Tanjiro Kamado

Tanjiro Kamado is the main protagonist of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. He is a Demon Slayer in the Demon Slayer Corps, who joined to find a remedy to turn his sister, Nezuko Kamado, back into a human and to hunt down and kill demons, and later swore to defeat Muzan Kibutsuji, the King of Demons, in order to prevent others from suffering the same fate as him.

Before he became a Demon Slayer, Tanjiro was a coal burner before his entire family was slaughtered by Muzan while his younger sister, Nezuko, was turned into a demon.

Appearance
Tanjiro is a young man of average height with fairly tanned skin and an athletic, muscular physique. He has ruffled, black hair with burgundy tips, combed back to expose his forehead, and wide, dark red eyes with white pupils that appear lighter around the lower section of his irises. He also has a scar on the top left of his forehead, first seen when his mother brought him to watch his father perform the Hinokami Kagura dance. The scar originally looked somewhat like a graze until his fight with the Hand Demon during Final Selection, after which it develops into a flame-like pattern as his Demon Slayer Mark. It is noted that his hands are visibly rougher for someone his age, as a result of his rigorous training under Sakonji Urokodaki. Tanjiro looks remarkably similar in appearance to his ancestor Sumiyoshi, possessing the same facial structure, eyes, and hairstyle as him, although Sumiyoshi's hair was longer, about shoulder-length and would be tied in a ponytail behind his head.

Tanjiro first appears wearing a checkered, black-and-sea-foam-green haori over a white robe and black pants. He occasionally sports a turquoise scarf and is seen with circular, white bands looped around his calves. He also wears a distinct pair of hanafuda earrings, with the image of the rising sun over a mountain. His hair is also kept tied back in small ponytail or bun; as he trains with Sabito and Makomo, his hair grows to his shoulders.

During the Final Selection, Tanjiro wears a blue, cloud-patterned samue-styled kimono and black pants, nearly identical to Sakonji's outfit. He still wears his hanafuda earrings, but his hair is cut extremely short and remains the same length since. Similar to the rest of the apprentices that were trained under Sakonji, Tanjiro wears a hand-carved fox mask crafted from his master on the left side of his head. The mask has red accents on the eyes, ears, and spots on each corner of its mouth. On the upper right corner of the mask, there is a sun-shaped design that likely symbolizes the scar on his forehead.

After becoming a Demon Slayer, Tanjiro wears the standard Demon Slayer uniform, a dark-brown gakuran jacket, a white belt, baggy chocho zubon pants that extend into tabi socks, a pair of zōri with red straps, and bands of white cloth wrapped tightly around his calves resembling kyahan, all beneath his signature checkered haori. He carries a large wooden box on his back (which was a gift to him from Sakonji Urokodaki), where his sister sleeps as they travel during the day.

During his second encounter with Muzan Kibutsuji, he injures his right eye in the Infinity Castle. As the battle progresses, Tanjiro suddenly collapses and his wound begins to form a large mass over his right eye due to the poison inflicted on him by Muzan. Later on, when Tanjiro wakes up, he is described as looking 'repulsive' by Muzan. Later in the battle Tanjiro's left arm is severed by Muzan.

After being turned into a demon by Muzan, Tanjiro is able to heal the growth on his face as well as regenerate his lost arm and other smaller injuries. He obtains eyes with slit pupils, fangs and flame-shaped marks over his left forehead and right jaw that are reminiscent of those of Kokushibo, in addition to a third, smaller flame-shaped mark coming down from the right side of his head down to his eyebrow after he conquered the weakness to sunlight. His scar turns into a flame-pattern as if it were a permanent Demon Slayer Mark, has become longer and is the largest of the three, and all three marks vaguely point towards his nose, though only his scar-mark reaches it. He still dons his bloodstained corps uniform, one sleeve ripped off where his arm was severed, but loses his checkered haori and the Nichirin Sword at his hip.

After returning to his human form, Tanjiro loses the ability to see from his right eye, the iris of which is now a dull pink-gray color and the pupil black rather than its original white. His left arm, which he regrew as a Demon, now takes the appearance of that which an older person may have, becoming wrinkled and skeletal, and he loses all feeling in it below the elbow and thus the ability to move it from his forearm down.

