Key takeaways from Yoriichi Tsugikuni Backstory:
- Who is Yoriichi Tsugikuni and what is his story in Demon Slayer?
- How strong he was and what were his connections to the Kamado family?
So among the manga fans, this name is quite famous for sure. My anime-only Demon Slayer fans you probably don’t know him but, don’t worry, you have seen this guy on multiple occasions now. Yoriichi Tsugikuni is by far the strongest Demon Slayr that ever lived. He did not create the Demon Slayer corps but he created the main breathing styles.
So welcome to a Demon Slayer lore article. Today I will be talking about Yoriichi Tsugikuni. We will be heavy into spoiler territory in this article. So proceed with that in mind. What I am about to tell you will be shown in bits and pieces in upcoming episodes. I am just putting it in one place. So let’s get started.
Early Life
Yoriichi and his brother Michikatsu were born into the noble Tsugikuni clan during the Sengoku Era. At that time, twins were not treated kindly and Yoriichi had a weird mark on his forehead which caused his father to want to kill him. The mother of the twins protested and managed to save Yoriichi but only on the condition that Yoriichi will leave the home for a monastery once he is 10.
Michkatsu got all the noble training while Yoriichi lived a quiet life. He spoke very rarely and was often clinging to his mother’s side. Michikatsu even gave him a flute to make him feel better. One day, Yoriichi declared he wanted to be a samurai, like Michikatsu. Michikatsu’s sword teacher decided to humor him and taught him a few simple swings. A 7-year-old Yoriichi got 4 strikes on the trainer even though he only knew basic stances; Michikatsu never got in a single strike. He diced to give up on being a samurai though because he could not hit another person.
Later when their mother passed, Yoriichi went to Michikatsu’s room to bid him goodbye. As he knew that now that Yoriichi has showcased his talent, their father will choose him as their successor. He thanked Michikatsu for everything and left.
Origin of Michikatsu’s hatred for Yoriichi
Through his mother’s diary, Michikatsu finds out that Yoriichi always knew about her illness and clung to her side to support her. This was probably because Yoriichi could see the inner workings of the body. This combined with all that Yoriichi just did for him, really irritated Michikatsu. This irritation turns to dislike and then hatred over time.
The trip to the Temple
Well, Yoriichi didn’t end up becoming a monk. On his way to the temple, he met a girl, Uta whose family had died. He decided to live with her and 10 years later, they are married. Uta was about to have a baby so Yoriichi left to summon a midwife. But, he got busy helping someone and decided to just head back because it was getting late. When he returned, he found out that Uta had been killed by a demon. He held her corpse for 10 days until a passing Demon Slayer convinced him to bury her.
And so it was that Yoriichi Tsugikuni joined the Demon Slayer crop. He proved to be a formidable Demon Slayer because of his skill with the sword and the Demon Slayer mark. He went on to develop the Sun Breathing eventually. Aside from him, no one was powerful enough to learn that though. So he adapted it into 5 different styles to suit the user. These were, of course, Water, Wind, Flame, Stone, and Thunder Breathing styles.
Reunion With Michikatsu
Michikatsu’s whole samurai encampment was slaughtered by a Demon and he was the only one left alive. Yoriichi Tsugikuni made quick work of the Demon though. Michikatsu also ended up joining the Demon Slayers and tried to learn the Sun breathing but failed. Instead creating the Moon breathing style. This further fueled his inferiority complex.
Encounter with Muzan
Soon, Yoriichi runs into Muzan, the progenitor of demons. Muzan thinks of him as another Demon Slayer but, Yoriichi makes quick work of him. For the first time in his life, Muzan is truly afraid. And to this day, he is still scared of Yoriichi. However, Yoriichi being the gentleman he is, could not kill Muzan on time. Muzan divided his body into 1800 pieces, out of which Yoriichi killed 1500. Rest 300 escaped and allowed Muzan to recover.
Yoriichi is banished from the Demon Slayers for sparing Muzan and lives his life as a ‘traveler’. Well, sparing Muzan was not the only reason, Michikatsu also went ahead and became a Demon. Yoriichi took responsibility for that as well. Well after his banishment, guess who he went to see?
Relationship with the Kamado family
Yoriichi once saved Kamado Sumiyoshi and his wife from a Demon. They have been close friends ever since. We saw this flashback in episode 1 of the new season. Yoriichi trusted Sumiyoshi enough to show him all 12 forms of the Sun Breathing. This was passed down in the family in the form of a dance, you know this dance well as Hinokami Kagura. The dance has 12 stages, each dedicated to one form of the Sun Breathing.
Final Moments
When Yoriichi grew old (around 80) and had taught everything he could to Sumiyoshi, he gave him his Hanafuda earrings and left to search for his brother. His brother is now Upper Moon Rank 1, Kokushibou. Despite being old and blind, Yoriichi still defeated his brother. But could not finish him off since he died of old age mid-battle. Still undefeated.
How Strong was Yoriichi Tsugikuni?
A quick little segment before I close off this article. I will give you two examples of just how strong he was. This guy beat Prime Muzan no sweat. For comparison, it took multiple Hashiras with Demon Slayer marks, Sum Breathing Tmajiro, Inosuke, and Zenitsu to beat a severely weakened Muzan. Even then they relied on the sunrise to finish him off. Not to mention, the wounds Yoriichi gave to Muzan never fully healed even after centuries have passed.
2nd example – he almost killed Kokushibou, a Blood Demon Art-empowered Breath user when he was blind and over 80 years old. Yeah, that is insane.
Conclusion
That is pretty much all you need to know about Yoriichi Tsugikuni. Truly a Chad in my opinion and one of my favorite characters from the series. Let me know what you guys think in the comments below. I will take my leave here. See ya!!
