Demon Slayer: Who Is Yoriichi? Is He a Demon?

There are many known and famous characters from Demon Slayer, but only one name – that of Yoriichi Tsugikuni – carries so much weight that it can be described as the core of the whole series. Sure, Yoriichi is a historical character, and the story is focused on Tanjiro and his sister. Still, everything that Tanjiro and his friends could do resulted from Yoriichi’s work and efforts. In this article, we are going to tell you what you need to know about Yoriichi, and we are also going to reveal whether he was a demon in the series or not.

Yoriichi Tsugikuni was the most powerful Demon Slayer in history

Born as Michikatsu Tsugikuni’s younger twin during the Sengoku period, Yoriichi was considered strange as a child because of his Demon Slayer Mark. He didn’t get along well with his brother, who was jealous of him, but Yoriichi left the family home after their mother passed away, choosing to trek into the mountains instead of sending Michikatsu to a shrine.

Yoriichi met Uta, a young woman his age whose entire family had perished, after walking nonstop for a day and a night without exhibiting fatigue. Ten years later, Uta and Yoriichi were married after Yoriichi decided to live with her. Uta later got pregnant. When Uta was about to give birth, Yoriichi left the house to call for a midwife, but by the time he returned, the sun had set, and a demon had already killed both Uta and the unborn child. He was so startled that he stood there for ten days, clutching her corpse, until a visiting Demon Slayer approached him and begged him to bury his wife.

After the disaster, Yoriichi reclaimed his sword and began training to defeat demons. He finally joined the Demon Slayer Corps due to his skill and Demon Slayer Mark. The earliest breathing method in human history, the Sun Breathing, was invented by him. Sun Breathing remains the most powerful and challenging Breathing Technique to learn even today. All other breathing methods were derived from Sun Breathing, including Michikatsu’s Moon Breathing, which Yoriichi’s brother invented since he was unable to master Sun Breathing.

And that is mostly it. We know that he later met Muzan and almost killed him, and we know that Michikatsu soon betrayed the Corps and killed their leader while joining Muzan as one of his demons. Yoriichi was soon banished from the Corps and lived out the rest of his life in seclusion, slaying demons and hoping to find Muzan again. He did not, but he fought his brother when he was old and blind, dying from heart failure while standing on his feet, as his brother – angry that he was not the one who killed him – mutilated his corpse.

Yoriichi was never a demon in the series

We don’t know where this theory originated, but Yoriichi Tsugikuni was never a demon. His life was tied to Demons, as Demons killed his wife, and his own twin brother became one, but he was never a Demon. He lived out his life – mostly – in seclusion after he had been banished from the Demon Slayer Corps because he failed to kill Muzan and because his brother killed their leader and became a Demon, but he never became a demon.

He continued to slay them even though he wasn’t officially sanctioned, and the Corps tolerated this because of his reputation. Still, he failed to find Muzan again and died on his two feet due to old age while fighting his brother. So, Yoriichi Tsugikuni never became a demon in Demon Slayer, and that is the only answer you need to know. He wasn’t even close to becoming one, and as far as it is known, he did not even consider becoming a demon at any point in his life, unlike his brother, who did it for several different reasons.

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