Highlights
- Gyomei Himejima, the Stone Hashira, achieved the coveted title of Hashira just two months after joining the Demon Slayer Corps, which is an impressive feat even for the talented ones who usually take years of rigorous training.
- Gyomei's physical strength and combat skills make him a nightmare for demons, with his hulking figure intimidating opponents and his incredible talent recognized by both fellow Demon Slayers and demons themselves.
- While Gyomei's physical attributes are impressive, his combat skills and strategic intellect set him apart from other Hashiras. His sense of hearing compensates for his blindness, and he utilizes Stone Breathing techniques and the Demon Slayer Mark to go toe-to-toe with dangerous demons.
In the Demon Slayer Corps, Hashiras are the highest-ranking members who have mastered a distinct breathing style and through relentless training acquired incomparable combat skills. To join their ranks is no easy task as one has to either slay a member of the Twelve Kizuki or be selected as a Tsuguko, the nominated successor to one of the Hashira. Usually, a Demon Slayer requires five years of rigorous training to achieve the coveted title. Even the talented ones end up taking around two years to become a Hashira and then there is Gyomei Himejima, who pulled off the same feat just two months after joining the Demon Slayer Corps.
Contrary to his intimidating physical features and frightening strength, the Stone Hashira is a sensitive and soft-spoken gentle giant. He is easily moved to tears whenever he learns about people's suffering, which speaks volumes about his empathetic nature. But Gyomei's kindness must not be mistaken for weakness as he is a warrior unlike any other in the Demon Slayer Corps.
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Gyomei's Frightening Physical Strength Makes Him a Nightmare For Demons
Gyomei Himejima towers over all his fellow Hashiras, standing at an incredible height of 7 feet 2½ inches. His hulking figure alone is enough to intimidate his opponents. In the Hashira Training Arc, he is entrusted with the responsibility of muscle reinforcement training of his fellow comrades. This is when Tanjirou and Inosuke first witness his intense training regimen and quickly arrive at the conclusion that he is undoubtedly the strongest Demon Slayer of the present generation. But they are not the only ones who are in awe of his brute strength and combat skills.
Interestingly, the Sound Hashira Tengen Uzui alludes to Gyomei's incredible talent and indirectly praises him during his fight with Gyuutarou and Daki. He appears to be in awe of the Stone Hashira's god-gifted natural abilities and has no shame in intimating that he feels vulnerable in his presence. This feeling of vulnerability is also experienced by young Demon Slayers who undergo the aforementioned muscle reinforcement training and witness Gyomei pushing a boulder twice his size through the village after doing squats carrying huge logs of wood on his shoulders. To make his training hard, he often puts the ground on fire and manages to pull off incredible feats of physical endurance without breaking a sweat.
What makes the Stone Hashira truly special is the fact that his strength of character and his incredible physical prowess are even recognized by the demons. During the Infinity Castle Arc, Gyomei confronts Kokushibo and manages to single-handedly fight him on equal ground. The Upper-Rank One of the Twelve Kizuki points out that Gyomei has pushed his physical abilities to their natural limits. He is mesmerized by his talent and goes as far as claiming that he has not faced a warrior of his caliber in the last 300 years. Interestingly, Gyomei first killed a demon even before he joined the Demon Slayer Corps when the temple he used to work at was attacked. In order to save an orphan, he continuously beat the demon until sunrise, without any prior training.
In the Sunrise Countdown Arc, the Stone Hashira fights against Muzan with his comrades, shortly after fighting Kokushibo despite his serious injuries. He goes on to contribute immensely in both fights and proves his value as a Demon Slayer by taking on two of the strongest demons. During the intense battle, Gyomei displays incredible stamina. He even manages to continue fighting after losing a leg, which is a testament to his physical endurance. While Gyomei's achievements and incredible feats are superhuman, what makes them truly stand out is the fact that he has joined the ranks of the strongest Demon Slayer despite being blind.
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The Stone Hashira's Combat Skills Makes Him an Enigma Among Demon Slayers
While Gyomei's physical strength and endurance are without a doubt an asset for him, his combat skills rely on a range of techniques, maneuvers, strategies, and powers that make him stand out even among other Hashiras. Although he is an immensely powerful fighter, the Stone Hashira frequently ideates strategies during fights that surprise his adversaries. He showcases astonishing tactical intellect, especially during the battle against Muzan and Kokushibo, where he manipulates his breathing and blood flow to somewhat neutralize attacks on him.
Gyomei's tall height coupled with his weight gives the impression that he may not be quick on his feet, a tactical insight that his adversaries often wish to capitalize on. But this turns out to be a strategic blunder as he is interestingly the third fastest Hashira. Much like his strength, Stone Hashira's reflexes and speed are absurdly superhuman. His movements go against traditional wisdom leaving even the likes of the Upper-Rank One of the Twleve Kizuki shocked.
Now, Gyomei's blindness may appear like a weakness or a blind spot but he compensates for it with the help of his unusually powerful sense of hearing. With its help, he is even able to discern if his adversaries are lying or even how powerful they are just based on the sound of their body and flesh regeneration. He uses a spiked flail and axe as his weapon and often relies on the sound of its chains rattling to make quick decisions in combat.
Stone Hashira's Nichirin chained flail and axe is a potent weapon that has absorbed enough sunlight to surpass the quality of the iron used during the Sengoku Period for sword development. His weapon coupled with his sophisticated and strategic use of the superhuman sense of hearing and physical strength allows him to utilize Stone Breathing in combat. Gyomei has trained himself to the point that he is undeniably the greatest user of his breathing style in the present generation.
Stone Breathing has several forms which include, Serpentinite Bipolar, Upper Smash, Stone Skin, Volcanic Rock, Rapid Conquest, and Arcs of Justice. They together offer Gyomei a unique range of attacks that allow him to go toe-to-toe against some of the most dangerous demons. In addition to this, he has also developed a repetitive action technique that works by remembering a painful memory and helps in maximizing concentration.
Gyomei Himejima is a force of nature, who achieves the pinnacle of his powers when he awakens the mysterious Demon Slayer Mark. It allows him to dramatically increase his speed and stamina, while also supplementing his strength. The Demon Slayer Mark gives him access to the Bright Red Nichirin Sword and the Transparent World. While the former gives Gyomei's weapon special powers, the latter allows him to accurately predict the movements of his adversaries. All of these abilities, techniques, and skills together make Gyomei Himejima, the strongest Hashira. But ultimately it is his kind nature and selfless sacrifices that allow him to act as a guiding light for the Demon Slayer Corps.
