Nichirin Sword

Nichirin Swords (日 (にち) 輪 (りん) 刀 (とう) , Nichirin Tō^?, lit. Sun Blade) are special blades used by Demon Slayers made specifically for the purpose of slaying demons.

Description[]

Nichirin Swords (among other Nichirin bladed weapons) are the main weapons used by Demon Slayers in the Demon Slayer Corps in order to kill demons. They are forged with Scarlet Crimson Iron Sand (猩 (しょう) 猩 (じょう) 緋 (ひ) 砂 (さ) 鐵 (てつ) , Shōjōhi Satetsu^?) and Scarlet Ore (猩 (しょう) 猩 (じょう) 緋 (ひ) 鑛 (こう) 石 (せき) , Shōjōhi Kōseki^?), both of which are found on high mountains like the Sunlight Mountain, which is perpetually bathed in sunlight all throughout the year on Mount Yoko (陽 (よう) 光 (こう) 山 (やま) , Yōkō yama^?).^[1]

As they constantly absorb sunlight, decapitating demons with Nichirin Swords can permanently kill them. Once their neck-bone is slashed by the weapon, their heads and bodies disintegrate into ash in a similar fashion to when exposed to sunlight. However, despite their sunlight-absorbent properties, Nichirin Swords are less effective when used to slash other parts of a demon's body, making beheading the only viable option for Demon Slayers.

Nichirin Swords take on a distinct color when first drawn by its owner, which is why they are also referred to as "Color Changing Katanas".^[2] However, the holder is required to have a certain amount of skill, or the blade will not change color.^[3]

Demon Slayer recruits choose their own ore after successfully passing Final Selection. The ore will then be used by a swordsmith of the Swordsmith Village during the forging process, and the swordsmith will personally bring the weapon to the Demon Slayer.

After the Demon Slayer reaches the rank of Hashira, their weapons will be engraved with the words "Destroyer of Demons" (惡 (あっ) 鬼 (き) 滅 (めっ) 殺 (さつ) , Akki Messatsu^?). This tradition came some time after the creation of the sword that Tanjiro and Kotetsu found inside the Yoriichi Type Zero, which only had the Slay (滅 (めっ) , Metsu^?) on it and was created for the sole purpose of annihilating demons.^[4]

List of Known Nichirin Weapons[]

Wielder	Type	Color	Image
Tanjiro Kamado	Standard Katana	Obsidian Black
Sakonji Urokodaki, Tanjiro Kamado	Standard Katana	Dull Blue
Sabito	Standard Katana	Dull Gray
Zenitsu Agatsuma	Standard Katana	Yellow
Inosuke Hashibira	Dual serrated Katanas	Indigo-Gray
Kanao Tsuyuri	Standard Katana	Light Pink
Genya Shinazugawa	Sawed-Off Double-Barreled Shotgun	Black
Genya Shinazugawa	Wakizashi	Dull Gray
Giyu Tomioka	Standard Katana	Deep Blue
Shinobu Kocho	Stinger Katana	Lavender-Blue
Kyojuro Rengoku	Standard Katana	Red
Tengen Uzui	Dual Cleavers connected by chain	Amber
Muichiro Tokito	Standard Katana	Sky Blue
Yoriichi Type Zero, Muichiro Tokito	Standard Katana	Dull Gray
Mitsuri Kanroji	Whip Katana	Dark Pink
Sanemi Shinazugawa	Standard Katana	Green
Obanai Iguro	Twisted Katana	Lavender-White
Gyomei Himejima	Spiked Flail and Axe connected by chain	Dull Gray
Kanae Kocho	Standard Katana	Light Pink
Yoriichi Tsugikuni	Standard Katana	Obsidian Black
Michikatsu Tsugikuni	Standard Katana	Light Purple

*Muichiro's blade is shown to be both diamond blue and pale white in the anime adaptation.
*Obanai's blade is colored white on the cover of Volume 19.

Handguards[]

Each Nichirin Sword contains a handguard, or tsuba, that protects the swordsman from cutting themselves when they have a loose grip. It is located where the handle and the blade meet and can come in a variety of colors and shapes.

