The series revolves around the story of a young boy, Tanjiro Kamado, who tragically loses his family as a result of the attack by an unknown demon. There was only one survivor; his sister, Nezuko. However, things got from bad to worse quickly when he finds out his sister has been turned into a demon. 

There begins Tanjiro Kamado’s quest. He later finds out that the one responsible is Muzan Kibutsuji, the main antagonist of the series and the very first demon in existence. 

He trains relentlessly to become a demon slayer to find and deal with Muzan, the one responsible for his suffering, and to hopefully cure his now-demon sister. 

But before all of that, let’s get to know more about our main man.

Who is Tanjiro Kamado? 

Tanjiro Kamado is the main protagonist of the series, Demon Slayer. Tanjiro is the eldest child of Tanjuro and Kie Kamado and is brother to Takeo, Nezuko, Nanako, Shigeru, and Rokuta Tanjiro. He is 5’5” tall and was born on the 14^th day of June. 

Tanjiro Kamado is a naturally kind young lad who has been revered by his peers because of his gentle glance. Like many great protagonists, Tanjiro shows a heart of a lion with his trademark, hard-nosed sense of determination, seeing to it that he always achieves the goals he sets.

 A very memorable example of this is his unwavering will to look for a cure for his sister, Nezuko, who was turned into a demon. 

Tanjiro is a very loving individual. His love for both his friends and his sister is shown throughout the series through moments of training and laughter, as well as his resolve to always protect them. 

However, just like all of us, Tanjiro is still a semi-normal human being and also has limits despite his kind and understanding nature. He especially despises cowardice and rudeness as shown in the times when Zenitsu Agatsuma would annoyingly whine, or when Inosuke Hashibara’s actions get a little too reckless. 

But above all, what sets Tanjiro apart from the rest of the amazing characters is his compassion. Tanjiro shows empathy to everyone, even the demons he faces in battle. This often proves a weakness for Tanjiro. The empathy he shows towards his enemies makes him hesitate just before he delivers the killing blow. 

This weakness of Tanjiro gets exploited by demons, using the time he wastes hesitating to regenerate and regain their strength. Not to worry, though. As the series goes on, we can see Tanjiro grow through many experiences which molds his ability to calculate and decide when the time demands it. 

Tanjiro also has outstanding courage when it comes to protecting people who are unable or struggling to protect themselves. He fights for them, whether it is against a demon or a human. 

Tanjiro is known to have an exceptional sense of smell and is shown to be incredibly smart and analytical during battle. He always calculates his moves before making them, as shown in their short exchange with Tomioka. 

Journey to become a Demon Slayer  

Tanjiro’s journey begins with his encounter with the water pillar, Tomioka Giyu. Tomioka was seen trying to protect Tanjiro from his demon sister, Nezuko. 

To his surprise, he saw Tanjiro protect the demon. Tanjiro displayed the will to protect his sister, to the point where he impressed Tomioka with his skills. 

Tomioka later decides to spare Tanjiro’s sister after seeing her unwillingness to eat his brother. The siblings were then sent by Tomioka to his master, Urokodaki Sakonji, who lives on Mt. Sagiri. Tanjiro will then be trained in the ways of a demon slayer under the tutelage of Urokodaki. 

Years passed. Years full of hard training and learning swordsmanship. Tanjiro learns Tomioka’s signature breathing style, “water breathing” sword style, which is composed of 10 different forms. The most notable forms are waterfall basin, water wheel, and striking tide. 

 Tanjiro then goes through the Final Selection, the last test for an individual to become a demon slayer. The exam requires participants to survive seven nights in a demon-infested forest without outside help. Tanjiro passes the exam with flying colors, slaying the demon who killed many of Urokodaki’s students. 

After passing the final selection, Tanjiro then begins his quest to look for the one responsible for the death of his family, Muzan Kibutsuji. 

He finally finds him in a festival but was not able to exact his revenge at that time since Muzan was accompanied by a woman and a child. However, Tanjiro did meet Tamayo, a doctor who was turned into a demon by Muzan. Tamayo aids Tanjiro in his quest to kill Muzan and cure Nezuko. Tanjiro collects blood from various demons for Tamayo to create the cure. 

