Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Vol. 1

“Our life isn’t easy, but we’re happy. But life is like the weather…it’s always changing. It won’t always be easy…and the snow won’t always keep falling. When happiness ends there’s always…the smell of blood in the air.”

Tanjiro’s narration during this flashback foreshadows the tragedy that will befall his family. It mentions one of the manga’s symbols—blood—along with one of Tanjiro’s strengths—his sense of smell—to indicate what will happen. It also anticipates Tanjiro’s own Perseverance Through Hardship: Since life is always changing, he must adapt to survive.

“Old man Saburo lives alone because he lost his family. He must be lonely. Next time, I’ll bring my little brothers. There’s no need to fear. There’s no such thing as demons. But now that I think of it…my grandmother said the same thing before she died.”

This quote establishes the role of demons in human society. Most working people do not believe in the existence of demons; Tanjiro himself thinks they are the superstitions of the elderly, like his grandmother. This indicates that this society’s elders bear knowledge that most have forgotten.

“Tanjiro: ‘I won’t let her hurt anyone! I’ll find a way to cure her! I’ll make her human again!’



Giyu: ‘She won’t get better. A human who becomes a demon cannot go back.’

Tanjiro: ‘I’ll find a way! I swear! Please don’t kill her! I’ll also find the demon that killed my family! I’ll do all that, so…so…so…stop! I can’t lose Nezuko too!’”

This exchange between Tanjiro and veteran demon slayer Giyu establishes Tanjiro’s quest going forward. It also establishes the prevailing beliefs people have about demons—that they are irredeemable, vicious monsters. Through The Power of Familial Bonds, Tanjiro and Nezuko prove this isn’t always true.

“Why did you cover your sister? Did you think that would protect her?! Why didn’t you throw your hatchet? Why did you show me your back?! That’s how I was able to take her! I should have skewered you both!”

Tanjiro sees Sympathy as Strength, while demon slayers see it as weakness. When Tanjiro fights Giyu, his first instinct is to defend Nezuko rather than attack Giyu. Giyu grows angry because he thinks Tanjiro’s sympathy for his sister and tendency toward defense rather than offense will get him killed by a demon.

“Just before passing behind the tree, he threw a rock…and while hidden by the tree he threw his hatchet. He hid his hand so I wouldn’t see he was unarmed. He knew he couldn’t win against me, so his plan…was to strike me down after I killed him.”

Here, Tanjiro demonstrates his adaptability in a dangerous situation. Earlier, Giyu scolded him for defending Nezuko rather than attacking him with a hatchet. However, Tanjiro proves he learned from Giyu’s scolding by integrating Giyu’s advice into a unique attack. This decision relies on self-sacrifice, proving to Giyu that Tanjiro has what it takes to be a demon slayer.

“Starving demons will kill and eat their own parents and siblings. Because they need the energy. I’ve seen it countless times. This girl is injured. It costs her strength…to heal that wound…not to mention the strength it took to transform into a demon. She must be doubly starved right now…and must want to eat human flesh as soon as possible. But she’s protecting him…and focusing her anger on me. These two may be different.”

Giyu provides characterization for demons and their usual nature. Transforming into a demon makes humans so hungry and weak that their desire for energy overpowers their empathy. However, Giyu points out that Nezuko’s bond with Tanjiro is stronger than her hunger.

“A hatchet?! Ha! Ha! Ha! Not bad! But a wound like this…will heal in no time! See? The bleeding already stopped!”

The demon that Tanjiro and Nezuko encounter on their way to Mount Sagiri taunts Tanjiro. This quote shows that demons, while devoid of empathy, are not devoid of personality. In the manga, demons are often dynamic characters. This demon’s taunts also inform the reader of its power of regeneration.

“I sense something in these two that is different from the others. Like you, the boy has a strong sense of smell. I believe that perhaps…he could be worthy of carrying on your traditions. Please, train him.”

The manga briefly takes on epistolary form as Giyu writes a letter to retired demon slayer Urokodaki, recommending Tanjiro and Nezuko for training. Giyu emphasizes how the siblings’ bond is strong enough to overcome the usual relationship between humans and demons. He also draws attention to Tanjiro’s keen sense of smell. This is the first indication that people besides Tanjiro have this skill. At this point, the reader is ignorant of Urokodaki’s “traditions,” but it later becomes clear that Giyu is referencing total concentration water breathing.

“Tanjiro [thinking]: ‘If stabbing won’t work…I’ll have to crush the head…To completely crush the head, I’ll have to smash it with a rock repeatedly. It will surely suffer. Isn’t there any way to kill it with one blow?’

