hashira died as just a head attached to a limbless torso. In the manga's final chapter, a woman is seen pushing a stroller containing infant twins, the reincarnations of Muichiro and his twin-brother Yuichiro.
Gyomei Himejima Fought Kokushibo and Muzan Knowing He'd Die No Matter What
The Stone Hashira, the most powerful of the Demon Slayer Corps' Pillars, was a force of nature in the "Infinity Castle" arc. Unfortunately, he was a force of nature with an expiration date. Before the final showdown with Muzan and the Upper-Ranks, the Hashira began training to become "Marked Ones." Developing Marks that vastly increase their strength and stamina, the tradeoff of this gift is that the Marked Ones always die by their 25th birthday. This was especially a problem for Gyomei, who was 27 years old when he manifested his Mark.
Kokushibo informed Gyomei that manifesting the Mark beyond the age of 25 meant that the Stone Hashira wouldn't live to the end of the day. Regardless, Gyomei fought and defeated Kokushibo before taking on Muzan with the remaining Hashira. Himejima was taken out of the fight quickly when he lost his left leg to Muzan's attacks. After Muzan's defeat, Gyomei succumbed to his injuries as well as his Mark, passing away peacefully with the ghosts of his foster children at his side. In the manga's final chapter, a preschool is seen with a hulking teacher wrangling its children, the reincarnation of Gyomei.
Iguro Obanai and Mitsuri Kanroji Were Together Until the End
The Serpent Hashira, Iguro, and the Love Hashira, Mitsuri operated as a unit for most of Demon Slayer's "Infinity Castle" arc. Although they battled Nakime, the newly promoted Upper-Rank Four, they couldn't make any headway thanks to her confusing and frustrating Blood Demon Art. Once Muzan killed Nakime to handle the Hashira himself, Iguro and Mitsuri joined the fight where Mitsuri was critically wounded right off the bat. Iguro rushed her to safety before rejoining the fight, longing to tell her how he feels about her.
Iguro spent several chapters as one of the last two men standing against Muzan along with Tanjiro as the two fought together to keep Muzan from escaping. Once Muzan was defeated, Iguro held a dying Mitsuri as his own lifeforce drained from him, each of the Hashira having suffered major injuries in the fight against Kibutsuji. After they professed their love for each other, the two died in each other's arms. In the manga's final chapter, a bakery is seen operated by its hostess, Mitsuri, and its chef, Iguro. The pair found each other in their next lives as they had promised they would.
Sanemi Shinazugawa Survived Because His Father Wouldn't Let Him Go to Hell
The Wind Hashira was one of the few survivors of the bloodbath otherwise known as the "Infinity Castle" arc. Sanemi fought against Kokushibo alongside Gyomei, Muichiro and his own younger brother, Genya Shinazugawa. Losing a few fingers along the way, Sanemi managed to deal the final blow on Kokushibo in unison with Gyomei before he passed out. Tragically, Sanemi regained consciousness just in time to see Genya disintegrate into a demon's death, as his brother's ability to become demonic by eating the flesh of demons couldn't save him from having been cut in half by Kokushibo.
Sanemi managed to survive the battle against Muzan, if just barely. Unconscious and straddling the edge of death, Sanemi chose not to go to Heaven with his siblings, but to lovingly join his mother in Hell because she'd killed most of her children after she became a demon. However, the spirit of his abusive father emerged from Hell and essentially kicked Sanemi back into the land of the living. Sanemi's survival wasn't entirely a happy ending because he also manifested his Mark, meaning that he would die by his 25th birthday. In the manga's final chapter, either a descendant of Sanemi or his reincarnation is a police officer, whose partner is the reincarnation of Genya.
Giyu Tomioka Fulfilled His Promise to Protect Tanjiro
The Water Hashira, Giyu, survived the "Infinity Castle" arc after fighting at Tanjiro's side against both Akaza and Muzan. Though his sword was snapped by Akaza, and he lost an arm to Muzan, Giyu fought with Tanjiro and his fellow Hashira with everything he had. When it appeared as though Tanjiro had died defeating Muzan, Giyu was devastated as he had failed once again to protect someone important to him. When Tanjiro reanimated as a demon, Giyu prevented Tanjiro from killing anyone, refusing to allow further taint upon Tanjiro's soul.
Once Tanjiro returned to being human and the threat of demons was erased from Japan, Giyu attended the final Hashira meeting alongside Sanemi, where the Demon Slayer Corps was officially disbanded. Unfortunately manifesting his Mark in the battle against Akaza also doomed Giyu to die by his 25th birthday, taking some of the air out of his survival. In the manga's final chapter, either a descendant or reincarnation of Giyu is seen heading to school with reincarnations of Tsutako Tomioka, his sister, and Sabito, his closest friend.
