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Shinjuro Rengoku (煉 (れん) 獄 (ごく) 槇 (しん) 寿 (じゅ) 郎 (ろう) Rengoku Shinjurō?)[1] is the father of Kyojuro Rengoku and Senjuro Rengoku and the former husband of Ruka Rengoku. He formerly served as the Flame Hashira in the Demon Slayer Corps.[2][3]

Appearance

Shinjuro strongly resembles his son, Kyojuro Rengoku, possessing unruly orange hair that flares out around his face, becoming redder near the ends above his ears, that he wears messily tied back behind his head. He has fair skin, bushy black eyebrows and angry, orange eyes that redden near the pupils, that are slanted inwards and shaped so as to give him a furious appearance.

Shinjuro wears a traditional kimono robe. When he was the Flame Hashira, he also wore the haori with flame-like ridges at the end that Kyojuro wore when he was the Flame Hashira. In the Infinity Castle Arc, he is shown with a katana with a flame guard similar to Kyojuro's, with what appears to be a flame pattern on the sheath.

Gallery

Personality

Shinjuro is a very short-tempered man, especially when regarding the Demon Slayer Corps and his son, Kyojuro, with the mention of either causing him to grow furious. He appears to be abusive, harshly insulting the recently deceased Kyojuro and knocking Senjuro to the ground during his fight with Tanjiro. He is also an alcoholic - his first action upon awaking after being knocked out by Tanjiro is to buy alcohol, and he is often seen drinking.

However, it is later revealed that Shinjuro truly cared for Kyojuro despite what he said to Tanjiro, and the memory of Kyojuro causes Shinjuro to begin breaking down in tears.

He later defends Kiriya and the rest of the Ubuyashiki Family with Tengen Uzui and vows to follow Kyojuro's example and not to bring shame to the Rengoku family.

History

Sometime before the Demon Train Arc, Shinjuro tore apart the Generational Flame Hashira Record of the Rengoku family.

At some point in time, he saved a kid Obanai Iguro from the Serpent Demon and reunited him with his cousin. Nonetheless, due to his cousin's attitude, Shinjuro had to separate them.[4]

Synopsis

Mugen Train Arc

In Kyojuro's Blood Demon Art-induced dream aboard the Demon train, Shinjuro first appears, lying on the floor of their house and gazing out of the open doors at the garden. Kyojuro remembers that he's supposed to have just reported to him that he has become a Hashira and his father, unimpressed, says that it was pointless because neither himself nor Kyojuro can ever become great people.

Kyojuro recalls that Shinjuro wasn't always this dismissive and that he used to be a man of great skill and passion for Demon slaying, but suddenly, one day, the man, who had raised himself and Senjuro Rengoku so passionately, simply gave up on the blade.[5]

Shinjuro appears once again after the battle with Enmu, Lower Rank 1 of the Twelve Kizuki, and Akaza, Upper Rank 3. He suddenly appears from his house, yelling that what Tanjiro's come to tell them is useless and belittling and cursing Kyojuro for becoming a Demon Slayer since he always knew it would just get him killed.[6] Tanjiro and Senjuro are shocked by his words, but remain silent as he continues to rant about how people's powers are already decided for them at birth, but Kyojuro still went and became a Demon Slayer despite the fact that he had none. At the sound of these sharp words, tears begin to form in Senjuro's eyes, but, instead of stopping and comforting his son, Shinjuro tells him to stop making that pitiful expression since the funeral is already over. Angered by this display of cruelty, Tanjiro asks Shinjuro to stop talking to and about his sons in that way, which only causes the latter to turn his attention to him and yell at him to get off his property, and, defiantly, Tanjiro says that he is a Demon Slayer.

Shinjuro strikes his son.

The container Shinjuro is holding smashes to the ground as he considers what this could mean, and, jumping to the first conclusion that comes into his mind, he angrily asks Tanjiro if he is a Sun Breathing user. Without waiting for an answer, Shinjuro swiftly attacks Tanjiro and pins him to the ground, forcefully slapping Senjuro away when he tries to pull his father off the injured Demon Slayer. While Shinjuro is distracted by his son, Tanjiro swiftly delivers a blow to his face, forcing him off of him, and, as Tanjiro's patience has finally worn thin, furiously asking him what the hell he's been doing, badmouthing Kyojuro, who gave up his life, and then hitting the only son he has left. Shinjuro shouts that he knows Tanjiro is just mocking him because he's a Sun Breathing user who's just full of himself because he can use the original Breathing Style, and Tanjiro shouts back that he can never get full of himself because of how badly he's just been beaten down. Running at Shinjuro, the young Demon Slayer tells him never to speak ill of Kyojuro again.[7]

Senjuro tries to warn him that Shinjuro is a former Hashira, but, because he's being driven by so much anger and sorrow, Tanjiro continues to charge at him. Shinjuro hits Tanjiro's face, ignoring the yells of protest from his son, and begins to repeatedly land blows on Tanjiro's body until the young Demon Slayer hits him square in the jaw with a spiralling headbutt, causing them both to fall down on top of each other.[8]

After Tanjiro leaves, Senjuro returns to the house and finds Shinjuro drinking on the porch. Upon hearing Senjuro's voice, Shinjuro immediately lashes out and shouts for him to leave; however, before Senjuro leaves, he says Kyojuro's last message: "please take care of your body." Shinjuro then puts down his drink and breaks down in tears over Kyojuro.

