Being one of the nine Hashira is a pretty sweet gig, and characters like Kyojuro and Shinobu make it look downright glamorous.

In the world of Demon Slayer, only professional demon hunters bearing nichirin swords stand a chance against the flesh-eating demons of the night, and even then, demon slayers never have it easy. These brave warriors risk their lives every night fighting the forces of evil, though the top-class slayers, the nine Hashira, have an easier time of it.

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The experienced Hashira know more than anyone that humanity is fighting an uphill battle against demonkind, and they, too, experience many harsh realities on the job such as being a priority target for the demons. But there are also many upsides to being a Hashira, some minor and some huge.

Most demon slayers wear a standard uniform on the job, similar to Bleach's black-robed Soul Reapers and the fire soldiers of Fire Force. This mostly applies to the rank-and-file fighters, while each franchise also has elite warriors who can bend these rules.

The nine Hashira can heavily customize their outfits to suit their own tastes. Shinobu has a butterfly-themed coat, for example, while the charming Mitsuri Kanroji has a knee-length skirt instead of pants and Tengen's outfit is quite flashy.

Demons such as the ferocious Akaza will gladly target and fight the Hashira, knowing full well that they stand a real chance of winning, but ordinary demons don't see things that way. This means that while the Hashira are all targeted by the most elite demons, others won't even try to pick a fight with them.

Instead, the Hashira can avoid tedious, time-consuming battles with weak demons who know better than to challenge them. Instead, the Hashira can fight demon-kind on their own terms and on their own initiative. This makes their missions more efficient overall.

Elite heroes such as Soul Reaper Captains, jonin ninja, and the nine Hashira will survive many battles against their franchise's foes, and it's not easy being a survivor. Characters like the Hashira will be haunted by the constant deaths of their lower-ranked allies.

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Perhaps the Hashira are used to this, though, since they joined the demon slayer corps knowing full well what they were in for. Best of all, thanks to their elite skills, these slayers last much longer than most other "redshirt" slayers do, and they can rack up years of experience to become even harder for demons to kill.

The Hashira seem to live up to the Kaguya Ubuyashiki's high expectations, and hold themselves to maintaining these high standards. This can lead to some serious pressure, but for any Hashira who can handle it, this can also be highly rewarding as well.

Some Hashira are naturally more prideful than others, but surely, all nine of them feel pretty great about having everyone look up to them and admire them as elite warriors and role models. Giyu probably doesn't care that much, but Kyojuro Rengoku revels in all the attention, dazzling like the sun.

It is unclear how often the Hashira are asked to train or mentor rookie demon slayers, but evidently, it happens at least sometimes. An example was when the petite insect Hashira, Shinobu Kocho, ended up training Tanjiro and his friends at the butterfly estate along with her allies.

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Some Hashira, such as Sanemi and Giyu, wouldn't want to train a squad of rookies like Tanjiro's team, but others might feel differently. In fact, some Hashira probably find it richly rewarding to personally coach junior slayers and watch them grow. Some people are totally the nurturing type, even if they kill things for a living.

On a similar note, one of the Hashira might be ordered to form a team with junior demon slayers and work with them on a mission, especially for high-risk missions such as the journey to the entertainment district. The sound Hashira, Tengen Uzui, was initially reluctant to bring Tanjiro and the others along.

Tengen soon changed his tune, though. He grew to respect what Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Zenitsu were capable of in the fight against Daki and Gyutaro, and he trusted them to watch his back. There's no doubt that he, in hindsight, was actually glad to be assigned some new squadmates like that.

Surviving countless brushes with death means that anyone who has earned the rank of Hashira is already bearing many mental and physical scars. This is a harsh reality in many ways, but smart and emotionally resilient Hashira will use this as an opportunity for growth.

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The Hashira may also have an impressive but grim collection of scars under those uniforms, and some anime warriors such as Bleach's Kenpachi Zaraki take pride in their scars. Those scars prove that whatever doesn't kill them makes them stronger, and in a grim way, that can be highly empowering for battle-loving Hashira.

Having a high rank means a warrior or soldier is trusted not only with more responsibilities, but also more secrets. Higher-ranked officers such as the Demon Slayer Hashira are privy to the corps' most sensitive secrets, and this can help them make better-informed decisions during a mission.

Smart demons might ambush, capture and imprison a Hashira, then torture that warrior to get vital intel about the Ubuyashiki family or the secrets to breathing techniques. But a tough Hashira will refuse to share those secrets, and they would rather die in the line of duty than betray the trust that Kaguya Ubuyashiki puts in them.

This part of Demon Slayer lore is only vaguely hinted at, and it rarely plays a pivotal role in the story, but it still exists. Any of the nine Hashira may retire from active service anytime they wish, for any reason they might have. And it's highly unlikely that lower-ranked slayers have this option at all.

Tengen retired due to his excessive injuries after fighting Gyutaro, for example, though other Hashira might have continued their careers anyway. Even if Hashira retirements are rare, it must be comforting knowing that this is always an option, such as if the Hashira feels unworthy to keep their rank or if they become too mentally or physically compromised to keep fighting. Better to retire and heal their mind and body in civilian life.

It is abundantly clear that Kaguya Ubuyashiki and his officers make sure that all demon slayers of all ranks are well cared for, but most likely, the nine Hashira get the best treatment in terms of medicine, shelter, rations, and other logistics for any campaign.

Tanjiro and his friends usually get logistical support when they need it, but a Hashira would get even better treatment, and sooner, too. They are the corps' valuable assets, so no doubt Kaguya's officers prioritize their needs and give them the first pick at any resource that they require.NEXT: 15 Strongest Demons in Demon Slayer, Ranked

Louis Kemner has been a fan of Japanese animation since 1997, when he discovered Pokemon and Dragon Ball Z in elementary school. Now he's a bigger anime/manga fan than ever, and is ready to share what he knows with readers worldwide. He graduated high school in 2009 and received his Bachelor's in creative writing from UMKC in 2013, then put his skills to work in 2019 with CBR.com. He's always looking for a wonderful new anime to watch or manga series to read.

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