Warning: Spoilers for Demon Slayer: Hashira Training Arc, episode 1

Demon Slayer‘s Tanjiro may be busy recuperating from his previous battle in the first episode of Hashira Training, but he still took a moment to honor a fallen friend upon receiving his new sword. This sword not only has a very special blade, but also features a carefully selected handguard which once belonged to a certain Flame Hashira.

Tanjiro has been without a sword of his own for a while; he originally went to the Swordsmith Village last season to get a replacement sword made, but the assault on the village by the Upper Rank Four and Five demons meant that he had to fight with what was on hand. While in the Swordsmith Village, Tanjiro discovered an ancient sword from hundreds of years ago, hidden inside the mechanical doll resembling the first Demon Slayer, Yoriichi Tsugikuni.

While the blade of this ancient sword would go on to form the bulk of Tanjiro’s new sword, its creator had a better idea for the handguard, also known as a tsuba.

Tanjiro Inherits Rengoku’s Will

When a bedridden Tanjiro is presented with the completed blade, he examines it and quickly discovers the flame-like handguard at the base of the sword’s blade. He recognizes it immediately as having once belonged to Kyojuro Rengoku, the former Flame Hashira who fell in battle during the Mugen Train arc. Tanjiro is moved by the gesture, as he and his friends had grown close to Rengoku quite quickly during the arc, and mourned greatly upon discovering him dying.

The inclusion of a part of the former Hashira’s sword in Tanjiro’s seems to show a great amount of respect for Tanjiro and his skills in battle, even if Tanjiro’s swordsmith hardly seems the type to pay him respect. It suggests that Tanjiro is seen as Rengoku’s successor, since Rengoku didn’t have a designated replacement, or tsuguko. Rengoku even offered Tanjiro a place as his tsuguko after the Mugen Train mission, so granting Tanjiro this gift from Rengoku feels like a recognition from beyond the grave of how much Tanjiro has grown since then.

While Tanjiro isn’t really trained in Flame Breathing, his Hinokami Kagura attack bears some similarities, due to being derived from the original Sun Breathing style. Theoretically, he could learn Flame Breathing from Rengoku’s father, Shinjuro, but he’s not really capable of teaching Tanjiro due to his drunkenness. However, it’s not necessary that a Hashira choose a successor who uses the same style; Kanae Kocho, for example, is Insect Hashira Shinobu Kocho’s tsuguko, but she uses Flower Breathing, a branch off of Insect Breathing rather than Insect Breathing itself.

Tanjiro’s sword has the kanji for “Slay” written on it, part of the message “Slayer of Demons” that each Hashira bears on their own weapon. Though he may not have officially been Rengoku’s successor, it’s clear that the other Demon Slayers see Tanjiro’s talent and ability just as clearly as Rengoku did. Tanjiro could easily become a Hashira in the future of Demon Slayer, but with a confrontation with Muzan looming, one can only hope that the future after the battle will be one where Hashira are no longer needed.