[00:02] I'm not going to lie. I'm actually kind of nervous to make this video. channel and to another video. Today, we are continuing on with my series, very
[00:17] late, but we're doing it. And today, we're going to be talking about Giyu Tomioka. I know I promised that this would be a monthly series starting at the beginning of the year. I have only done one back in January. I have been
[00:29] much busier than I expected, and that is literally my only reason for that. I I've been very busy. But better late than never, right? And today, we're talking about Giyu Tomioka because he was voted on by you guys. Over 1,000
[00:43] votes, and let me just say I was not expecting him to win. It really looked like Nezuko or Kokushibo was going to win, but Giyu pulled through in the end and ended up winning by quite a large margin. And I think that works out
[00:56] because I've only talked about Tanjiro. Giyu being next makes sense because he's Tanjiro is my favorite. And if this is your first time with this series or to my channel, this is not going to be like a scripted video essay. I literally
[01:10] don't have a script. I am just going to talk about why I love Giyu Tomioka for the next undisclosed amount of time. You know when you're watching this because I'll have the video posted with a certain time. But for the record, when I
[01:22] that was an hour and 17 minutes. I believe I recorded for almost 2 hours. But I can say with a good amount of certainty, that's not going to happen this time. Not because I dislike Giyu, but because Tanjiro, um I have a lot of
[01:39] but because Tanjiro, um I have a lot of thoughts on him. Giyu, I have a lot of before we dive into today's video, a couple things to go over. Number one is I am going to try and talk about things chronologically. So that way, for those
[01:52] of you who do not want to get spoiled on the manga, I can kind of section that off near the end of the video so that you don't get spoiled and you can watch thing I want to talk about is since this
[02:04] is not like a scripted video essay, this is going to be me talking about why I biased towards my perception of the story and of other characters. So, let
[02:16] in the comments because I always find it very interesting. I feel like most of the people who watch my channel love Tanjiro a lot, but I feel like it's lovers, but I also have some people who don't really like him. So, I don't know
[02:31] if this video is going to change your mind on things, but it can at least let much. But, we're going to dive right in, this video, subscribe to the channel, and leave a comment your thoughts. Also,
[02:43] if you are interested in fun perks like early release of videos, fun emojis, and you will have access to polls that help determine what videos I do next, go ahead and join my channel membership. You can hit the join button down below.
[02:57] But, with that, let's get into this. So, Giyu is an interesting character in the fact that he is not only the first Hashira that we meet because he does make an appearance in episode 1, but he is also our introduction to the Demon
[03:13] Slayer Corps in general. He is the very first character that we see with a Nichirin sword in the Demon Slayer uniform, and he is of course the person that kind of starts Tanjiro's journey to become a Demon Slayer. And honestly, our
[03:28] become a Demon Slayer. And honestly, our introduction to him is pretty tough. He um does some things that I definitely don't agree with in this first episode. And that is of course that he yells at a
[03:41] 13-year-old child who is on his knees sobbing because mere moments ago he lost his entire family and is begging to spare the life of his last living family
[03:53] member. I think it is definitely a bit of a rough introduction to Giyu when he just yells at him instead of really showing a whole lot of empathy. However,
[04:05] one of the things that I find really interesting about this introduction to Giyu is that we instantly see that there's more beneath the surface of that very like tough exterior and that his yelling at Tanjiro is immediately
[04:20] yelling at Tanjiro is immediately painted more into a he's just trying to motivate him, but inside he's actually showing a lot of empathy. Now, it's to make a video on this at some point that Giyu is both a victim of a system
[04:38] of exploitation within the Demon Slayer Corps, but he is also a perpetrator of it as well. But, I do think a lot of the characters are victims of a system of just like immediate like "Oh, you just lost your family, therefore you must
[04:55] fight to protect humanity, right?" And most of these characters at their lowest of lows are met with someone who has to do with the Demon Slayer Corps, whether that be the master or a member of the Corps or a Hashira, etc. And that member
[05:12] then takes the trauma that this person has in like literally just experienced like in the case of Tanjiro, of course it's only been a couple of minutes since he found his family and turns that trauma into a fight it it's a okay like
[05:29] fight to protect the people you love. And I bring this up with Giyu because Giyu is also a victim of this cycle of exploitation. However, all of these adult characters were victims of this
[05:42] cycle, but perpetuated the cycle. Giyu is somewhat doing the same thing here, right? Because in this scene, my immediate thought is Tanjiro needs a immediate thought is Tanjiro needs a moment. He needs like someone to comfort
[05:59] him in some way. I know the circumstances are extreme. I know, of course, Nezuko has been turned into a demon and that's very different from any other character that we have seen in the Well, we haven't seen at this point in
[06:11] the show cuz this is the first episode. But, what we see later on the show is that a lot of these characters have experienced this pain and lost a lot of family, including Giyu, which I'm obviously going to get into. But, Giyu,
[06:24] instead of like showing the empathy that he clearly holds inside of his heart, he is really tough on Tanjiro. And my brain, when I watched this scene, is,
[06:36] "Man, this is a 13-year-old kid who just lost everything and is on his hands and knees begging you for what he has left. He's scared. He is in immense pain and
[06:50] He's scared. He is in immense pain and anguish and is in denial. And instead of offering a a true helping hand, I think Giyu thinks he's offering him a helping hand by saying like, "Oh, what does he
[07:02] say?" Like, you know the scene that I'm talking about. I'll roll it right here.