Personality
Tanjiro is very kind by nature and has been described by others as having very gentle eyes and a compassionate persona. He exhibits a great deal of determination and will not give up once he has a goal to achieve; the best example of this being his relentless quest to find a cure for Nezuko. Even though he is relatively strong on his own, Tanjiro isn't opposed to asking others for help when he needs it. He is very protective of his friends and even more so of his younger sister. However, despite his kind and understanding nature, Tanjiro does have a limit to his tolerance and has a distaste for rudeness and cowardice as he easily becomes annoyed by Zenitsu Agatsuma's constant whining, and angered by Inosuke Hashibira's barbaric actions.

Tanjiro is direct and very honest, taking everyone's words with sincerity and seriousness. Upon hearing Tengen Uzui claim he is a god, he asked what area is he the god of. He has difficulty lying and doing so causes his face to contort severely, as his honest nature clashes with the insincerity of his words. Having grown up in the countryside of Japan, Tanjiro has no experience of life in large urban areas. During his missions to Asakusa and Yoshiwara, he stared in wonder at the bright lights enveloping the cities. He naively believed the Mugen train was perhaps the land's guardian spirit and, just like Inosuke, he does not know what a red-light district is.

Under Tanjiro's rather kind and friendly shell, is a person with a growing fire of rage and vengeance inside of them. This side of him leaks out when Tanjiro first confronts Muzan, ready to take out his sword and attack him. When Muzan escapes, Tanjiro releases his frustration and declares he will be the one to kill Muzan. On Mount Natagumo, when the captured Demon Slayers had their necks snapped by the Mother Spider Demon's threads, Tanjiro shows noticeable anger that even Inosuke senses. Upon seeing Daki smirking after witnessing her slaughter three people indiscriminately with her sashes, he seethed with rage and confronted her alone. This side of Tanjiro is fully exemplified after Muzan's speech where he compares himself to a natural disaster. Tanjiro responds to that by calling Muzan "a being that should not exist." In the face of irrational evil. Tanjiro shows a more cold and terrifying side of him, acting more violent towards his opponents as a result.

Tanjiro's most notable attribute is his ability to empathize with anyone, even demons, which often makes him hesitate before delivering the final blow. Tanjiro has a unique ideology regarding demons, believing that those that have committed evil should be killed without mercy, but those that regret their actions should not be belittled after their deaths, showing great nuance and maturity in Tanjiro's thinking, probably brought about by his sister. However, as Tanjiro gains experience over the years of his service, he becomes more calculating and strict in his decisions. His courage to protect the weak commits him to face his enemy with respect and dignity, whether versus good people or evil demons. Tanjiro is adamant about serving justice to the evil, by any means necessary, even declaring to cut off the heads of demons who have committed heinous crimes and confronting them about their inhumane mindset and their criminal deeds.

As a demon, Tanjiro appeared to be mindless, like most initially are following their transformation. He acted like a feral beast, attacking anyone in sight without any hesitation. Not even his friends and comrades were safe. The one exception was Nezuko, who he refused to harm even after tasting her blood; a possible sign that he was fighting his transformation. His hostility towards the Demon Slayers might also have been due to his mind being affected by Muzan's desire to kill all Demon Slayers.

Abilities
Overall Abilities: From the beginning, Tanjiro was shown to be a prodigious fighter, having a strong natural aptitude for combat, especially in swordsmanship. Tanjiro was already introduced to have above average human abilities, like honed senses, a sharp sense of smell, immense willpower and great intellect. His naturally obtained abilities go so far as to allow him to outsmart and catch Giyu Tomioka, one of the most powerful Demon Slayers, off guard and nearly land a fatal blow on him despite being clouded with intense emotions. Moreover, in his first encounter with a demon, Tanjiro managed to slash the neck of the Temple Demon and impress him, later being able to fend the demon off with a regular hatchet and come up with unique solutions such as using his durable head to headbutt the Temple Demon and also using his hatchet to pin him down and prevent him from moving.

