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The father of the late Kyojuro Rengoku, Shinjuro Rengoku was the former Flame Hashira. In his prime, Shinjuro was a well respected Hashira but after the tragic loss of his wife, he lost himself and turned to a life of alcoholism and bitterness. He quit the Demon Slayer Corp and even stopped being a good father to his sons, Kyojuro and Senjuro.
He also has an inferiority complex when it comes to Sun Breathing since he used Flame Breathing, but Sun Breathing is recognized as the original and most powerful, and he considers other breathing styles as “imitations”. However, even though he came off harsh, Shinjuro’s story is filled with regret and sadness.
The Bitterman Who Chose To Ignore His Family
Shinjuro Neglected His Sons And His Family
Shinjuro’s wife was a kind person who kept him grounded most of his life along with her two sons. After her death due to an illness, Shinjuro lost control and spiraled into a depression. He abandoned his duties as a father and began drinking his sorrows away. He was even more depressedafter reading ancient scripturewhich stated that Flame Breathing would not reach the same heights as Sun Breathing, this made Shinjuro feel inferior and that all his efforts as a Flame Hashira were meaningless. He also was extremely harsh towards his eldest son, Kyojuro and tried to discourage him from becoming a Hashira and refused to recognize his son’s accomplishments. He even chose to ignore his youngest, Senjuro, stating that he was too weak to become a Demon Slayer.
The first breathing technique ever created! The most powerful of them all! All the other techniques are derived from Sun Breathing! All the others just mimic Sun Breathing. They’re just cheap imitations, retrograde versions of Sun Breathing! Fire, Water, Wind…all of them! - Shinjuro Rengoku
Even though Shinjuro was harsh towards Kyojuro, Kyojuro was always respectful towards his father and still chose to follow his dreams of becoming the Flame Hashira. Kyojuro believed that it was his duty to protect others and still admired his father’s past even though his father showed him hostility.Kyojuro trained day and nighteven through the absence of his father. This was mostly because of Shinjuro’s own insecurities. He had convinced himself that no matter how strong he became, he could never reach the heights of a user of the Sun Breathing Technique. This is seen when Shijuro confronts Tanjiro about his Hanafuda earrings, questioning him about Tanjiro’s presence in his home and if he had come to, mock him.
After learning about the death of his son - Kyojuro, Shinjuro did not break down in sadness but rather lashed out in anger and denial. Stating that his son’s sacrifice was worthless. After meeting Tanjiro however, Shinjuro later has a change of heart and, in reality, he was actually deeply saddened by the loss of his oldest son.He had always loved Kyojurobut was not able to express it because of the wheel of despair he was in. After Kyojuro’s death, Shinjuro slowly began to realize his mistakes, and tried to turn over a new leaf.
During the Sunrise Countdown Arc and after the death of Muzan, Shinjuro visits Tanjiro along with his son. At this point, he is seen to be more calm and in a better state of mind than he used to be. Shinjuro’s youngest son never carried on the bloodline of the Flame Hashira, since he did not possess the relevant skills like his older brother did, eventually giving up on his plan to follow his brother’s footsteps and leaving it to Tanjiro to carry onKyojuro’s legacy as the oneof the respected Demon Slayer Corp members. Shinjuro’s story is one of loss and regret but eventual acceptance as he tries to make amends for all the time he had lost. One question still remains. If Shinjuro had taken on training Kyojuro from the start, could Kyojuro’s death have been avoided? Or would he have met the same fate in the end?
