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Ishikawa Hoshi - The Ice Pillar

Character Background

Hoshi Ishikawa is the youngest son of the Ishikawa family and the current holder of the Ice Pillar title. He’s a soft-spoken individual with an introverted personality, but he’s very kind and thoughtful despite his seemingly cold exterior.

His mother, Rei, was killed by a demon that attacked their family home when Hoshi was twelve years old and his older brother, Ranmaru was severely injured trying to protect Hoshi.

Their father, who was away on a mission at the time, returned just in time to behead the demon before it could find and kill his sons, who were hiding in a closet. Ranmaru had lost his right arm and his left leg from the knee down. He had wrapped both stumps in a blanket in an attempt to stop the bleeding, and was near death from blood-loss.

Having lost a leg and his sword arm, Ranmaru gave up on joining the Demon Slayer Corps, instead encouraging Hoshi to do so in his place. With their Father nearing retirement, the corps would need someone to take his place and Hoshi would soon be old enough to participate in the Final Selection.

Wanting to grow strong enough to ensure no demons would ever be able to harm his family again, Hoshi trained relentlessly for two years before travelling to Mt. Fujikasane where he passed with flying colours.

He was recognized as a Hashira just two more years later, after not only defeating over thirty demons nearly single-handedly, but also slaying a member of the twelve kizuki: lower rank three.

Relationship with the other Pillars

He entered a romantic relationship with Himejima Gyōmei after the Stone Pillar helped him defeat the strongest of the lower-rank kizuki. They’ve been together since Hoshi was eighteen and Gyōmei was twenty-one.

He gets along well with Mitsuri and is especially close with Muichiro, who he sees as a younger brother.

Despite their opposing personalities, Hoshi appreciates Kyojuro’s extroverted disposition and the two of them often visit onsen together. He finds the Flame Pillar’s hearty appetite extremely endearing, and enjoys sharing meals with him.

Shinobu provides him with his HRT, and the two of them are on friendly terms, though Hoshi wouldn’t consider her a close friend; she’s more of an acquaintance.

Tomioka is a similar case. Hoshi shares a meal with him on occasion, but aside from training with the younger man, doesn’t know much about him. He knows Tomioka prefers to keep to himself, and Hoshi respects his boundaries. Still, they get along rather well and are often paired together for missions.

He also enjoys spending time with Tengen and his wives. He used to visit relatively frequently to train with the Sound Hashira, though their sparring matches have become more of a rarity since Tengen retired. Hinatsuru is particularly fond of him, and often brings him home-made meals.

Hoshi only really knows Sanemi through Gymōmei, since the Stone Pillar is fond of him and his younger brother. Hoshi isn’t particularly fond of Sanemi’s brash and aggressive personality, and he’s honestly somewhat afraid of the Wind Pillar, especially since he’s prone to angry outbursts.

Obanai is extremely closed off, for the most part, and Hoshi is pretty sure the Snake Pillar doesn’t like him because of how close he is with Mitsuri. Aside from Pillar meetings, Hoshi rarely interacts with Obanai.

Breath of Ice

Derived from the breaths of Water and Wind, the original Ice Breathing Technique has nine forms. However, since becoming a Hashira, Hoshi has developed a tenth.

Since it’s derived from two different breathing styles, its forms mirror the characteristics of both Water and Wind breathing. Like Water Breathing, it is graceful and versatile, relying on swift movements to boost its power and effectiveness. Like Wind Breathing, it is harsh and relentless, using raw power to overwhelm opponents.

It is primarily an offensive breathing technique, and it shines during short, decisive combat encounters. Because most of its forms aren’t meant to be used defensively, it’s somewhat of a glass cannon.

Breathing Forms

1st Form • Icy Whirlwind Slash

Similar to the third form of Wind Breathing, the user twists their body to unleash a series of slashes around them that can defend them from incoming attacks and slice up their surroundings. It’s a versatile attack whose range can be extended or diminished depending on how much strength is put into the sword swing.

2nd Form • Dance of the Frozen Starflower

Inspired by the third form of Water Breathing, the user darts around the target slashing in an unpredictable pattern. Their movements leave shards of ice in their wake that are similar in appearance to the petals of the Starflower. This form is used to simultaneously increase the user’s speed and sharpen their reflexes to catch the target off-guard.

3rd Form • Crushing Icefall

A powerful and wide-range attack, the user leaps into the air while swinging their blade in a downward arc which generates several arched slashes that increase in size as they fall towards the target and are accompanied by misshapen blocks of pointed ice.

4th Form • Thin Icebreaker: Piercing Strike

The user performs a precise, fast, and accurate thrust with their blade which creates a shockwave upon impact and results in a sound like shattering ice.

5th Form • Frost Calm

It’s similar to the fifth form of Water Breathing in that it decapitates the opponent with little to no pain. Quickly drawing their sword, the user slices the target with a single, clean strike, leaving a crisp circle of frost on the ground in the immediate area around where the sword was drawn.

6th Form • Piercing Icicles

The user strikes at the target from a low stance, swinging their sword in a wide upward arc. Their movements are so quick that the user freezes the moisture in the air around them, forming deadly spikes of ice that rise up from the ground below and slam into the target.

7th Form • Rising Ice Storm

While leaping into the air, the user swings their blade which generates razor cold winds and ice shards that shred their opponent apart. This form combines the second form of water breathing and the seventh form of wind breathing, using the sharp edge of the user’s blade to decimate an opponent.