While on Mount Sagiri, Tanjiro managed to impress Sakonji Urokodaki, the former Water Hashira, evading dozens of traps hidden all over the mountain to a certain degree of success through the use of his sharp sense of smell and ultimately managed to get accepted as his student. When tasked to cut a giant boulder, Tanjiro met the spirits of Makomo and Sabito, who trained him to properly utilize Total Concentration Breathing and hone his swordsmanship skills. After half a year of extremely intensive training, Tanjiro was able to surpass Sabito in a swordsmanship skill, awakening the ability to see the Opening Thread as well as being able to slice the boulder in two, a boulder bigger and harder than any student before him had cut before. During Final Selection, he was able to easily take down numerous low-level demons while using the Water Breathing Breathing Style without the help of others. Tanjiro eventually met the Hand Demon, a heavily mutated demon which has eaten 50 humans compared to the average of two to three humans that demons on the mountain consume, making him the most fearsome demon Tanjiro has encountered so far, further proven by the fact that he had killed both Sabito and Makomo. Through his acrobatic skills, swordsmanship prowess and sense of smell, Tanjiro managed to successfully decapitate the demon.

After officially becoming a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, Tanjiro faces numerous more powerful and skilled demons, most of which utilized Blood Demon Arts. Against the Swamp Demon, Tanjiro and Nezuko managed to subdue the demon and its clones, saving the lives of an innocent woman and bystander in the process. When faced with the likes of Yahaba and Susamaru, more skilled and fearsome demons than before, Tanjiro's tactical intellect and swordsmanship skills allowed him to behead Yahaba on his own, while also managing to hold his own against Susamaru. During his mission in the Tsuzumi Mansion, Tanjiro encountered Kyogai, a former member of the Twelve Kizuki, an organization of the twelve strongest demons in existence, and was capable of analyzing and adapting to his unorthodox mansion-shifting Blood Demon Art and defeat him. Despite still being the lowest rank in the organization, Tanjiro could hold his own against demons who shared the powers of an actual member of the Twelve Kizuki, namely the Mother and Father of the Spider Family, and later held his own against the member himself, Rui, who held the position of Lower Rank Five. After recalling the Hinokami Kagura, a Breathing Style he learned from his father as a child, he almost defeated the Lower Rank demon, a feat which many believed only a Hashira, the strongest swordsmen in the entirety of the Demon Slayer Corps, could pull off.

During Rehabilitation Training following his battles in Mount Natagumo, Tanjiro recovered from injuries and trained with Kanao Tsuyuri, an extremely talented Demon Slayer and the Tsuguko of the Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kocho, managing to match her at the end of the arc. After mastering Total Concentration: Constant (・), which further enhanced his physical abilities, Tanjiro was capable of fighting and beheading Lower Rank One, Enmu, on his own, even managing to come up with a countermeasure to the demon's spells in the midst of battle and possessing enough willpower to commit suicide in his dreams repeatedly in order to follow through with his plan. Later, with the help of Nezuko, Inosuke, Zenitsu, and Kyojuro Rengoku, Tanjiro decapitates the strongest Lower Rank, despite the demon fusing himself with an entire train and him being under a constant barrage of attacks. With the death of Kyojuro at the hands of Upper Rank Three, Akaza, the Flame Hashira's dying words served as a major incentive for Tanjiro to push on, serving as a major factor in his growth as a Demon Slayer.

After the battle, Tanjiro could keep up and fend off attacks from Daki, an Upper Rank demon, beings that have lived for over a century who has eaten 7 Hashira during her lifetime, although it was implied she was toying with Tanjiro during their battle. Even after Daki regains full strength in the middle of the battle, an enraged Tanjiro managed to easily overpower her, coming as close as slicing off her neck without her being able to retaliate, albeit he had ran out of stamina and nearly died before he could behead her. While injured, Tanjiro managed to assist a poisoned Tengen Uzui against Gyutaro, the true Upper Rank Six, and later outsmarted and decapitated him whilst awakening the Demon Slayer Mark momentarily. Thus, Tanjiro became one of the first Demon Slayers to ever kill an Upper Rank, a feat that hasn't been accomplished for the last century. Additionally, Mitsuri Kanroji later stated that surviving a battle against an Upper Rank demon equates to around 5 to 10 years of intensive training.

