Demon Slayer: Is Muichirō Tokitō Actually Yūichirō? Theory Explained!

When one decides to talk about Demon Slayer, one usually talks about the demon slayers themselves or the demons. And while the series has offered us a variety of other intriguing characters, we are going to talk about one specific Demon Slayer – Muichirō Tokitō, the Mist Hashira – in this particular article. Muichirō is a very interesting character because he is quite young yet enormously powerful. But, while we usually do talk about canon elements from the story, this article is going to be dedicated to a theory related to Muichirō and his late twin brother, Yūichirō. After seeing the most recent episode of the anime, some fans have begun to suspect that it was not Yūichirō that died, but rather Muichirō and that Yūichirō took on his brother’s identity to honor him. In this article, we are going to tell you about that theory.

No, the Muichirō Tokitō we’ve seen is not actually Yūichirō; it is, indeed, Muichirō. The theory, as some people online suggested, is not that crazy when told out loud, but if you know the facts from the Demon Slayer manga, you will know that this theory is simply not correct. The manga states clearly that Muichirō is, in fact, Muichirō and that Yūichirō really did die during the Demon’s attack all those years ago.

The rest of this article will focus on the theory that Muichirō actually died and that Yūichirō survived and then took on his identity. We have revealed all the relevant information in our brief answer. In the rest of the article, we will expand on this information by giving you all the relevant information and our analysis of the facts. Of course, if you’re not fully up-to-date with the most recent events in the manga, we have to warn you that spoilers will be present in the article.

No, Yūichirō is not alive, and he is not Muichirō

Now, while it certainly isn’t the only case, this theory was recently brought to the spotlight by Reddit user I__rage, and here’s what it says:

Spoilers for the most recent episode of the anime!

I made a comment on how Muichiro is actually Yuichiro for reasons I’ll mention below and I’ve already been bombarded with messages saying yuichiro is dead and it’s really muichiro. But all the evidence points against this, so I have to assume to there’s some bigger reveal ahead or there’s just gaslighting lol

-Present day Hashira Muichiro has the same haircut as kid Yuichiro

-Yuichioro is the one giving a monologue about muichiro at the end of the episode

-Given their personalities, it makes sense Yuichiro would rage against the demon and Muichiro would die trying to save his brother

-yuchiro would honor his brother by taking on the Mu in muchiro as regret for teasing his name maybe?

Edit: This is now my head cannon

(Source: Reddit)

Now, if you read it like this, after seeing the anime and not knowing anything about the manga, it might seem like it could be true, but it is not, as people on Reddit have also explained.

And this is canon. However you approach it and however likely it might or might not seem, it is simply incorrect, and we know that from the manga. However you want to argue it, and you can use whichever evidence you want, Yūichirō is the one who died, and Muichirō survived. Ultimately, Muichirō will die too, but that is going to happen much later in the story, although we have to say that manga readers know, through this scene precisely, that Muichirō survived. We are now going to tell you what really happened.

Muichirō and his elder twin, Yūichirō, were born into a family of lumberjacks. Their mother developed a serious illness when they were ten years old. She finally had bronchitis, and she passed away in her bed. Before that, their father had been very concerned about his wife’s health.

As a result, he searched for medications and other medical assistance despite the winter, but he died on the way to the village after falling from a cliff. The Tokito twins were left orphaned as a result, and without any family to look after them, they were left to fend for themselves.

As we’ve already mentioned, just the two managed to live, and they were completely alone. While his older twin was logical and attempted to evaluate every issue with a cool head, he was occasionally impolite and always kept his position. Amane, the wife of Kagai Ubuyashiki, discovered them when springtime arrived and extended an invitation for them to join the Demon Slayer Corps after determining that both could excel as members of the Corps.

However, as was to be expected, Muichirō was eager and immediately accepted the offer. He actually cruelly rejected Amane, surprising his younger twin. Later, in a fit of wrath, Yūichirō blamed his parents’ demise on their excessive labor and charitable nature, saying they ought to have approached every choice with the same level of objectivity he did.

Amane continued to visit the twins despite Muichirō’s failure to persuade his sibling to enlist in the Corps. The ritual continued for a while. But, the twins were attacked by a demon at their home at the start of the summer when they were eleven years old. To protect his younger sibling, Yūichirō confronted the Demon and attacked it, but in the process of doing so, he lost his left arm.

As a result, Muichirō became furious and attacked the demon in the street, beating him to death with anything he could find in his possession, including various tools and logs. It was a truly gruesome scene.

The Demon vanished when the sun rose in the morning because the light from the sun killed it, and Muichirō could drag himself back to their house. When he came, he discovered his brother begging for Muichirō’s survival while being covered in blood and on the edge of passing away.

Yūichirō talked about how amazing his brother was and how he merely got in the way under his feet because he only wanted to serve others when he passed away. Muichirō took his hand, but Yūichirō had already started deteriorating and finally stopped breathing. Later, the twins were located by Amane and her daughters. She then brought Muichirō home so they could treat him. After the tragedy, Muichirō lost most of his memories and began working for the Demon Slayer Corps, becoming a Hashira in record time.

And with this, Yūichirō’s story ended. We will be seeing more of Yūichirō later on when Muichirō dies, as the two brothers will finally be reunited in the afterlife, which is a scene that finally confirms what we’ve been saying, that there was no switch here. Yūichirō really did die, while Muichirō survived.