Demon Slayer: Why Did Hotaru Refuse to Make Another Sword for Tanjirō?

The third season of Demon Slayer has finally arrived, and the new episodes are providing us with more details about Tanjirō’s adventures in the Swordsmith Village. Although we actually found out about this in the first episode, the second episode really took us deeper inside the core of the relationship between Tanjirō Kamado and his swordsmith, Hotaru Haganezuka. In the first episode, we found out that Hotaru refused to make a new blade for Tanjirō, and in this article, building on what happened later, we are going to explain why Hotaru refused to do it and tell you about their shared history.

Hota refused to make another sword for Tanjiro because Tanjiro already broke several newly-made swords. Hotaru Haganezuka was described as a very difficult and moody person; he was very proud of his skills, which is why he was so furious with him each time he broke them. The sword broken in the Entertainment District arc was the third one, so Hotaru, now completely furious with Tanjirō, simply refused to make a new one and disappeared, working hard to improve his skills.

The rest of this article is going to focus on Hotaru Haganezuka, the most famous swordsmith in the Demon Slayer lore. We will tell you some important details related to his personality, skills, and role in the Swordsmith Village Arc, focusing particularly on his relationship with Tanjirō Kamado. This article might contain some significant spoilers, so be careful how you approach it.

Hotaru and Tanjirō had a history when it came to the latter’s swords

Hotaru Haganezuka was introduced very early in the story as he was assigned to Tanjirō as his swordsmith. When Tanjirō passed the Final Selection and became a Demon Slayer, Hotaru Haganezuka was sent to him – who was, at the time, living with Sakonji Urokodaki – to deliver his katana to him.

Although Tanjirō invited him inside, Hotaru refused to enter the house and simply remained outside, describing the “masterful” blade he had created. When he finally decided to enter to hand Tanjirō the blade, he was excited as he expected the blade to turn bright red, which would have made him very proud. But, the blade turned pitch black, and Hotaru was not only disappointed but also angry at Tanjirō because the young Demon Slayer did not meet his expectations.

This is how their story started, but it quickly escalated. During the events on Mount Natagumo, Tanjirō broke his blade, and while he was in the Butterfly Mansion for rehabilitation, Hotaru visited him. And while Tanjirō was sorry for having broken the blade, Hotaru did not seem to care for that and took a knife and started chasing Tanjirō around, angry that the boy had broken his blade. After calming down, he handed Tanjirō his new Nichirin Blade and returned back to his home. This was the first such incident.

As you might have expected, Tanjirō broke his blade once again during the Mugen Train Arc. When the young Demon Slayer returned from the Rengoku household, he again met a furious Hotaru, who started to chase him around again, again angry because the boy had – now twice – broken his blade. But, again, after calming down, he handed Tanjirō his new Nichirin Blade. But that was not the end of it.

Namely, fans will know that Tanjirō once again broke his blade during the Entertainment District Arc. Luckily for him, he was so exhausted that he had to rest for a total of two months, meaning that he managed to avoid a direct confrontation with Hotaru. And while you’d expect that Hotaru would craft a new blade in two months’ time, when Tanjirō asked about it, all he received from Kiyo was a message from Hotaru. As you might expect, the message was very grim, with Hotaru threatening Tanjirō and being extremely angry with him. He also clarified that he would not craft a new blade for him.

Tanjirō was informed that he would have to visit Hotaru in the Swordsmith Village, which is a task that he gladly accepted, despite the grim undertone of Hotaru’s message. After recovering fully, he prepared for the journey and went to the Swordsmith Village to find Hotaru.

Hotaru had a difficult personality, but he was a noble swordsmith

And while Tanjirō expected to meet and discuss the situation with Hotaru, he discovered that Hotaru had disappeared. In a conversation with the village chief, Tanjirō is informed that the village is searching for Hotaru and hopes to have him found by the time Tanjirō heals completely; if not, he will be assigned a new swordsmith. Left with almost no choice, Tanjirō decided to rest in the village and explore, which is how he found the Yoriichi Type Zero doll. After training with the doll, Tanjirō managed to break it and discover the prize hidden inside it, a centuries-old rusted katana that was, in that state, useless.

At that very moment, a muscular and almost unrecognizable Hotaru appeared and took the blade from Tanjirō using force, not explaining his motives. Kozo Kanamori then appeared and tickled Hotaru, who went limp. Kozo then explained that Hotaru had been training in isolation so he could make an unbreakable blade for Tanjirō (which Tanjirō deemed very considerate of him) and that he was happy that Tanjirō kept asking Hotaru for more blades, as Hotaru drove away a lot of his client due to his personality. Hotaru would soon wake up and say that he would fix the blade for Tanjirō, despite its rust. And he did.

Hotaru worked hard on the blade, admiring how brilliant it was. He was so concentrated, in fact, that he even ignored Gyokko’s and Hantengu’s attack on the village almost completely. Gyokko pestered him all the time. He even attacked him and injured him severely, but despite having his mask broken, his body injured, and losing one of his eyes, Hotaru kept working on the blade until he managed to deliver it to Tanjirō. This was his masterpiece, and it was also Tanjirō’s final blade, as this one did not break. There is a reason for that, but you’ll have to read about it in one of our other articles.