Muichiro Tokito was Singlehandedly Responsible for Making One of the Best Support Characters Quit the Demon Slayer Corps

Demon Slayer is one of those series that unfortunately focuses on the main fighting character groups and not the ones who provide them with a helping hand. Specifically in the show, apart from the main characters like Tanjiro, Nezuko, Zenitsu, and Inosuke, the Hashiras also play a very prominent role.

Amongst the Hashira, Muichiro Tokito is the youngest and therefore has the biggest potential to surpass the other Hashiras. Well, he could have done that if he survived the battle against the Upper Moon Rank One demon, Kokushibo. Though he died tragically in the same way as Gojo Satoru, he inadvertently played a part in making a certain character give up her dreams of joining the Demon Slayer Corps.

Muichiro Tokito passing the Final Selection came at a price

According to Kimetsu no Yaiba Fanbook Two, Muichiro Tokito and Aoi Kanzaki participated in the same selection, with Tokito swiftly ascending to the rank of Hashira within a mere two months. Aoi managed to survive the Final Selection, though she claims that it was through pure luck.

It was revealed in Chapter 53 that Aoi was too afraid to go in to battle despite passing the Final Selection, so she decided to work at the Butterfly Mansion instead as a doctor. Although Tokito wasn’t the direct cause for Aoi to leave the Demon Slayer Corps, Aoi realized that Tokito was on a whole other level and performed exceptionally well during the exam. That’s the reason why she believed that she passed only by pure luck.

Aoi thought that she was too weak and didn’t possess the necessary skills to actually help the Demon Slayer Corps through combat. What Aoi realized instead was that she was well versed in medical knowledge because she was presumably taught by Shinobu Kocho, the insect Hashira.

Fans know quite well how much of a big help Aoi was in helping Tanjiro and the others recover after every major battle, like bringing them to the mansion after the encounter with the Spider Demons.

Though the general fandom do not really care about the side character who are not involved in the fighting, Tanjiro does. In Chapter 53, Aoi vents to him about how she’s not as important as them and doesn’t deserve his thanks. Since she thought she passed the final selection through luck, she deemed herself unworthy and a coward.

The significance of Aoi Kanzaki in Demon Slayer

However, Tanjiro consoles her by saying that she actually helped him a lot and has become a part of him. As a result, he has her in mind every time before he goes into battle. This remark surprised Aoi, making her and the fans realize that she’s actually a pretty knowledgeable person.

During the training portion of their recovery, she explains to Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke the general ways they will be trained, including massage, reflex training, and tag games.

Though she lost to all of them in the tag games, she still made sure that they all trained well to recover faster so that they could return to their missions quicker. Aoi was particularly annoyed with Zenitsu for his flirtatious behavior and Inosuke because he and Zenitsu had the habit of not coming to recovery training.

Tanjiro’s affection for Aoi made him stop Tengen Uzui from grabbing her without warning. During the Entertainment District arc, Tengen picked up both Aoi and Naho Takada to dress up as prostitutes and help him infiltrate the Red Light district.

When one of the younger girls explains that Naho was not a Demon Slayer, Tengen drops her and instead plans on only bringing Aoi. Aoi appears distressed and upset when Tengen commented that even if she wasn’t useful, she was still a member of the corps. Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Zenitsu eventually volunteer to go in Aoi’s place, releasing her.

Though Aoi has the habit of belittling herself, Tanjiro knew that if it wasn’t for her and the other girls in the mansion, he and the Demon Slayers wouldn’t have recovered early enough to take on missions with full motivation.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba is available to watch on Crunchyroll and Netflix.