The legendary series—Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
Did you know that the anime industry, once called a “niche,” now attracts hundreds of millions of viewers online? The overall anime industry is now worth over $25 billion annually and continues to expand. Today, anime is not just “cartoons”; it has become one of the biggest entertainment industries worldwide. Anime has become especially popular among young adults and teenagers for a variety of reasons, including unique storytelling, Tanjiro Kamado, deep emotional connection to the character, distinct art style, and a strong fan community. One of the main reasons anime is spreading globally faster than many other forms of entertainment is that audiences can relate closely to the protagonists and their experiences. In this essay, we will dive deeper into one such remarkable protagonist in the history of modern anime.
Did you know that most legendary anime series were adopted from manga books? One such all-time legendary manga series, then adopted into anime, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, sold over 220 million copies worldwide and was placed as the 7th best-selling anime of all time. Later, it was adopted into an anime by Ufotable animation studios, one of the best animation studios, which is known for its visually stunning cinematic, high-quality animation created by blending traditional 2D animation with modern digital effects, creating fluid action scenes and immersive visuals. This style of adaptation is also a major reason why Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba reached even further after the adaptation.
The story of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, created by director Koyoharu Gotouge is depicted as a very deep, dark and vengeance-driven story. While Koyoharu Gotouge was creating the protagonist of the story, drastic changes were made. Tanjiro Kamado was initially depicted as a dark, hardcore and vengeance-driven prototype that was often shown as one leg and arm missing, replaced by wood. Later, his character was rewritten to be more cheerful, hardworking, and optimistic, based on the advice of the editor Tatsuhiko Katayama. He suggested that a “brighter” main character is necessary to stand out in a dark story. His character was mainly influenced by Himura Kenshin from the Nobuhiro Watsuki series.
Compassion forged through unbearable tragedy
Tanjiro, the boy who sees humanity even within the demons that have killed hundreds of people, is not just a warrior but a kind soul filled with humanity and pain. Before the tragedy struck, he lived as an ordinary charcoal seller in Mount Kumotori with his mother and younger siblings. His life completely changes after a demon slaughters his family, leaving only one survivor —his younger sister Nezuko Kamado, who has already turned into a demon.
While trying to save his sister, he encounters Giyu Tomioka, a water hashira who initially tries to slay Nezuko because she is a demon. However, after seeing their unusual bond and Tanjiro’s battle skills, Giyu sends the siblings to Sakonji Urokodaki, former water Hashira on Mt.Sagiri, in order to become Demon Slayers. From that moment onward, Tanjiro vows to restore his sister’s humanity and avenge his family by killing the demon that devoured them.
Unlike many protagonists in the shōnen genre, who are defined by emptiness, trauma, or impulsivity, Tanjiro stands out as a compassionate, relentless, and empathetic protagonist. This became one of his greatest Unique Selling propositions (USP), as it highlights how he retained his humanity despite experiencing immense hardships and tragedy. The Author once stated in an interview that “I think Tanjiro is a type of male character that you don’t see much”, he also admitted that he worried about Tanjiro’s character as it is “too normal” and polite, compared to traditional Shonen heroes. However, producer Tatsuhiko Katayama reassured that this nature of character is exactly what made him fresh, unique, and relatable to modern audiences. Surprisingly, this “too normal” personality is what made him reach a global audience, remain memorable, and stand out among traditional Shonen heroes.
Under Sakonji Urokodaki’s harsh training, Tanjiro masters Water Breathing and passed the Final Selection through immense discipline and perseverance. He also possesses an exceptional sense of smell that he uses to detect the presence of demons. During the finals, he slashes many demons that were imprisoned in the Fujikasane Mountain. He often feels pity and prays for the demon ’ssoul to find peace and not suffer in the next life. Soon after, he becomes a member of the Demon Slayer Corps. This scene serves as one of the clearest examples of Tanjiro’s empathy and kindness. Unlike many Demon Slayers, he cannot fully hate demons, largely because he has Nezuko, who is also a demon but with a different nature. Her existence allows Tanjiro to view demons from a different perspective, showcasing his emotional distinctiveness from any other character.
While Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is a dark and vengeance-driven story, it also includes humorous scenes between intense emotional and action moments to balance the dark atmosphere and prevent it from becoming emotionally overwhelming for viewers. Throughout his journey, Tanjiro forms close bonds with Zenitsu Agatsuma and Inosuke Hashibira, two Demon Slayers with completely different personalities from his own. Despite this, Tanjiro recognizes their kindness and sincerity. This bond also reveals Tanjiro’s ability to find good qualities in others despite their differences.