Later in his quest, it was revealed that Tanjiro had a hidden power within him. The dance of the Fire God, taught to him by his father, was a very powerful sword style.

 It was known as “The breath of the sun”. The dance of the Fire God is a sacred dance that is passed on from generation to generation, with the hanafuda earrings as a sign of completion. The dance is composed of 12 segments that are repeated throughout the night.

The breath of the sun proved to be very powerful, as Tanjiro nearly killed Rui, the lower demon moon 5, with the technique. (to put into perspective, it is implied that only hashiras can kill demon moons). 

It was later revealed after Tanjiro inherited the memories of his ancestors that the breath of the Sun had a thirteen form, which could only be done after doing all the original 12 forms in succession. 

Tanjiro Demon Form 

On the brink of extinction, Muzan Kibutsuji made a last effort in evening out the score and turned Tanjiro into a demon. He hoped that Tanjiro would continue his legacy and become an immortal Demon King. At the time, Tanjiro was noted to be just as, if not, stronger than the demon king Muzan himself.

Tanjiro exhibited scary potential as a demon. So scary, that even Tomioka said that Tanjiro was practically invincible. Among his new demonic powers were the immunity to sunlight, resistance to red nichirin blades, absolute regeneration, body manipulation, and shapeshifting, as well as the ability to create a shockwave through screaming. 

Luckily though, Tanjiro didn’t stay a demon for too long, as he was turned back to a human through Tamayo’s drug. 

Shinobu Kocho : The butterfly family

Shinobu Kocho is a major supporting character in the anime and manga series, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. 

She is a beautiful young woman. Shinobu has a petite body with eyes like a bug. She has black hair with purple highlights tied back in a bun with a butterfly-shaped pin.

Shinobu came from a wealthy and loving family along with her older sister Kanae Kocho. They were living peacefully and were very content with their simple life together until a demon attacked their home. 

Kanae and Shinobu tried hard to protect their parents but were later killed in front of them. They almost died with them but thanks to Gyomei Himejima, the stone pillar, they were saved right in time.

After this incident, the two sisters made a promise to join the Demon Slayer Corps. Shinobu and Kanae both knew how terrifying and painful it is to lose their loved ones right in front of them. The sisters did their best to help stop the demons from destroying families and brutally killing them. 

Both of them successfully joined the Demon Slayer Corps, even making her sister Kanae became the flower hashira (or flower pillar). The sisters were together when they encountered Doma, the Upper Rank Two of the Twelve Kizuki (Twelve Moon Demons). Kanae and Doma fought until she was fatally wounded. He was about to finish her but was forced to escape due to the rising sun which is fatal to demons even if they are part of the Upper Moon Six. As the flower pillar was dying in Shinobu’s arms, Kanae tried to convince her sister to live out a normal life. 

Kanae’s dying wish is for Shinobu to leave the Demon Slayer Corps, but Shinobu was filled with anger and rage. With the last of her breath, Kanae described the appearance of Doma to Shinobu until she passed away. She vowed to avenge her sister’s death by hunting down this Upper Rank Two demon. 

After the death of her big sister, Shinobu’s attitude changed a lot. She masks every hatred she had for demons by adopting her sister’s loving and smiling attitude. Her goal changed. It is now similar to her sister’s goal, to live in a world where humans and demons could coexist together. 

However, behind her bright and cheery demeanor lies a heart filled with hatred for demons, especially Doma. Shinobu still has this urge to get revenge for her late older sister. This hatred can be seen in how she treated the Sister Spider Demon that she encountered in Mount Natagumo. Shinobu asked the demon, “how many humans have you killed?” The demon answered, “only five, and I was forced to.”

Unlucky day for Sister Spider Demon,  Shinobu saw a lot of people trapped inside egg sacs filled with acid before entering Mount Natagumo. This evil deed was because of the demon so Shinobu then stabs her multiple times. The demon laughed because she does not feel anything. Shortly after, she realized that Shinobu uses powerful poison to kill demons like her.

