Gyōmei Himejima endured profound hardship from childhood, left orphaned and permanently blinded by illness. This blindness cultivated exceptionally heightened hearing, enabling him to perceive subtle environmental cues and even discern intentions through sound. As a teenager, he lived in a dilapidated temple, dedicating himself to caring for nine orphaned children. Despite poverty and malnutrition, he prioritized feeding them, often sacrificing his own meals. Tragedy struck when one orphan violated the temple's nighttime safety rule, encountered a demon, and betrayed the group by extinguishing the protective wisteria incense. This allowed the demon to attack, killing eight children. In a desperate effort to protect the sole survivor, Sayo, Gyōmei discovered latent superhuman strength and killed the demon barehanded. Villagers who discovered the scene misinterpreted the events, leading to Gyōmei's wrongful imprisonment and death sentence. Kagaya Ubuyashiki, leader of the Demon Slayer Corps, intervened, secured his release, and recruited him. Physically, Gyōmei is exceptionally tall and muscular. He has spiky black hair shaved on the sides, a prominent horizontal scar across his forehead, and opaque white eyes due to his blindness. His eyes frequently tear up emotionally. He typically wears the standard Demon Slayer uniform modified with an olive-green happi garment draped over his shoulders, bearing the Buddhist chant "Namu Amida Butsu" (南無阿弥陀仏). He carries prayer beads, reflecting his devout nature. In battle, he sustained severe injuries: a facial scar from Kokushibo and the loss of his left leg below the knee during the confrontation with Muzan Kibutsuji. His personality embodies the gentle giant archetype, marked by profound compassion, frequent emotional weeping, and strong piety. He values all life, expressing disgust at harming even demons. However, early betrayal and persecution fostered deep suspicion towards others, especially children or those younger, making trust difficult to earn. Once trust is established, he demonstrates unwavering loyalty. He rejects compromises to his humanity, defiantly countering Kokushibo's offer to become a demon by asserting that living and dying with human dignity defines a Demon Slayer's resolve. Gyōmei possesses formidable combat abilities, including the greatest physical strength in the Demon Slayer Corps. This allows him to wield massive spiked flail and axe weapons, forged from Nichirin steel and connected by a chain instead of a traditional sword. His fighting style, kusarigamajutsu, leverages his strength and chain manipulation for offense and defense. Despite his size, he ranks as the third-fastest runner among the Hashira, exhibiting extraordinary stamina and endurance. He demonstrated this during grueling training, standing on burning ground while carrying weighted logs and rocks. His blindness is compensated by hyper-acute hearing, enabling him to perceive minute details like muscle contractions or demon regeneration sounds. This sense also aids his use of the Transparent World, granting enhanced perception of biological processes in combat. He mastered Stone Breathing, developing five techniques, including the First Form: Serpentinite Bipolar, which rotates his chained weapons to drill through targets. During critical battles, he awakened the Demon Slayer Mark, fissure-like patterns on his forearms that amplified his physical capabilities. He could temporarily turn his weapons bright red to inhibit demon regeneration. His tactical intellect allowed swift opponent analysis; he deduced Kokushibo's supernatural patterns could be countered and recognized the need to simultaneously target all twelve of Muzan's vital organs. He created the Repetitive Action technique, enhancing concentration by recalling painful memories. Within the Demon Slayer Corps, he rose to Stone Hashira in a record two months, becoming a symbol of hope and leadership. Kagaya entrusted him with strategic responsibilities, including issuing orders during meetings. He mentored key figures: saving Shinobu Kocho and her sister Kanae by killing the demon that murdered their parents, inspiring them to become Demon Slayers, and training Genya Shinazugawa. During the Hashira Training Arc, he designed and oversaw strength and endurance regimens for lower-ranked slayers like Tanjiro Kamado, Inosuke Hashibira, and Zenitsu Agatsuma. His initial distrust of Tanjiro eventually yielded to respect after observing his sincerity and perseverance. In the final battles, he confronted Upper Rank One, Kokushibo, fighting alone before being joined by Sanemi Shinazugawa, Genya, and Muichiro Tokito. Despite severe injuries, he contributed significantly to Kokushibo's defeat. Later, with one leg severed, he continued battling Muzan, utilizing his Transparent World and bright-red weapons to weaken the demon king. The cumulative injuries from these fights proved fatal, leading to his death shortly after Muzan's defeat.