Demon Slayer Fans Think This Is The Best Thing About Tanjiro

"Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" is a very popular anime series based on the manga of the same name from Koyoharu Gotouge. According to Otaku Magazine, the manga (and, by extension, the animated series) is inspired by such classics as "Bleach," "Jojo's Bizarre Adventure," and "Naruto," which helps explain its broad appeal. The first season has a 100% critics' rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which is certainly nothing to sneeze at. And much of that is likely due to the compelling nature of the main character.

Tanjiro Kamado, the show's demon-slaying protagonist, started out as a modest charcoal salesboy to keep his family financially afloat after his father's death. But he started down a dark and bloody road for revenge after demons murdered the rest of his family and possessed his sister. Tanjiro's powers include water-breathing, fire-dancing, and having a thick enough skull to use as a literal battering ram against enemies with little injury to himself. But that dense cranium isn't a metaphor for the character's intellectual or emotional intelligence. In fact, what fans appreciate the most about Tanjiro is not in his head as much as in his heart.

Nearly every one in five comments on u/whoniikhil's "favorite thing about Tanjiro" Reddit thread mentions his kindness. But it runs deeper than just him being kind. Fans like u/TheNarrator-ME see a robust complexity to the character's emotional range that isn't often found in Shonen protagonists, noting that "He hits [that] sweet spot between being unwaveringly kind and wholeheartedly just. So many stories have the protag either be a brainless fight machine or a sobbing pacifist who [lets] people die out of moral superiority." Many other fans in the thread echo this sentiment and find it refreshing that although he is kind, he doesn't hesitate to do the difficult thing which must be done, especially where an emotionally weaker character would find it egregiously difficult.

Show producer Yuma Takahashi also loves the little scamp and admitted during an interview with Anime News Network that they relate to Tanjiro the most. Takahashi went on to elaborate that "The way he faces challenges with courage and perseverance really inspires me to work harder." And fans know he will need that push, seeing how it doesn't seem like "Demon Slayer" is going away anytime soon.