[07:27] this exterior that he's showing because he thinks that's what Tanjiro needs, but internally, there's actually a lot of care and hope for Tanjiro. So, does he
[07:40] continue the cycle and pass it on to Tanjiro, who doesn't ever mention wanting to be a demon slayer? He just says he wants to turn Nezuko into a human, and Giyu just is like, "All right, go see my trainer." And he knows
[07:53] that it's going to be very tough and very difficult and very hard on his body, and he might not make it past final selection since Giyu is the only student of Urokodaki's in the past, who knows how long, that has survived final
[08:08] knows how long, that has survived final selection. In reality, with Giyu's knowledge here, he is sending Tanjiro to certain death. Like, he knows that final selection is no joke. He knows that final selection
[08:22] kills really strong people because, as we see later on, that final selection killed Sabito, who was stronger than Giyu at that time. And so, there's like Giyu at that time. And so, there's like a very immediate, morally gray character
[08:37] a very immediate, morally gray character presented to us in Giyu, which is direct presented to us in Giyu, which is direct contrast from Tanjiro, who is not a very morally gray character. I, of course, I don't want to get too much into Tanjiro
[08:49] because I've done a whole video about him, but Tanjiro is going to come up a lot when it comes to Giyu because part of the reason why I love Giyu so much is the constant development of like the relationship between the two of them and
[09:02] how Giyu's development is kind of brought on by Tanjiro and that sort of thing, and that Giyu was kind of there from the very, very start with Tanjiro. Tanjiro's not like a morally gray character. He has flaws, but he is a
[09:16] generally good person. In fact, his soul is like clear and that sort of thing. Giyu is much more morally gray. So, like right off the bat, we're introduced to this like very pure soul and a very stormy soul, I guess you could say.
[09:30] Like, there's a lot stirring inside of Giyu's heart, and we kind of see that right off the bat because I talked I've already talked quite in length about my disagreement with how Giyu handles the situation. Also worth to note that Giyu
[09:44] at this point is like 19, so he is also very young and very traumatized. So, when you are a very traumatized person and you are the victim of a system of like exploitation and using you at your lowest, because I do I I do really think
[10:00] most of the demons there are characters are exploited by even the good side within the story. Again, that's a video for another time. He is doing what he for another time. He is doing what he thinks is correct here. And he also does
[10:15] change the cycle because we meet many, many characters throughout the story where they see demon, they kill demon, right? Like it is cut and dried, black and white. You see a demon, no matter if they beg for their lives, if someone
[10:30] usually assume that it's the work of blood demon art or something going on, and you kill the demon. Like you cannot hesitate, and that's a theme even like Tanjiro is able to understand that later on in the story, but Giyu is able to see
[10:48] that Nezuko wants to protect him and is able to understand very quickly that that's not her trying to pull one over him, but it is absolutely something that means that he needs to let them live, and we see immediately like the goodness
[11:04] of his heart. Even though there was this rough exterior, even though he's yelling at a kid who just lost everything, even though he's also sending this child to though he's also sending this child to certain death, he immediately believes
[11:19] in what they can do. So, immediately we're seeing that kind of back and forth of Giyu's character that I think continues on in the story quite a lot. I I that Giyu's introduction is very ambiguous for a reason. A lot of people
[11:35] absolutely despise the way he acts. A lot of people feel like they understand middle. I definitely stand in the middle. I think that there was definitely a different way to handle that and there is like my heart wanted
[11:48] someone to show Tanjiro a little bit more kindness than that. But also, this is a dog-eat-dog world, you know, I I don't live in a world with demons where that's survival is to be tough and to not take a moment to like
[12:03] breathe and grieve, but to just push forward. So, we don't really hear from Giyu. We do hear that, of course, he sent a letter to Urokodaki and told him that, you know, he sees something in Tanjiro and his sister. He thinks that
[12:19] Tanjiro could be Urokodaki's heir apparent, which put a pin on that because that's going to come up later. This is a very small little exposition here at the very beginning of the story that will only make sense once we see
[12:34] his full story, but of course, now that we know because it's all been animated, of course, we know that Giyu is the Water Hashira, Urokodaki is the former Water Hashira, but he specifically says he believes that Tanjiro can be his heir
[12:49] apparent even though Giyu at this present moment is the Water Hashira and is kind of his heir apparent because he was his student. And of course, Giyu is the only surviving student for an undisclosed amount of time. We don't
[13:03] know how long it's been, but we know that it's been quite a while. So, Giyu is the reason that Tanjiro is able to find a trainer and of course, then goes on to pass final selection, kill the demon that killed Sabito along with all
[13:18] the other Urokodaki students that were killed during final selection, but we don't see Giyu again until the Mount Natagumo arc. There's not a ton to go over at the beginning of this arc. Most of it is just that Giyu is very quiet.
