Demon Slayer Author Gotouge Reveals Why Tanjiro Never Became a Hashira

This article contains spoilers for the Demon Slayer series.

Demon Slayer has enjoyed quite a massive year, being the biggest anime release of 2025, thanks to the smash hit movie, Infinity Castle Part 1. The main character of the story, Tanjiro Kamado, was central to the film, and fans got to see him partake in many intense battles, with more to come in Infinity Castle Part 2 and Part 3. With the level of strength that Tanjiro has displayed in Demon Slayer, fans are truly amazed by his potential, and naturally, many question why Tanjiro is not a Hashira in the story. After all, to many, he seems to be more than qualified to be considered one.

The truth is, while Tanjiro’s strength is definitely on the level of a Hashira by the end of the series, he never completed the criteria to be promoted to the rank. The story also concluded way too fast, and with Muzan’s death, there’s no point to the Demon Slayers anymore, including the Hashira.

Tanjiro Never Became A Hashira In Demon Slayer

Tanjiro is a Hashira-Level Slayer
Tanjiro Never Fulfilled the Criteria to Become a Hashira

The Hashira are the strongest group of the Demon Slayer Corps, and they hold the highest rank as well. Their power is on a completely different level, as is quite clear in the series, and they are basically the best force that can be sent out against demons.

demon slayer tanjiro reflection akaza eyes

The original Hashira introduced in Demon Slayer consisted of Gyomei, Shinobu, Mitsuri, Sanemi, Giyu, Muichiro, Tengen, Obanai, and Rengoku. As the story progressed, and before the final battle, Rengoku died and Tengen retired. While fans expected replacements, there were none. This seemed odd to many fans, especially as Tanjiro, who could be considered a Hashira-level slayer, could have been promoted.

The truth is, while Tanjiro was indeed as strong as some Hashira, if not stronger, he never completed the criteria required to become one.

The Three Ways To Become a Hashira

Demon Slayer Infinity Castle shinobu vs doma

Be a Tsuguko
Kill 50 Demons As A Kinoe
Singlehandedly Kill A Twelve Kizuki

There are a few ways to get the Hashira rank in Demon Slayer, and none of them were achieved by Tanjiro. The first one, and the most straightforward one, is to be the Tsuguko, or successor of a Hashira. Shinobu, for example, had a few Tsugukos like Kanao, who could have become a Hashira had the war not ended after her death.

The other way to become a Hashira is to kill 50 random demons as a Kinoe Demon Slayer. It’s unknown how many demons Tanjiro has exactly killed, but it doesn’t matter as his highest official rank is Hinoe.

The final way to become a Hashira is to singlehandedly kill a Twelve Kizuki. While Tanjiro has greatly contributed to many battles against Kizuki, he has never defeated one on his own.

It must also be noted that the Demon Slayer story is very short. Tanjiro could have eventually gotten promoted to Hashira, but the battle against Muzan was already over, and the Demon Slayer Corps did not need to exist anymore, which includes the Hashira.

Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Part 1 is out in theatres now. Fans who don’t want to wait for the movies to drop can check the manga out on Manga Plus. Meanwhile, for the anime, the series currently has 4 anime seasons. These anime seasons can all be found on Crunchyroll. The remainder of the series will be animated into movies, and fans will have to wait for their theatrical release to watch them, depending on their country.