Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Vol. 1

These chapters expand on The Power of Familial Bonds by exploring Tanjiro, Nezuko, and their sibling bond. They also begin to explore Tanjiro’s Perseverance Through Hardship, specifically regarding his training. What comes easily and naturally to Tanjiro and Nezuko in their quest to protect each other surprises everyone around them. On their way to Mount Sagiri, the siblings encounter a demon. This encounter reinforces the nature of demons as well as the unique nature of the siblings’ relationship—as Nezuko has retained her humanity. When the demon sees them, it says, “This...is my territory! Get away from my feeding ground!” (69). When it speaks, the font changes from a rounded, sans-serif to a stylized, shaky font reminiscent of classic horror media. This is meant to convey Tanjiro’s fear as he encounters the type of creature that killed his family. Though Nezuko is technically a demon, she has never hurt a human and looks largely unchanged; she wears a bamboo muzzle to prevent her from biting anyone. By contrast, the mountain demon is seen sitting among bloodied humans, its eyes bulging and its teeth sharp (69).

In the Demon Slayer universe, demons are presented as clever. They are capable of complex thought, but according to Giyu, they lose control to their post-transformation hunger—though the existence of Nezuko complicates this theory. The fact that the mountain demon exhibits territorialism indicates that demons have a system of organization that, at the very least, organizes them into distinct, separate territories. This foreshadows the extensive organization of demon society, which is explored in later volumes. In this volume, the mountain demon assumes both Tanjiro and Nezuko are demons, likely because it smelled Nezuko. However, the demon catches Tanjiro’s scent and changes its mind, deeming the “two” humans. The demon cannot believe the obvious—that a demon and a human are travelling together. The demon’s inability to recognize this indicates that its kind also has preconceived notions about the demon-human dynamic. Just like Giyu could not conceive a demon-human dynamic without violence, neither can this demon. Both species hold the belief that they are incompatible. Thus, the relationship between Tanjiro and Nezuko surprises everyone, not just humans. After Nezuko kicks the demon’s head from its shoulders, it cannot deny she is a demon and Tanjiro is a human, but it still asks, “What are a demon and a human doing together?!” (76).

In addition to their familial love, one of the reasons for Tanjiro and Nezuko’s unique relationship is the former’s view of Sympathy as Strength. When faced with killing a demon, Tanjiro tries to do so in a humane way. Urokodaki concludes he can’t be a demon slayer because of his sympathy for a demon who killed several humans (92). The veteran demon slayer sees kindness as weakness, as it often prevents people from doing what needs to be done. However, if Tanjiro didn’t have this trait, it is unlikely that Nezuko would have lived long enough to prove her docile nature. These chapters also balance Tanjiro’s natural proclivities for demon slaying (his empathy, intelligence, and sense of smell) with his perseverance through physical hardship. When Urokodaki tests Tanjiro to determine if he is fit to be a pupil, it becomes clear that simply having a natural proclivity won’t be enough to earn the veteran demon slayer’s respect.

Tanjiro assumes he’ll successfully traverse Mount Sagiri because he memorized Urokodaki’s scent. However, he triggers several of Urokodaki’s traps, which were set to pressure his time limit (as he must descend the mountain by sundown). Instead of relying on his natural proclivity, he must engineer a strategy to evade the traps. Tanjiro decides to use his sense of smell differently—to sense the people who set the traps, thereby knowing their general locations. However, he notes that “knowing they’re there doesn’t grant me…the ability to evade them all” (108). He can utilize his sense of smell, but this alone won’t allow him to become a skilled demon slayer. Tanjiro must train, adapt, and learn to overcome failure and pain if he hopes to save Nezuko. Tanjiro experiences obstacles and hardships that force him to cultivate his positive character traits, a staple in the hero’s journey in shōnen manga.