The Hashira of Demon Slayer are the strongest warriors capable of fighting against the demons. But despite their immense fighting capabilities, they are not invincible. Many have fallen or retired on duty. Even so, many continue to serve the corps in their own ways. The perfect example of that is the former Sound Hashira Tengen Uzui.
Unlike the previous articles of this type, I will mainly discuss stuff already shown in the anime. However, I will include details from Season 4, the Hashira Training Arc, so there will be minor spoilers if you haven’t caught up to the latest season yet.
Who is Tengen Uzui?
With the dumb trio and Nezuko, Tengen Uzui is one of the main stars in the Entertainment District Arc. He is the one who forces the trio to join him in his mission to rescue his three wives. The reason he needs their help is not because he is weak. He is one of the strongest Hashira in the series, but that’s a discussion for later.
Tengen kidnaps the trio to make them infiltrate the Entertainment District and gather as much intel as they can. Meanwhile, Tengen himself lies low to monitor the district’s activity. During this mission, Tengen’s modus operandi is clearly shown. He is noted to be one of the prettiest faces in the force ā as pointed out by many in the series ā and he uses this to his advantage. He utilizes his beauty when persuasion is needed. Although he usually wears a ninja-like attire as his typical demon slayer outfit, he wants everything to be flashy and outstanding.
Why does Tengen have three wives?
Tengen was born in a shinobi clan that employed rigorous training methods to harness its members. Three of Tengen’s siblings died before even reaching the age of ten due to the said training, while the remaining four were killed by either Tengen or his remaining brother. However, Tengen was completely oblivious to his siblicide until he reached 15. Only he, his father, and his brother remained at that time. Even so, he couldn’t bring himself to kill either of them and opted to leave the clan.
The Uzui family is polygamous, so when Tengen left his clan, he already had three wives: Makio, Suma, and Hinatsuru. It’s also a common notion in the family that having wives is only a means to produce more offspring. Tengen, however, wasn’t fond of the idea. When he escaped with his three wives, he also changed their mindset. He taught them to abandon their kunoichi teaching and prioritize themselves over the mission. He genuinely loved all three of them, and his wives truly loved him.
Shortly after leaving their village, Tengen and his wives sought Kagaya and formally joined the demon slayers in their cause. While Makio, Suma, and Hinatsuru weren’t members of the corps, they would still accompany and help Tengen in his missions, as shown during the Entertainment District Arc.
How strong is Tengen Uzui?
Tengen may no longer be serving as the Sound Hashira, but he was a force to be reckoned with. Reaching his position, he was undeniably a master combatant. He was second only to Gyomei Himejima, the Stone Hashira, in strength and was the fastest among his peers. In addition, he is the first Hashira among his peers to take down an Upper Moon, and that’s without awakening his mark.
His outstanding combat ability is due to his harsh shinobi training, which taught him to move stealthily and developed his poison resistance. Tengen also has enhanced hearing abilities similar to Zenitsu. He can even use his hearing to echolocate, increasing his combat abilities. As a Hashira, Tengen is a master of a Breathing Style, the Sound Breathing, which he created. As its name suggests, this Breathing Style aims to mimic sounds, resulting in most attacks dealing explosive damage.
Combining his enhanced hearing with his Sound Breathing, Tengen executes a technique he calls Musical Score. Using Musical Score, Tengen analyzes his opponent’s rhythm and attack patterns. He then creates a counter-tactic against them. The technique takes time to pull off, but it’s so deadly that the technique allowed Tengen to defeat Upper Moon Six, albeit in exchange for his arm and eye.
Due to his injuries, Tengen is forced to retire as a Hashira. Even so, he still helps prepare the corps for their battle against Muzan. He is also still strong enough to beat up base Tanjiro and the other lower-ranking members of the corps.
