Tanjiro Kamado
Tanjiro Kamado is a fictional character in Koyoharu Gotōge's manga . Tanjiro is a teenager who goes on a quest to restore the humanity of his sister, Nezuko, who was turned into a demon after his family was killed by Muzan Kibutsuji following an attack that resulted the death of his other relatives. After an encounter with, a demon slayer, Tanjiro is recruited by Giyu to also become a demon slayer to help his sister turn human again and avenge his family. Besides Ufotable's Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba anime adaptation, Tanjiro has also appeared in a light novel that acts as a prequel to the manga.
Koyoharu Gotōge created Tanjiro following a suggestion from his editor of having a bright main character who would stand out in his dark narrative. His design influenced by Himura Kenshin from Nobuhiro Watsuki's manga Rurouni Kenshin when deciding how andrognynous the character should look. In the anime series, Tanjiro is voiced by Natsuki Hanae in Japanese and Zach Aguilar in English. The character has been well received by manga and anime critics due to his caring nature and relationship with his sister while also becoming a strong fighter. This has led to the character winning multiple awards based on his popularity with Hanae's performance as him also receiving one.
Creation and design
Tanjiro Kamado originates from Koyoharu Gotōge's ideas involving a one-shot with Japanese motifs. Tatsuhiko Katayama, his editor, was worried about the one-shot being too dark for the young demographic and asked Gotōge if he could write another type of main character who would be "brighter". Gotōge has cited issues in the making of the character due to the contrast he has with the dark narrative. For the release of the manga's seventh chapter, Gotōge drew a cover of Tanjiro wielding his sword while smiling. However, due to the constrating aesthetics the manga had. As a result, Gotōge discarded the drawing and instead drew a similar design with Tanjiro having a serious expression.In the initial design, Tanjiro did not have a scar or wear earrings, but in the end they felt these features really accentuated the character. In the making of the cast, Tanjiro had four supporting characters who would balance each other due to their different skills. The editor commented about Tanjiro, " is a type of male main character that you don't really see much. He's so kind. He has Nezuko, so he's coming from this position where he can't just say all demons are absolute evil. He's in the gray zone." Tanjiro's design was also influenced by Gotōge's editor: he suggested giving Tanjiro a facial scar in his forehead inspired by Himura Kenshin from Nobuhiro Watsuki's manga Rurouni Kenshin while also giving him earrings in order to balance how androgynous he would look.
Yuma Takahashi, the producer behind the adaptation of the manga said he enjoyed Tanjiro's role in the manga, making him engaged in reading the series. For how Tanjiro's Water Breathing was portrayed, Ufotable received inspiration from Katsushika Hokusai's ukiyo-e style. The first fight scene between Tanjiro and Giyu was also carefully animated to give viewers an appealing choreography. Tanjiro's water-based techniques were created using a mix between hand-drawn animation and CGI, while his battle against Rui was one of the most worked scenes in the making. Takahashi also said that Tanjiro is his most relatable character from the series due to how his constant hard work inspires him.
When the anime series premiered in China, Tanjiro's design was sightly altered. Due to his piercings having Rising Sun style elements, it was feared it would offend the Mainland leading to brief retouches to them.
Voice actors
Tanjiro has been voiced by Natsuki Hanae in Japanese. Hanae noted that multiple response to his career involved him portraying sad characters. However, in Tanjiro's case, he said Tanjiro is on the easy side because he says what he thinks, and is not the type that thinks one way and other things. Nezuko's actress, Akari Kitō, said Hanae is like a big brother to her at the studio, supportive and if there are parts she has difficulty recording, Hanae would stay and wait till she finishes even though his part has finished. Hanae said she also thinks of Kitō as a younger sister. He also says it is easier for him to do his best when he is around people who he is friendly with. Tanjiro's fighting style was liked by Hanae who reported he often made Tanjiro's shouts when playing video games. He appreciated the feedback he was given by the viewers of the anime.English voice actor Zach Aguilar was overjoyed when being given the role of voicing Tanjiro in the dub due to him being a fan of the series, as well as noting he was supported by multiple fans. In another news, Aguilar ended liking the character as well as his fellow companions, wishing to find merchandising of Tanjiro. Allegra Clark voices Tanjiro as an infant. Clark admitted she became emotional during recording of the series and liked the younger incarnation of the character.
