Demon Slayer: Does Tanjiro Become a Pillar?

In Demon Slayer, there’s no doubt that the main character is Tanjiro Kamado, who is on a mission to bring his sister back from being a demon and defeat Muzan Kibutsuji. As such, his goal is to become strong enough to accomplish his goals, and Tanjiro grows marginally throughout the events of the storyline. But we also know that the strongest Demon Slayers achieve the rank of Pillar or Hashira. So, does Tanjiro become a Pillar?

Tanjiro Kamado does not become a Pillar but can become strong enough to reach the level of a Hashira or even surpass them. In fact, while he wasn’t as strong as Yoriichi, Tanjiro could still match Muzan Kibutsuji as a swordsman and surpass almost all of the other Pillars in that fight.

While there is no doubt that Tanjiro is indeed strong, the fact of the matter is that he couldn’t reach the rank of Pillar because there was no longer any need for them after Muzan’s demise. But if there were still demons around, Tanjiro would have surely been a Hashira and might have become the strongest out of all of them in time. Now, let’s look at what we know about Tanjiro’s strength.

Tanjiro Doesn’t Become a Pillar

One of the things that we know about the storyline of Demon Slayer is that the members are given ranks that are all based on their accomplishments and strengths. However, those who are exceptionally strong and can exceed everyone else’s level are given the Pillar or the Hashira rank, which is the highest level a swordsman can attain in the storyline of Demon Slayer. And the entire storyline follows the story of how Tanjiro Kamado, a young teenage boy whose sister was turned into a demon, aims to become strong enough to find a way to bring his sister back and defeat Muzan Kibutsuji, the progenitor of all demons.

In that regard, Tanjiro’s strength progression was at a fast pace throughout the storyline of Demon Slayer because he eventually became skilled enough to defeat a Lower Moon demon and assist a Pillar in the defeat of the duo of Gyutaro and Daki, who were the Upper Rank 6 of the Twelve Kizuki.

But as strong as Tanjiro is, he never attains the level of Hashira throughout the entire storyline. There were several members of the Pillars that died in the events of the series, but there were no characters that replaced them in the current events. And the reason was that the Demon Slayer Corps suffered a huge loss in the death of their leader.

But more importantly, the Demon Slayers no longer needed to replenish their Pillar ranks because they were no longer needed to do so. That’s because the Demon Slayers successfully defeated Muzan at the end of the manga’s storyline. In that regard, they no longer needed to exist, as Muzan, the progenitor of all demons, was already dead. That means that all of the other demons were already dead as well.

The fact that the threat of the demons was already erased from the world was the reason why there was no need for more Pillars to replenish the Demon Slayer ranks. Tanjiro could never reach the level of Hashira precisely because the Demon Slayers were no longer needed in a world without any demons.

But Tanjiro Becomes as Strong as a Pillar

Even though Tanjiro never became a Hashira, he reached a level that rivaled or exceeded that of the other Pillars. That’s because he trained hard enough to become just as strong as they were during the height of their powers.

Tanjiro’s strength was reliant on his ability to use the Sun Breathing technique, passed down to his family from the original Sun Breather, Yoriichi. As such, because Tanjiro learned the Hinokami Kagura dance, which was passed down from his ancestors for hundreds of years, he learned how to use the Sun Breathing technique as it was disguised in the form of this dance.

On top of that, Tanjiro underwent intense training to hone his swordsmanship and physical capabilities. While he never reached the physical levels of the Pillars like Gyomei and Sanemi and the swordsmanship of Giyuu and Muichiro, his mastery over his Sun Breathing technique and indomitable will allowed him to reach the same level as the other Pillars. This was seen from the fact that he defeated Upper Moon Rank 3 Akaza, who could easily overcome the Flame Hashira Rengoku.

Tanjiro was also one of the few members of the Demon Slayer Corps to awaken his Demon Slayer mark, which allowed his body to reach its peak by pushing it beyond its limits. By awakening his mark, Tanjiro could reach strength and speed levels rivaling the Upper-Rank demons. Through this, he was able to become as strong as a Hashira.

But the true test of Tanjiro’s strength came in the battle against Muzan, who had weakened after battling multiple Pillars and getting poisoned. Even though Muzan was weaker now than he was at his peak, he was still incredibly strong and was far stronger than any of the other demons. Using the Sun Breathing technique’s 13th form, which Tanjiro developed solely to defeat Muzan, he overcame the progenitor of demons. He proved he was just as strong or stronger than the Pillars.