日輪刀 The demon slayers’ weapon
Nichirin swords: colours, forging and meaning
In short. Nichirin swords are the only weapons able to kill a demon in Demon Slayer. Forged from an ore that absorbs sunlight, they take on a colour specific to their wielder the first time they are drawn, linked to the breathing style that suits them: blue for Water, red for Flame, black for the Sun. The swordsmiths of a hidden village make them to measure, and the Hashira have an inscription engraved on them.
- One colour per breathing style
- A secret village
- The scarlet red blade
一 The principle
What is a Nichirin sword in Demon Slayer
The word Nichirin combines the characters for sun and ring, and is most often translated as “solar”. It is the basic weapon of every demon slayer.
The blades are forged from scarlet iron sand and scarlet ore, mined from a mountain bathed in sunlight all year round. Because they absorb this light, they kill a demon when they cut through its neck: its head and body crumble into ashes, as they would at daybreak.
Struck anywhere else, the demon regenerates. Beheading is therefore the only way out for a demon slayer, which explains the violence of the fights in the series.
二 The colour chart
The colours of the Nichirin swords in Demon Slayer
A Nichirin blade changes colour the first time its owner draws it, provided they have already reached a certain level. The shade reveals the breathing style that suits them best, which is why they are also called the colour-changing swords.
- Sunblack
- Waterblue
- Flamered
- Windgreen
- Stonegrey
- Thunderyellow
- Flowerpale pink
- Insectlavender blue
- Serpentlavender
- Mistwhite
- Lovedark pink
- Soundamber
- Beastindigo grey
- Moonlight purple
Black remains poorly understood in the Corps: it is said that those who wield it do not go far, often because they die before revealing what is special about their blade. Yet it is the colour of Sun Breathing, that of Tanjiro Kamado, the hero of the series.
Zenitsu’s blade is the exception: its colour does not form a solid band but a lightning pattern along its whole length. Each breathing style and its masters are presented on our page about the breathing styles of Demon Slayer.
赫 Red-hot
The scarlet red blade
Brought to a very high temperature, a Nichirin blade turns bright red. It then slows demons’ regeneration and inflicts intense pain on them. Three methods are known: Nezuko’s Exploding Blood, a grip strong enough to heat the blade, or striking two Nichirin swords against each other. The last two are only possible for demon slayers who have awakened their mark.
三 The Swordsmith Village
How a Nichirin sword is made in Demon Slayer
The swords are forged in a village kept secret. To get there, a demon slayer travels blindfolded, ears and nose plugged, carried on the back of a Kakushi. The swordsmiths, for their part, hide their faces behind hyottoko masks so as never to be recognised.
Hotaru Haganezuka, Tanjiro’s swordsmith, is also known for his fits of rage when his wielder damages a blade. The attack on the village by two Upper Moons is summarised on our page covering every arc of the story.
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1
Choosing the ore
After the Final Selection, each new recruit chooses the ore for their future blade themselves.
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2
Forging the blade
A village swordsmith shapes it in his own style, often handed down from generation to generation.
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3
Hand delivery
The swordsmith brings the sword to its future wielder himself.
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4
Drawing it for the first time
The blade takes on the colour of the breathing style that suits its wielder.
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5
Engraving the inscription
Once a Hashira, the demon slayer has their blade engraved with the characters Akki Messatsu, “destroy evil demons”.
鍔 The tsuba
The guards of the swords in Demon Slayer
The guard, or tsuba, separates the handle from the blade and keeps the hand from slipping. Its shape and colours identify the character as much as their haori.
Tanjiro fights for a long time with a round black guard, then adopts Kyojuro Rengoku’s, entrusted to him by Senjuro, the Flame Hashira’s little brother, in memory of his mentor.
| Wielder | Shape | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Tanjiro Kamado | round | black, with spokes; he later takes on the guard of Kyojuro Rengoku’s sword |
| Kyojuro Rengoku | flame-shaped | the Rengoku family guard, passed down from Flame Hashira to Flame Hashira |
| Giyu Tomioka | hexagonal | bronze, fuchsia rim |
| Shinobu and Kanae Kocho | flower with four pointed petals | teal, orange centre and rim |
| Zenitsu Agatsuma | four-lobed | silver with triangular reliefs, gold rim |
| Kanao Tsuyuri | round | three red cherry blossoms, silver rim |
| Genya Shinazugawa | two interlaced ellipses | gold |
| Makomo | oval | light blue with pink flowers, blue rim |
| Inosuke Hashibira | none | he removes the guards and wraps the handles in bandages |
四 Made to measure
The Nichirin weapons of Kimetsu no Yaiba that are not katanas
Among the nine Hashira of Tanjiro’s generation, only Giyu, Rengoku, Sanemi and Muichiro fight with a classic katana. The others have a weapon adapted to their body and breathing style, presented in our complete guide to the Hashira.