8th Form • Absolute Zero: Frostbite

A thin layer of frost coats the user’s blade, making it cold to the touch. This effect causes any wound made by the user’s sword to freeze, leaving behind a frost that crystallizes the targets blood and spreads throughout the body, significantly delaying regeneration.

9th Form • Raging Blizzard: Calamity

The user dashes forward at blinding speeds, obscuring themselves in a veil of frozen snow while slashing continuously in an alternating vertical/horizontal cyclone pattern. This high-speed attack generates billowing slices of frozen wind resulting in huge pillars of ice forming around the user, encasing everything in its wake.

10th Form • Roaring Ice Dragon of the Heavenly Azure Sky

The most powerful Ice Breathing technique, it was developed entirely by Hoshi himself. The user assumes a low stance, with their sword poised above their head, before performing an extremely high-speed dash towards the target and unleashing a singular, devastating slash. The technique is powerful enough to completely carve out the ground in its wake and the after-image takes the form of a giant blue dragon. It’s similar to both the seventh form of thunder breathing and the ninth form of flame breathing.

Role within the anime/manga

Season 1

Hoshi doesn’t appear very often throughout the Demon Slayer main storyline. As a Hashira, he’s only really deployed if there’s a threat caused by a lower or upper rank kizuki.

His first appearance is with the rest of the Hashira when Master Ubuyashiki was still deciding on what should be done with Tanjiro and Nezuko, after it was revealed thag Giyū was keeping her existence as a demon a secret.

Not one to jump to conclusions, he was neutral when it came to having an opinion on Tanjiro, wanting to know more about his circumstances before making a decision about who he was as a person.

When it came to Nezuko, however, Hoshi was initially in favour of having her executed. Due to his own personal experience with demons—namely almost having his older brother killed by one—Hoshi was immediately distrustful of her.

Mugen Train Arc

He was deployed as backup to Rengoku during the Mugen Train arc, but, unfortunately, only arrived after Akaza had already fled. After learning what had happened, and hearing how Nezuko fought to defend the human passengers, Hoshi changed his mind about her being something that needed to be destroyed.

He acknowledges both Tanjiro and Nezuko as full-fledged members of the Demon Slayer Corps and praises Tanjiro for his work in taking down a lower rank kizuki.

Red Light District

During this arc, Hoshi makes a few scattered appearances in the Butterfly Mansion, as he gets his hormones from Shinobu. These are brief snapshots, however, and he doesn’t interact with any of the main characters outside of short conversation.

He doesn’t play any major role during the primary storyline of the arc, nor does he make any appearances after the Kamaboko gang travels to the District alongside Tengen.

Swordsmith’s Village

Hoshi’s next major appearance is during the Swordsmith Village Arc, where he’s visiting for the purpose of receiving a new sword from his swordsmith Takatora. He talks with Tanjiro in the onsen, but they part ways before dinner and Hoshi isn’t seen again until the upper rank kizuki launch their attack on the village.

He plays a vital role in defending the village from the fish monsters conjured by Gyōko’s blood demon art until Mitsuri arrives, thereupon he goes with her to take on Upper Rank Four while Tanjiro, Genya, and Nezuko pursue the demon’s main body.

It is during this fight that Hoshi, alongside Mitsuri, both awaken their own respective mark.

Hashira Training Arc

As requested by Master Ubuyashiki, Hoshi agrees to take part in training the remaining members of the Corps to prepare for the final battle against Muzan.

He provides environmental training by putting the Corps members through a gruelling obstacle course in order to improve their durability and spatial awareness while traversing difficult terrain. His training comes before Gyōmei’s.

He’s kind but firm with them, and doesn’t give them any window of reprieve. He insists that it’s through firsthand experience that they’ll best learn how to be ready for combat in any environment.

Like the rest of the Hashira, Hoshi takes part in late night sparring against the others in order to maintain the conditions that allowed him to manifest his mark. He spars most frequently against Mitsuri and Muichiro, occasionally challenging Sanemi and Obanai. He also goes up against Tomioka once he’s been convinced by Tanjiro to join in on the training.

Infinity Castle Arc

Hoshi arrives at the Ubuyashiki residence alongside Tanjiro and the other Hashira after the mansion is reduced to ash in an explosion meant to temporarily debilitate Muzan. While he prepares to attack the King of Demons, Hoshi is teleported into the Infinity Castle by Nakime, where he’s separated from the rest of the Hashira.

Inside the castle, Hoshi encounters throes of powerful demons. Disoriented and alone, he relies on directions from his crow to make his way towards Muzan. While attempting to navigate the ever-changing space, he’s unexpectedly transported to where Nakime is situated, where he finds Obanai and Mitsuri already battling against her.

Final Battle

Being one of the least injured Pillars after being transported above ground, Hoshi plays a significant role in the final battle against Muzan. Alongside the rest of the Hashira, and the Kamaboko squad, Hoshi uses all his techniques to chip away at Muzan’s strength, hoping to stall him until sunrise.

Unfortunately, however, like many of the other Pillars, he does not survive this battle. He loses his left arm and his right eye is destroyed during the fight. Despite sustaining several other life-threatening injuries, he pushes on, fighting with all his strength until the very end.

After it’s confirmed that Muzan has been defeated, and Tanjiro has returned to being a human, he collapses, on the brink of death. Despite attempts from kakushi and other surviving members of the Corps, Hoshi opposes their efforts to stabilize him, telling them he’s beyond saving. His only request is to be placed next to Gyōmei so he can die by his side.

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