Tengen Uzui: The Flashiest Demon Slayer of All Time

When it comes to strange ninja mentor characters, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba‘s Tengen Uzui is right up there with Naruto‘s Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy. He enlists the help of Kamado Tanjiro, Kamado Nezuko, Agatsuma Zenitsu, and Hashibira Inosuke just after the Mugen Train Arc.

A Glimpse of Tengen Uzui

Uzui (surname) Tengen (given name) is one of the nine Hashira we see for the first time near the end of season one of the anime in episode 23, when Ubuyashiki Kagaya (also known as Oyakatsama, the 97th leader of the Demon Slayer Corps) allows Tanjiro to travel with Nezuko, despite her being a demon.

During the events of the Mugen Train season (which was also a full-length movie), we saw the death of Rengoku Koyojuro, an event that haunts the three young demon slayers while they recover from their injuries at Insect Hahira Shinobu Kocho’s Butterfly Mansion.

Tanjiro angrily confronts Tengen after he sees the ninja try to kidnap Takada Naho and Kanzaki Aoi (two assistants working at the manor). During a tense exchange, Tanjiro tries to headbutt Tengen, who has his hands full carrying the two girls. However, just before contact, Tengen disappears in a flash.

During a tense exchange in which Tengen, who’s still holding on to Aoi and Naho, formally introduces himself as a former Shinobi. However, the flashy ninja is chastised by Tanjiro, Tsuyuri Kanao, and two of the other assistants working at the manner, Terauchi Kiyo and Nakahara Sumi, who accuse him of being a perverted old man.

Becoming annoyed, Tengen yells at them, demanding that they so some respect to their superior, reminding them that he is “a Hashira, dammit!”

Inosuke and Zenitsu arrive, and the three boys soon learn just why Tengen specifically wanted female Demon Corps members after they find themselves going undercover as “working girls” in the brothels of Yoshiwara’s Entertainment District. They are investigating the presence of demon activity and the disappearance of Tengen’s three missing undercover agents, who we later learn are his wives.

General Information

Who is Uzui Tengen in Demon Slayers?

Uzui Tengen is a 23-year-old brave and “flashy” ninja who’s a member of the Demon Slayer Corps and the Sound Hashira.

He’s a large, muscular ninja with white hair, lightly-tanned skin, thin fuchsia eyes, and a large Fuchsia alternating multi-dot tattoo surrounding his left eye.

He also wears a white head bandage, a headband with six large pink jewels and pale blue pearl strings hanging down either side, wears a basic solid green uniform-style sleeveless shirt, two matching gold bands on each large bicep, blue fingerless gauntlets secured on his middle fingers with gold wrist bands, a white belt, baggy matching green pants, purple leg, and ankle wrappings, and white-strapped zori footwear.

What is Tengen’s back story?

Tengen was born within a Shinobi clan family as one of nine children. Three of his siblings died before reaching the age of 10 because of the deadly training they had to endure. The remaining six children were forced to fight one another to the death on their father’s orders. However, they were not told who they were fighting as their faces and head were completely covered with masks.

Tengen figures out his father’s deception only after killing two of his brothers. By the time he turned 15, seven of his siblings were dead. This left only Tengen and his younger brother. as kids, his dad forced his children to undergo intense and deadly training to save their clan and taught them to believe that sacrificing innocent lives is acceptable to achieve their goals.

As his younger brother adopted their father’s mindset and felt no remorse about killing their siblings, Tengen expressed repulsion and decided to leave his clan forever. He would leave the village along with his three wives without fighting his brother.

Concerning how he came to have three wives, his clan practiced polygyny. This meant after turning 15, Tengen had to take three wives as chosen by the head of his clan. After escaping the village with his wives, he would later re-train them to value themselves over the mission. This contradicted the women’s teachings as a kunoichi (female ninja).

After leaving his clan, Tengen and his wives sought out Ubuyashiki Kagaya to offer their services as Demon Slayers. After formally joining the Corps, Tengen quickly climbed the ranks and became the Sound Hashira before Shinazugawa Sanemi was appointed as a Hashira while Kocho Kanae was still in the Demon Corps.

What is Tengen’s Personality Like?

The flamboyant Uzui Tengen has a very strange personality. He’s one of those characters that’s difficult to pin down. He’s very much beloved by the ladies and would often use his good looks as a tool for missions. And at first glance, he would seem consumed with vanity, as his love for all things “flashy” would suggest. However, digging deeper beneath the surface, one notices a very warm side of the former Shinobi.

He believes that life is precious and values his life and the lives of his wives over any mission. He also places the lives of the innocent over the mission, which is a huge offense in his former clan.

The ninja also can come across as a bit of a meathead, as his first encounter with Tanjiro and his friends showed.

When the trio of young demon hunters first join Tengen in Yoshiwara, he comes off as pretty strict, often clobbering the boys as they get a bit overexcited by the entertainment district’s “atmosphere”.

He also has a pretty direct sense of humor, often causally speaking insults in a matter-of-fact manner, as he believes in cutting straight to the chase in most situations. Such as when he declares Inosuke to be “creepy” due to his boar’s head mask he wears all the time.

However, through the season, fans also get to see Tengen grow to respect Tanjiro, Nezuku, Inosuke, and Zenitsu by the end of the Entertainment District arc.

How Old is Tengen? When is his birthday?

October 31 ???? (according to his official Twitter account).

