This is a PSA for all demons, devils, and denizens of hell: Do not f*ck with Tanjiro Kamado.
Seriously, if you thought Mitsuri Kanroji was tough, then you do NOT want mess with this Demon Slayer kid. He is Big Three protagonist material. Do you know what that means? It means that as the series progresses he will become inexplicably stronger through sheer willpower because the plot DEMANDS it. This kid basically has GOD on his side. And God’s name is Koyoharu Gotouge, the creator of the Demon Slayer franchise. And God’s livelihood depends on this kid to survive. I get it, you’re a powerful demon or whatever. You might be on par with an Upper Rank. You might have even beaten Tanjiro in the past. It doesn’t matter. No matter if you break his sword, his body, or even his spirit, this kid will come for you next season with a brand new blade, a brand new raison d’etre, and some brand new plot armor that you will NOT be able to penetrate a second time.
You have been warned.
Tanjiro Kamado’s backstory
Tanjiro Kamado is the son of the late charcoal seller Tanjuro, and grew up in a rural part of Japan during the Taisho Period, which lasted from 1912 to 1926. Tanjiro lost his father at a young age, and had to become the man of the house and breadwinner. One day, while he was out selling charcoal, a demon named Muzan Kibutsuji (I’m sure you’re familiar) massacred his mother and his younger brothers. Only his little sister Nezuko survived.
This is where we, as demons, f*cked up.
Tanjiro made a vow to destroy all demons in revenge for Muzan’s murders, a vow that he fully intends to make good on. We also f*cked up by leaving his little sister alive. See, Muzan had the bright idea to try and turn the little girl into a demon and use her as a loyal foot soldier. What he failed to realize is that she is the sister of the PROTAGONIST and for PLOT REASONS she was able to suppress her flesh-eating urges and survive, not on blood (like a regular demon) but by SLEEPING ADORABLY IN A BOX. HOW DID WE NOT SEE THIS COMING? THIS IS GONNA BITE US IN THE COLLECTIVE ASS LATER.
As luck would have it, a traveling Hashira named Giyu Tomioka decided to come along and put Nezuko out of her misery. As luck would not have it, Tanjiro was able to utilize his protagonist powers to impress Giyu in combat while defending his sister’s life. Giyu saw Big Three potential in the kid, and asked if he wanted to take up a Hero’s Quest to become a Demon Slayer and kill the The Bad Guys (us) by going to Magic Sword School. Unsurprisingly, Tanjiro said yes.
Fast forward a few years: Tanjiro is a well-trained student of the Demon Slayers, and is currently KICKING OUR ASSES. This demon in teenager form has managed to face off again and defeat Upper Rank demons MULTIPLE TIMES. Most people don’t even survive ONE battle with an Upper Rank after training all their lives and this kid manages to do it ONCE OR TWICE A SEASON. IT’S INHUMAN I TELL YOU. IT’S DIABOLICALLY F*CKED UP.
And guess what? Now he’s coming for Muzan. Yep, he just cut a swath through two more Upper Ranks who had the bright idea to take the little monster on in the same village WHERE THEY MAKE THE SWORDS TO KILL DEMONS WITH. HOW WAS THAT A GOOD IDEA? THIS KID HAD A BROKEN SWORD FOR LIKE A MONTH AFTER FIGHTING UPPER RANK THREE AND NOBODY TRIED TO PICK HIM OFF THEN? I’m not one to normally speak ill of Muzan because I value my life but this management system is BROKEN. Either Muzan is gonna kill me or that little monster Tanjiro will and at this point I’d rather take my chances with the boss than that unholy terror of an adolescent boy.
So how does he do it? How is he so good at killing us?
Unsurprisingly, this kid has a natural aptitude for killing. He’s a machine. He’s got lightning-fast reflexes that only get faster, an inexplicably good sense of smell, and REALLY GOOD GENETICS (we’ll get to that). But for now, the main problem is that he’s REALLY GOOD WITH A SWORD. He has one that glows BRIGHT RED, and his evil little sister can light it on fire using her Blood Demon Art. It’s bad. It’s really bad.
Not only that, but Tanjiro is exceptionally gifted at using Breathing Techniques handed down from the very first of the Demon Slayers. Forget Water Breathing or Mist Breathing or Love Breathing and all that other horseshit the Hashira do, this kid can perform the ancient art of Sun Breathing. You know, that glowing orb in the sky that turns us to ashes if we get exposed to it? He’s got the power of THAT up his sleeve. This ability can be traced all the way back to the first guy to ever use breathing techniques: Yoriichi Tsugikuni. Turns out Tsugikuni got real busy teaching it to the members of the Kamado family, so Tanjiro all but inherited the power of the greatest demon slayer to ever live.
To make matters worse, this kid can SMELL THE FUTURE. IT DOESN’T MAKE ANY SENSE TO ME EITHER. I can’t even describe what wet leaves smell like and this kid knows what TOMORROW smells like? Okay, it’s not quite that bad, but through intense training Tanjiro learned to smell the “intent” of an opponent, allowing him to smell six moves ahead. HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO COMPETE WITH THAT? And to make things even WORSE, this kid is able to look into something called the “Transparent World,” which is about as woo-woo as it sounds. Turns out this kid’s father showed him how to do it while KILLING A BEAR. Basically, accessing the Transparent World allows Tanjiro to foresee his opponents’ attacks by looking through their skin and into their blood and muscles. I might eat people for a living but even I think that’s GROSS.
So to sum up: if you see this kid coming at you, don’t fight, don’t run, don’t hide. This little Liam Neeson will hunt, find, and kill you. All you can do is try to convince Tanjiro that you’re a “good” demon like his sister and maybe he’ll let you live. Because the absolute WORST thing about this kid is that he’s kind and merciful. Makes me sick, but not sick enough to beg for a shred of that mercy.
(featured image: Ufotable)
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