A character losing everything and everyone he loves then embarking on a quest for vengeance is a story staple even more ancient than sun breathing. Usually, such characters are silent emo brooders consumed by loneliness and regret. They barely speak and carry a morose demeanor making them a bit of a drag to hang out with.
That’s why Tanjiro is such a breath of fresh air. He came home one day to find his entire family massacred and his little sister Nezuko turned into a demon. Despite this unspeakable tragedy, his bright personality hasn’t been dimmed at all.
Yes, he feels an intense sadness at points as he is human after all. He is also determined to find a way to reverse the demon curse that his sister is under. Yet despite all that he still greets people he meets with kindness and respect. He often smiles at them with cheer and is filled with a seemingly limitless amount of empathy and understanding for those he encounters.
Tanjiro’s positive optimistic nature in the face of such a dark past and a constant exposure to pain and suffering courtesy of the vile demons he has to hunt down is what makes him such an admirable character worth rooting for.
If you are not convinced then check out these ten moments of pure heart and feel the breath of love.
SPOILERS AHEAD:
He Worries that his Death will Make the Conductor a Murderer
While fighting the lower moon demon Enmu who has merged with the Mugen train, Tanjiro is stabbed by a passenger under Enmu’s control. Eventually, Tanjiro and Inosuke are able to defeat Enmu.
This causes the train to crash throwing Tanjiro perilously. As he hovers in the air, we hear him mention that he must not die which is what you’d expect anyone to think in such a moment.
Yet what is striking is the reasoning he gives. He states that he must not die so that the passenger who stabbed him will not become a murderer. Even in the face of death Tanjiro’s main concern is for the people around him and how they will be affected. Imagine how selfless one has to be. It’s downright biblical.
Has Zero Complaints to Master Sakonji Urokodaki After the Final Selection
Hear us out. After years of intense training, trainees need to pass the final selection at Fujikasane Mountain to become a bonafide member of the Demon Slayer Corps. It’s a vicious test as they have to battle actual demons and survive for seven days. Tanjiro had been training under the retired water Hashira master Sakonji Urokodaki.
Unbeknownst to him, however, thirteen of Urokodaki’s previous students had been killed by the hand demon as revenge for being trapped there by Urokodaki.
Tanjiro had no idea about this as he embarked for the mountain. Even the spirits Sabito and Makomo kept mum.
Yes, they did all ensure that Tanjiro was sufficiently skilled enough to do survive the final selection before sending him out but still wouldn’t that information have made Tanjiro a bit more prepared.
Of course, Tanjiro was still able to succeed so upon his return to Urokodaki’s hut on Mount Sagiri it wouldn’t have been out of place for him to be just the least bit agitated. “Hey, why didn’t you tell me there was a giant hand demon there that had devoured 13 of your former students and was specifically hunting Urokodaki apprentices!” Of course, being the understanding dude that he is Tanjiro says nothing and continues to treat his master with respect and understanding.
Shows Empathy and Understanding to the Vile Demons he Beheads
One of the toughest commands of Jesus is “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Well, Tanjiro makes it look like a walk in the park his heart melting into a puddle of goo at the slightest hint of humanity from a demon he is locked in battle with.
After defeating the hand demon that had killed 13 of Urokodaki’s students and was aching to crush his face, Tanjiro would have been justified at taunting the demon with glee or dropping a final one-liner in his face like let me give you a final hand demon. Instead, Tanjiro looks at the dying demon with pity and even grabs the demon’s hand in its final moments wishing it a better life upon being reborn.
When he was about to decapitate the mother Spider Demon he noticed that she was ready to embrace her death so he opted to use the Water Breathing, Fifth Form: Blessed Rain After the Drought to make it gentle and painless.
He also acknowledged the Drum Demon Kyogai’s talent giving him a taste of the respect he never got as a human.
After an extensive battle with Upper Moon Six: Daki and Gyutaro, the entire town is demolished and Tanjiro, Uzui, Zenitsu, and Inozuke are all heavily injured. Daki and Gyutaro are beheaded, and since they are high ranking demons, it takes time for their heads to disappear. In the opening before their disappearance, Daki and Gyutaro start to fight one another, blaming each other for the loss. As their fight goes on their words go deeper, saying that they both regret being each other's siblings. When Tanjiro sees their fighting, he rushes to the siblings and covers Gyutaro's mouth so that he cannot say anything he anymore he would regret. In the afterlife of these two demons, it shows that Tanjiro's actions help them stay together. As Tanjiro watches the sibling disappear, he wonders if the two have made up.
Truly when it comes to Tanjiro, loving your enemies is as easy as slicing a demon head.
He Doesn’t Snap at Kazumi
In a small town, Tanjiro helps Kazumi search for his missing fiancee Satoko who has been kidnapped by demons. Unfortunately by the time Tanjiro discovers the demons they had already devoured Satoko.
Tanjiro defeats the demons ensuring no other girls will be kidnapped and saves the most recent victim Tokie. This is little consolation to Kazumi though who is distraught over his fiancee’s death.
Tanjiro tells Kazumi he must move forward no matter how difficult it enrages him as he shouts at Tanjiro that he can’t possibly know how he feels. At that point, I wanted to smack him silly. Hey, don’t you know that Tanjiro lost more than you could ever know! Show some respect punk!
Yet Tanjiro as always is completely understanding. He doesn’t answer back with a single bad word and just looks at Kazumi with eyes overflowing with sympathy and kindness.