Upon receiving intensive training in the Swordsmith Village, Tanjiro's swordsmanship skills were greatly polished and refined while also awakening the ability to "smell the future", giving him the movements and reflexes comparable to that of the Hashira. Later, Tanjiro faced Upper Rank Four, Hantengu, and his clones, being able to fend off Urogi while also correctly deducing their abilities. Sekido also noted that Tanjiro undergoes explosive growth in the midst of battle, more apparently under critical moments. After awakening his Demon Slayer Mark for the second time along with the Bright Red Nichirin Sword, Tanjiro was fast enough to blitz three of Hantengu's clones simultaneously. When all four of Hantengu's clones combined to become Zohakuten, Tanjiro, with the help of Genya Shinazugawa and Nezuko, managed to hold their own against him. With the help of a marked Mitsuri Kanroji, Tanjiro, Genya, and Nezuko managed to chase down the main body and successfully put an end to him, with Tanjiro dealing the final blow.

During Hashira Training, Tanjiro underwent gruelling training meant to bolster every member in the organization, targeting many fields such as stamina, flexibility, speed, and swordsmanship. When the final battle against demon-kind began, Tanjiro displayed skill comparable to that of a Hashira according to Giyu himself. He, along with the Water Hashira, made quick work out of dozens of demons that were designed to have the strength of a Lower Rank demon, and later when facing Kyojuro's killer, Akaza, Tanjiro managed to surprise both Giyu and the Upper Rank by dodging his attacks and slicing off his arm. As the battle progressed, Tanjiro was able to fight on equal ground with a casual Akaza, causing the latter to praise his inhuman growth. After deducing Akaza's abilities and remembering his father's words, a marked Tanjiro awakened the Transparent World and Selfless State, greatly amplifying his abilities, to the point where Tanjiro managed to slash off Akaza's arm before he could process what happened, dodge his most powerful technique, and later successfully decapitated him.

After the fight, Tanjiro and Giyu encountered the Demon King himself, Muzan Kibutsuji. Working together, both Demon Slayers managed to fend off the strongest demon to have ever lived who was casually fighting them, though Tanjiro ends up losing an eye and is severely poisoned as a result, nearly causing him to lose his life. As he received treatment for his injuries, Tanjiro viewed the memories of Sumiyoshi, his ancestor that met Yoriichi Tsugikuni, the strongest Demon Slayer in existence and the creator of the Breathing Style that would eventually become the Hinokami Kagura. Through his memories, Tanjiro realized the slight differences between his and Yoriichi's wrist angles, footwork, and breathing rhythm. Through this, Tanjiro was able to correct his own useless movements and deduced how to use the rumored thirteenth form of Sun Breathing. After waking up, Tanjiro saved Kanao and was later able to fight against Muzan by himself, who had just singlehandedly blitzed Giyu, Sanemi, Gyomei, Obanai, who were all marked, as well as Zenitsu, Inosuke, and Kanao who were initially invisible thanks to Yushiro's Blood Demon Art. Muzan expressed feelings of unease towards Tanjiro due to the similarities between him and Yoriichi, further showcasing his incredible abilities.

With one eye alone as well as his fatigue becoming more and more pronounced, Tanjiro was able to keep up with and fend off Muzan on his own, cutting off limbs and parrying attacks, which the combined efforts of the aforementioned Demon Slayers couldn't achieve. With the help of Obanai Iguro, Tanjiro managed to drive the Demon King into the corner and battle him for more than hour to stall for sunrise, the both of them constantly having to chase him down to make sure he doesn't escape. As dawn approaches, Muzan grows desperate and anxious, morphing into a gigantic fetus-like form that swallows Tanjiro whole. As Muzan is about to escape, Tanjiro with his Bright Red Nichirin Sword deals one final slash to the Demon King, exposing him to the sun, disintegrating him and putting an end to Muzan as well as all of demon-kind once and for all.

Demon Slayer Mark: Tanjiro's Demon Slayer Mark takes the form of a flame-like pattern replacing the scar on his forehead. After Hashira Training his scar is replaced with a permanent flame mark, and when he activates his Demon Slayer Mark it grows in size, reaching past his eyebrows. Interestingly enough, Tanjiro's mark is exactly the same as the marks of Yoriichi Tsugikuni and Kokushibo. The mark drastically enhances all of Tanjiro's natural abilities, such as his strength, speed, and reflexes.