[13:35] He does not speak to Shinobu very much. She's like constantly trying to create conversation with him. He is clearly not biting and this kind of really sets the
[13:47] tone that Giyu is a very reserved character, a very quiet character and he's getting like teased by Shinobu a lot throughout this arc. I want to fast forward though. Obviously like we learned that he's created a water
[14:02] breathing form which means that he is exceptionally strong. We have barely learned much about Hashira at all at this point. In fact, this is our first this point. In fact, this is our first introduction to that entire rank and
[14:15] both Shinobu and Giyu in this fight are painted as so incredibly strong, way stronger than the other characters that we've met. Way stronger than Tanjiro, obviously cuz Tanjiro couldn't even beat Rui and Giyu
[14:30] shows up with his 11th form and slices Rui like it's nothing and thus all of Rui like it's nothing and thus all of the fan girls become fan girls for Giyu Tomioka. I'm not going to lie. When I watched this part in the anime, I don't
[14:46] remember how I feel about him. He flew under the radar for me at this point in time. While I do remember thinking, "Damn, he's good. Damn, he's strong." I didn't become like, "Oh my god, Giyu Tomioka is my second favorite
[15:02] character." Right? It took a little bit longer which I'll I'll talk about that, you know, later on since I'm doing this chronologically, but I I do think that was just kind of like a okay, all of the fan girls are here because he's very
[15:15] handsome. He's very strong. He's very cool. He shows up. He slices Rui like it's nothing. We're good to go. But, what I want to focus on is what happens what I want to focus on is what happens right after this because this is the
[15:29] start of showing less of that cool exterior, that tough, that kind of like quiet and closed off, not really emotionally there, like just kind of this guy with dead eyes that's just kind of there. This is why I I don't agree
[15:44] with the like, "Oh, he's just a bland character." because from the start, really, we've seen the empathy in his heart. It just takes a while to like really show through. So, one of the things that I find so funny
[15:59] about him is he's staring at Tanjiro and Nezuko Nezuko and he does not remember who they are until he takes a closer look at Nezuko with the bamboo muzzle. I'm like, "Man,
[16:13] bro, are you that aloof that you It's only been 2 years. Like, how would you not remember such a poignant part of your career?" I'm sure like that was a day he would never forget because that is the day that he met a demon who was
[16:27] not killing everyone around them, right? And he literally just like stands there and stares at Tanjiro for a moment and then like he saw Nezuko's bamboo, which like, "Oh." And then immediately Shinobu
[16:42] showed up and tried to kill Nezuko because all of the Demon Slayer Corps, they see demon, they kill demon. That's how they're wired. That's how their their life revolves around that, really. Because as we learn later and more and
[16:58] more throughout the show, like every single one of these characters has lost single one of these characters has lost something, someone, multiple people to demons. And they have also, because they've all been in the Demon Slayer
[17:10] Corps for quite a while, they have also seen a lot of death and a lot of pain of just like in general, not even their own, but just in general from people who have lost loved ones to demons. So, you can't really blame them for being like,
[17:25] can't really blame them for being like, "I see demon, I kill demon." But, Giyu is immediately protective of them. And it's kind of hard to be like, "Oh, he's so protective of them." because he's not saying anything. Like, he's so quiet at
[17:41] this point in time that like Shinobu is just getting more and more annoyed. Even Tanjiro's laying there like, "Oh my god, what's happening?" because Giyu could address the situation as to why he kept Shinobu from killing her when she's
[17:56] people don't like you." And instead of addressing her question, he goes, "I'm not hated." And it's like, "Okay. All right, dude." There is definitely some aloofness in his brain there. That is for sure.
[18:10] And it's silly, it's funny, it's just like a little added comedy to a very like a little added comedy to a very intense moment. But, I do really love the fact that the moment he recognized who they were was when Shinobu was
[18:24] showing up. And he took it upon himself to stand in front of them and protect I'm I think I'm just kind of explaining the story. This is one of the biggest
[18:36] reasons I love Giyu. And when I mentioned at the beginning of this video to be prepared that this is just like my biased take on this character. This is completely based off of my perception of the story. If I didn't love Tanjiro in
[18:50] the way that I do, I don't know if I would love Giyu as much as I do. And that is because Giyu is fiercely protective over Tanjiro and Nezuko even all the way back in season 1. But, because he hasn't developed
[19:07] himself a whole lot, it seems like he's just this random aloof character who's really freaking strong, very beautiful to look at, but because he doesn't like to look at, but because he doesn't like talk too much and we later learn why, I
[19:22] little bit just how protective he little bit just how protective he already is. He is willing to put his job at risk in this moment. He's not explaining things to Shinobu. I I think
[19:34] that he's not explaining things to Shinobu because he doesn't really see Shinobu because he doesn't really see the point. He just stands by what he believes and he doesn't believe in in really explaining himself and like he's
[19:46] standing on his word without saying anything and it's kind of funny, kind of frustrating, but this is one of the main reasons, in fact, this is the main reasons, in fact, this is the main reason why I love Giyu Tomioka is this
[19:59] desire to protect Tanjiro and just like the Kamado siblings in general. Nezuko, of course, is a part of that. Just grows and grows and grows and grows throughout the show and it's not just this like, oh, there's just this one character that
[20:13] wants to protect Tanjiro and Nezuko cuz there are a lot of characters who want to protect Tanjiro and Nezuko. That is a very common theme within the story very common theme within the story because Tanjiro is their junior. So,
[20:27] like we see Rengoku do it in Mugen Train, we see Tengen do it in Entertainment District. They all have this like natural inclination to want to protect Tanjiro along with Nezuko, Zenitsu, Inosuke because they are the
[20:40] younger slayers. So, these Hashira have it in their heads that like it's their job to protect the juniors, which makes sense. Um, but Giyu's is a little bit different than that because it develops throughout the story and we also see
[20:52] here that he saw what Nezuko did and he immediately was like, all right, I'm going to let you go. I don't think many of the other Demon Slayers, many of the other Hashira, if they had been in that situation, they would have done it. I I
[21:05] people joke like, okay, Sanemi, obviously not. Mitsuri, probably. Uh Rengoku, Tengen, Muichiro, Obanai, no. None of them. Maybe Gyomei would see it, but I think that Giyu, by this point in the story,
[21:21] has very much already proven that he has a fierce desire to protect, but he's disconnected from that desire to protect, I guess, because he is dealing with his own inner battle at the same time. And his own feeling of Well, his
[21:38] own inferiority complex, right? Like, he we later on learn like doesn't believe he deserves to be a Hashira, let alone a Demon Slayer. So, that could also be why one of the reasons why he doesn't explain things to Shinobu is because he
[21:51] believes it, but he doesn't think anyone else needs to believe it. I don't know. It It's just kind of a silly moment, but of course, he is willing to chase Shinobu down. He is able to catch her, even though Shinobu is canonically
[22:06] really freaking fast. But of course, she nearly stabs him in the eye, which probably would have killed him, not going to lie, before the crows, of course, say, you know, take them into custody. So, moving
[22:20] on to the Hashira meeting, that's when we as an audience learn, of course, that we as an audience learn, of course, that Urokodaki wrote a letter to Kagaya. So, like, Tanjiro has been allowed to be in this situation this entire time. It's
[22:33] not that he joined the Demon Slayer Corps and no one knew. Like, Kagaya has Corps and no one knew. Like, Kagaya has known from the start, but we learn that known from the start, but we learn that both Urokodaki and Giyu are literally
[22:46] putting their lives on the line. And I think a lot of people brush over how crazy that is for Giyu to do. Urokodaki spent 2 years with Tanjiro and Nezuko.