The Sister Spider Demon was shocked about what happened and asked Shinobu what she did and who she is. She then introduced herself as the insect pillar (or the insect hashira). 

Deadly and poisonous insect pillar

Dubbed as the insect hashira, Shinobu uses an insect-like combat technique. She may not be physically strong as the other pillars but she is dangerous like them. Shinobu has mastered the Total Concentration: Constant, therefore increasing her physical abilities to superhuman levels, moving and fighting like an insect.

Shinobu is a master swordswoman. She is one of the most powerful swordswomen in the entire organization of the demon slayers. She is very proficient in using a stinger-like sword. She even invented the insect breathing style where she mimics movements of different insects with a variety of sword techniques to inflict multiple wounds on the target and inject the lethal Wisteria-based poisons.

The insect pillar knows how to create various poisons and venoms using Wisteria flowers. Shinobu is a very talented medical expert. She easily formulated a remedy to counter the venom of the Brother Spider Demon and in no time, she was able to distribute it to the members of the Demon Slayer Corps who were affected by the venom.

Shinobu also saved Zenitsu when she saw him in the Brother Spider Demon’s web house, almost dying because of the venom after being bitten. Once Zenitsu is fine, she killed the Sister Spider Demon and dashed to Nezuko Kamado, a human turned demon and Tanjiro Kamado’s sister. Shinobu is ready to kill Nezuko, too but Giyu stopped him. 

Sharing her medical knowledge, Shinobu was able to help Tamayo and Yushiro, demons but allies of Tanjiro, to create the four-stage drug which would be used to weaken Muzan Kibutsuji, the leader of the demons and strongest of them all. During the progression of the story, the three did manage to do the impossible which is the successful creation of a demon-to-human conversion drug. Both Muzan and Nezuko received the drug but there was no effect on the first one while the latter was a success. Nezuko became a human again and was able to regain her memories. She had her conscience and thoughts back.

Shinobu also showed how deadly and poisonous she can be by absorbing and altering the physiology of her body with highly concentrated Wisteria-based poison over a year. She successfully saturated her body with the poison that was merged to her cell structures, blood, and internal organs down to the tips of her fingernails.

Her poisonous body became useful when she finally had the chance to meet Doma again, the demon who killed her sister Kanae. Shinobu was once again full of anger and rage, attacking Doma.

Even though Shinobu kocho is going through a lot, she chose to stay cheerful. Despite all she has experienced dealing with demons and having her sister killed, she continued to live her life to the fullest until she was defeated and killed by Doma.

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Agatsuma Zenitsu is not someone you would admire from the start since he would most likely irritate you with his indecisiveness and cowardice. However, the truth is Agatsuma Zenitsu is a perfectly flawed character and a good man to stan. Let me give you three in-depth reasons as to why.

He is a coward who by the help of love faced death and said, “nu-uh”.

During the Natagumo Mountain arc, we got flashbacks of Zenitsu’s training. His fight against the spider demon was exactly what viewers expected from such a coward character. But when he can no longer retreat and, his life was about to end, he remembers his past. The way his Gramps had to force him to train, dragging him back whenever he ran, setting traps to make sure he can’t get away too far. He also remembers the berating and bullying he got from Kaigaku for his weakness.

He was called coward, a waste, a scum, and all the other variations of those words. But it was nothing new for him. Zenitsu knows beyond anyone who and what he is. The anger and shame other people feel towards him are nothing compared to how he feels about himself. He said it himself, “I Hate Myself More Than Anyone Else.”.

I feel for him, for I am a coward as well.  But, zenitsu howed me that there is hope. You see, I believe that Zenitsu was saved that day because of love. The love from his Gramps—Jigoro Kuwajima—who found and nurtured him when he was merely an orphan boy. He was patient in making sure Zenitsu was trained to have the chance of survival, and he believed in Zenitsu when no one else did.