Tanjiro awakens his mark for the first time while fighting Upper Rank Six, Gyutaro, which granted him the boost in physical strength needed to behead the Upper Rank and later awakened it while unleashing the Sun Halo Dragon Head Dance technique against Hantengu's clones. Later, the mark reappears during his rematch against Upper Rank Three, Akaza. The drawback to his marked state is that Tanjiro can only enter it on rare occasions, and he can only use it for a very short period since it causes exhaustion to his body as proven in his battles against the Upper Ranks.
 * Bright Red Nichirin Sword: Tanjiro first unlocked this ability after Nezuko Kamado lit his sword on fire using her pyrokinetic Blood Demon Art, which gave him an edge over Hantengu's clones as every slash that he landed drastically slowed down their regenerative abilities. During his second battle against Muzan, Tanjiro gains the ability to dye his Nichirin Sword in a bright red color by himself after nearly dying. Later, Tanjiro awakened it one final time with the help of Giyu when the former had pinned him against a wall to prevent him from escaping.
 * Transparent World: Like his father, Tanjiro can access the Transparent World while in the marked stated, gaining the ability to foresee his opponent's attack by analyzing their blood flow and muscles. In this state, his movement intuition and evasion speed increases dramatically. It is also suggested that he accidentally accessed this state during his fight against Daki when Tanjiro perceived her sashes as extremely slow and also found Hantengu's main body in the heart of one of his clones. He fully accessed this state during his battle against Akaza, when he remembered his father teaching him how to use it through visual training when Tanjuro killed a bear while in that state. After awakening it along with the Selfless State, Tanjiro surpasses Akaza's speed and successfully decapitates him. When Tanjiro encountered Muzan Kibutsuji, he tried accessing the Transparent World but to no avail. After regaining consciousness, Tanjiro used the Transparent World to discern how to use the thirteenth form of Sun Breathing by perceiving Muzan's anatomy. However, Tanjiro was not able to constantly perceive it due to the accumulating fatigue he experienced during the fight.

Enhanced Accuracy: Even before he trained to become a Demon Slayer, Tanjiro possessed impeccable aim and precision. This was shown when he outsmarted Giyu and threw his hatchet into the air at a perfect trajectory such that it would strike his head. Later on, as Akaza was escaping into the forest, Tanjiro flung his katana with incredible precision over a long distance until it pierced the Upper Rank's body. Tanjiro also displayed his great precision against Muzan, where Tanjiro was able to aim and throw a barrage of swords at the Demon King with perfect accuracy on two occasions.

Enhanced Smell: Tanjiro possesses an extremely sharp sense of smell. Before becoming a Demon Slayer, Tanjiro was known in a village as a boy who has an extremely strong sense of smell. He is able to pick up even the most subtle of scents and track their location with terrifying accuracy over long distances. It is strong enough for him to smell the Opening Thread, the slight pause in an enemy's movement which allows him an opening in which to strike. His sense of smell is so keen that he can perceive his surroundings through scent alone.
 * Extrasensory Perception: Through his heightened sense of smell, Tanjiro can perceive things outside the normal range of perception like the intentions, feelings, and thoughts of other creatures, even of animals such as insects and birds. He can also sense the aura and presences of demons and even tell their strength level at a glance through how disgusting and rotten their scent is.
 * Pseudo-Precognition: When training with Yoriichi Type Zero, Tanjiro's sense of smell evolved further to be able to predict up to 6 moves into the future, being capable of foreseeing actions and intentions of others merely through scent, even of non-living things like Yoriichi Type Zero itself. Tanjiro noted that the smell of the future was different and much faster compared to the smell of the 'opening thread', giving him the reflexes and movements comparable to a Hashira and allowing to go toe to toe with Hantengu's clones early on.

Enhanced Strength: After his training at Mount Sagiri, Tanjiro has gained incredible arm and leg strength and has demonstrated a great use of it, jumping over the humongous Hand Demon, and leaping over buildings effortlessly. Tanjiro also casually broke Genya's arm and later shattered Inosuke's ribs and sent him flying, all with a single punch. With his katana, he could slice through gigantic boulders and entire trees. While training, Tanjiro is capable of doing hundreds of push-ups at once along with a plethora of other strength-related exercises. When he was posing as a courtesan, he was shown to carry dozens of large boxes easily and when he was angered, he ripped off an Upper Rank's leg. When he was training with Gyomei Himejima, he was tasked with lifting three enormous logs on his back and pushing a boulder through town. He later managed to cut off Akaza's head, a feat which even Kyojuro couldn't accomplish.

