Many shonen anime series, including the ever-popular Demon Slayer franchise, create meaningful parallels between the hero and their villains. This helps remind shonen fans that for all their differences, the heroes and villains are all people - even if they're not technically human. Deep down, these feuding parties can understand one another, and that can make the fight personal and thematically resonant.
This is certainly the case in Demon Slayer, even if protagonist Tanjiro Kamado's villains have abandoned their humanity to acquire new power. No matter how much demons like Akaza and Daki have distanced themselves from their human selves, Tanjiro can still sympathize with them on some levels. This explains why Tanjiro often weeps for them when they die, and sometimes the demons are truly touched.
RELATED:
10 Tanjiro Serves a Respected Master
The centuries-old feud between demon slayers and the demons themselves boils down to an endless battle between the Ubuyashiki family and the demon king, Muzan Kibutsuji. They are the supreme leaders of their respective sides, and each command countless grunts and a handful of elite warriors.
Tanjiro Kamado is a medium-ranked demon slayer who is firmly in the demon slayer corps' chain of command, meaning he often gets orders directly from Kagaya. Similarly, the twelve Moons serve Muzan as his most powerful and loyal minions, and none dare defy his will.
9 Tanjiro Misses His Parents
It's a common shonen trope for the hero to have one or both parents missing, and sure enough, both of Tanjiro Kamado's parents are dead. Similarly, Inosuke was long since separated from his mother, and Kyojuro lost his mother as well. Incredibly, even certain demons can relate to all this, such as the spider-themed Rui.
Rui built a twisted family in the forest, which included a monstrous spider father and a timid but deadly spider mother. This was done to compensate for Rui losing his own parents in his human life, and despite his demonic brutality, he dearly misses them both. Tanjiro knows what that feels like, with the main difference being that Rui actually killed his parents.
8 Tanjiro Belongs to the Demon Slayer Corps as a Swordsman
Tanjiro and his Moons enemies can both relate to the fact that they serve powerful masters, but for Kokushibo, the parallel is more specific than that. Unlike his fellow Moons, who merely fight the demon slayer corps on Muzan's behalf, Kokushibo, the Upper Moon 1, actually belonged to the corps.
Kokushibo had been a powerful slayer, in particular a Hashira. Currently, Tanjiro isn't a Hashira, but he is quickly starting to rival them in strength, so there's hope that Tanjiro will face Kokushibo as an equal someday. Kokushibo's former demon slayer status also explains why he dresses the way he does and carries a sword.
RELATED:
7 Tanjiro Misses His Siblings
Even the massive, grotesque Hand Demon had something in common with Tanjiro. Long ago, the Hand Demon was an ordinary human boy with a beloved older brother, and they often held hands when walking around outdoors. That was a touching variation of this character's hand theme.
As the Hand Demon died, he thought back about his life as a human, particularly about how much he missed his brother. He would give anything to see his beloved brother one more time, and similarly, Tanjiro Kamado would give anything to spend one more day with his deceased siblings.
6 Tanjiro Believes His People Have a Right To Survive
A variety of shonen and seinen action series involve a primal theme concerning the right to survive and exist. This may describe a faction, such as villains in My Hero Academia, or an entire species, such as the titular creatures in Tokyo Ghoul. In subtle ways, this theme is also explored in the Demon Slayer anime.
Tanjiro fights hard to ensure humanity's survival, firmly believing that no human deserves to be killed and eaten by any of Muzan's minions. Similarly, all demons are convinced that they deserve to survive as supernatural predators, even if that means killing and eating humans. Since demons are only capable of surviving on human flesh, compromise is impossible.
RELATED:
5 Tanjiro Thrives With Rivalries
Rivalries are common in shonen anime, and even if Tanjiro isn't competitive by nature, he often benefits from friendly rivalries. He and the hotheaded Inosuke Hashibira sometimes compete to see who can complete their training faster and better, and Tanjiro finds it almost as fun as Inosuke does.
Meanwhile, there are demons who thrive on rivalries as well, although theirs can be much more brutal. Akaza, the Upper Moon 3, is fiercely determined to surpass both Doma and Kokushibo to become #1, and he will even attack his rival if provoked. This is hardly a healthy competition, but it's still something Tanjiro can relate to on a primal level.
4 Tanjiro Respects Kyojuro Rengoku
Some characters in Demon Slayer are so powerful and charismatic that people on both sides of the conflict admire them. In the Mugen Train story arc, Tanjiro and his squad had immense respect for the flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku, and would do anything he asked.
In a more sinister way, Akaza also deeply respected Kyojuro, acknowledging him as a worthy opponent and rival. Akaza actually thought that Kyojuro deserved better than the frailty of human flesh, and offered to make Kyojuro a demon so the latter could realize his true potential.
RELATED: Every Hashira Death in Demon Slayer, In Chronological Order
3 Tanjiro Values Friendship
According to one of Tanjiro's Taisho Secrets, the demons Susamaru and Yahaba became good friends while they chatted together during their mission in Tokyo. Normally, demons are self-serving loners, but some of them are still capable of genuine friendships outside of rivalries.
Tanjiro Kamado also values the power of friendship, both for his personal happiness and to motivate him in battle. Despite their personality flaws and quirks, Inosuke and Zenitsu both became good friends with Tanjiro, who also befriended characters like Shinobu Kocho and Mitsuri Kanroji soon after meeting them.
2 Tanjiro Is a Team Player
Most of the demons are solitary predators and have little use for teamwork, but there are some exceptions. Susamaru and Yahaba, for example, elegantly combined their fighting styles to challenge Tanjiro's team in Tokyo, and Daki and Gyutaro sometimes fight together as well.
Tanjiro also recognizes the value of teamwork, and he uses it even more than his demonic foes. He, Zenitsu, and Inosuke have found their rhythm as a three-man combat team, blending their respective fighting styles to take on foes none of them could ever handle alone. The battle at the entertainment district was a classic example of this.
1 Tanjiro Fights to Protect a Sibling
Tanjiro still has one surviving family member, his little sister Nezuko, and he will risk anything to protect her. Tanjiro's entire quest is based on finding a cure for Nezuko's demonic status, and in many fights, Tanjiro nearly dies shielding Nezuko from harm. Often, Nezuko will return the favor, making them a great brother/sister team.
Daki and Gyutaro, who share the rank Upper Moon 6, share this quality. Each of them will fight ferociously to defend the other, with Gyutaro being the more protective of the two. In fact, Gyutaro even commented on this during his fight with Tanjiro, with them both being brothers who have sworn to defend their sisters. However, Gyutaro also mocked Tanjiro for being incapable of winning a fight for Nezuko's sake.
