Demon Slayer Season 4 Episode 2: “Water Hashira Giyu Tomioka’s Pain”

Giyu Tomioka has always been a mysterious character. He was the first Demon Slayer and Hashira we saw, but since saving Tanjiro and Nezuko, we haven’t seen much of him. In the first episode of the season, Giyu got into an argument with the other Hashira as he claims that “he’s not like them.” In this episode we find out why he feels this way.

Lying in bed, Tanjiro reads a letter from Kagaya. The Oyakata inquires about his health and mentions that he is now unable to move. He expresses his wish to speak to Giyu but can’t and emphasizes the importance of unity at this crucial time. Kagaya asks Tanjiro to talk to the Water Hashira on his behalf, a request Tanjiro resolves to fulfill. As he leaves the Butterfly Mansion, he encounters Aoi, who is sweeping outside. She asks where he’s headed and speculates if he’s going to Hashira Training. Tanjiro confirms he is but says he needs to speak to someone first. Satisfied with his response, Aoi starts to leave but is stopped by Tanjiro, who asks for advice on how to tell someone who isolates themselves that they aren’t alone.

Aoi is unsure how to respond, admitting that if it were her, she would prefer solitude even if the intention was to offer comfort. After confirming that Tanjiro is leaving soon and meeting only one person, Aoi walks away to fetch something, leaving Tanjiro to contemplate his challenging task. She returns with a bag of onigiri for him and the person he plans to meet, which Tanjiro gratefully accepts.

Tomioka thinks he’s a fraud

Tanjiro arrives at Giyu’s residence and calls out from the front door to see if anyone is home. Inside, Giyu hears him but remains seated quietly. When Tanjiro announces he is coming in, Giyu, confused and thinking he misheard, is surprised to see Tanjiro enter and look for him. As Tanjiro starts explaining the happenings at the Hashira Training, Giyu mentions he is already aware. Tanjiro informs him he can return to active duty in a week and asks if he can join his training, but Giyu declines.

Tanjiro then comments that Giyu seems angry and asks if he is. Giyu admits he is upset with Tanjiro for not mastering Water Breathing, as he believed Tanjiro was supposed to become the Water Hashira. Tanjiro apologizes, explaining that Sakonji Urokodaki had told him it wasn’t unusual to change or derive new styles, given that Water Breathing is a foundational technique with many derivatives. Giyu clarifies that he meant Tanjiro should become the Water Hashira since there isn’t one currently. Surprised, Tanjiro points out that Giyu holds that title. Giyu bluntly tells Tanjiro he is not the Water Hashira and then orders him to leave as he walks away.

Sabito’s Final Selection

Tanjiro of course doesn’t leave Giyu alone. Growing weary of Tanjiro’s persistent following, Giyu finally confesses that he did not pass the Final Selection. When Tanjiro asks if he means the test at the mountain of wisteria, Giyu confirms. He explains that during his year of selection, he met a boy with peach-colored hair named Sabito, who had also lost his family to demons. They were both thirteen when they met and became friends due to their shared loneliness. Giyu describes Sabito as kind and possessing a strong sense of justice. Sadly, Giyu recalls that Sabito was the only one who died in the Final Selection, but not before nearly defeating every demon on the mountain single-handedly.

As a result, everyone passed except for him. He was injured and disoriented by the first demon that attacked. Before it could strike again, Sabito appeared, using Water Breathing, Fourth Form: Striking Tide to rush in and behead the demon. Weak from his wound and significant blood loss, Giyu nearly fainted but was caught by Sabito, preventing his fall. However, they soon heard a distant cry of terror from an applicant about to be eaten by a large, green demon. Sabito entrusted Giyu to fellow trainees and ran towards the cry. Giyu attempted to reach out but suddenly collapsed.

The unworthy Water Hashira

Giyu feels unworthy of his title as the Water Hashira and struggles to see himself as an equal among the other Hashira. He considers himself different from them and unfit for a place in the Corps. He advises Tanjiro to seek training from another Hashira, believing that while the mark may never come to him, it might have appeared on Sabito. Giyu feels Tanjiro is wasting his time with him and walks away. Moved to tears by Giyu’s story, Tanjiro senses that Giyu wishes he had died instead.

Tanjiro understands this pain, having experienced the loss of someone deeply cared for and wishing they had lived in his place. He recalls when Sabito mysteriously trained him on Mount Sagiri, despite being deceased. Tanjiro realizes that if Sabito had lived, he would be the same age as Giyu and marvels at Sabito’s heroic feat of saving everyone on Mount Fujikasane alone. Tanjiro believes that Sabito would have been an extraordinary swordsman, which further explains why Giyu feels he should have died instead. He had felt the same way when Kyojuro was killed—a remarkable and noble person who had sacrificed his life to protect others.

He even thought he should have died in Kyojuro’s place, believing that Kyojuro might have been capable of defeating Muzan someday. Yet, he knew that the late Flame Hashira had faith in him. As he tries to find the right words to encourage Giyu, he realizes that despite his own doubts, Giyu must have endured tremendous hardship on his journey to becoming a Hashira. While he knows it’s not his place to criticize Giyu, he feels compelled to ask something of him.

Will Giyu pass on what Sabito taught him?

Tanjiro eventually asks Giyu if he intended to honor Sabito’s legacy. His question stops Giyu in his tracks, prompting him to touch his face and recall a pivotal moment from his past. During their training, Sabito had slapped him, furious at Giyu’s self-pity and assertion that he should have died. Sabito warned that this attitude would end their friendship and reminded Giyu of his older sister, who had sacrificed herself to protect him from demons the day before her wedding. Sabito insisted that Giyu should honor her memory by living the life she had saved for him.

The shock and pain of Sabito’s slap flood back to Giyu, making him wonder how he could have forgotten such a significant conversation. He recalls choosing not to dwell on the moment, as it would only bring him to tears. He softly says the names of his sister, Tsutako, and Sabito, apologizing for his immaturity. Seeing Giyu’s silence, Tanjiro fears he has caused him further pain. Suddenly, Tanjiro has an idea. Since he cannot spar with Giyu yet, he proposes a speed eating contest, hoping that if he wins, it might encourage Giyu to participate in Hashira Training.