Genius Intellect: Tanjiro is incredibly analytical and sagacious, as well as showing a natural aptitude and innate intuition in many varied areas. Even against opponents that heavily outmatch him in multiple categories, Tanjiro is capable of creating strategies to beat an opponent on the fly and in danger even if it results in his own death. Upon seeing a fighting style once, Tanjiro can analyze it, and it’s even possible for him to accomplish such a feat even in the midst of a constantly shifting location where he lacks any environmental advantage or benefit.

Tanjiro has been noted to be very adaptive against any opponent as well as explosive growth rate. Furthermore, he is an expert at using his opponent's abilities against them. Even if the opponent offers no real details or specifics on their power, Tanjiro can pick up subtle phrases and words used throughout their fights to deduce the ability in a short amount of time, as he had done in the battle against Akaza. He's even conjured new abilities, even new Breathing Styles and utilized them effectively upon using them once, even able to combine techniques despite not being fully proficient in either of them, such as when he combined Water Breathing and Hinokami Kagura together in order to save Hinatsuru from Gyutaro, and later used once again during the Infinity Castle Arc to slay dozens of demons.
 * Combat Intuition: This trait of Tanjiro's was pointed out by Giyu during their first encounter, in which Tanjiro skillfully laid out a plan to attack Giyu by surprise by charging towards him, not showing the Demon Slayer that he was unarmed, and bring down Giyu with a hatchet he had thrown in the air beforehand. The attack failed, but Giyu was still very impressed by Tanjiro's plan, especially considering he was a rookie at the time. Furthermore, Tanjiro also showed proficiency in hand-to-hand combat despite never practicing martial arts before, allowing him to hold his own and adapt instantly to Inosuke's animalistic unarmed fighting style.

Hard Skull: Tanjiro has an innately strong skull, which the Temple Demon compares to a rock. During certain situations, he can headbutt the opponent hard enough to stun them or knock them out completely, in some situations even cause their head to bleed upon impact. Managing to hit the Temple Demon twice in a row without being stunned shows he is capable of doing it more than once. The full power of this attack is shown to give Inosuke a delayed concussion while Tanjiro suffered no backlash from it. Tanjiro also head-butted the Wind Hashira, Sanemi Shinazugawa, having temporarily stunned him, leaving the other Hashira impressed by its durability. Tanjiro also used this to temporarily stun Gyutaro, Upper Rank Six, and used the opportunity to gain an upper hand over him. Furthermore, he caused Akaza, Upper Rank Three, to bleed when he headbutted him.

Immense Speed & Reflexes: Tanjiro possesses tremendous speed and reflexes; even before entering Final Selection, he is shown being able to travel faster than the eye can see and outpace Sabito, an extremely skilled swordsman who was initially able to easily move faster than Tanjiro can process. Furthermore, he can react to the blistering movement speeds of demons even before he started using Total Concentration Breathing (の). After a few months of training at the Butterfly Mansion, his speed and reflexes could match those of the strongest members of the Lower Ranks of the Twelve Kizuki. When angered, he was able to move faster than Daki, an Upper Rank demon, could even react.

Tanjiro has also shown the ability to casually blitz lower level demons and ordinary humans. He later was able to blitz three of Hantengu's clones simultaneously and keep up with Akaza, one of the fastest demons in existence. After awakening his Demon Slayer Mark, Tanjiro's speed increases even further to the point that even Akaza couldn't react in time and process his movements. After awakening his Demon Slayer Mark, Tanjiro gains extremely sharp reflexes, dodging and reacting to attacks from both Akaza and the Demon King, Muzan Kibutsuji, who was able to blitz Giyu, Sanemi, Obanai, Gyomei, Zenitsu, Inosuke and Kanao all at once.

Immense Stamina & Endurance: Tanjiro has incredible stamina and endurance, even before he became a Demon Slayer, showed when he had to train in a mountain with oxygen levels lower than that of a thick bog, dodging armed booby traps, running up and down the mountain constantly, and improving his swordsmanship skills and physique all while under these harsh conditions for around two years. His stamina and endurance was further improved having mastered Total Concentration: Constant (・), allowing him to stay in the Total Concentration Breathing state 24/7. His stamina was increased even further after he mastered the Hinokami Kagura, the same Breathing Style which allowed his sickly father to dance from dusk till dawn in the snow while barely clothed. Through the use of Recovering Breathing, Tanjiro can quickly recover from fatigue and was able to subdue a berserk Nezuko despite crossing his stamina limit and nearly losing his life a few moments prior. Despite having his jowl stabbed by Gyutaro's kama, Tanjiro barely showed any signs of pain at all.

