Warning: The following content contains spoilers for episode 7 of the show Pillar Demon Slayer Training!!
Demon Slayer featured some of the saddest character origin stories in anime, which was to be expected given the dark themes dealt with in the series. Some of the Hashiras' tragic backstories stood out from the rest. These were revealed gradually and shed light on the Hashiras' personalities and their motivations for killing demons, adding to the story's appeal. Among them, one of the most compelling characters in the series was undeniably Hashira Dá, Gyomei Himejima.
Himejima's personality is very sensitive and gentle, in contrast to his tall appearance. The reason behind his dual personality was explained in Demon Slayer's Hashira Training Arc episode 7, which showed Himejima's backstory, revealing that his kindness was betrayed by one of the children he raised as his family.
However, the Strongest Hashira's backstory has a surprising twist that many people don't notice and connects him to another beloved Demon Slayer character, Zenitsu Agatsumabecause it shows that the child who betrayed Himejima and made a deal with the demon became another disciple of the former Thunder Pillar.
The traitorous child Himejima is another disciple of the former Thunder Pillar.
Kaigaku, a Senior Apprentice who trained with Zenitsu, is one of the orphans raised by Himejima.
Gyomei Himejima's tragic story shows that he once lived in a temple where he took care of nine orphans who had nowhere to go, and although they were poor, they were happy. But one night, one of the children broke the rule of not going out at night and was approached by a demon, so he decided to sacrifice the other children to save himself. What many fans don't notice is that the child who betrayed them was Senior Student Studying with Zenitsu AgatsumaThe remaining disciples are under the training of coach and former Thunder Pillar Jigoro Kuwajima.
This has been confirmed in a bonus part of Demon Slayer manga volume 17 This explains that his name is Kaigaku, and that the reason he left that night was because the other children scolded him for stealing money from the shrine. The manga's side story also reveals that Himejima's blindness hindered his ability to know that Kaigaku was missing and that the children lied to him, telling him that he was only sleeping. Himejima discovers Kaigaku's betrayal by the demon himself, which explains why Stone Hashira knew about it, as he had no other way of knowing what happened.
Kaigaku's first appearance in the Demon Slayer anime was in Memories of Zenitsu.
Demon Slayer's Season 1, Episode 17: “You Must Master Only One Thing”
Kaigaku is shown in a flashback of Zenitsu's training with Jigoro Kuwajima upon joining the Corps. Little has been revealed about the character in the anime adaptation so far. As members of the Demon Slayer Corps, Kaigaku and Zenitsu both have the right to inherit the Lightning Breathing style. Additionally, Kaigaku wears the same black kimono he wore as a child, unlike the yellow kimono with a white triangle that Zenitsu received from his master.
Kaigaku seems to hate Zenitsu and thought he was unworthy to be taught by a former hashira, as he was always crying and could only master one form of Lightning Breathing. However, despite Kaigaku treating Zenitsu badly and telling him to give up, he later came to respect him as his senior. Zenitsu was unfazed when Kaigaku threw fruit at him; he just believed he was right and thought of himself as inferior, which destroyed his confidence.
Gyomei Himejima's misunderstanding of Sayo's words changes his personality
Stone Hashira's Backstory Gives More Emotional Depth to The Strongest Demon Slayer
Gyomei is not only one of the strongest characters in Demon Slayer; he is also one of the kindest. He used to eat less so that the children could eat instead, but that didn't matter to him because he loved children. The shock of being stabbed in the back by one of the children he raised must have been extremely painful. It was even more painful because, despite being injured while protecting the only remaining child, Sayo, and risking his life for her, he was still blamed for the deaths of the other children due to her testimony to the police.
That man is a monster. He killed everyone!
Himejima never forgot Sayo's words, and that damaged his trust in others. The saddest thing was that no one understood, not even Himejima himself, that The man Sayo is referring to is the demonHimejima believes that she is just a confused little girl with a distorted memory and that children are cruel and selfish, but in reality, Sayo cannot express herself well due to the shock. This was demonstrated in the Demon Slayer manga supplement. That explains Sayo's point of view, revealing that she feels bad about what happened to Himejima and wants to apologize to him.
Himejima began to think that the weak lie and blame others, and he believed that what happened to him was due to the children's selfishness. He thought that his pain would be lessened if Sayo thanked him, but in reality, he only regretted not being able to save the other children. This shaped his personality into someone driven by the desire to kill demons, not protect the weak, because he was suspicious of them, just like he did with Tanjiro.
Himejima's past gives more emotional depth to his character and the reason for his powers, stemming from the trauma of a child betraying him, causing him to lose everything he held dear. The fact that the same child is connected to a main character like Zenitsu highlights Gotouge Koyoharu's excellent writing skills, able to create memorable and complex characters in Demon Slayer like Gyomei Himejima.