Gyomei Himejima: Stone Pillar - Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer)
Gyomei Himejima (悲鳴嶼 行冥 Himejima Gyomei) is part of the Demon Slayer Corps and is the Stone Pillar in the Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer) series. He uses the Breath of Stone (岩の呼吸 Iwa no Kokyu) and is considered the strongest out of the Pillars. He is also the tallest out of all the Pillars. Gyomei has a long scar running horizontally across his forehead caused by demons and no pupils since he is blind. It is unknown whether he was born blind or if an accident caused it. He has short black hair and wears the standard Demon Slayer's uniform as well as a green haori with kanji’s holding religious meanings written all over. He always wears a large beaded necklace around his neck and is constantly seen holding prayer beads whenever he isn't engaging in battle.
“Ahh… What a shoddy child she is. How sorrowful. It’s so sorrowful that she was born into this world”
—Gyomei to Pillars, Demon Slayer Chapter 45
Profile
- Age: 27 years
- Height: 220cm
- Weight: 130kg
- Birthdate: August 23
- Manga Debut: Chapter 44
- Anime Debut: Episode 21
- Japanese Voice Actor: Tomokazu Sugita
- Status: Alive
History
Gyomei lived with nine children who were orphans and raised them like his family in a temple. In the area where he lived, the threat of demons was very well known so he always burned wisteria incense at night but one night one of the orphans put out all the wisteria incense and invited a Demon into the temple. The orphan had disobeyed the temple rules and stayed out after sunset and ran into the Demon. In exchange for his own life he told the Demon to eat Gyomei and the other orphans inside the temple. Gyomei tried to protect the children but they didn't listen to his words and ended up dying. Only one child listened to him and hid behind Gyomei while he continued to punch the Demon until the sun came up. The child who was saved, instead of thanking Gyomei, accused him of killing everyone sentencing him to prison. Kagaya Ubuyashiki saved him from being executed and ever since then Gyomei has come to be deeply suspicious of people no matter how virtuous a person seemed.
Personality
Gyomei is very religious, often seen offering prayers to people and situations which sadden him. He is gentle and highly emotional, frequently tearing up in all sorts of situations. Despite him being kind and emotional he is very objective and doubtful of people especially children, thinking of them as pure, naive, weak, and completely fine with cruelty. However, once he accepts someone, no matter what others will say he will not doubt them. This is seen when he fully accepts Tanjiro Kamado and his sister, Nezuko who he thought was better executed.
Skills and Abilities
- Master Swordsman: Within the Demon Slayer Corps, Gyomei is considered strongest out of all the pillars. He is also a skilled swordsmen.
- Unique Weapon: Gyomei wields a hand axe complete with a spiked flail attached to the hilt through a long chain. To wield his unique weapon he uses the sound of the chain to judge the position of the flail and axe, covering for and even taking advantage of his blindness. The chain, spike flail, and axe are all created using the same metals used in the creation of Nichirin Blades. The craftsmanship of the weapon is noted to be incredibly high class and even superior to the swords forged during the Sengoku era, where smithing and sword forging was already at its peak.
- Enhanced Strength: Gyomei possesses immense physical strength, shown when he uses his strength to push a large boulder bigger than him through a town. Through ‘Repetitive Actions’, he is capable of doing a set of predetermined movements in order to maximize concentration.
- Enhanced Reflexes: During a battle with Kokushibo, Gyomei was complimented on his extremely agile, fast and quick reflexes allowing him to dodge attack easy, when in contrast to Gyomei's large build.
- Enhanced Hearing: Gyomei has a heightened sense of hearing, which enables him to hear the sound of Muzan Kibutsuji's flesh regenerating.
- See Through World (透き通る世界 Sukitoru Sekai): A different perspective of the world. Despite being blind, Gyomei gained the ability to see without using his eyes. Through naturally sensing the people and objects around him, Gyomei can create images of his enemies in his mind.
- Demon Slayer Mark: During his battle against the Upper Moon One, Kokushibo, Gyomei awakened his Demon Slayer Mark. It appears as a cracked earth like patterns on both of his forearms. When activated his physical speed, strength, and reflexes increased dramatically.
Total Concentration Breathing: Breath of Stone
- First Form: Serpentinite Bipolar (壱ノ型 蛇紋岩・双極 Ichi no Kata: Jamongan・Sokyoku): Gyomei throws both the flail and axe towards his target and manipulates the chain by rotating it causing the axe and flail to also rotate in order to drill and grind right through his target.
- Second Form: Upper Smash (弐ノ型 天面砕き Ni no Kata: Tenmen Kudaki): Gyomei throws both his axe and spiked flail for a pincer move before smashing down on the chain to cause the flail to then rebound and smash his target from afar.
- Third Form: Igneous Reflection (参ノ型 岩軀の膚 San no Kata: Ganku no Hadae): Gyomei unleashes a series of slashes with his sword deflecting nearby attacks.
- Fourth Form: Volcanic Rock - Rapid Conquest (肆ノ型 流紋岩・速征 Shi no Kata: Ryumongan・Sokusei): Gyomei manipulates both the flail and axe weapons at both ends of the chain by swinging the chain on both sides in order to strike his opponents using a two pronged wide ranged attack.
- Fifth Form: Arcs of Justice (伍ノ型 瓦輪刑部 Go no Kata: Garin Gyobu): Gyomei strikes his opponent with a simultaneous axe and iron ball barrage.