When training with Kotetsu, Tanjiro was able to endure an extremely intensive training session for seven days non-stop with no food, no sleep and barely any water which he obtained when it was raining while also getting constantly injured and beaten. He was also in battle with Lower Rank-level demons for 5 hours in the Infinity Castle and was still able to hold his on and defeat Upper Rank Three, Akaza, and later went on to engage in a skirmish with the Demon King, Muzan Kibutsuji, for 1 hour and 30 minutes till dawn. Furthermore, he lasted one of the longest out of all the other Hashira and Hashira-level combatants, while still being able to tolerate all the damage and injuries he sustained from Muzan Kibutsuji's fatal poison and physical attacks. Nearing the end of the battle, Tanjiro barely showed any reaction when his arm was blown off by one of Muzan's attacks.

Indomitable Will: Tanjiro possesses an undaunted will and spirit, being able to fight and engage in battle against enemies stronger than him with his sheer will alone to kill Demons and protect his sister even when he sustained severe injuries and wounds. The death of his family also played a big role in his insurmountable willpower, his visions of his family members urging him on during times of crisis, allowing him to pull through any hardship.

During his mission on Mount Natagumo, Tanjiro was willing to sacrifice his life for his sister, relying on nothing but sheer determination to fight through Rui's attacks to kill him. When he was in a battle with Enmu, he displayed his supernatural willpower by committing suicide relentlessly in his dreams in order to awake from the demon's sleep spell, a feat which even Enmu thought was insane. After Kyojuro was killed in a battle with Akaza, his final words and actions had a major impact on Tanjiro's mindset and willpower, increasing it to unprecedented levels, shown when he didn't give up no matter how hopeless a situation is, in the face of Upper Rank demons, no less. His spirit also played a big role in the final moments of Muzan's death, where his will allowed him to overcome his blood and return to becoming human.

Repetitive Action: A technique practiced by few members in the Demon Slayer Corps, it allows a person to achieve the same effects as Total Concentration Breathing by using repeating pre-set movements or remembering intense feelings to open the five senses and raise their concentration, drawing out the physical powers of the body for a long extended period. It is possible to use both Repetitive Action and Total Concentration Breathing simultaneously, granting the user immense strength able to rival Upper Rank demons. Tanjiro learned this technique after consulting Genya Shinazugawa. He raises his concentration to its maximum limits by remembering the faces of his loved ones and repeatedly recalling Kyojuro's phrase "Set your heart ablaze."

Selfless State: As he unlocked the Transparent World, Tanjiro also learned the ability to completely erase his presence like his father did, including all of his Fighting Spirit. This technique can also mask one's intent to kill and malice, allowing them to fight undetectable on against enemies' that rely on sensing one's intention to fight. This ability allowed Tanjiro to completely negate/bypass Akaza's Compass Needle technique and decapitate him.

Fighting Style
Master Swordsman: Tanjiro was always shown to be a sword-fighting prodigy, starting out with skill rivaling Sabito, one of Sakonji Urokodaki's strongest students and surpassing him in half a year's time and avenging his death by defeating the Hand Demon. Despite being Mizunoto-ranked, his skill with the sword was superior to many of his seniors, even to the point of defeating two Lower Ranked members of the Twelve Kizuki. His improvement in swordsmanship is also exceptional, shown when he could take on Upper Rank demons months after recovering from injuries and not having experience in fighting enemies of that caliber in the past. This is evident as he managed to keep up and defend from Daki's fierce onslaught of sash attacks as well as Gyutaro's attacks, despite the latter being immensely skilled in wielding his pair of Kama and posessing over a century of experience in wielding it. Mitsuri Kanroji commented that accomplishing such feat was equivalent to 5 to 10 years of harsh training.

With intensive training in the Swordsmith Village, his skills and prowess with the blade could match that of the Hashira, the most powerful sword wielders in the entirety of the Demon Slayer Corps. Tanjiro later managed to match and surpass Akaza, the third strongest member of the Twelve Kizuki and a martial arts prodigy with over a century worth of experience in hand-to-hand combat. Despite not being as skilled as Yoriichi Tsugikuni, he was still able to fight on equal ground with Muzan, showing his immense proficiency in the blade, thus making him one of the strongest swordsmen of the current generation.

