Demon Slayer Wiki

Relationships

Tanjiro Kamado

Tengen first meets Tanjiro at his trial among the other Hashira. Upon hearing that he's been travelling with a Demon, Tengen initially vouches to kill him since he has disobeyed the rules and also rejects Kagaya's blessing to allow Nezuko and Tanjiro to travel together.^[1]

When they meet again at the Butterfly Mansion, Tanjiro becomes angry and confronts Tengen after witnessing his attempt to kidnap Aoi and Naho. During the intense exchange, Tengen becomes fed up with Tanjiro's attitude and explodes at him for disrespecting him despite being his superior.^[2] However, the exchange eventually cools down when the boys offer to accompany Tengen on his mission instead of the girls.

As they formally begin their mission, Tanjiro's naïvety pleases Tengen, seemingly melting away any tension between them. When Tanjiro struggles to restrain Nezuko following her demonization, Tengen scolds him for his lack of control over his sister and advises him to put her to sleep, instead of attacking her himself.^[3]

As the two work together to take down Gyutaro, Tanjiro becomes concerned over Tengen's deteriorating health due to the poison and constantly tries to protect him from oncoming attacks. Even during situations when Tanjiro is risking his life, Tengen consistently manages to throw Tanjiro out of the way, or protect him before he can be seriously wounded.^[4][5][6]

At the end of the battle, Tengen turns around to warn Tanjiro of Gyutaro's oncoming attack instead of fleeing showing his concern for him.^[7] Despite having horrible wounds himself, Tengen still shows his concern for Tanjiro's well being as he tells him to stay still, if not he would die from his injuries. Following the completion of their mission, Tengen finally acknowledges Tanjiro's abilities by telling Obanai that he "has grown to become strong enough" to fill his vacancy as he retires.^[8][9]

Zenitsu Agatsuma

When the two originally meet, Zenitsu develops a disdain for Tengen after he attempted to kidnap the girls of the Butterfly Mansion, and due to his flamboyant personality, even referring to him as the "god of idiots." ^[10] Tengen's frivolous attitude doesn't sit well with Zenitsu's character and often annoys him. When Tengen tells the boys of his plan to find his wives, Zenitsu becomes enraged at his womanizing antics and mocks him for claiming to have three wives, which results in him getting knocked unconscious by Tengen.^[11]

Tengen's appearance also causes Zenitsu to seethe with jealousy as he appears to draw more attention from the women within the Entertainment District. Zenitsu's dislike for Tengen reaches its peak when he abandons Zenitsu at the Kyogoku House and tells the manager to have him clean the brothel, causing Zenitsu to seethe with rage as he is left to complete his mission.^[12]

Inosuke Hashibira

Tengen initially finds Inosuke to be quite disturbing due to the boar's head he wears. When Tengen introduces himself to the trio of boys, Inosuke uses the opportunity to introduce himself as the "god of the mountain", however his introduction does not appeal to Tengen and he calls Inosuke "creepy." ^[10] Inosuke's blunt personality also doesn't sit well with Tengen as seen when he punched Inosuke for carelessly questioning if Tengen's wives are even alive.^[13]

Inosuke doesn't necessarily speak to Tengen with respect as seen when he blamed him for being reckless and allowing the obi to escape from the underground cavern.^[14] However, Inosuke does acknowledge Tengen's advanced abilities and skills to the point where he mimics Tengen's catchphrases.^[15][16]

Obanai Iguro

Despite Tengen's victory against Upper Rank 6, Obanai downplays this significant achievement to instead emphasize the extent of his injuries. Tengen, for his part, brushes aside Obanai's concerns, insisting on retiring and disagreeing with the latter's sentiment that the Demon Slayers were going into decline.

Makio, Suma, and Hinatsuru

Tengen holds a large amount of respect for his wives and cares about them deeply. When Tengen joined the Demon Slayer Corps, he made sure to inform his wives that they needed to prioritize their lives instead of the mission, and make sure to return home to him. Tengen wanted to make clear that his wives were his top priority in regards to keeping people safe.^[17]

During their stay in the Entertainment District, Tengen would often communicate with them via letters and decided to search for them once he stopped receiving them.^[11] When Inosuke question if his wives are even alive anymore, Tengen becomes enraged and punches him unconscious, showing that he chastises any disrespect towards his wives.^[13]

Later on when Tengen discovers Hinatsuru in the Kirimise, he administers medication to her and asks her if she's alright. When she starts to apologize to him for failing the mission, Tengen reassures her that she did well and embraces her tightly before instructing her to leave the district for her safety.^[18] However when Hinatsuru returns to assist in the fight against Gyutaro, she gets captured by the Demon causing Tengen to go into a panic to try to save her. Tanjiro manages to save Hinatsuru in time, allowing Tengen to express his gratitude towards him and mentioning that he "owes him one" for saving his wife.^[19]

When Tengen discovers the underground cavern, he slashes the obi within the vicinity of his wives and apologizes to Suma and Makio for being late. He approaches the women and pats them on the head, reassuring them that they've lived up to his expectations as his wives, causing the two of them to tear up upon reuniting with him.^[20]

Following the events of the final battle, Suma, Makio, and Hinatsuru immediately rush in to administer first aid to Tengen, but his wounds appear to be too grave for them to treat, causing them to worry. They each become concerned for his well being as Suma begins to wail, Makio begins to panic, and Hinatsuru begins to weep at the sight of his injuries.^[21] However when Nezuko manages to heal Tengen from being poisoned, the women rejoice at the fact that he's been healed, and wail as they share a relieved hug with him.^[22]

References