Officially recognized by the author as handsome, he is extremely taciturn. He has jet-black hair that is layered and spiky, short on top like a bob but with long strands reaching below his shoulders. He possesses dark blue eyes. They are dull, so-called 'dead eyes,' and his sharp gaze often gives off an intimidating atmosphere. In the past, his eyes had highlights and were rounder with drooping corners, giving a gentle and fragile impression, but it is assumed they gradually changed to their current state after Sabito's death. Uniquely, the pattern of his haori is split down the middle. One half is a memento of his older sister, Tsutako Tomioka, and the other half belonged to Sabito. He is quite tall. At 176cm, he is in the middle rank among the Hashira, but since the average height of an adult male in modern Japan is about 171cm, he is considered tall even by modern standards, and exceptionally tall for the Taisho era setting. On the surface, he appears mentally strong and cool, but he is surprisingly clumsy. This is because he is socially dense. He often says hurtful things unintentionally without considering the other person's feelings. For example, by overly shortening a self-deprecating thought like "I am different from you all (who rightfully passed the Final Selection by killing demons, whereas I only survived by chance)," he ends up causing misunderstandings. According to the author, he hates dogs because he was bitten on the butt by one as a child. Interestingly, he eats with grains of rice stuck all around his mouth. It seems to be a simple habit. In a side story, while eating at a restaurant with Shinobu, he loves simmered salmon with radish so much that he smiles broadly—a stark contrast to his usual expression—surprising everyone around him. Shinobu, who was next to him, was so horrified she asked him not to eat while looking in her direction. The only Hashira who truly dislike Giyu are Sanemi and Obanai. The others either have no interest (Muichiro, Tengen) or have a normal relationship (Kyojuro, Gyomei, Mitsuri). Only Shinobu tends to give him harsh advice, knowing he is misunderstood due to his lack of words. He is very clumsy and says very little.