[22:59] Granted, Nezuko was sleeping for pretty much that entire time, but he had so much more time to see like what Nezuko was doing, how she was acting, and Giyu
[23:13] only was there for like a few minutes, right? Urokodaki putting his life on the line to say like and by life on the line I mean like of course if Nezuko were to eat someone, if she were to attack someone and kill someone, then Urokodaki
[23:27] and Giyu and then of course Tanjiro as well, which is kind of obvious, would atone by committing seppuku. It makes sense to me for Urokodaki to be like, "Yep, I 100% believe that she's not going to. I am willing to stake my life
[23:41] on that claim." Giyu knows way less of the situation and yet he still is doing that. And when we hear this exposition, it pans to Giyu's face and his face doesn't change. He doesn't look to the side, he doesn't
[23:58] seem bothered by it. Like it almost seems like that's the obvious thing that he would do. Like there's no other thing in his head that's like, "Why wouldn't I have done that?" And again, just goes along with this like desire to protect,
[24:12] along with this like desire to protect, to protect, to protect, but he's keeping his distance because as we know later on in the story, he tends to have a hard time protecting people, right? So in season 1, we're introduced to this
[24:26] character who's very aloof, very mysterious, but at his core we are introduced very early on that he is fiercely protective and that he cares about the Kamado siblings quite a lot. And I think that's when I started to be
[24:40] like, "Hmm, I might like this character." Because I do feel like Giyu, this like emo character that just doesn't have much personality. But when I'm about to get to because he doesn't appear much throughout the story before
[24:56] Hashira training. It's like everything that he does like all all of his aloofness, all of his like standoffishness is born out of his standoffishness is born out of his extreme survivor's guilt and inferiority
[25:10] Inferiority complex. I'm thinking of like superiority complex, but I think like superiority complex, but I think there is an inferior inferiority complex. So, the fact that he was so willing to put his life on the line and
[25:25] people write that off as a joke. Oh, Giyu is just waiting for the moment that he can say goodbye to the world. I don't think that's the case. I think he did that because he genuinely believed that Nezuko wouldn't kill a human. Because
[25:41] for the record, if he even remotely thought that she might, he wouldn't have let her live in that moment. So, he like I said barely appears in Mugen Train. We just see him very briefly when he like learned about Rengoku's death and just
[25:55] said, "So, ka." and walked away. I think a lot of people misunderstand his response because it seems very much like, "Okay, whatever." I think it does come from the fact that he is emotionally detached from the other
[26:09] Hashira. Did he do that to himself? Yes, but he's like guarding himself from the but he's like guarding himself from the pain that he's felt in the past. No, he did not just respond, "So, ka. I see." because he's just some hard- hearted
[26:25] individual who doesn't care. He's cared so much in the past that he can't bring himself to care that much. And I also feel like there was a small amount of sadness in the way that he like kind of stared off to the distance. I do feel
[26:41] like people write off that moment as, "Oh, Giyu is just this character that watching the show for the first time in that moment, I understand that feeling because it does seem that way. But, as the show progresses, I think once you've
[26:56] seen his story in Hashira training, and you've kind of learned a lot more about him and his past and what's happened to him, and his inner thoughts, and his emotions, and why he acts the way that he does, and that that's not natural,
[27:10] that's not his natural tendency, I think that scene right there in Mugen Train, to me, read much more as this is someone who is desperately trying to disconnect who is desperately trying to disconnect themselves from everyone because they
[27:25] don't want to feel the pain that they've felt in their past. That's how I read that scene, at least. And that's part of being traumatized. That's part of going through like this survivor's guilt, this feeling that you don't deserve to be
[27:41] what you are, like that sort of thing, is you want to shut down, you want to be don't want to get close to people who could die at any moment. In their line of work, you know, as we see, the mortality rate of a Demon Slayer Corps
[27:56] member, especially a Hashira, is very high. It is very abnormal for people to retire. Usually, someone's filling a new Hashira role because someone died. It makes sense to me in my brain. If I put myself in the shoes of a Demon Slayer
[28:11] myself in the shoes of a Demon Slayer member, I would also really struggle to like connect with people because I would not want to just constantly have to lose people because all these characters are aware of what their job is. I think Giyu
[28:27] disconnecting himself, even without the knowledge of his like belief that he doesn't deserve to be a Demon Slayer, let alone a Hashira, if we didn't know that information, I still understand why he seems disconnected because that's a
[28:40] realistic thing to do in a job like that. Personally, that's what I think. that. Personally, that's what I think. So, moving on to Hashira training where we finally learn about his past. And of course, we learn that his sister died
[28:54] when he was young and she was protecting him. I can't remember when does he was that a side story? We learn that like Tsutako was going to get married the next day. She protected him from a demon. She hid him and sacrificed
[29:09] herself to protect him, which is a very big older sibling thing to do. We see story, but of course he ends up making it out alive cuz he's a main character, but Giyu's sister obviously was a mentioned character. And then we also