Urokodaki [thinking]: ‘Damn…this kid is no good. His kindness prevents him from taking decisive action. When facing a demon, he still reeks of sympathy and consideration. He even feels sympathy for a demon.’”

Tanjiro and Urokodaki both have internal thoughts while Tanjiro debates how to kill a demon he and Nezuko found. He knows he must kill it, but his compassion for the demon stays his hand, making him hesitate. Urokodaki observes this sympathy and thinks it makes Tanjiro weak: However, this sympathy is what helped Nezuko retain her humanity, and will serve Tanjiro well in his quest.

“The air’s so thin I can barely breathe! It’s much worse than the mountain we lived on! That’s why I feel so tired and dizzy. I feel like I might pass out! No! I’ve gotta get back! Control your breathing. Sniff out the traps. Traps have to be set by someone, and those scents must linger. Yes! I can smell them!”

This quote shows Tanjiro’s adaptability under pressure and perseverance through physical hardship; he is able to control his emotions and think of creative solutions on the spot. His desire to save Nezuko at all costs makes him determined to overcome dangerous situations.

“There are a few hundred members…of the Demon Slayer Corps. The organization isn’t officially recognized by the government. But it has existed since days of old and still hunts demons today.”

This quote characterizes the Demon Slayer Corps. Though this organization plays a key role in upcoming volumes, the reader does not directly see the Demon Slayer Corps in this volume. Instead, they learn about the organization through Tanjiro. Tanjiro’s newness to the world of demon slaying serves a narrative purpose: He learns about this organization alongside the reader, without the exposition becoming awkward or overwhelming. 

“I’ve been writing…for six months, Nezuko, and you still haven’t woken up. Urokodaki immediately called a doctor to look at you…but he found nothing wrong. Yet it’s clearly strange for you to keep sleeping like this. I was scared. I thought I’d wake up in the morning to find you dead. And…that’s how I still feel every night. And every day I go higher on the mountain for my training, each place more dangerous and with thinner air. Many times I’ve thought that I would die.”

This quote captures some of the emotional and physical hardships Tanjiro endures during his two-year period of training with Urokodaki. After arriving at Urokodaki’s, Nezuko fell into a two-year slumber and has yet to wake. This medical mystery is stressful for Tanjiro, who is primarily motivated by the desire to save his only living family member. He also faces physical danger during his training, but is committed to overcoming these obstacles to help Nezuko.

“You’ve gained nothing. You haven’t mastered anything! Certainly not…the breathing technique taught by Urokodaki! Total concentration breathing […] You just memorized it as a fact…but your body doesn’t understand anything!”

After spending half a year trying to break a large boulder, Tanjiro is confronted by Sabito, a masked boy who harshly raises his motivation. Sabito emphasizes the difference between memorizing a lesson and truly understanding it on a bodily level. Memorization is not enough to kill a demon: Tanjiro has to internalize Urokodaki’s breathing forms. This quote emphasizes the relationship between breathing forms in the manga and breathing forms in real-life martial arts schools, which operate on a similar principle. 

“That was an incredible blow! Not a bit of unnecessary motion! It was truly beautiful! That’s how I want to be too! But is that even possible?”

Tanjiro praises Sabito’s fighting while he talks to the mysterious Makomo. This conveys his lack of ego in the presence of a superior fighter: He is not angry he lost but motivated to emulate Sabito instead. He also poses a question to raise suspense, as the reader wonders whether or not he can achieve his goals.

“Total Concentration Breathing…accelerates your blood flow and heartbeat. And your temperature shoots up. You’re still human, but you get strong like a demon. You expand your lungs…and bring…lots of air into your blood. Your blood gets excited and your bones and muscles thrill. And you get hot and strong!”

Makomo’s dialogue provides exposition on how total concentration breathing works. Like many aspects of Demon Slayer, total concentration breathing is part fantasy and part reality. While it is not a real-life breathing technique, it is based on breathing techniques used by samurai and other martial artists.

“The contest was simple. The stronger, faster blade wins. The fight was over in an instant. That day, in that moment, for the first time…my blade reached Sabito first. When I won, Sabito smiled. It seemed like a sad smile to me…or maybe proud and reassuring.”