Wielder	Shape	Description	Image
Tanjiro Kamado*	Circle	Black spokes
Sakonji Urokodaki, Tanjiro Kamado	Ellipse with four circular cutouts	Dull gray filling
Sabito	Hexagon	Black filling with an overlapping bronze border
Zenitsu Agatsuma	Quatrefoil	Silver filling with triangles relief and a gold border
Inosuke Hashibira*	Circle	Black filling with semicircle carvings
Kanao Tsuyuri	Circle	Three red sakura flowers and light green winding pattern carvings and a silver border
Genya Shinazugawa	Two interlocking ellipses	Gold filling
Giyu Tomioka	Hexagon	Bronze filling with an overlapping fuchsia border
Unnamed Water Breathing Demon Slayer, Giyu Tomioka	Circle	Bronze filling with whirlpool carvings
Kanae Kocho, Shinobu Kocho	Flower with four pointy petals	Teal filling with an orange core and border
Kyojuro Rengoku, Tanjiro Kamado	Flame	Dark red filling with a yellow core and orange border
Tengen Uzui	Quatrefoil	Gold filling with a maroon cross and green border
Muichiro Tokito	Rectangle	Black filling with a gold core and hollow rectangles in the corners
Mitsuri Kanroji	Clover leaf	Pink filling with a gold core and border
Sanemi Shinazugawa	Octagram of eight overlapping diamonds	Forest green filling with a silver border
Obanai Iguro	Circle	Two snakes and plant-like pattern carvings
Yoriichi Tsugikuni, Michikatsu Tsugikuni, Yoriichi Type Zero	Quatrefoil	Black filling with gold core and border

*Tanjiro began using Kyojuro's handguard as of Chapter 129 / Episode 56.

*Based on his appearances in the series, Inosuke's Nichirin Swords temporarily had handguards when Kozo first presented his newly-forged swords. Afterwards, he made his swords jagged-edged, removed the handguards, and wrapped the hilt with bandages.

Weapon Colors[]

Nichirin Swords change color depending upon the user, making each blade unique. They can be of many colors. Zenitsu's blade is unique in that its coloration does not form as a solid band but instead as a lightning motif down the length of the blade. The reason for this patterning is unknown; however, when giving Tanjiro his new sword, Hotaru remarked that the past wielder of the blade before its refinery must have been a very strong swordsman. Given this statement, it is implied that a stronger skill level can create patterns or slight changes in a Nichirin Sword's coloration.

Each color is said to impart certain properties to the blade. The properties of black Nichirin Swords are not well understood, causing them to be considered a bad omen that the Demon Slayer will not progress far (due to dying before much can be learned about the blade). It can be assumed that the color of the sword is associated with the Breathing Style the user is best suited for:

Breathing Style[5]	Colors
Sun	Black
Moon	Light Purple
Water	Blue
Flame	Red
Thunder	Yellow
Wind	Green
Stone	Gray
Flower	Light Pink
Insect	Lavender-Blue
Serpent	Lavender
Love	Dark Pink
Sound	Amber
Beast	Indigo-Gray
Mist	White

Bright Red Nichirin Swords[]

By raising the temperature of the blade, a Nichirin Sword will turn shining bright red. Bright red Nichirin swords hamper the regeneration of demons and can generate extreme heat that can induce immense pain to demons. There are only 3 known methods to turn a Nichirin sword bright red: Using Nezuko's Blood Demon Art, raising the temperature of the blade with a strong grip, and clashing two Nichirin Swords together (the latter two only capable of being achieved when the Demon Slayer Mark is present).

Trivia[]

• Their namesake contains the kanji for "sun" (日 (にち) , nichi^?), "ring" (輪 (りん) , rin^?), which could translate to either "sun ring" or its most common meaning, "solar". In addition to the kanji for "sword/blade" (刀 (とう) , tō^?), the full translation to the Nichirin Sword is "solar blade".
• The ore used to forge the swords are likely based off of Hihiirokane (日 (ひひ) 光 (いろ) 金 (かね) , hihi'irokane^?), which literally means (Brilliant Scarlet Metal), a legendary metal of Japanese myth that shines brightly in a manner that it resembles flames or the sun. The metal is considered to be similar to other mythical ores such as Orichalcum of Greek and Roman myth, and as such is said to have had magical properties.
  • "Iron sand/black sand" (砂 (さ) 鐵 (てつ) , Satetsu^?) specifically higher quality "iron sand" (眞 (ま) 砂 (さ) 砂 (さ) 鐵 (てつ) , Masa Satetsu^?) is in fact known in real life to heat up when exposed to direct sunlight, capable of causing minor first degree burns if in contact without proper equipment.
• Only four of the nine Hashira of the Taisho era use standard Nichirin Swords: Giyu, Kyojuro, Sanemi and Muichiro.

References[]