[29:24] learn and of course we go full circle all the way back to the beginning when all the way back to the beginning when Tanjiro got to know Sabito and Makomo. We learn Giyu and Sabito were friends and trained together. Which you could
[29:38] super close attention, if you had an eye for detail, and you noticed the half of Giyu's haori that was the same as Sabito's kimono. I don't remember the wording. It wasn't his haori. His haori was white that he was wearing. So, it
[29:53] was the same print. But, we are able to learn that the whole reason this entire multiple times in the video obviously, that Giyu has been acting so aloof, so
[30:06] that Giyu has been acting so aloof, so disconnected, is not because he is that way naturally. That's not his natural personality. That is born out of his extreme survivor's guilt because everyone that he has loved has died. And
[30:21] most of them have died protecting him. Tsutako and Sabito being the main ones. And he fiercely fiercely wants to protect someone, but can't. Like no matter how much he tries, everyone he loves dies, right? So, that's why he's
[30:38] so like he's very fiercely super of Tanjiro, but he doesn't like show it that much. Like he's very just like kind of there. He obviously his true actions are very protective, but his personality and the way he acts, the way he talks is
[30:52] demon." Read the letter of him, you know, giving his life, staking his life for for Nezuko. He just sits there. When Tanjiro walks up to him at the end of season 1 and says like, "Thank you for
[31:07] everything." Giyu just says, "You can thank me by doing good work." That's not his natural tendency. That's him still forcing himself to be like kind of neutral with Tanjiro because he doesn't want to latch onto another person
[31:21] because he's terrified of that happening and then them dying. Like that's his and then them dying. Like that's his whole story is he's wanted to protect people, he's wanted to be strong, but every time he ends up getting protected
[31:34] and others give their lives to protect him when he just doesn't know why. He's He's just living this life. He doesn't believe he even passed final selection because Sabito just killed all the demons there except the hand demon. They
[31:48] all survived just because there was no one left except for the hand demon. And think I deserve to be a demon slayer, let alone a Hashira." And then that's kind of why he's aloof with the Hashira, not just because he wants to disconnect,
[32:03] but because he doesn't believe he deserves to even sit next to them. He doesn't talk to them because he doesn't think he has the right to. He doesn't think that he is on the same level as them. When he is, like for the record,
[32:16] anyone watching the show, anyone who knows him, who has fought alongside him, knows that he's a force to be reckoned with. He's actually one of the strongest Hashira. He's created his own water breathing form that is
[32:30] insane. 11th form is crazy. He's moving so fast that you can't see him moving. so fast that you can't see him moving. That's crazy, right? So, he is really so many people misunderstand him both in the story and outside of it because the
[32:45] survivor's guilt and the feeling of not deserving to be a demon slayer just completely overtakes him, and he shuts down. And this is like a very common response to extreme trauma is to shut down because it you don't have it in
[33:00] your heart to love again because you develop this extreme fear of losing people again. And then you add to it that Giyu is in a high mortality job where these people can die very quickly. I really like his story. I I think it's
[33:16] Demon Slayer a lot of people complain a lot of the back stories feel very similar all the time, you know, they all have very similar history with like think that's at the point. That is the point, you know, Kagaya tells Muzan, you
[33:32] keep stepping on the tiger's tail so you awoke the dragon. That's the point is that eventually so many people are going to experience this pain and grow so angry that they are going to gain enough power to defeat Muzan. But Giyu's is a
[33:46] little bit different in the fact that he lost everything and essentially just was kind of wandering around not knowing what to do. Like because Sabito died in Final Selection and he passed, like yeah, he became a demon slayer because
[34:02] he passed Final Selection. If he had lost Sabito in a different way beforehand, he probably would have never gone on to do it. He probably would have ran away and like who knows what he would have done. So, he is a very
[34:15] complicated character, and I think that story is a little bit different because most of these characters, they experience this pain and trauma, they meet someone from the Demon Slayer Corps, they say you can help fight for
[34:28] innocent lives, become a demon slayer, and they dedicate their lives to it. Giyu has dedicated his life to it, but he has this in the back of his mind the entire time that he doesn't deserve to be there. And of course, this also
[34:41] starts the relationship with him and Tanjiro, which is one of my favorite duos in the entire show, possibly even my favorite. Because the other ones I love are Tanjiro and Inosuke and Tanjiro and Nezuko, but I do
[34:55] think that Tanjiro and Giyu as a duo is actually developed probably the best of all those, which is crazy to say, more than Tanjiro and Nezuko considering they're siblings. But that's another video for another day as well. So,
[35:08] obviously, you know, Tanjiro kind of only has to say this one word and says like, not one word, one sentence, and says like, "Don't you want to take the gift that Sabito gave you? Like, don't you want to use it?" I kind of skipped
