Demon Slayer 's Hashira Training arc carries on highlighting the most formidable fighters in the military. I have already talked about Wind Hashira's constant annoyance, Sanemi Shinazugawa. Given that prior episodes have highlighted the unusual training regimen used by the Stone Hashira, it is only fitting to highlight Gyomei Himejima next.
But before I go any further, be aware that I will be discussing events from the manga as well as information from the most recent episodes of Season 4. You could be spoilt if you haven't seen the whole series. In light of that, I'll do my best to keep manga facts separate so as not to reveal anything to lovers of anime alone.
As the current Stone Hashira, Gyomei Himejima is regarded as the strongest of the Hashira. He greatly towers above the other Hashira in terms of size and height, making him the largest of the group. However, underneath his massive exterior, Gyomei has a kind spirit.
He is quite sensitive and repeats "Namu Amida Butsu" a lot. His eyes often seem to be streaming with tears, and the cause may be anything as simple as seeing trash on the floor. But Gyomei is not a superficial character. Because he was raised in a devout household, Gyomei has respect for all life, including devils. And his past brutally illustrates this.
Gyomei Himejima's sorrowful past
Knowing Gyomei's past experiences makes his kindness even more admirable. Gyomei lost his family for unclear circumstances and was blind from birth. Still, his humble beginnings did nothing to prevent him from becoming a good man. In reality, when he was a teenager, he lived in a dilapidated temple and adopted nine orphans.
Gyomei's body at the time was quite different from his muscular form. Struggling to support his adoptive children and himself, he was skinny and feeble. Because the kids' lives were similar to Gyomei's, they connected quickly and regarded each other like family. They were poor, with Gyomei being the only one who could support them, yet Gyomei found those days to be content and joyful.
It wasn't without difficulties, however. Their dilapidated temple was located in a region where demon assaults were common. In order to protect the kids from the man-eating monsters at night, Gyomei imposed severe regulations on them and burnt wisteria incense. Unluckily, one night one of the kids broke the restrictions and went outside the temple; he encountered a demon and struck a bargain with the repugnant being to get out of there alive. In return for being allowed to live, he pledged to let Gyomei and the other kids be eaten by the monster. That's exactly what he did.
The young one guided the demon towards the temple and extinguished the incense of wisteria. At that point, the devil began to assault the kids. Even in that dangerous situation, Gyomei placed himself in the front line of danger. The kids were told to keep behind him. Only one youngster, however, did so thereafter. They died, and the rest ran away. The catastrophe continued unabated. After realizing he had a physical gift, Gyomei kept punching the demon till dawn, sparing Sayo, the youngest kid.
Sayo, who was just four at the time, accused Gyomei of being a monster and blamed him for the murder. If Ubuyashiki hadn't stepped in, Gyomei would have been executed. Despite this, Gyomei managed to forgive and understand the children on the inside, even if she was beginning to lose faith in other people.
The Stone Hashira Gyomei Himejima is known as the strongest Hashira for a reason.. He is physically talented, to start. His hearing has grown to an extraordinary level due to his absence of vision. Despite still possessing a weak physique, as his past reveals, he is powerful enough to defeat a demon till dawn.
Since becoming into a demon slayer, his body has grown immensely large, which has enhanced his physical prowess. But one must go into manga land to really appreciate Gyomei's power. For anime enthusiasts only, you may want to stop here.
Gyomei's preferred weapon, in contrast to the other demon slayers, is not a Nichirin sword. Rather, he employs an axe fastened to a spiked club. Gyomei's great physical power allows him to carry the weapon with ease even though it is heavy.
Gyomei is an expert in the Hashira breathing style known as "stone breathing." Gyomei can launch a torrent of lethal assaults by combining his increased hearing talents with his Breathing Style. Apart from Stone Breathing, Gyomei is also an expert in a method he calls Repetitive Action. While the method is comparable to Total Concentration Breathing, it keeps bringing up sad memories from the past. It enables the body to function at its best all the time by doing this.
Making use of everything, Gyomei awakens his mark and acquires enough strength to rival Upper Moon One Kokushibo, even managing to hold his own against Muzan Kibutsuji for a little while.