Which Hashira Died in Demon Slayer?

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Anime & manga expert Mel Mascarenhas discusses tragic Hashira deaths in Demon Slayer

Co-authored by Mel Mascarenhas and Glenn Carreau

Last Updated: May 22, 2026 Fact Checked

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All Hashira Deaths

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The Hashiras’ Fate

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Surviving Hashira

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The Hashira are Demon Slayer’s greatest and strongest warriors—but even they are fallible. And even if you might not like the answer, the question remains: which of these noble Hashira die in the line of duty? For this article, we partnered with an anime & manga expert to help us create a chronological list of Hashira who perish throughout Demon Slayer’s story, and explain what happens to them all in the epilogue, too. Be aware: there are major spoilers for the events of Demon Slayer, including its ending and epilogue, ahead!

Which Hashira die during Demon Slayer?

Anime & manga expert Mel Mascarenhas says the first Hashira that dies is Kyojuro Rengoku. Here’s the full breakdown of Hashira deaths in the series (and when they occurred):

Kyojuro Rengoku - Killed by Akaza at the end of the Mugen Train arc.
Shinobu Kocho - Consumed by Doma during the Infinity Castle arc.
Muichiro Tokito - Killed by his ancestor, Kokushibo, during the Infinity Castle arc.
Mitsuri Kanroji - Died of her injuries in Obanai’s arms shortly after Muzan’s defeat.
Obanai Iguro - Died of his injuries after promising to find Mitsuri in another life.
Gyomei Himejima - Died of his injuries after the final battle, having sacrificed himself to prevent Muzan from escaping.

Section 1 of 4:

Every Hashira Death in Demon Slayer, Chronologically

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Kanae KochoFirst, there’s Kanae Kocho—a character who is never officially met in Demon Slayer. That’s because she’s already gone by the time the series begins. As the older sister of Shinobu and Kanao, she was killed by a demon named Doma years prior, ultimately dying in Shinobu’s arms (driving Shinobu to pursue vengeance as a demon slayer herself).^{[1]
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- Hashira role: Flower Hashira
- Kanae is described as very sweet-natured and kind, and believing in a future where humans and demons can live in peace—something her own sister, Shinobu, very much doesn’t believe in.
Meet the wikiHow Expert

Mel Mascarenhas, an anime & manga expert, has been watching anime since the 1990s and reading manga for 10 years. She shares anime & manga insights via her YouTube channel.
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Jigoro KuwajimaJigoro Kuwajima is another Hashira who doesn’t appear in Demon Slayer except through flashbacks. He’s responsible for training Zenitsu Agatsuma, who joins the Demon Slayer Corps as a practitioner of Thunder Breathing. Unfortunately, Jigoro also trained Kaigaku, a former student who went down a darker path and became a demon allied with Muzan. The shame of losing his student this way drove Jigoro to take his own life.
- Hashira role: Thunder Hashira
- Jigoro’s death isn’t given an exact date in the show’s timeline, but it presumably happens sometime before Zenitsu goes to his Final Selection.
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Kyojuro Rengoku Mascarenhas says the first Hashira character we actually see die in the series is Kyojuro Rengoku. He dies during the Mugen Train arc after fighting Akaza, the Upper Moon Three demon.^{[2]
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Mel Mascarenhas
Anime and Manga Expert