Kazumi realizes that Tanjiro does understand and begs for forgiveness. Tanjiro smiles at him and we know that Tanjiro, there was nothing needed to forgive.
His Unending Patience with Inosuke and Zenitsu
Inosuke is a proud fighter who always feels threatened when in the presence of someone stronger. He is a guy who needs to be the alpha in the group and balks at taking orders. Zenitsu meanwhile is a whiny coward at the start. Yet Tanjiro handles them both with great patience.
He constantly acquiesces to Inosuke whenever he insists he is not taking orders and is willing to admit that it really was Inosuke’s plan when he was the one who came up with it first. Tanjiro is always content to take a backseat as he is more focused on them achieving their goals together. Each time Inosuke insists he is the one giving commands or the one leading the plan Tanjiro never counters him simply saying yes.
As for Zenitsu, Tanjiro is always kind and patient with him encouraging him to train harder. In the end, Tanjiro earns their admiration and ours as well.
He Protects Nezuko’s Humanity at All Costs
Protecting a loved one in and of itself while noble doesn’t always translate to purity of heart as it is easy to care for those we love. Yet Tanjiro takes it a step further not simply protecting Nezuko but protecting the humanity within her.
Tanjiro is also determined to cure Nezuko and turn her back into a human. He could have easily succumbed to the temptation to allow his sister to satiate her hunger for blood. Yet he pleads to her not to eat humans no matter what. It’s like a parent not giving their child what they crave because they know it is not what is best for them.When Nezuko transforms into her full demon form and has difficulty controlling her lust for human flesh, Tanjiro grabs her and desperately tries to help her regain control succeeding by singing an old lullaby their mother used to sing.
Also how sweet is he to carry her around in a box everywhere he goes.
He is Incapable of Lying
Tanjiro has gone undercover as a prostitute (what can the guy not do) at the Tokito House in the Yoshiwara Entertainment District. He is sniffing for information about Tengen’s missing wives who had previously gone undercover.
He discovers that a recent Oiran named Suma is rumored to have fled. Recognizing the name Tanjiro asks Koinatsu if Suma really abandoned the house.
Naturally, Koinatsu is defensive at being asked this question so Tanjiro tries to lie that Suma is his older sister. There is just one big problem. It turns out Tanjiro is so honest that he is unable to lie.
His face contorts grotesquely at the effort to state the most simple lie. With great difficulty, he is able to spit out the words and get the information needed though anyone seeing wouldn’t need a lie detector to know the truth. At least we know he can always be trusted.
He Kills to Protect
One of Tanjiro’s common lines goes like this. “I must kill the demon so that it won’t kill any more innocents.” Compare that with something like, “I will kill the demon as revenge for everyone he has killed.”
There might not seem like much of a difference but it actually reveals the mindset of Tanjiro as he is not driven solely by a desire for revenge but rather by a sense of justice.
His eyes are fixed upon what he can do to create a better future as opposed to clinging unhealthily to a bleak past. By moving forward his heart has thus been cleansed of hatred.
Not to say he never gets angry. When Daki massacred multiple citizens of the Entertainment District, Tanjiro’s sun breathing technique was unleashed. Even then though his motivation for stopping Daki for protecting other innocents and not just to satisfy his thirst for payback.
There might not seem like much of a difference but it actually reveals the mindset of Tanjiro as he is not driven solely by a desire for revenge but rather by a sense of justice.
His eyes are fixed upon what he can do to create a better future as opposed to clinging unhealthily to a bleak past. By moving forward his heart has thus been cleansed of hatred.
Not to say he never gets angry. When Daki massacred multiple citizens of the Entertainment District, Tanjiro’s sun breathing technique was unleashed. Even then though his motivation for stopping Daki for protecting other innocents and not just to satisfy his thirst for payback.
He Displayed No Prejudice to Lady Tamayo
If I learned someone was a demon I don’t care how handsome or pretty they are. I’m drawing my sword immediately. Either that or making a quick cowardly dash away.
Similarly, if it had been any other demon slayer who had entered Lady Tamayo’s mansion the results would surely have been different.
Tanjiro even after finding out that Lady Tamayo and Yushiro are demons still accepts their invitation and enters their home in peace. He shows no prejudice and discrimination whatsoever affording them the same courtesy he would any other human.
When taken to task for asking an offensive question Tanjiro apologizes immediately. He listens to them and befriends them.
He is rewarded for his kindness as he learns lady Tamayo is looking for a way to turn demons back into humans which may be the key to saving Nezuko.
In a world as unforgiving as the one in Demon Slayer, it’s nice to see that kindness can still pay off.His Incredible Work Ethic
Tanjiro is one of the hardest workers we know. He trained tirelessly on Fujikasane Mountain with master Urokodaki.
At the butterfly estate, part one of their training involved trying to beat Kanao Tsuyuri in tag. When Zenitsu and Inosuke couldn’t beat her, they stopped training and sulked their egos having been sliced clean. But Tanjiro just kept at it. Even when he couldn’t catch her he remained determined and upbeat during training.
He maintained this demeanor when practicing Total Concentration Breathing Constant earning the admiration of the triplet Kocho girls.
While undercover at the Tokito House he cheerfully completed every single task given by the madam and kept asking for what to do next showing that he’d be an awesome housemate as long as it doesn’t lead to any demon attacks.In a way, he is the model student achiever that we hate in class because he keeps setting the standards for everyone way higher.
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