Who Is Mitsuri in Demon Slayer? (2024)

Demon Slayer is beloved for its characters just as much as its beautifully animated action sequences, and that's what makes the Hashira so particularly favored by fans of the series. Each of Demon Slayer's Hashira has their own distinct look and personality that makes them unique, but of all the Hashira, one of the biggest standouts is Mitsuri Kanroji.

Mitsuri is the Love Hashira: one of the youngest Hashira in the Demon Slayer Corps and one of only three women in their ranks. Despite her age and petite appearance, Mitsuri is actually one of the strongest of the group in terms of physical ability alone. Mitsuri's strength made her an outcast as a child, but that same strength is what brought her lasting relationships with her fellow members of the Slayer Corps whom she loves with all her heart.

Mitsuri's Backstory In Demon Slayer

Mitsuri was born to a loving family in the Azusa Ward of Tokyo. From the earliest years of her life, it was clear Mitsuri was very different from other girls her age. Aside from her unique naturally pink and green hair color, Mitsuri was also born with supernatural physical strength. This was first witnessed by her mother when, as a toddler, Mitsuri lifted a stone weighing 33 lbs.

Mitsuri was actually born with a muscle density eight times that of a normal human being. She could also reportedly eat more than three sumo wrestlers combined. Despite being looked upon as odd by the others in her village, Mitsuri's family embraced her and all her unique qualities. Her father even had her engage in arm wrestling matches against full-grown men, which she would win every time.

As she got older, Mitsuri's uniqueness began to take a toll on her in terms of her relationships with other people outside her familial circle. She struggled to make friends, and the men of her village were put off by her unique hair color and intimidated by her unparalleled strength. Mitsuri’s engagement with a man from her village fell through when she was 17 years old, and this was the last straw for her. This experience caused Mitsuri to dye her hair black, and pretend to be weak in order to fit in with other women.

Eventually, a new man asked Kanroji to marry her, and this made her happy for a time. However, it also left her with conflicted feelings. After all, she was pretending to be someone she wasn't, and this man clearly did not love the person she truly was, but only the facade she created. It wasn't until she met Kagaya Ubuyashiki that someone other than her family finally showed Mitsuri appreciation for her strength. Upon her acceptance into the Hashira, Kagaya told Mitsuri "Be proud of your strength. Everyone who speaks ill of you is merely afraid." This moment changed the course of Misturi's life forever and is the reason she appreciates the Demon Slayer Corps so much. As a Hashira, Mitsuri is finally able to be the most genuine version of herself and use her abnormal strength to help people in the process.

Mitsuri's Closest Relationships in Demon Slayer

Even though Mitsuri was initially lonely due to her differences from other people in her hometown, Mitsuri found her people by way of the Demon Slayer Corps. The Hashira of the Slayers embraced Mitsuri as a friend in a way she had never experienced before due to their respect for her strength and their ability to relate to her.

Mitsuri becomes particularly close with Obanai Iguro, the Serpent Hashira, who is secretly in love with Mitsuri. Mitsuri actually has feelings for Obanai as well, though she is unable to tell how Obanai really feels due to his naturally cold demeanor. Mitsuri also shares a tight bond with Shinobu, whom she looks up to as a female Hashira in a group of mostly boys. Rengoku, the fire Hashira, was also quite close to Kanroji, even acting as a mentor to the inexperienced swordsman when she was first starting out.

During the Swordsmith Village Arc, Mitsuri displays a particularly strong connection with Nezuko. She becomes almost a sisterly figure to her and finds her cute. The reason Mitsuri is likely so fond of her is due to her own experience with being different and being outcast by those who don't understand her. Mitsuri sees the goodness in Nezuko's heart even though she's a demon, and since Mitsuri came from a big family with five siblings, she's able to identify with the unbreakable brother-sister bond that Tanjiro and Nezuko share.

Mitsuri's Combat Abilities As The Love Hashira

In her training as a Slayer, Misturi's mentor was Rengoku, which at least partially explains why she's so skilled in combat. In fact, Mitsuri's Love Breathing technique is a derivative of Rengoku's signature Fire Breathing. The fact Mitsuri was able to make this style her own is especially impressive because she couldn't have been training with a sword for much longer than a year before being named a Hashira.

A big source of Mitsuri's effectiveness in battle is her Nichirin Sword, which is just as unique as Mitsuri herself. Mitsuri's sword is so incredibly thin and flexible that it can be wielded like a whip. However, it's still just as heavy as a regular sword, making it extremely difficult to carry for the average person. Anyone else would find wielding it impossible, but Mitsuri's unmatched strength and flexibility allow her to use her sword as though it were an extension of herself. Mitsuri is also said to have the fastest technique of the Hashira—even faster than Tengen, though Tengen is quicker on his feet than Mitsuri is.

Mitsuri's Struggle To Find Love Made Her Strong

Mitsuri's primary goal throughout her life has always been to find love. Initially, she thought she wanted to be loved by others and that would make her happy. However, while changing herself to appease others did get her the attention she sought, it came at the cost of her individuality. What Mitsuri really wanted was to be accepted for who she truly was. That's why Mitsuri values being a member of the Demon Slayer Corps so much. She is finally able to show the world who she really is and be appreciated for the things that make her unique.

Considering Mitsuri's path to self-love as a Hashira, her Love Breathing technique is perhaps the most poetic of any Slayer. Each of Mitsuri's breathing techniques is named after the stages of falling in love, such as "First Form: Shivers of First Love"; or "Fifth Form: Swaying Love, Windclaw". The feelings of "first love" and "swaying love" are things that Mitsuri truly has firsthand experience with, and that displays her ability to transform her past weaknesses into strengths.

As a Hashira, Mitsuri can live as the most authentic version of herself, and she receives more love because of that than she ever did when she first dyed her hair black to impress a suitor. Mitsuri struggled in her early life to find love and feel loved as a regular person simply because she was anything but regular. Mitsuri was never meant to fit in, and it wasn't until she accepted her uniqueness as a gift instead of a curse that she was able to love herself in the way that she truly deserved.

Demon Slayer

TV-MA

Anime

Action

Adventure

When Tanjiro Kamado returns home to find his family was attacked and killed by demons, he discovers his younger sister Nezuko was the only survivor. As Nezuko slowly becomes a demon, Tanjiro sets out to find a cure for her and become a demon slayer so he can avenge his family.

Release Date

April 6, 2019

Cast

Natsuki Hanae , Zach Aguilar , Abby Trott , Yosh*tsugu Matsuoka

Seasons

4

Studio

ufotable