Expert Interview} Rengoku is beloved by fans and fellow Demon Slayers alike for his cheerful personality and obvious honor and compassion, so his death definitely hit hard.
- Hashira role: Flame Hashira
- In the battle with Akaza, Kyojuro fought to the very end. Although he lost, he kept at it long enough that Akaza was forced to flee at sunrise—meaning Kyojuro successfully protected everyone on the train.
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Shinobu KochoThe Infinity Castle arc is a nonstop stream of tragedy as members of the Demon Slayer Corps give their lives to defeat Muzan—and the first Hashira to perish is Shinobu Kocho. She dies fighting Doma, the demon that killed her sister Kanae. Knowing that Doma will probably consume her body, Shinobu takes a heavy dose of Wisteria poison before the battle—and, to her credit, this weakens Doma significantly even after she’s gone.^{[3]
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- Hashira role: Insect Hashira
- By the time Kanao and Inosuke rejoin the battle against Doma, he’s been severely affected by Shinobu’s poison, and the two can behead him; so, in the end, Shinobu gets the vengeance she craved.
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Muichiro TokitoThe next Hashira death during Infinity Castle is Muichiro Tokito, who uses his mist-like abilities to face off against the Upper Moon One demon, Kokushibo (one of Muichiro’s own ancestors), alongside Genya, Sanemi, and Gyomei. Muichiro, unfortunately, takes a fatal blow from Kokushibo during the fight—but he also manages to sink his Nichirin blade into Kokushibo’s body, burning him from the inside and destabilizing his regeneration.^{[4]
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- Hashira role: Mist Hashira
- Kokushibo doesn’t die directly at Muichiro’s hands, but he does die as a result of the battle, his injuries, and his own inner turmoil.
- Upon seeing his mutated, monstrous form, Kokushibo loses the will to live and stops regenerating entirely, thus ending the battle.
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Mitsuri KanrojiFans love Mitsuri for her bubbly personality and love-based swordsmanship, and she makes it pretty far during Infinity Castle, taking down the demon Nakime alongside Obanai before helping Tanjiro against Muzan. However, she sustains fatal injuries during that battle, and her death is an especially tragic one. She dies after the battle in Obanai’s arms, with the two of them acknowledging their feelings for one another but never able to truly act on them.^{[5]
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- Hashira role: Love Hashira
- Kyojuro Rengoku—the Hashira who dies during the Mugen Train arc—was also Mitsuri’s mentor, as the Love Breathing style is based on Flame Breathing.
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Obanai IguroMituri and Obanai’s deaths are really like a one-two punch; he defeats Nakime with Mitsuri and joins the fight against Muzan, but Obanai Iguro ultimately dies just moments after Mitsuri does. It’s implied that Obanai has loved Mitsuri since the day they met—and in his final moments, he promises her that, should they meet in another life, they’ll get married and make a better future together.
- Hashira role: Serpent Hashira
- Obanai doesn’t get as much screen time or character development as his fellow Hashira, but one thing that’s always certain is his devotion to Mitsuri (as well as the innate goodness of his heart, even if he believes himself “tainted”).
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Gyomei HimejimaFinally, there’s Gyomei, the Hashira whose presence throughout the series always felt steadfast, like stone. He’s strong and very resilient, but during the Infinity Castle invasion, he suffers major injuries (including losing a leg) as well as the effects of the Demon Slayer Mark, which kills users at the age of 25. And because Gyomei refuses treatment, choosing instead to focus on preventing Muzan’s escape until sunrise, he dies peacefully in the aftermath.^{[6]
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- Hashira role: Stone Hashira
- For much of the battle, Gyomei uses his unconventional fighting style and physical strength to turn the tide in the Demon Slayers’ favor.
- Gyomei’s death is, at least, slightly softened by the fact that he’s greeted in the afterlife by the orphans he used to care for.

Section 2 of 4:

The Hashiras’ Fate After Dying in Demon Slayer

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Demon Slayer’s epilogue shows the fallen Hashira reincarnated. As painful as the aforementioned deaths are for fans, there’s a little consolation at the end of it all. In Demon Slayer’s epilogue, which features a timeskip into the future, Tanjiro and Kanao’s great-grandchildren are shown alongside Zenitsu and Nezuko’s descendants, and they, in turn, encounter the reincarnations of each fallen Hashira.^{[7]
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- Muichiro Tokito is seemingly reincarnated alongside his twin, Yuichiro; they’re shown as a set of twin infants.
- Shinobu and Kanae Kocho are seemingly reincarnated as a pair of young students.
- Gyomei Himejima is, seemingly, the students’ teacher—which is fitting, as his final dream was to be a kindergarten teacher.
- Mitsuri Kanroji and Obanai Iguro are reincarnated as a married couple who own a diner together.
- Jigoro Kuwajima and Sakonji Urokodaki resemble two elderly men in the timeskip.
- Genya and Sanemi Shinazugawa appear to be reincarnated as a pair of police officers.
- Kyojuro Rengoku’s reincarnation isn’t shown, but a member of his family—Tojuro, descendant of his younger brother—is seen.
- All in all, Demon Slayer’s ending is fittingly bittersweet. There is loss, but life (in one way or another) goes on.

Section 3 of 4:

Which Hashira survive in Demon Slayer?

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Giyu Tomoika and Sanemi Shinazugawa both survive. Giyu—the Water Hashira—makes it through the final battle with Muzan despite losing an arm.^{[8]
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Research source} Sanemi—the Wind Hashira—tragically loses his younger brother Genya, but he himself survives the events of Demon Slayer as well. That makes Giyu and Sanemi the only two active Hashira to survive, although Tengen Uzui (the retired Sound Hashira) survives as well.
- Even though they survive the conflict with Muzan, it’s sadly presumed that Giyu and Sanemi later die around the age of 25 as a result of activating their Demon Slayer Marks.