An axe and a flail
Linked by a chain, they strike with all the strength of the most powerful of the Hashira.
Two chained blades
Broad twin blades, linked by a chain, which the former shinobi spins around.
A flexible blade
Thin and flexible as a whip, it can only be wielded with her extraordinary suppleness.
A wavy blade
Its sinuous shape slips around the opponent’s guard, just like Serpent Breathing.
A thrusting blade
Thin and pointed, it is used to inject wisteria poison rather than to behead.
Two chipped blades
He damages the blades his swordsmith forges for him himself, the better to tear into his opponents.
痣 Going further
The Demon Slayer Mark and the Transparent World
The Demon Slayer Mark
A pattern appears on the demon slayer’s skin and multiplies their abilities. Tanjiro awakens it on his forehead against Daki and Gyutaro, Muichiro Tokito and Mitsuri Kanroji in the Swordsmith Village. With it, a strong enough grip is enough to turn a blade scarlet red.
According to the Corps’ tradition, those who awaken the mark do not live past 25.
The Transparent World
The ultimate perception of the demon slayers, the Transparent World lets them see through the opponent’s body, its muscles and its blood flow, to anticipate each of its moves. Tanjiro reaches it over the course of his decisive battles.
読 On the blog
Blog articles about the swords
The forging, the Hashira’s weapons and Tanjiro’s black blade have their own articles, and our buying guide compares the replicas in the shop.
Why is Tanjiro’s blade black?Read the article
Which weapons do the Hashira use?Read the article
The swordsmiths of the hidden villageRead the article
Yoriichi Type Zero, the six-armed combat puppetRead the article
How do you kill a demon?Read the article
Which katana to choose: replica, LED or LED steam?Read the guide
Nichirin sword colours: what each blade revealsRead the article
Sword guards: each character’s tsubaRead the article
The crimson red blade: how a sword turns redRead the article
The Transparent World: seeing through bodiesRead the article
Akki Messatsu: the Hashira inscription and the other kanjiRead the article
五 In the shop
Demon Slayer katanas in our shop
Our decorative replicas reproduce the characters’ guards and blade colours, at 104 cm, and the LED and LED steam katanas light up the blade in the character’s colour. They are all gathered in our katana replicas, along with the wall-mounted or standing displays to show them off.
Tanjiro katana, black bladeView the product
Tomioka katana, blue bladeView the product
Rengoku LED katanaView the product
Wall display for one to three swordsView the product
LEGO katana, black bladeView the product
Tanjiro red LED steam katanaView the product
Kokushibo LED steam katanaView the product
Tanjiro black katana penView the product
For those who love to build, our LEGO katanas recreate the blades of the series. And to choose between replica, LED and LED steam, see our tips for choosing a katana.
問 Your questions
Frequently asked questions
Why is Tanjiro’s blade black?
The colour of a blade reveals its wielder’s breathing style, and black is that of Sun Breathing, which Tanjiro practises through his family’s Dance of the Fire God.
What does Nichirin mean?
The word combines the characters for sun and ring, and translates as “solar”, in reference to the ore that absorbs daylight.
Who forges the Nichirin swords?
The swordsmiths of a hidden village, masked to protect their identity. Hotaru Haganezuka forges Tanjiro’s.
Are all Nichirin swords katanas?
No. An axe and flail, twin blades, a flexible or wavy blade: several Hashira use a custom-made Nichirin weapon.
What is the rarest sword colour in Demon Slayer?
Black, the colour of Sun Breathing. Rarely seen in the Corps, it is even considered a bad omen among demon slayers.
Are the katanas in the shop real weapons?
No. They are decorative replicas, light-up models or LEGO katanas, designed to be displayed.
道 The road ahead
To explore more of the Demon Slayer universe
