The Demon Slayer Theory That Has Fans Looking Twice At The Kamado Family

The anime "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" — based on the popular manga by the same name — is full of fantasy elements and mysterious characters. In a world where demons and humans live among each other, a young man named Tanjiro Kamado earns money for his family by selling charcoal. One day, he returns from work to find that his entire family has been murdered by a powerful demon. Upon realizing that his sister Nezuko didn't die but was instead turned into a demon herself, Tanjiro is recruited by a member of the Demon Slayer Corps to join their mission and hunt down the monster who killed his family — while searching for a cure to turn Nezuko human again.

Throughout the course of "Demon Slayer," we meet a vast array of demons and humans with amazing abilities. It also seems that every character has a layered backstory, and part of the enjoyment of the show is learning more about each character and how they came to be. One of the biggest points of interest is understandably Tanjiro and Nezuko's history, and the truth behind their family's powers. There is one fan theory in particular that aims to explain the importance of the Kamado family and why Nezuko was the only one spared in the attack.

Reddit user u/j94mp created a thread detailing their extensive theory as to why Nezuko was turned into a demon rather than killed with the rest of her family members. They start by suggesting that perhaps it wasn't an intentional move by Muzan Kibutsuji — the Demon King who attacked the Kamado family — and that he had meant to kill them all. Since a lot of the world-building in "Demon Slayer" borrows from elements of Japanese mythology and the Shinto religion, u/j94mp thinks the manga's creator Koyoharu Gotouge also used similar elements to explain why Nezuko survived.

"Demon Slayer" features two siblings who represent gods in Japanese mythology: Yoriichi Tsugikuni and his twin Michikatsu Tsugikuni, also known as Kokushibo. According to u/j94mp, Yoriichi symbolizes the sun god Amaterasu, while Michikatsu symbolizes the moon god Tsukuyomi. The Reddit post further explains the relevance of this symbolism: "In Shinto religion, it's believed that ancestors hold similar importance to the gods, so it's not at all surprising that the Kamado family does the 'dance of the Fire god' Kagura (prayer) every year as an offering to the gods." U/j94mp then suggests that perhaps the Kamado family ancestors' spirits protected Tanjiro and Nezuko and actually saved Nezuko from dying. Since the Kamado family has practiced the Hinokami Kagura for decades, it makes sense that they would get protection from their god.

Reddit user u/j94mp further exemplified Nezuko's supernatural protections: "[D]uring Muzan's introduction we're shown him vengefully executing a woman by giving too much blood. ... I absolutely believe this is intentional hinting by the author showing that maybe Nezuko is also blessed/chosen by supernatural forces in the same way Tanjiro is, if Muzan attempted to execute her in a similar way. ... The "Fire god" at this point I absolutely believe is an unseen force in the manga, there's too many supernatural elements hinting towards it for me not to believe that."

As for Tanjiro, his divine abilities may be a bit more obvious at first glance. His amplified senses, incredible strength, and demon slayer powers are all above normal human capability. He also shares similarities with Amaterasu as his fellow demon slayer Yoriichi did, as pointed out by u/j94mp: "Tanjiro's 'spiritual Core' resembling the sun, him influencing demons transition to the afterlife through feelings of 'warmth' or 'light' ... Tanjiro learning about [the Dance of the Fire God] through ancestor memories, etc." The numerous parallels definitely suggest a connection between the Kamado family and divine forces, and it will be interesting to see if future episodes expand on it.

While we think the fan theory regarding Nezuko's supernatural protection is interesting and makes lots of great points, other Reddit users commented on the thread that they weren't so convinced. Multiple users wrote that they think Muzan would've noticed if someone he'd meant to kill actually survived: User u/Dccrulez wrote, "Muzan has direct control over the effect of his blood and if he wants to kill you, then he won't let the blood turn you."

One user named u/NightFall79 suggested a different theory: "But I'm more inclined towards the idea that she was purposefully turned into a demon to deal with [Tanjiro] who just happened to be out of the house at the time of the attack." Another Redditor named u/Zumayji responded, "What bothers me is that although we got some internal monologue from Muzan, there was nothing that implied he targeted the Kamado family on purpose." This is an interesting point, considering that when Muzan and Tanjiro crossed paths for the first time, Muzan definitely recognized Tanjiro's hanafuda earrings, though he didn't seem to realize who Tanjiro was specifically. It seems like a bit of a stretch to think that Muzan knew Tanjiro was alive somewhere before they'd ever met.

Regardless of the validity of these fan theories, it's always interesting to speculate and dive deeper into the world of "Demon Slayer." For now, we'll have to wait for "Demon Slayer" Season 2 to premiere to learn more about the Kamado family and their powers.