With the Pillar Training Arc scheduled to air in 2024, the Pillars are currently garnering a lot of attention. Which of the Pillars in this series is your favorite? The Pillars are some of the most skilled Demon Slayer Corps members in the series, and they play a major role throughout the series. Their overwhelming abilities have earned them immense popularity, so much so that they consistently rank highly in Demon Slayer character popularity rankings. One character in particular with a large female fanbase is the Snake Pillar, Iguro Obanai. His androgynous appearance and his status as a powerful character with exceptional abilities make him a perennial favorite among female Demon Slayer fans. He's one of the few characters in the series to feature romantic relationships, and female fans who enjoy this pairing find his handsome appearance and cool personality, but his passionate side when it comes to love, appealing. Today, we'd like to introduce the Snake Pillar, Iguro Obanai, who enjoys overwhelming popularity among women.
Active as the Snake Pillar
Iguro Obanai is a member of the Demon Slayer Corps' executive organization, the Pillars. The Pillars are an elite group of members possessing exceptional abilities and judgment, and are home to some of the most talented characters in the series. Iguro himself is one of the most skilled members of the Demon Slayer Corps, and is a character who is often portrayed in action.
Snake Breathing
Iguro's breathing style is Snake Breathing, fitting for his title as the Snake Pillar. Snake Breathing is a breathing style with characteristics that contrast with the Rock Breathing style of fellow Pillar Gyomei, characterized by its supple and swift movements. Perhaps because Snake Breathing itself is derived from Water Breathing, it also shares some similar characteristics with Water Breathing.
Making full use of tricky techniques
Because Iguro's breathing technique emphasizes flexibility and agility rather than brute force, he is a character who stands out in the series for his use of particularly tricky techniques. His style of cornering demons with his own technique, rather than strength or stamina, is exactly like the flexible and cunning tactics of a snake.
Skillful enough to corner Muzan alongside Tanjiro
Iguro utilizes the Snake Breathing technique to demonstrate his prowess in the latter half of the series, cornering Muzan alongside Tanjiro. While he doesn't play a major role in the beginning to middle of the story, his abilities are put to great use as the story progresses, so fans should definitely keep an eye on the second half of the series.
Although he has a sneaky personality...
Iguro's personality can be summed up in one word: sneaky. Even midway through the series, there are many scenes where he makes sarcastic remarks to Tanjiro and the others, and some fans who dislike Iguro seem to dislike this aspect of his personality. Indeed, there's no doubt that, even among the Pillars, he's one of the most harsh characters.
He also seems considerate in places
However, Iguro doesn't seem to be 100% mean or sarcastic. He's a very responsible person, and even in his harsh words, there are many scenes where you can sense his consideration for his teammates and his calm judgment of the situation. Having spent his life without much interaction with others, Iguro's difficulty expressing himself kindly is likely one of the reasons why his words and actions are so harsh.
Apparently, he doesn't get along with Giyuu...
However, compared to the other Pillars, it's undeniable that he has stronger likes and dislikes for humans. Even at the beginning of the story, he was particularly cold towards Tanjiro, and there are many scenes where he is depicted as being on bad terms with Giyuu, so it's clear that he's a character who is quite divisive.
He Surprisingly Respects the Pillars
However, when we look into his inner thoughts, we can sense that, despite his dislike for certain individuals, he has a surprising amount of respect for the other Pillars. While there's no doubt he has a somewhat prickly personality, his determination to work hard for the team seems to be no less than that of the other Pillars.
Overwhelmingly Skilled
Iguro Obanai will play a particularly prominent role in the series. While many of the Pillars, like Rengoku and Himejima, rely on overwhelming physical strength and offensive power to overpower their opponents, Iguro, in contrast, utilizes a flexible fighting style to corner many demons.
Though he lacks strength
In particular, Iguro boasts one of the weakest male characters, ranking second only to Shinobu in strength among the Pillars. Even when facing demons, he would not stand a chance in a pure battle of strength. It is precisely because Iguro is aware of this weakness that he is able to corner demons with his tricky techniques.
Fighting with Strong Convictions
Iguro tends to be focused on his shady personality, but he's also a character who fights with strong convictions. His innermost hatred of demons is particularly evident throughout the story, and his resentment toward them seems to be his driving force. Since he rarely expresses these feelings, it's easy to forget that he harbors such intense hatred for demons, but it's definitely something worth paying attention to.
Can function with minimal food requirements
Iguro also appears to be able to eat very little, which would be extremely useful in long-term combat. Incidentally, snakes are said to be able to function for about a week without food once they've eaten, so this lack of food is likely inspired by snakes.
Battle Continuation Rate is Poor
While he has the advantage of not needing to eat much, he is also frail and lacks stamina. As a result, he is not good at sustaining a single battle for long periods of time, and his weakness is that he loses stamina in prolonged battles. As long as he gets plenty of rest, this shouldn't be a problem, so his best bet would be long-term missions where he must engage in short, short battles.