[35:21] episode of Hashira training when like he's in the the meeting and this is the point where he decides to leave. And of course, all the other Hashira think he means like, "Oh, I'm better than all of you." and it's the exact opposite. We
[35:35] learn that it's because he like doesn't think he deserves to be a Hashira. And so, because like everyone's coming together, I think that's what kind of pushes him to decide to like step away from it. But Tanjiro is there and you
[35:48] know, they talk through it. He's able to kind of break free of that mindset because of what Tanjiro said to him. He then starts to open up. We see him still very very like kind of deadpan. He's still like on the quieter side for sure,
[36:05] but he is a bit more talkative. There is more light in his eyes. I think more light in his eyes. I think something that I really like is how dull and dark his eyes are in the first, second, third season. And then in the
[36:19] movie, they're freaking glowing. And I think that's partially the art style of the the anime has changed. But Giyu specifically went from like very dark and dull eyes to glowing eyes. And I think that does signify the light
[36:33] returning to his eyes. Because after like this back and forth with Tanjiro, and Tanjiro kind of helps him understand that like he deserves to be there, you can see an obvious shift. He's always been protective over the Kamado
[36:46] been protective over the Kamado siblings, but after that, he is much siblings, but after that, he is much more open about that. It starts with actually an anime original moment that was not in the manga that I really liked
[37:00] that they added this into the anime because to me set the tone going into the Infinity Castle of Giyu's like entire development from here on out. And
[37:12] that is that when they start to fall in, Giyu immediately calls for Tanjiro. And I believe this is because at this moment, you know, after everything with Tanjiro kind of helping him remember his past and talking to him about Sabito,
[37:28] and telling him those things, and Giyu kind of is finally able to feel like he can stand shoulder to shoulder with the other Hashira, I think also that protection that he's always felt towards the Kamado siblings
[37:42] became much more intense because he wanted to open himself up to that love again, that relationship again. And Tanjiro being this person that he's already been protecting naturally became like his number one focus. I think he
[37:58] very much obviously, throughout this entire arc in the Infinity Castle, has a one-track mind, and he is doing everything he can do to protect Tanjiro,
[38:10] to make sure that he lives on, whether Giyu doesn't or not. But, he's very, very, very adamant about it. And I feel like just the anime adding that one moment where he briefly is confused, but immediately his attention goes to
[38:25] calling for Tanjiro was very, very telling of where his character is going. Tanjiro and Muzan are going back and forth. Giyu literally sitting there waiting. He's like, I'm not I'm going to stay here. And then also the moment
[38:39] where he So, now into the movie when he saves Tanjiro from hitting the bottom, in the manga all we saw was him just grab his haori. In the anime, he was grab his haori. In the anime, he was like coming through with his sword out
[38:52] and did everything he could to save Tanjiro again, because that one thing has been true the entire story. He has always desired to protect Tanjiro, but always desired to protect Tanjiro, but now he is open about it because he has
[39:07] been able to accept himself. He's been able to feel like he deserves to be where he's at. And it's all because of Tanjiro, too. Like Tanjiro is the push that he needed, and now he's becoming very fiercely protective over him to the
[39:22] point of flying through the Infinity Castle and making sure like that he grabs onto his haori with all of his might to protect him. But, moving on from that. So, the fight against Akaza, for the record, when I read the Akaza
[39:37] fight in the manga, this is when I truly fell in love with you. I definitely Hashira training when we saw his backstory, but this is when I was like, "Oh, yeah. I love him. That's my man." For the record, in the manga, it felt a
[39:55] lot more like Giyu and Tanjiro were pulling equal weight. The reason I bring pulling equal weight. The reason I bring this up is because Giyu is fiercely protective of Tanjiro, but he also knows that Tanjiro can hold his own, because
[40:11] the very beginning of the the fight, he pretty much says that Tanjiro is a Hashira. He's like, "His level is the level of a Hashira. Like, that's quite side note. It was a little bit frustrating watching it and being like,
[40:26] man, they really made this look like you did all the work when it was really a did all the work when it was really a team effort, truly. It truly was. Neither one of them would have defeated Akaza without the other. If they were
[40:40] there alone, both of them would have died against Akaza. No shot. Like, that is quite obvious to me, and that's the thing that people need to understand the most. But, the way he just jumps in whenever Akaza gets even close, if he is
[40:54] able, he does it. But, of course, near the end of this fight is probably one of the end of this fight is probably one of my most favorite moments in the entire my most favorite moments in the entire story. And it is after Tanjiro beheads
[41:07] Akaza, and then Akaza still hits him with a move, and Tanjiro gets thrown into that wall and passes out. And Giyu's alone with a broken sword. He's bleeding everywhere. He can't hear out
[41:22] of his ear. He can't feel his limbs. Like, he is donezo. And he still stands Like, he is donezo. And he still stands his ground and says one of my favorite
[41:34] his ground and says one of my favorite lines in the entire story. This manga panel I have considered tattooing on my body, and that is when he says, "If you body, and that is when he says, "If you want to kill Tanjiro, first defeat me."
