Giyu or Rengoku: Who was better mentor to Tanjiro in Demon Slayer?

In Demon Slayer, two characters happen to be quite crucial to Tanjiro Kamado. They are Giyu Tomioka, the Water Hashira, and Kyojuro Rengoku, the Flame Hashira.

Both these characters are essential to the protagonist because they were, in some way, mentors to him.

Since both Hashiras are popular and have a similar relationship with Tanjiro, the fanbase has engaged in numerous discussions about who the protagonist’s best mentor is in Demon Slayer.

There are tons of fans who believe that both these characters have done a great job in mentoring Tanjiro.

To understand who the better mentor was, we need to know how Tanjiro felt about these characters and who pushed him to become a better demon hunter in the long run.

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the manga. All external media belongs to their respective owners, and Sportskeeda claims no ownership of the same.

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Comparing Giyu and Rengoku from Demon Slayer

Giyu as a person is quite special to Tanjiro because of what happened before the latter became a demon hunter. On that fateful day, when his sister turned into a demon, Giyu was about to kill Nezuko.

After witnessing Nezuko’s actions, he realized she could be the first-ever demon that wouldn’t harm humans.

Thus, Giyu spared Nezuko’s life and asked Demon Slayer’s protagonist to visit Sakonji Urokodaki. Later on, when Tanjiro and Nezuko were called to the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters, Giyu and Urokodaki Sensei vouched for the latter’s actions and promised to kill themselves if she harmed even one human being.

This is why Tanjiro has a lot of respect and love for Giyu.

However, his relationship with Kyojuro Rengoku is a little different. The latter seemed to have inspired Tanjiro when they were assigned to investigate the Mugen Train.

Rengoku was charismatic and could lead people, naturally gaining everyone’s respect. Tanjiro looked up to his attitude and wanted to be as hard-working as the Flame Hashira.

Rengoku’s most famous line, “Set your heart ablaze,” seemed to have inspired not only Tanjiro but the entire fanbase. Giyu is also an exceptional swordsman, but Tanjiro looks up to Giyu as an elder brother.

Giyu has suffered a lot and has a tragic backstory. His sister sacrificed her life to save him from a demon. At this point, Giyu visited Urokodaki Sensei and trained to become a demon hunter.

While training under Urokodaki’s tutelage, he grew quite fond of Sabito, another student training to become a demon hunter. However, that friendship didn’t last long since Sabito sacrificed his life to save Giyu during the Final Selection.

Insecurity crept in when Giyu was named the Water Hashira, and he believed that Sabito deserved the title since he was a better combatant than Giyu.

However, Tanjiro helped Giyu open up about his past and reassured the Water Hashira that he deserved that title and that his contributions would be crucial in defeating Muzan. Tanjiro helped Giyu gain his confidence and lifted him in time of need.

Giyu and Tanjiro are undoubtedly quite close, but their relationship is slightly different from what Tanjiro had with Rengoku, who seemed more like a mentor.

In Demon Slayer, Tanjiro used Rengoku’s hilt on his sword since he looked up to and respected him. Based on their relationship, fans can say that Rengoku was more of a mentor than Giyu was.

However, both played essential roles in Tanjiro’s life and influenced his thoughts and actions.