So, on that day in Natagumo Mountain, Zenitsu proved that the love, faith, and patience he received from his Gramps was not wasted. When he opened his eyes and chose to fight with all his might while conscious, he finally took a step toward conquering his flawed self. When the fight ended, he could have just accepted death as someone weak tended to do; accept the inevitable. But no, Zenitsu did not take the easy way out. And who could not love him when he was acting so cool, like that?

He is a sleeping nuclear power waiting to burst

How can you not stan anyone who can one punch a demon as if it’s just a fly on the wall?

Sure, he needs to be sleeping (most of the time) before we see him kicking ass, and that on the surface, Zenitsu appears to be more of a weakling when awake. But, think about this. The sleeping Zenitsu and the awake Zenitsu are not two different personas. He doesn’t have an alter ego or a dark soul switcheroo or something. Zenitsu is both powerful and weak at the same time.

When he sleeps, he dreams of fighting, of being a strong and great hunter. But everyone else knows that it wasn’t just dreams. It was exactly what Zenitsu was doing. Whatever he does in his dream, while unconscious, his body simply reflects it back in existence.

So, why can’t he do this while awake? That’s where his cowardice strikes in. Because when he dreams, he does not have his fears and apprehensions. Simply put, there is nothing that blocks his true abilities.

But why is he such a coward if he got this so much power in him? That ladies and gentlemen are the aftereffects of him being alone for such a long time and no one believing in him. He just stopped thinking about what he can do, instead, he started believing what others think of him, a coward.

Just imagine what more he can accomplish if he can get rid of his self-doubt. How much more powerful would he be when he is fully conscious and free from his insecurities? It’s not just the potential power he got, it is also the fact that despite being a so-called coward, a weakling, he never gave up. He trained and practiced. His determination was on the level of utmost. So, think about that. Think how much more he can accomplish with his natural power and his determination. I am telling you; he is naturally a nuclear powerhouse.

Shockingly loyal; the best boy in the making

He is a womanizer wannabe. A wannabe since despite his blond hair and great features, he plainly doesn’t have the charm and tact to attract a woman at first sight. After all, who would like him when his first words when meeting a girl is, “will you marry me?”, or when he got some inclination to escape whenever there is a demon around.  

But he is actually quite a catch. He believes in commitment since this dude, is afraid of being abandoned. He would love as fiercely and as loyal as you can ever ask. He would be sweet and caring. Remember when he found out what happened to his Gramps? How it made him want to change and be stronger? Or when he protected the box with his life simply because Tanjiro helped him when he was hungry?

Agatsuma Zenitsu is a perfect example of someone who never received much care and love in his life. So, when he does get a tiny ray of affection, he gives it back sevenfold.

He is someone who can conquer his cowardice to protect those who matter most to him, and isn’t it ironic that despite his terror of death, he goes facing it for the sake of his friends? 

So, in conclusion, everyone loves an underdog like Agatsuma Zenitsu.

He is a demon hunter who is scared and insecure. He just needs some love, acceptance, and fierce hugs for motivation. If someone believes in him, then he can reach his maximum potential. Remember, a man can only be strong when he is afraid.

Let’s go and stan Agatsuma Zenitsu. He deserves it, and he won’t fail you. He needs it, and he would be worth it.

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.

Pig assault

Inosuke was raised by his mother, Kotoha Hashibira, and an abusive father until his mother decided to run away with Inosuke. They later met Doma, the leader of the Paradise Faith cult, who sheltered them and killed his father.

After a while, Kotoha suspected that Doma was a demon and was just tricking his followers and devouring them. Kotoha tried to run away again but both of them were trapped between a cliff and a river. In an effort to save her son, Kotoha tossed Inosuke to the river. Her mother was then killed and eaten by Doma, who was later revealed to be one of the Upper Six Moons and part of the Twelve Moon Demons (Twelve Kizuki). Inosuke was then found and raised by two wild boars.

He is a man of average height and muscular built but has a feminine face behind the gray boar’s head mask he wears.  The boar’s head was of Inosuke’s late adoptive boar mother. The eyes of the mask were fixed in order for him to see. 