[41:46] And I kind of like the wording the translation where he says more like, "If first." But, that's not what he says in want to kill Tanjiro, first defeat me." But, good lord, keep in mind that this
[42:00] is someone who just a few seasons ago found out about the death of a Hashira and said, "I see." Not because he didn't care about Rengoku, not because he was just so hard-hearted that he he was just like, "Whatever." Because he was so
[42:16] scared to connect with characters that that's all he could do. He is now battle-worn and barely able to move. And he declares that he must first be defeated before Akaza can kill Tanjiro because he's so so incredibly desperate
[42:33] to protect Tanjiro in this moment that he is like standing his ground in a moment where most people can't. Obviously, it's Demon Slayer and these characters are superhuman. But that is one of my favorite moments because
[42:47] we see his growth. And it was never that he just was a aloof person and now isn't. It's because that protection and that love, that fierce love and dedication to the people that he loves has always been there. But now he's
[43:01] has always been there. But now he's allowing himself to fill his heart with that love and protection and desire. So it's like a big moment for him that I like I love Tanjiro. Tanjiro is my favorite character. So any character
[43:15] protective over my favorite character, I'm going to love dearly, too. Like that's that's the bias side of things. I'm like, I love Tanjiro. So my love for Tanjiro definitely affects my love for Giyu because Giyu's entire story kind of
[43:30] is a part of Tanjiro's story the entire time as well. And again, I think this was added at the in the anime as well when Tanjiro collapses after Akaza dies
[43:43] and Giyu is immediately like trying to get to him, but then passes out himself. Tanjiro is all that's on his mind here. Like he has got tunnel vision towards protecting Tanjiro. That's all he wants to do. So I am now going to talk about
[44:00] some things that have yet to happen in the anime. So if you have not read the spoiled, here is your stopping point. I'll give you a couple of seconds to pause and make sure you come back to it once everything's animated and or you
[44:14] once everything's animated and or you read the manga. 3 2 1. We continue to see this trend throughout the fight against Muzan. He is constantly there for Tanjiro. The look on his face, by the way, when Muzan says that Tanjiro is
[44:29] dead, the just like extreme look of horror and his immediate like "Murata, get him out of here." He is very, very focused. Granted, they are they are fighting Muzan at this point. Muzan is the strongest demon in universe and he's
[44:46] taking the time to make sure that Tanjiro is taken out of the battle and given first aid, even though Muzan has already said he's dead. But Giyu's like, Like, he's almost in denial, really, because Tanjiro obviously is the main
[45:01] character, so we as an audience at this moment have an inkling that he's because that would be weird for the main character to die so early on in the final battle. But Giyu is honestly in denial here, but he is so protective of
[45:16] him that he is like trying to get him out of there. He has Murata get him out little bit of back and forth, but Tanjiro gets a lot more development other Hashira in this final battle, which was enjoyable. So, I'm going to
[45:29] skip forward to the hardest part of the story for me. Again, reminding people I when the final movie gets animated, someone please check on me
[45:41] if I go completely radio silent after. Um note that I'm just recovering from the fact that it'll be the end of Demon Slayer and also just what happens. So, against Muzan. And Tanjiro has him
[45:56] pinned. Tanjiro loses an arm. Giyu has lost an arm at some point in the fight. Giyu then, you know, tries to help Tanjiro. Something I didn't notice is I believe Tanjiro actually headbutts Giyu so that only Tanjiro gets swallowed,
[46:13] so that only Tanjiro gets swallowed, which is exactly what Giyu is like trying to not let happen. He would trade places with Tanjiro in a moment here because he's trying to keep Tanjiro alive. He will die to make sure that
[46:26] Tanjiro lives, right? Because Tanjiro's young, he has a sister, like he's trying everything he can to make sure that Tanjiro continues to live. But in this moment, Tanjiro does the one protecting, and Giyu immediately after, when he
[46:41] and Giyu immediately after, when he sees Tanjiro presumed dead, the Kakushi are saying there's no heartbeat, he's not breathing, he lets his emotions show. Giyu from season 1, even if it had been Tanjiro that had died, he would
[46:53] have done the same thing. He would have just said, "Souka." And kept on with his day because again, he was trying so hard to keep everyone at arm's length so that he wouldn't feel the pain that he felt when he was a kid. But because he broke
[47:07] when he was a kid. But because he broke free of that, now he's seeing himself in the same exact situation. He finally allowed someone in, and that person being Tanjiro. And Tanjiro still ended up protecting him. Because Tanjiro
[47:20] headbutted him away and ended up dying inside of Muzan's flesh. But of course, it doesn't end there because we have a plot twist, Tanjiro gets turned into a
[47:33] demon. Ah, this part is honestly so hard for me because I love the idea of Tanjiro being a demon. A lot of the character reactions are heartbreaking for me, especially Giyu. One thing that I think is important to call out is what
[47:49] Giyu is doing here. The moment he sees that Tanjiro is a demon, he's barking orders to to him, which is like you have to put yourself in his shoes for a moment and think about how that must feel. He went the whole night, I got to
[48:02] protect him. His main focus was protect, protect, protect. He has to first like have a moment where he thinks he's dead and then immediately turn and say no, we have to kill him. He he's not saying that just because if Tanjiro lashes out
[48:17] like people are going to die by his hand, it's not just out of the desire to protect everyone there, but it's to keep Tanjiro from killing someone and going to hell. Like I don't think people realize the way that they believe heaven
[48:32] and hell works, whether you agree with it or not, is that people who kill people, people who do bad things go to hell, good people go to heaven. So, hell, good people go to heaven. So, Tanjiro who is this morally good person,
[48:45] Giyu, not only wants to keep everyone there safe, but he also understands that if Tanjiro kills someone, he goes to hell. Even though Tanjiro was such a good person his entire life, who arguably is the only character in the
[49:00] story who truly deserves to go to heaven, right? Because he's the only one who constantly tried to make the right decision. Everyone else very, very all over the place, makes really bad decisions, right? And Tanjiro still made