Tanjiro details the first time he is able to best Sabito in a duel. This victory is a key moment in his characterization: During his fight with Giyu, he was knocked out, and during his fight with a demon, the sun killed it before he could. This duel with Sabito marks the moment when Tanjiro’s two years of training pay off. Sabito’s ambiguous reaction provides characterization for him: He is likely proud that Tanjiro’s training paid off and sad that he must face the Hand Demon, who killed 14 of Urokodaki’s students (including himself and Makomo).

“Thanks to my training with Makomo…I’ve learned how to smell out an ‘opening thread.’ That’s how I won. When I’m fighting someone…and I find that scent, I see the thread. It runs from my blade…to a spot on my opponent, and it does taut the moment I see it. Guided by the thread, my blade cuts into that spot.”

Tanjiro provides exposition about his fighting style: His sense of smell is so sharp that he can smell weak spots in demons via an “opening thread.” Over the course of this volume, Tanjiro has exhibited considerable character development. While he has always been morally strong, he has learned physical skills to back up his morality. 

“I did not intend to send you to final selection. I had no wish to see another child die. I didn’t think you would split that boulder…but you did well. Tanjiro…you…are an amazing child.”

Urokodaki is a retired demon slayer who trains recruits in total concentration water breathing before they attend the final selection for demon slayers. He does not know why his students keep dying, but clearly grieves their deaths. He trained Tanjiro harshly, hoping he would give up on his goal. This quote thus characterizes Tanjiro as well, who surprised Urokodaki with his resilience.

“Kiriya Ubuyashiki: ‘Mount Fujikasane holds demons that demon-slayer swordsmen have taken alive and trapped here.’

Kanata Ubuyashiki: ‘Demons hate wisteria flowers, which bloom here even out of season. They cover the mountain from its foot to halfway up the slope. However, from that point on, wisteria does not bloom. So the demons roam free. You must survive there for seven days.’”

Two examiners named Kiriya and Kanata explain the rules of the Demon Slayer Corps’s final selection. Though the reader does not learn their names and identities in this volume, it is later revealed that they are two of a family of quintuplets whose father is the current leader of the Demon Slayer Corps. They explain that demons are trapped on Mount Fujikasane by a border of wisteria flowers (with “fuji” meaning wisteria). In Japanese culture, wisteria symbolize longevity. Because of this association, wisteria is used by the Demon Slayer Corps to combat demons in creative ways.

“I did it. I beat two demons! I’ve gotten stronger. All that training worked…I can do this! When I use the katana that Urokodaki gave me…even the bones crumble! Rest in peace!”

Tanjiro kills his first demons during the final selection. This is a major moment in his character arc. Previously, he was unable to kill a demon because he didn’t want to cause it pain. Due to Urokodaki and Makomo’s tutelage and Sabito’s sparring practice, Tanjiro can now decapitate demons with a single blow. However, he still operates with sympathy. After he kills two demons, an illustration shows him praying and bowing his head on behalf of them.

“Hand Demon: ‘Tell me, fox boy…right now…what Meiji emperor sits upon the throne?’

Tanjiro: ‘?!…The imperial family is Taisho!’

Demon: ‘GAAAAGH! I’ve been here so long…that dynasties have risen and fallen!’”

In Tanjiro and the Hand Demon’s exchange, the reader is reminded that demons are not mindless or emotionless; they are complex and possess feelings, even if these feelings push them to commit evils. This exchange is the first indication of the manga’s temporal setting: It takes place during the Taishō era, a relatively short era in the early 20th century that was characterized by immense social and environmental change in Japan. 

“Urokodaki: ‘Remember…a demon’s strength comes from the number of people it has consumed.’

Tanjiro: ‘If it eats many people it gets stronger?’

Urokodaki: ‘That’s right. They grow stronger…and some physically change, gaining unnatural powers. If your nose gets stronger you’ll be able to tell…how many people a demon has eaten.’”

The manga uses a flashback to provide more information about demons. In this flashback, Urokodaki details how demons gain strength. This information is valuable to Tanjiro during the final selection, when he meets the Hand Demon, who claims to have eaten 50 people. Urokodaki’s lesson also poses the question of how Nezuko will survive without eating humans.

“I recognize you…by those fox masks. I know the grain of those masks that Urokodaki carves. They’re carved the same way as the tengu mask he wore. Did he call it a ‘warding mask’? I ate them all because of the masks they wore. They’re all inside my stomach. It’s like Urokodaki fed them to me! The girl-brat wept and grew angry when I told her that.”

The Hand Demon reveals how he targets Urokodaki’s students. Urokodaki makes protective masks for his students, but this calling card alerts the demon of their identities. The demon bears a grudge against Urokodaki for imprisoning him.