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| “ | Eradicate all demons. | „ |
| ~ Creed engraved onto nichirin swords of Hashiras. |
Nichirin Swords (in Japanese: 日輪刀) are special blades from the popular manga/anime series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, used by and made specifically for the Demon Slayer Corps to slay Demons. They are forged from a unique type of metal that constantly absorbs one of the only major weaknesses of Demons, sunlight. They are one of only two methods, other than sunlight, to effectively kill a demon. The other being through the use of Wisteria poison.
Nichirin Swords take on a distinct color when first drawn by its owner, so they are also referred to as "Color Changing Katanas". However, the holder is required to have a certain amount of skill, or the blade will not change color.
Forging Process
Nichirin Swords are forged with Scarlet Crimson Iron Sand and Scarlet Ore, 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.
Demon Slayer recruits choose their own ore after successfully passing Final Selection. The ore is then taken to a swordsmith of the Swordsmith Village, who forges the blade. Once completed, the swordsmith personally delivers the sword to the Demon Slayer.
After the Demon Slayer reaches the rank of Hashira, their weapons will be engraved with the words "Destroyer of Demons" (悪鬼 滅殺 Akki Messatsu). This tradition came from the creation of the sword that Tanjiro and Kotetsu found inside the Yoriichi Type Zero, which was created for the sole purpose of annihilating demons.
Sword Colors
Nichirin Swords change color depending upon the user, giving them the nickname "Color Changing Katanas", and making every sword unique.
Zenitsu's sword is especially 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 Kamado his new sword, Hotaru Haganezuka 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 go far (due to dying before much can be learned about the blade). However, based on the information available, it is possible the color symbolizes the type of breathing style the user is best suited for.
List of Colors and Breathing Style Symbolism
- Black - Sun/Fire
- Red - Flame
- Blue - Water
- Green - Wind
- Yellow - Thunder
- Gray - Stone
- Amber - Sound
- Indigo/Gray - Beast
- Light Pink - Flower
- Dark Pink - Love
- Lavender - Serpent
- Lavender/Blue - Insect
- White - Mist
- Light Purple - Moon
Aftermath
After Demon Slayer Corps finally triumphed a war against demons that lasted for a thousand years, the corps was disbanded. Accordingly, swordsmith village under the corps that forged Nichirin swords also closed down and thus Nichirin swords stopped producing. Finally, surviving demon slayers after their victory laid down their Nichirin swords and put their days as demon slayers behind as they moved on with their new lives. Few Nichirin swords that remain became household mementos of demon hunters' scions and breathing-styles hunters used to kill demons passed onto form of clan sword dance.
Gallery
Trivia
- It should be noted that while most Nichirin Swords are swords (or at least, bear some semblance of swords), There are two exceptions to this rule: Gyomei's Nichirin Sword - resembles nothing like a sword in any shape or form; instead, it is a hybrid weapon of flail and hand axe and thus instead of inflicting demons clean slicing decapitation, Gyomei's Nichirin 'sword' crushes demons' heads. Second, according to Kokushibou (rogue slayer turned demon) once upon a time there was a demon slayer who used spear-like Nichirin 'sword'.