[49:12] bad decisions. Tanjiro is still a flawed character. But out of everyone, he's probably the most moral person in the show. Giyu is aware that if he were to kill someone, he would then go to hell. He is trying to kill him to save his
[49:27] He is trying to kill him to save his soul because in his mind, there is no saving Tanjiro. He doesn't know that Kanao has this extra medicine. He thinks that they made enough medicine for Nezuko, Tanjiro has been turned, Tanjiro
[49:41] needs to be killed because Tanjiro was not able to, you know, control himself the way Nezuko was and that was very apparent at the beginning when he like almost killed that Kanao she. Very, very close to killing the Kokushibo, by the
[49:54] way, if Giyu wasn't there. The back and forth with this, when Giyu is saying like, "Please, just die as Tanjiro." is him not just saying like, "I wanted to like I can't even mourn your death." It's a die as Tanjiro so that you can go
[50:09] to heaven as Tanjiro, not as this not go to hell as this like monster that's here in front of them now. And Giyu is crying during this. There's one There's a very small panel where Tanjiro is like a grabbing Giyu's hair and making him
[50:25] bleed because he's digging his nails into his head, and Giyu is just crying. And it's like everything that he has been through over the course of this show is all coming to a head right here because he has dedicated the last few
[50:40] years, and especially this night, to protecting Tanjiro, and he so believes that he can protect him, that he was willing to open up and feel these emotions again. And now, not only is Tanjiro, in his mind, dead, but Tanjiro
[50:55] is now a shell, this like monster that's just lashing out without thought and that sort of thing. And he has to turn and completely just change the way he's been thinking all night, but it's still out of a protection for Tanjiro because
[51:11] out of a protection for Tanjiro because he knows that if Tanjiro was present, he right? Because Tanjiro has turned into a monster, and he's still is struggling. He like he can't actually do it. He's freaking out because Tanjiro is able to
[51:27] conquer the sun almost immediately, and he's hoping that Tanjiro is kind of point, like, "Are you controlling it? Are you aware?" because he wasn't killing Nezuko, at least. I don't feel like I can do this scene justice because
[51:42] this whole turn of events gets a lot of hate. A lot of people think it came out of nowhere. It was just a way to make Tanjiro live. And it explored all of the Tanjiro live. And it explored all of the characters' psyche so well because Giyu
[51:55] has been on this journey. He's been this character that has been so disconnected from everyone else. And Tanjiro is the reason why he was able to connect again,
[52:07] to feel that protectiveness, to feel that love for these other characters, even towards other characters, you know, like he It's not that he only cares about Tanjiro. It's that he's very, very tunnel vision on protecting him and
[52:20] wants to keep him by his side the entire time. But he has tried to build relationships with everyone else. Not like he he's had much time after the him just not really trying to make them
[52:33] understand. So, everything that he's like grown from and it's just going to happen to him again. Or worse, Tanjiro's going to kill people. Tanjiro's going to get away. Not only is Tanjiro dead, but he also is going to be
[52:50] like the next Muzan and be immortal. Tanjiro would have been immortal. And unless they somehow got him to find himself a little bit, which we don't that because his circumstances were very different from Nezuko's. But God, that
[53:04] scene, a lot of characters and their reactions to how it like what happens to Tanjiro there is really sad. But Giyu, you know, having being the only living and conscious Hashira, he knows what job he has to do and he does it because
[53:19] protection for Tanjiro in just a different way. And it's really, you that like doesn't show emotions to literally like sobbing over Tanjiro when he thought he was dead, crying when he's trying to kill him. Like there he's just
[53:34] he doesn't want to, but he has to. And it's like eating him up alive. It would have happened to him afterwards if Tanjiro had either like someone found a way to kill him or didn't get turned into a demon and just died at the end of
[53:48] interesting to explore his character because I do fear well, not fear, but I do think that Giyu probably would have just gone back to the way he was because he opened his heart to love again only for the person he wanted to protect to
[54:03] protect him. Like he was going to die no matter what. So, he just wanted to protect Giyu, but Giyu wanted nothing more than to protect him. And they're both very protective and I love them dearly. And I again, I I
[54:15] Tanjiro, I don't feel like I'm doing Giyu justice here, but I do love the Giyu justice here, but I do love the progression, but it's not like Giyu went from one type of character to another. It's not like he had a redemption arc or
[54:28] that sort of thing. There was always that protectiveness from episode 1, but it evolved and it changed and it grew as he grew throughout the story into a fierce protection and love for his little brother. Like it was like his
[54:44] two are together, Tanjiro got to be the little brother, Giyu got to be the big brother. When they both, you know, Tanjiro is a big brother and Giyu is a little brother. They got to switch roles. And in the end, Giyu was still
[54:57] protected by Tanjiro, but he was able to move forward from that. And of course, turned back into a human and he was okay. They all had a happy ending. One final thing, just like post battle, Giyu
[55:13] like, "Oh, that's because hair holds memories." I think he cut it because he like it's kind of hard to put your hair one arm. I'm just saying, especially because he lost his right arm. So, he um
[55:26] had to get used to using his non-dominant hand, which is interesting. I just found that funny. And also, he started writing letters back to Tanjiro even though Tanjiro had been writing letters to him from the start.
[55:40] He started writing back. He He started to care and and love again, and whether he had just a couple years left because of the mark or they all lived longer things with the mark that didn't really get explained. That was a beautiful end
[55:54] to his story, and that is why I love Giyu so much. Again, I would just like to say that a big reason why I love Giyu so much is because of his relationship favorite character, so that's like kind of a biased view of it, but I hope I got
[56:10] my point across. Again, a very long video, but I think I'm going to end it Thank you so much for watching today's video. If you liked it and you got all the way to the end, go ahead and leave a blue heart for water and subscribe to
[56:23] the channel. I'll see you all in the next one. Mata ne.