However, behind the humorous interactions and bonds shown at the top lies a brutal world filled with powerful demons and cruelty. While there are powerful demons who take people’s lives, there are also equally powerful Demon Slayers who protect innocent lives. The most powerful Demon Slayers among all the other Demon Slayers are the Hashiras—strongest swordsmen humanity possess against demons, there are nine Hashiras who possess different sword-styles, among which one Hashira remain memorable to Tanjiro, the Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku, though they met for a brief period of time before Rengoku dies in the “Mugen train” episode trying to defeat an Upper rank 3 demon named Akaza. This incident leads him to realize the painful path of a Hashira and shows how Tanjiro can feel a deep connection to a person’s emotions.
Demons are ranked based on their strength and the amount of blood they consume, with Muzan Kibutsuji being the most powerful demon and the creator of all the other demons. Under him are the 12 Kizuki, an elite group of demons divided into Upper Moons and Lower Moons. Upper Moons are considered the strongest and most feared demons, with some even defeating Hashiras. Muzan creates demons by manipulating vulnerable and suffering human beings, offering them immortality and inhuman powers. Meanwhile, Tanjiro often tries to remind them of the humanity they once had before killing them.
Many Hashiras and powerful swordsmen lost their lives attempting to defeat the upper moons that survived for hundreds of years devouring humans. Among the strongest swordsmen in history was Yoriichi Tsugikuni, the creator of Sun Breathing technique, who pushed Muzan to the brink of death. In order to survive, Muzan shattered his body into 1,800 pieces, Yoriichi managed to destroy most of them, a fraction of them escaped allowing Muzan to regenerate. After that encounter, he lived disguised as a human afraid of encounter with another Sun Breathing user.
Yoriichi, who once shared a close bond with Tanjiro’s ancestors entrusted them and gave the Hanafuda earrings and the knowledge of Sun Breathing technique to them. Over time, the Sun Breathing technique was secretly passed down as Hinokami Kagura—Dance of the Sun God. The Hanafuda earrings, with a symbol of rising sun became a symbol of the legendary Sun Breathing user which is the original breathing style from which all the other techniques were derived. However, Tanjiro’s father, Tanjuro Kamado died before he could teach Tanjiro about Hinokami Kagura.
History repeats itself when Muzan, faces the same legendary technique that once nearly killed him generations later through Tanjiro. Though, Tanjiro didn’t get a chance to learn Sun Breathing from his father, he learnt it unknowingly by learning Hinokami Kagura from watching his father do it when he was a child. As the series moves forward, Tanjiro gets stronger by killing Upper Moon demons and getting rigorous training; he also masters all 12 forms of the Sun Breathing technique and becomes the very thing Muzan fears. He eventually defeats most of the Upper Moons with his allies and Hashiras and comes to battle against Muzan Kibutsuji. Muzan realizes that the same technique that has left him terrified for thousands of years is being brought back against him again.
During the final battle, Tanjiro himself was forced to turn into a demon by Muzan as an attempt to save himself. Muzan pours his blood into Tanjiro, believing that he could create the ultimate Demon God that is resistant to the sun. in that instant, Tanjiro attempts to kill his allies and fellow Hashira members under the control of Muzan. However, unlike most demons, Tanjiro still had his humanity, kindness and the bonds he shared with his friends and families remained deep within him. With the effort of the Hashiras, his friends, and Nezuko, Tanjiro was able to retain his humanity and ultimately destroying Muzan. This victory does not only highlight Tanjiro’s immense inner strength and resilience, but also symbolizes the victory of humanity.
The fact that he was not born with overwhelming power, naturally unbeatable or magically destined to win everything makes him special. Throughout the series, he is shown to have normal human emotions like fear, empathy and hardworking. He is also shown distinguished from other demon slayers as he sees demons with a different perspective. He fights not because he likes violence but to restore peace in this world. His journey proved that power does not come from fear or hatred but it comes from kindness and selflessness. After all the battles were over, Tanjiro lives a happy and ordinary life that he never gets to live after his family was killed and Nezuko was turned back into a human and the endless war was finally over. Fans found it a bittersweet ending as the character restored their peace but many were killed during this process.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Tanjiro Kamado
1. Why does Tanjiro have a scar on his forehead?
Tanjiro did not have the scar on his forehead since birth, as many people assume. It was actually caused by an accident during his childhood, when he tried to protect his younger brother from a falling brazier.
2. What are Tanjiro’s breathing styles?
Tanjiro initially masters Water Breathing technique from Master Urodaki. Later, he discovers his family heritage and eventually masters in Sun Breathing technique.
3. What is his sword’s significance?
What makes Tanjiro’s sword significant is that it’s a rare black blade, symbolizing his destiny to master the Sun Breathing as the black color absorbs sunlight unlike other Demon Slayers. This replicates Tanjiro’s ability to adapt to multiple sword-styles.
By: Charumathi
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