Appearances
The main protagonist, Tanjiro Kamado is the oldest son of a charcoal-seller. In the first chapter of the manga, his family massacred by a demon named Muzan Kibutsuji, with only his sister Nezuko Kamado surviving. After seeing skills in battle as well as Nezuko's unwllingness to devour his brother, Giyu Tomioka sends the siblings to Sakonji Urokodaki on Mt. Sagiri in order to become a demon slayer. After a year and a half of training his body and learning swordsmanship, Tanjiro learns the "Water Breathing" sword-style. After passing a test, Tanjiro becomes a member of the Demon Slayer Corps. The siblings later meet a friendly demon named Tamayo and assists with her research to find a way to restore Nezuko's humanity. As a result, Tanjiro starts collecting samples of blood from the demons he vanquishes, the stronger the better. Later in his battle with Rui he began to use his family's Hinokami Kagura technique, which itself is based on the original breath style, the Sun Breathing, merging both to create a more sustainable fighting style. His sword's color is black, occasionally turning crimson red and becoming much stronger when combined with Nezuko's Blood Burst, a technique he later learns to perform without her help. Though he eventually avenges his family during the final battle, losing his arm and eye in the process while being fatally wounded, he recovers after Muzan turns him into a demon before his death. By losing his consciousness in the transformation to the point of attacking his own friends, Tanjiro as a demon becomes a bigger threat than Muzan himself, given that he is immune to sunlight like his sister, until he manages to return to human form, thanks to his friends's efforts, although both the eye and arm that grew back when he became a demon lost most of their functions.A light novel entitled Demon Slayer: Flower of Happiness chronicles the lives of Tanjiro and Zenitsu before the start of the main series. Merchandising based on Tanjiro has also been released.
Reception
Critical
Critical reception to Tanjiro's character has been positive ever since his introduction. Otaku USA found Tanjiro an anti-stereotypical take from the shonen main characters due to his desire to fight being solely to find a cure to protect Nezuko, calling him as a "fascinating breath of fresh air", while highlighting his friendly personality in a dark story. Anime News Network also liked Tanjiro's design due to how it translates the narrative of his family being poor, while also liking the way the characters lives with them and later only Nezuko. Comic Book Bin felt Tanjiro's journey was inspirational due the pain he goes to save Nezuko, making him likable. While noting that the character becomes a warrior in the second manga volume, the writer believed he might experience major pain through his quest. Nevertheless, regardless of how many battles he takes, Comic Book Bin enjoyed how Tanjiro retained his caring personality. IGN noted that despite similarities between Kimetsu no Yaiba and other series from the same genre, Tanjiro also stands out due to his caring traits, comparing him to Allen Walker from Katsura Hoshino's D.Gray-man series who also exhibits these traits when being faced with the dilemma of hurting an enemy. Tanjiro's relationship with Nezuko was acclaimed by IGN as "one of the most endearing parts of Demon Slayer, if not arguably its beating heart and soul". Fandom Post also liked Tanjiro's care for others even if the other characters he meets are antagonists, with most of them being demons. As a result, Fandom Post believed the writing in the manga made him endearing. Similarly, Manga.Tokyo questioned how would Tanjiro change in his quest due to his need of becoming stronger and whether or not he might reach the happy ending he wants.In regards to Ufotable's handling of the series, Manga.Tokyo liked his visual appearance, finding it outstanding within the shonen genre, but felt that his struggle with Giyu was harsh, making the main character more likable. Natsuki Hanae's performance as Tanjiro's Japanese voice actor was praised by the reviewer. Anime News Network shared similar feelings, but felt that his traits made him predictable. Nevertheless, the handling of Tanjiro's horror in regards to Nezuko's condition was the subject of praise. The Fandom Post enjoyed Tanjiro's debut in the series due to how Ufotable handled the character's shock upon the tragedy of his family and how he battles Giyu in order to protect his sister. As a result, he sees Tanjiro as a character with potential to be appealing. The Fandom Post enjoyed how skilled Tanjiro became in the manga's tenth volume, making it one of the best reasons to keep following the printed media.
Writing for Comic Book Resources, Sage Ashford praised the protagonists, whom he called "the most likable male and female leads of the decade". Gadget Tsūshin listed both the breathing techniques suffix and "Ah! The era, the era changed again!" in their 2019 anime buzzwords list. Manga.Tokyo felt Tanjiro's characterization to be unique within the series the writer has seen, citing the scenes where the character cheers himself up and tries to work for his responsibilities. Tanjiro's skills in regards to his breathing was noted to be one of most surprising events in the anime series by Latin America's IGN. In late 2019, IGN wondered about the possibilities of Tanjiro dying in the manga at the hands of Muzan due to the multiple wounds he suffered in his match against the demon. By April 2020, the site once again talked about whether or not Tanjiro dies in his battle. Rather than having died, Tanjiro was commented to have suffered a worse fate; Tanjiro was confirmed to have become a demon, making his fate far darker.