Yoriichi Tsugikuni is one of the powerful characters in the Kimetsu no Yaiba anime series who is feared by Muzan. As soon as Muzan met Tanjiro, he recognized the anting hanafuda (traditional Japanese earrings) worn by Yoriichi. The character of Yoriichi also appeared in the shadow of Daki, which is actually a memory of Muzan when Daki saw Tanjiro. But who is Yoriichi Tsugikuni?
In the past, Yoriichi was one of the pillars who joined the demon slayer corps. He was the user of the Sun Breathing technique, the first and strongest among the other breathing techniques. Yoriichi’s appearance is similar to Tanjiro, as both wear anting hanafuda and have a mark on their forehead, just like Tanjiro. The mark on Yoriichi’s forehead has been there since he was a baby, indicating that he was a chosen one.
Like Tanjiro, Yoriichi also has a shinobi Nichirin sword which glimmers black and transforms into red when fighting demons. The red Nichirin sword slows down the regeneration of demons, including Muzan. In the history of demon slayers, only a very few people have been able to change the color of their sword to red. Two of them are Yoriichi and Tanjiro.
Before joining the demon slayer corps, Yoriichi had a wife named Uta who was pregnant. Unfortunately, when his wife was about to give birth, Yoriichi had to descend the mountain to find a midwife. But when he returned, his child and wife had already been eaten by a demon.
After the death of his wife and child, Yoriichi joined the demon hunter organization. As the only one who mastered the Sun Breathing technique, Yoriichi taught other demon hunters the technique. However, because the Sun Breathing technique was quite difficult, others could only create imitated breathing techniques like water, fire, stone, mist, wind, lightning, and moon breathing techniques.
Eventually, Yoriichi was expelled from the demon hunting organization due to his mistake in letting his brother, Michikatsu Tsugikuni, become a demon. Yoriichi failed in his mission to kill Muzan and let Tamayo escape.
So what is the connection between Yoriichi and Tanjiro?
Apparently, Yoriichi once helped Tanjiro’s ancestor, Sumiyoshi, in the past. It is possible that since then, they have developed a friendship that eventually led to Yoriichi giving the anting hanafuda to Tanjiro’s ancestors.
In summary, Yoriichi Tsugikuni is a strong character in the Kimetsu no Yaiba anime series who mastered the Sun Breathing technique and was once a pillar in the demon slayer corps. Yoriichi’s appearance is similar to Tanjiro and he also has a red Nichirin sword that slows down demons’ regeneration rate. Although he was expelled from the demon hunting organization, his legacy and teachings continue to live on through Tanjiro.