How Tall is Tengen?

Uzui Tengen is 6 feet and 6 inches.

What are Some Popular Tengen Quotes?

Here are ten of Uzui Tengen’s most popular quotes:

• “I’ve finished my musical score technique! We’re going for the win!”
• “Wanna see me dance? I’m so on fire I could eat 100 bowls of tempura udon! In a flashy way, that is.”
• “Well, yeah. I’m a flashy, glamorous ladies’ man, so that’s a no brainer. And I even have three wives, no less.
• “First, worship and praise me! We’ll discuss that other thing later!”
• “Starting now, things are going to get real flashy!”
• “. . . To be blunt in my flashy way, you three are more important to me. So don’t die on me.”
• “Sound breathing. First form. Roar!”
• “Listen up. I am a god.”
• “Who cares if you don’t acknowledge me? You little bottom-feeder! Did your brain matter explode or what?”
• “Do you really think I’d fall victim to one of your pissant headbutts?”

Uzui Tengen’s Combat/Abilities

Tengen’s Weapons

Uzui Tengen welds Nichirin Cleavers, which are said to have unrivaled explosive power. He can also connect them with a chain to form bladed nunchucks. It’s rumored that no one has ever survived being attacked by his blades. He also uses anti-demon bombs he carries in the form of black beads along with the standard ninja kunai throwing blades.

How Strong is Tengen?

Tengen is among the strongest swordsmen and the second physically strongest in the Demon Slayer Corps and proved more than a match for Gyutaro, one of Muzan Kibutsuji’s Upper Six demons.

What are Tengen’s Abilities/Skills/Powers?

Skills

Tengen is a master ninja possessing all the skills one would expect from his years of ninjutsu training, such as enhanced stealth and swordsmanship; he also has a resistance to most poisons. Tengen also has superior strength, endurance, and speed.

Abilities

Enhanced Hearing with Echolocation

One of Tengen’s abilities is enhanced hearing allowing him to use echolocation to analyze sounds on the battlefield, which allows him to locate allies and enemies from afar.

Powers

Sound Breathing

Tengen invented his own breathing style that combines his super-hearing with his Musical Score technique.

All Known Sound Breathing Techniques

First Form: Roar – Tengen lefts his twin swords in the air above his head, bringing them down using great force while igniting his bombs to cause massive damage along with a thunderous sound.

Fourth form: Constant Resounding Slashes – Tengen rapidly spins both swords while holding them apart and releasing bombs to create huge explosions while defending himself from enemy attacks.

Fifth Form: String Performance – Tengen uses a reverse grip on one sword while spinning the other when his weapons are in nunchuck form. He then detonates bombs like explosive notes.

Musical Score

This technique uses Tengen’s ability to heighten his sense of hearing together with his Sound Breathing, allowing him to analyze the sound of his enemy’s attack before deconstructing them into a pattern of music, almost like a music sheet, that he can read and interpret like a song. With this power, he can find blindspots in an enemy’s attack. But, the downside is it takes a while for him to build up the information needed to finish the score.

Who is Stronger than Tengen?

Kibutsuji Muzan is likely stronger than Tengen, seeing as Gyutaro, the upper sixth demon created by Muzan nearly killed the ninja. However, in a fight against fellow Hashira, it’s difficult to say, but he’s likely not as strong as Ubuyashiki Kagaya, the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps. And one could argue that Gyutaro would have been stronger had it not been for the help of Tanjiro.

Notable Fights Tengen vs…

Tengen versus Gyutaro is the most notable fight so far in the series. The ninja was more than a match for Gyutaro’s younger sister Daki, but once Gyutaro emerged, he was able to inflict near-life-ending damage to Tengen, poisoning the ninja while taking an eye and arm before the ninja managed to defeat him with the help of Tanjiro.

Relationships

Who are Tengen’s Allies and Enemies?

Uzui Tengen’s main allies are his three wives, Hinatsuru, Suma, and Makio. His other allies include the eight other Hashira, Ubuyashiki Kagaya, along with the rest of the Demon Slayer Corps.

Tengen’s enemies include the demons led by Kibutsuji Muzan and possibly his former clan led by his father and little brother.

Who is Tengen in Love with or Married to? Who Does Tengen Like?

Tengen is married to Hinatsuru, Suma, and Makio. But, he doesn’t seem to favor one wife over the other. Although, many fans believe he favors Hinasuru (Hina) since he seems to interact with her more in the manga. He also looked up to Rengoku Kyojuro, the former flame Hashira who was slain at the end of the Demon Train arc.

Uzui Tengen’s Fate

What Happened to Tengen?

Following the Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc events, Tengen was forced to retire due to his injuries, making him only the second Hishira to do so. However, he and his wives would continue to train new Demon Slayer Corps recruits, helping them improve their endurance.

When Did Tengen Die? Who Killed Tengen?

So far, Tengen is still alive in the series.

Other Interesting Facts About Tengen Uzui

• Tengen is the only Hashira who uses two Nichrin Swords and the only other dual-sword welder among Demon Slayers aside from Inosuke.
• After leaving his clan, Tengen would frequently joke about how he was going to hell but stopped doing so after Makio became upset with him, Hinatsuru wept, and Suma bit him.
• For some time, Tengen would anguish over whether or not it would have been best to exterminate his former clan, but in the end, he could not bring himself to kill his brother or father.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)