General Information
Japanese Voice Actor: Takahiro Sakurai
English Voice Actor: Johnny Yong Bosch
Age: 21
Manga Debut: Chapter 1
Anime Debut: Season 1 Episode 1
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Status: Alive
Demon Slayers, or Kimetsu no Yaiba, its original name, is a Japanese manga that centers its story on the life of Tanjiro Kamado. Tanjiro is a humble young man whose family was murdered at the hands of Muzan Kibutsuji, the King of demons, and turned his sister into a demon.
Tanjiro was recruited to be a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, and his first encounter with a Demon Slayer was with Giyu Tomioka. In this sense, who is Giyu Tomioka?
Giyu Tomioka is a character from the Japanese manga Demon Slayer. He had his first appearance in the pilot of the story. He was the one who introduced Tanjiro Kamado, the main character, to the Demon Slayer Corps when he sent him to his teacher Sakonji Urokodaki to learn the necessary skills.
Keep reading this article if you are interested in knowing more about the history of Giyu Tomioka, his abilities, personality, skills, and sentimental situation, among other related topics.
Giyu Tomioka
Giyu Tomioka had his first encounter with demons at a very young age. He lived with his older sister, Tsutako Tomioka, who died to save him from the demons. When she died, Giyu tried to warn the other inhabitants of the presence of demons in the village, but they cataloged him as having a mental illness for these statements.
He was sent to a doctor, his closest relative, but he escaped on the way and went into the mountains, where he almost died. Later, he was rescued by Sakonji Urokodaki, who became his teacher and taught him everything he knew about demons, training him to be a Demon Slayer.
Giyu is a serious and cautious young man. He has a great sense of justice and a reserved personality. His sense of justice can be seen in evidence when he spares the life of Nezuko Kamado, Tanjiro Kamado’s sister, realizing that Nezuko was protecting Tanjiro, not attacking him. It was there when he realized that not all demons deserve death, although the vast majority do devour human flesh.
Despite his introverted personality, Giyu Tomioka is shown as protective when it comes to his friends or people close to him, as his sister and his best friend died, and he was saved.
Giyu is part of the Hashira or Pillars of “Demon Slayer,” the strongest warriors in the organization, capable of killing an immense amount of these monsters that feed on human flesh, even going so far as to surpass his master Sakonji Urokodaki when he came to occupy this position.
Giyu Tomioka never considered himself worthy of his role in the Demon Slayer Corps. On one occasion, Giyu thought about retiring from the organization. For that reason, Tanjiro Kamado had to encourage him to accept his fate and appreciate the sacrifices that had to be made to value the effort he made in the organization.
How Does Giyu Tomioka Know Sabito?
Among the most prominent abilities of Giyu Tomioka, the Water Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, is the ability to fight, such as handling the sword or fighting without any weapons. Giyu is so good on the battlefield that Akaza offers to turn him into a demon, and he only provides this opportunity to his most vigorous and worthy opponents.
His breathing style is Water Breathing, reflected in his scar when he activates his breathing style when fighting, giving him more precision, strength, and duration to give a long and challenging battle. Water Breathing is a breathing style derived from Sun Breathing and is responsible like water: its movements, fluidity, and adaptability.
How Did Giyu Die?
In the story, Giyu Tomioka does not die. He is one of the few characters to finish the final battle alive.
Who Is Giyu’s Voice Actor?
Depending on the version of the anime you are watching, whether it is in the Japanese or American language, it has two actors who bring the character’s voice to life:
- Takahiro Sakurai
Born June 13, 1974, Takahiro Sakurai is a Japanese voice actor, singer, storyteller, radio personality, and comedian. He began his interest in the artistic world at an early age when he watched a talk show on local television in which he was interviewing precisely a voice actor. Thanks to a language teacher at his school, he decided to take the career as a profession, entering the Yoyogi Animation Academy upon graduation from high school.
He has played several roles in anime, video games, movies, and animation. He has also done the singing part for some anime opening songs. He began to practice his profession in 1996 and continues to do so.
- Johnny Yong Bosch
Johnny Yong Bosch was born on January 6, 1976, and is an American actor. Since he was a child, he became interested in martial arts by watching movies, where he decided to learn them. His active years range from 1994 to the present date.
The most prominent role he played was in the Power Rangers, like the Black Ranger, named Adam Park. When he retired from the franchise, he began his career as a voice actor, participating in various anime.
He has even worked on multiple video games, giving voice and movement to Nero, the main character of the fourth part of the video game Devil May Cry. Thanks to his knowledge of martial arts, he could practice as an actor, voice actor, and video game character.
Is Giyu in Love With Shinobu?
Shinobu is the Insect Pillar, and Giyu is the Water Pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps. Due to Giyu Tomioka’s cold and distant personality and the respect he has among his companions, the Pillars, you can see the close relationship between these two characters.
It is rare to see Giyu smile in the anime, and the few times he has been seen is with Shinobu, being able to see his appreciation for his associate.
In the story’s development, when Giyu learns of Shinobu’s death, he can be noticeably upset and affected, which was not the case when other companions were also killed.
Followers of the story support this relationship, even having a title for it: GiyuShino, combining the names of Giyu Tomioka and Shinobu Kocho.
How Old is Giyu Tomioka?
At the story’s beginning, Giyu Tomioka is a young man of just 19 years old, as we can see in chapter 1 of the anime. By chapter 28, Giyu is 21 years old, giving us a bit of context about the passage of time in the series.
Is Giyu Tomioka a Demon?
Giyu Tomioka is not a demon. Instead, Giyu kills demons. It is part of the Demon Slayer Corps, the organization’s Water Pillar. Throughout the series, it is seen how absentminded he has to kill demons, but he spares Nezuko Kamado’s life because he can see part of his humanity intact. He has numerous battles in history, and some fans consider him the most skilled when talking about the Water Breathing Style.
A Final Thought About Giyu Tomioka
Giyu Tomioka is an essential character in the development of the Demon Slayers story. He is the first glimpse Tanjiro Kamado, the manga’s main character, has inside the Demon Slayer Corps. He was also the one who discovered the potential that Tanjiro had to become a Demon Slayer. Therefore, without Giyu and Tanjiro’s meeting, Tanjiro would not have found his way to the organization.