A Character Who Changes His Impression in the First and Second Half
As you can see, Iguro is a character with some very tricky aspects, both in his personality and fighting style. He wasn't particularly popular in the first half, when his harsh personality stood out. However, as the series progressed, his previously unseen inner self began to be explored in detail, gradually increasing his popularity.
He may have been sarcastic at first, but...
Especially in the beginning, he frequently made aggressive remarks like "Shut up" and "I'll kill you," leading some to speculate that he might be a frightening character. However, looking back, we can see that he was making sarcastic remarks at the perfect time, such as when Tanjiro was training, or when he spoke to Nezuko, who may be hostile to humans.
He's actually very observant
Though Iguro is originally portrayed as a rather sarcastic character, we later learn that he actually cares about his surroundings. Naturally, if he had personality problems, he wouldn't be appointed as a Pillar, so while this is a given, it's a bit comforting to know that Iguro also had good intentions.
Becoming a Dependable Boss
Especially in the second half of the series, Iguro stands up alongside Tanjiro against Muzan, and even in Tanjiro's eyes, he has grown into a very dependable boss. Iguro's popularity rankings have skyrocketed since the second half of the series, so it's worth paying attention to, especially for fans who were put off by Iguro's personality in the beginning of the series. As you can see, Iguro's character has a huge gap between the beginning and the second half, so be sure to keep an eye on his performance in the second half.
Background to his anorexia
Now, let's take a look at Obanai Iguro's past. It had a major impact on his tendency to eat little and his tendency to avoid close relationships, so be sure to check it out.
Born as the First Boy in Hundreds of Years
Iguro was born into a family where boys are born only once every few hundred years, making him the first boy in hundreds of years. While this would normally be a cause for celebration, his family's treatment of him was unusual. From an early age, Iguro was locked in a cage and forced to live a life where he was forced to eat excessive amounts of food every day.
Sacrifice to the Demon
The reason he was forced to eat such excessive amounts of food was because the demon's family lived off the money and valuables they stole from others, and in return they offered children as sacrifices. In other words, Iguro was a sacrifice to be offered to the demon, and the family members forced him to eat excessive amounts of food because they knew the demon would eat him.
He barely escapes, but...
Though he managed to escape after realizing this, the fact that he was betrayed by his own clan left him deeply traumatized. His taciturn nature and reluctance to socialize may be due in part to this trauma. Incidentally, it's revealed that the snake he has around his neck is the only creature he was able to befriend at this time.
Perhaps the trauma from that time is affecting him?
In this way, Iguro's unique personality is influenced by his past trauma. Not only is he an introvert who doesn't seek much interaction with other people, but his tendency to eat very little likely reflects his past, when he was once sacrificed to a demon and was forced to eat excessive amounts of food.
Relationship with Kanroji
Despite his introverted personality, Iguro is portrayed as having a particularly close relationship with Kanroji, a fellow Hashira. While he's not the kind of character who often chats with others, he is extremely close with Kanroji, so many fans may have noticed something in the difference in his behavior.
More than friendship? ?
Iguro isn't the only one who feels special about their relationship; Kanroji seems to care about Iguro as well. Kanroji is often depicted blushing when she sees Iguro, and many fans likely noticed Kanroji's feelings for Iguro before they noticed Iguro's. Iguro and Kanroji are one of the most popular pairings in the series.
Fighting Together in the Battle of Mugen Castle Arc
Iguro and Kanroji, who are mutually aware of each other, will be fighting side by side in the final battle of the series, the Battle of Mugen Castle Arc. Because they care deeply for each other, they work together perfectly, so fans who are interested in their relationship should definitely keep an eye on the battle in the Battle of Mugen Castle Arc.
They Lose Their Lives Close to Each Other
These two characters play a major role in the Battle of Mugen Castle Arc, but ultimately end up mortally wounded and dying close to each other. This scene is one of the most moving in the Demon Slayer series, so be sure to pay it a visit. Incidentally, this is a personal highlight for me: Iguro's only friend, the White Snake, who had been with him for a long time, is also shedding tears. Although it's a small detail that's hard to see, this scene really gives a sense of the relationship between Iguro and the White Snake, so be sure to pay attention to this as well.
Summary
What did you think? This time we've introduced Iguro Obanai, who appears as the Snake Pillar in the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba series. Iguro is a character who tends to get attention for his dark personality, but behind that personality lies a sad past he experienced and a careful consideration for those around him. He is also a character who attracts attention in particular when paired with Kanroji, so be sure to keep an eye on his relationship with the latter half of the series. In the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Pillar Training Arc, which will be broadcast this year in 2024, he will also appear simply as a Pillar who gives training, so be sure to keep an eye out for that.
