In the anime Tanjiro and his younger sister Nezuko’s life is shattered when their family is slaughtered by a demon and she is turned into one herself. Tanjiro immediately reacts contrary to the nature of the world and defends his sister’s life against the first demon slayer that they encounter. He is then compelled by that man to pursue a career in the Demon Slayer Corps in order to safeguard human life. So begins an epic training arc, followed by more than a few slain demons.
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The First Demon
The very first demon that Tanjiro fights is during the demon slayer trials, which if he survives will grant him the official title of Demon Slayer. This demon has a history of murdering the pupils of Tanjiro’s master and therefore singles him out specifically to attack. He is able to do so through the hand-carved masks that the master carves for his disciples. Despite this history and vitriol that he faces from the demon, Tanjiro does not lose his empathy for his enemy.
Tanjiro does however manage to slay this enemy. Although he does not hate the demon, he acknowledges the vengeance that should be wrought for the 50 slain children. He also sees the truth in his kill or be killed situation. But once he had beheaded the demon, he noticed that it was reaching its hand out toward him. Tanjiro acknowledged this request and obliged, taking the demon’s hand and bringing the demon to tears of gratitude. The audience was treated to some background on this situation that it is unlikely Tanjiro knew. When the demon was still human he would try to hold his brother’s hand when afraid, and as a demon he was still horribly afraid of death. In the moment of his death, he just wanted to hold someone’s hand.
Tanjiro, whether or not he knew their history, still had enough kindness and decency to comfort a dying creature regardless of species. In this way, he brought just a little bit of humanity back to the demon who had so long ago forsaken his own.
More Demons
Tanjiro brings a single moment of clarity and humanity to each demon that he slays, each one shedding at least one tear to symbolize this. One of the only demons that he doesn’t quite kill doesn’t shed a tear but is still brought to humanity in death and cries in the afterlife. This demon was the spider demon Rui who simply wanted a family. In his last tangible moment, Tanjiro lays a hand on his back, which Rui is shocked to find feels warm. This also helps him to remember and process that his parents’ love had been true and not the farce he had believed at the time of their murder.
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Even beyond the demons that are slain, Tanjiro displays respect and understanding to demons that few other Demon Slayers can match. The other Hashira were aghast and adamantly opposed to Tanjiro not slaying his sister, and were only barely convinced to tolerate the arrangement. Similarly, he fights alongside some other demons such as Lady Tamayo and her pupil. Although it is suggested that the head of the Demon Slayer Corps is acquainted with this particular demon, the fact that he works with and for a demon would be entirely untenable to the majority of Slayers. He doesn’t lose his own humanity in a blind rage and hatred of an entire species. This allows him to look at the demons as complete entities and see what they truly are feeling.
Tanjiro the Therapist
A therapist’s job is to help their client get in touch with their own emotions to aid that client to heal or deal with some sort of problem. Normally a therapist does not kill their client to accomplish their goal. In this way, Tanjiro still remains a Demon Slayer. However, with every single demon that he battles he helps them to deal with their own trauma, be it a feeling of neglect, a desire for human warmth and comfort, or acknowledging beauty and strength that had never been enough for authority figures.
Tanjiro gives each demon exactly what they are missing out of life, helps them overcome their sorrows and rage, and then helps them to move along into the afterlife at peace. He is more than just a simple Demon Slayer, most of whom are mindless people blinded by rage or a thirst for power. Instead, Tanjiro never loses his own humanity and recognizes that every living thing deserves a chance at peace, regardless of their history.
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