People change. They can be evil at first but they can be good in the end just like Lady Tamayo in the manga and anime series, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. Let us hear more of her story to find out why and how she chose to be kind in a world that is full of evil.
Lady Tamayo: Human turned demon
Lady Tamayo is a beautiful woman with long, dark brown hair. She has stilted pupils and red lips but a pale complexion. She wears a dark purple kimono designed with red flowers and purple tree branches.
Her life as a human is just like many Japanese women of her day, a housewife. Lady Tamayo had a husband and children whom she loved but when she was turned into a demon, she lost her conscience, her thoughts, and her memories.
Just like Nezuko Kamado and other demons, Muzan Kibutsuji is the one responsible for why Lady Tamayo became a demon. He pretended to cure her of an illness that might kill her so she trusted him with his life. Little did she know that the treatment would be for her to be a creature she does not want to be.
When she was turned into a demon, Lady Tamayo completely forgot everything she loved and cared for. There are no feelings of pain and remorse anymore. She went on a killing spree, murdering her husband, children, and a few of her innocent villagers.
She then became Muzan’s subordinate but knowing that he was the one who turned him into a demon. She tried killing Muzan a few centuries ago but failed to do so. Lady Tamayo just became very submissive in the presence of Muzan because she knows he is stronger than her. Muzan did not just defeat Lady Tamayo physically but also emotionally, breaking her fighting spirit.
However, she came to realize that Muzan may not be too powerful when she saw Yoriichi Tsugikuni overpowering Muzan, almost killing him. Yoriichi was also about to kill Lady Tamayo but then when he realized she hates Muzan and was happy he almost died, Yoriichi spared her life after the battle.
What is so special about Lady Tamayo?
Even after trying to kill Muzan a hundred years ago, he spared Lady Tamayo’s life because he sees that she might be old but she is really powerful. Lady Tamayo has been Muzan’s assistant even before he formed the Twelve Kizuki or Twelve Demons.
Since Lady Tamayo got her blood from Muzan when she was turned into a demon, she has supernatural blood. Her main ability is the demon art of drawing her blood and performing different spells that have different effects on her targets.
She is not a combat type and does not like to fight but in cases that it cannot be prevented, Lady Tamayo can recover from any otherwise lethal wounds. She deserted Kibutsuji’s army of demons successfully and remained concealed from him for hundreds of years.
Apart from this, she displayed an impressive skill in the field of medicine. With all of her potions and serums, Lady Tamayo became a skilled doctor and was able to create a medicine that would transform a Demon back into a human being.
Demons and transformations
Lady Tamayo was at least 400 years old now. She was one of the very few demons who was able to regain and retain her human feelings in her later demon life so she devoted most of her time researching demons and demon transformations. She became a skilled doctor and promised to help injured or sick individuals.
With her medical knowledge, she was able to save Yushiro. He is slowly dying of illness but with the choice given by Lady Tamayo whether to die or live longer but as a demon, he chose the latter option. From that day on, he stayed by Lady Tamayo’s side, becoming her assistant and guard.
Both hid from Muzan in Asakusa Arc while closely tracking his plans and movements. Once when they were out, they met Tanjiro Kamado dealing with a man that was just turned into a demon during an encounter with Muzan. Lady Tamayo and Yushiro decided to help them, using her enchanting blood demon art to create visual patterns that blind the police from Tanjiro so he can escape. She then went back to the safe house with the man turned demon and his wife and asked Yushiro to look for Tanjiro and his sister Nezuko.
Yushiro was able to persuade Tanjiro to come with him to their hidden location. Lady Tamayo revealed to Tanjiro that she is a demon and a doctor and will find a cure to help the man and his wife. She also shared the story of Yushiro with Tanjiro and that she is against violence so instead of murdering people for their blood, they opted to buy blood from donors to survive.
Hearing the story, Lady Tamayo became an ally of Tanjiro and since she was one of the most knowledgeable people about the science behind demons and demon transformation, she decided to help Tanjiro Kamado find a cure for his sister Nezuko to become human again.
Beautiful, right? Lady Tamayo showed us how people can change. Why? Well, change is the only constant thing in this world. Just like Lady Tamayo, we can choose to be good even if evil is just around us. They say that our world is, was, will always be filled with good and evil but we can always choose to be good and stay kind. The choice is always in our hands.