Just like his headgear, Inosuke is hard-headed and has a very short temper. Given that he was really raised by boars or wild pigs, he does not understand much how humans interact, thinking that when people approach him, he would be attacked. During the first few episodes of the anime and manga series, Inosuke does not really know what kindness means. 

He really is wild as a boar and wants to challenge every person he meets because he wants to get respect. He wants people to praise him for his fighting skills. Inosuke thinks he is the best. 

He even had a fight with Zenitsu Agatsuma when they first met outside the Drum House. Zenitsu is guarding Tanjiro Kamado‘s box where Nezuko is, Tanjiro’s sister, but Inosuke wants to get it. Zenitsu protected the box because he knows it is valuable to Tanjiro even though Inosuke keeps on hitting him, almost starting a fight.

When Tanjiro came out of the Drum House after defeating Kyogai, part of the Lower Six Demons, he witnessed Inosuke beating Zenitsu while hugging the box. Tanjiro dashed towards Inosuke and punched him in the abdomen, which cracked his right rib and caused him to fall on the ground. Inosuke laughed, got up, and started a fistfight with Tanjiro. 

Zenitsu and Tanjiro later discovered that Inosuke is also a demon slayer and they all became friends. However, during the later parts of the story, Inosuke became more aware of how things work as a normal human. He started to learn how to interact with other people with Tanjiro’s help. 

During their missions together, Inosuke encounters different people including the Pillars who are a lot stronger than him. He starts to accept the strength of other people even though he knows that they do not look that capable. Apart from Tanjiro, his encounter with Giyu Tomioka, the water pillar, was the second time he realized he is not the strongest human being.

Beast breathing technique

Inosuke mastered the beast breathing technique after living in the mountains and trying to survive. Therefore, this technique is based on the use of instinct. It is said that the beast breathing technique was drawn from the wind breathing technique.

Inosuke is very proficient when using two swords and prefers swords that have jagged edges. He commonly uses the following forms of the beast breathing technique:

• First Fang : Pierce – Inosuke uses both of his swords to stab the enemy through the throat.
• Third Fang : Devour – Inosuke uses his swords to slash towards the target’s throat with the goal of removing the head.
• Seventh Form : Spatial Awareness – Inosuke stabs both of his swords on the ground and uses his senses to detect movement all around him.
• Sudden Throwing Strike : Inosuke throws both of his swords at an enemy.

A beast like skills and abilities

Since Inosuke was raised by two boars from the mountains, he was taught how to move and fight in an animalistic way. His fighting style utilizes low angled attacks which resembles a four-legged beast. Inosuke attacks ferociously and relentlessly without thinking, similar to an animal only reacting to instinct. He is also very agile like a boar in the wilds.

His way of living also caused Inosuke to develop a sharp and extremely sensible sense of touch. He uses this unique ability that allows him to sense where movements are at a very large area around him. He can tell if someone is looking at him, especially if they have any malicious intentions. 

Inosuke can also detect slight vibrations in the air and can locate the exact position of an enemy they are looking at, which gives him an advantage in the battle. He exhibited this skill when he and Tanjiro fought with the demons in Natagumo Mountain, looking for the Mother Spider Demon who made the other demon slayers her puppet. Once he was able to locate her, he asked Tanjiro to go to her and so Inosuke can fight the Father Spider Demon, a demon that has the blood of Rui, part of the Lower Moon Demons.

Just like a beast, Inosuke is flexible and durable in terms of taking hits from enemies. When he and Tanjiro fought, Tanjiro was able to crack his rib but Inosuke still managed to move very quickly. He also survived a lot of hits from the Father Spider Demon but barely survived after the encounter. Thanks to Giyu,  Inosuke was saved. Giyu killed the Father Spider Demon as Inosuke failed to do so because of his broken swords.

Alongside Tanjiro and Zenitsu, Inosuke managed to master the Total Concentration Breathing which requires a demon slayer to always use it even when they are sleeping. This greatly increased their strength, fighting ability, and toughness.

Just like what other people wanted, Inosuke then earned the respect he wanted. His skills and bravery were recognized by the Demon Slayer Corps.