Infinity Castle Arc

Following Oyakata's death and Upper Rank 4 Nakime's summoning of the Infinity Castle, Shinjuro is seen sitting in the Butterfly Mansion alongside former Sound Hashira Tengen Uzui. He praises Kiriya Ubuyashiki's ability to command the Demon Slayer Corps even after his father's death, and silently vows to follow Kyojuro's example and risk his life for their protection and not bring shame to the Rengoku family.

Abilities and Powers

Due to his status as the former Flame Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, it can be assumed that Shinjuro is an extremely powerful swordsman. In a brief fight, he was able to completely overwhelm Tanjiro in hand-to-hand, but was eventually knocked out with a powerful headbutt. He was noted by Tanjiro to not "move like an average person", hinting to his above average physical abilities as a trained/seasoned demon slayer.

Flame Breathing (炎 (ほのお) の呼 (こ) 吸 (きゅう) Honō no kokyū?): One of the core Breathing Styles, this style ran in the Rengoku family since ancient times and is passed eventually passed down to his son, Kyojuro.

  1. First Form: Unknowing Fire (壱 (いち) ノ型 (かた) 不知火 (しらぬい) Ichi no kata: Shiranui?)[9] - The swordsman charges towards their opponent at high speed and decapitates them in one or multiple slashes that burns the flesh of their enemy. This technique had enough force to launch train carriages off the tracks a short distance.
  2. Second Form: Rising Scorching Sun (弐 (に) ノ型 (かた) 昇 (のぼ) り炎 (えん) 天 (てん) Ni no kata: Nobori En Ten?)[10] - The swordsman releases an arching slash attack upwards that burns the flesh of their enemy, similar to Flame Breathing - First Form: Unknowing Fire.
  3. Third Form: Fiery Spirits (参 (さん) ノ型 (かた) 気 (き) 炎 (えん) 万 (ばん) 丈 (じょう) San no kata: Kien Banjō?)[11](Movie Exclusive and Temporary Translation) - The swordsman swings their blade downwards in an arc.
  4. Fourth Form: Blooming Flame Undulation (肆 (し) ノ型 (かた) 盛 (せい) 炎 (えん) のうねり Shi no kata: Sei En no Uneri?)[12] - The swordsman swings their sword in a circular motion that can defend them from all incoming attacks or decapitate multiple enemies at once.
  5. Fifth Form: Flame Tiger (伍 (ご) ノ型 (かた) 炎 (えん) 虎 (こ) Go no kata: Enko?)[13] - The swordsman unleashes a powerful series of sword slashes that takes the form of a flaming tiger that charges towards the enemy at blinding speeds.
  • Ninth Form: Rengoku (玖 (く) ノ型 (かた) 煉 (れん) 獄 (ごく) Ku no kata: Rengoku?)[14] - The most powerful Flame Breathing technique. A devastating dashing slash that the swordsman initiates from a high stance, the technique had enough power to carve a deep impression that burnt the ground where it was unleashed. Hairo also noted while Kyojuro was using this attack that his sword able to burn his flesh. In the movie adaptation, this attack takes the form of a flaming dragon with blue eyes that emits blue streaks of electricity from its mouth. After this technique is performed by Kyojuro in the movie, the surroundings were seemingly engulfed in flames, creating a purgatory-like hellscape and a giant whirlwind of heat and fire in the wake of the attack.

Trivia

  • It is unknown why, but Shinjuro hates animals.[15]

Quotes

  • (In response to Tengen Uzui) "...Right. These kids at a very young age are encouraging me so much. Just as Kyojuro did, I will risk my life and protect them. So I will not cast shame on the Rengoku family name."[16]

References

  1. ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 81 (Page 3).
  2. ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 55 (Page 11).
  3. ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 68 (Page 12).
  4. ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 188 (Pages 16-18).
  5. ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 55 (Pages 9-12).
  6. ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 67 (Page 20).
  7. ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 68 (Pages 1-12).
  8. ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 68 (Pages 13-15).
  9. ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 54 (Page 15).
  10. ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 63 (Page 5).
  11. ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Movie: Mugen Train.
  12. ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 63 (Page 17).
  13. ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 63 (Page 21).
  14. ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 64 (Pages 8-9).
  15. ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Databook.
  16. ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 147 (Page 4).