Why didn’t he, though?
Summary:
- Only a few demon slayers have a mark.
- Tengen never got his.
- Fans think it’s because he slowed his heartbeat.
Demon Slayer: Hashira Training Arc (Kimetsu no Yaiba: Hashira Geiko-hen) started airing on May 12, 2024, and although this season doesn’t promise a lot of action, there are still some interesting things to discuss.
There Are Few Slayers With a Mark
Episode 1 gave viewers more insight into the demon slayer mark. Before Season 3, only Tanjiro had one, but the Swordsmith Village Arc added Muichiro and Mitsuri to the team.
Both Muichiro and Mitsuri are exceptionally strong Hashira, but they aren’t the first ones the story shows us in action. Before them, we saw Rengoku in the Mugen Train Arc and Tengen in the Entertainment District Arc.
Since Rengoku was killed by Akaza, unfortunately, there are no questions about his marks. But Tengen is a different issue. He fought Gyutaro fiercely, was on the brink of death and managed to survive. So why doesn’t he have a demon slayer mark, too?
Muichiro unveiled a couple of mysteries in Episode 1 of Hashira Training. He mentions that slayers have to experience extreme life-threatening conditions, their heartbeat should be over 200 beats per minute, and their body temperature should be over 39° Celsius (102.2° Fahrenheit) to get the mark.
And fans believe that although Tengen’s fight was intense and immensely challenging, he failed to meet all of these conditions.
He Slowed His Heartbeat
The battle with Gyutaro was indeed a life-threatening experience (don’t lie, you thought he was dead for a second), and we have a feeling that his body temperature was also somewhere around 102.2°. But the heartbeat rate might be the issue.
During the battle, Tengen was poisoned by the demon. The Hashira wanted to slow the spreading of the poison, so he deliberately slowed his heartbeat. It helped him to survive, but made him lose his chance to get the mark.
Still, it’s obvious that Tengen deserved to have a mark, too. His demon slayer skills are on another level, he truly proved his worth. Although his opponent was weaker than the ones of Muichiro and Mitsuri, we don’t think there’s a huge difference between the Hashira’s abilities.
That’s why fans are confident that if Tengen hadn’t been poisoned and forced to slow his heartbeat, he would’ve become a bearer of the mark, too. He definitely deserved one and was worthy of such an honor. And it’s upsetting that he lost his chance.