Breathing Style
Water Breathing (の): Taught to him by Sakonji Urokodaki, a previous Water Hashira and Water Breathing Cultivator, this was Tanjiro's initial Breathing Style. He became extremely proficient in it, enabling him to take on two members of the Twelve Kizuki, namely Rui and Enmu. However, due to his body not being suited to Water Breathing's techniques, Tanjiro decided to switch to the Hinokami Kagura as his main Breathing Style. Despite this, Tanjiro has not abandoned what he was taught, combining Water Breathing with the Hinokami Kagura, due to the strain Hinokami Kagura placed on his body, in order to have stronger strikes than when he used Water Breathing alone and move for longer periods than if he used Hinokami Kagura alone. He did this to save Hinatsuru from Gyutaro, and later used it once again during the Infinity Castle Arc to slay dozens of demons.

Hinokami Kagura (ヒノカミ): During his near-death experience in his battle with Rui, Tanjiro awakened this in a memory of his father teaching him this Breathing Style. As his body was more suited to the Hinokami Kagura, he quickly overpowered the Lower Rank demon. However, the sheer force and fatigue it placed on his untrained body caused him to collapse and weaken significantly when using it, thus he only saved it for last ditch attempts to beat his adversaries.

After the Mugen Train Arc, Tanjiro trained more so that his body could take the strain of its techniques, and was capable of using multiple forms in succession in his battle against Daki, although the whiplash from doing so became quickly apparent. Still, through battling Hantengu and undergoing intense training during the Swordsmith Village Arc and the Hashira Training Arc, Tanjiro finally managed to master all the forms in the Hinokami Kagura, using it to its full potential against Akaza. When Tanjiro fully witnessed all the forms performed by Yoriichi Tsugikuni, he realized his own Hinokami Kagura had unnecessary movements, different wrist angles, footwork and breathing rhythm. Removing them enabled him to awaken the legendary Sun Breathing (の), and he was able to temporarily battle on equal grounds with the Demon King, Muzan Kibutsuji, to the point that Muzan saw Yoriichi's visage overlapping with Tanjiro's own when he was performing the techniques against him.

Techniques

 * First Form: Water Surface Slash (ノ　り) - The user generates enough momentum to create a powerful single concentrated slash.


 * Second Form: Water Wheel (ノ) - The user leaps and vertically spins forward in the air while releasing a flowing attack in a circular motion.
 * Second Form: Improved, Lateral Water Wheel (ノ・) - An alternate variation of Second Form: Water Wheel created by Tanjiro Kamado that unleashes a horizontal spin instead of a vertical one.


 * Third Form: Flowing Dance (ノ　い) - The user swings and bends their blade in a winding motion along with their body and dances in a flowing pattern, slicing everything in its path.


 * Fourth Form: Striking Tide (ノ　ち) - The user makes multiple consecutive slashes while twisting their body and sword in a flowing fashion to deliver multiple blows simultaneously.
 * Striking Tide: Turbulent (ち・) - An improved version of the Fourth Form: Striking Tide. The user increases the quantity of consecutive strikes and slashes along with improving its accuracy in order to contact a specific target during a chaotic situation.


 * Fifth Form: Blessed Rain After the Drought (ノ　の) - The user changes the grip on their sword and decapitates the opponent in a single flowing strike that causes little to no pain. It is a “sword strike of kindness” used when the enemy willingly surrenders.


 * Sixth Form: Whirlpool (ノ　ねじれ) - The user fiercely twists their upper and lower body, creating a whirlpool of air that cuts anything caught in it. Its effect and efficiently is enhanced underwater, where the user can draw water around their weapon to enhance their slashes.
 * Whirlpool, Flow (ねじれ・) - A combination of Third Form: Flowing Dance and Sixth Form: Whirlpool created by Tanjiro Kamado. The user combines the footwork from Flowing Dance and the twisting movements of Whirlpool, resulting in the swordsman to perform an attack around the user and conjure a twisting, swirling, vicious flow of water to redirect projectiles from multiple angles.


 * Seventh Form: Drop Ripple Thrust (ノ　き) - The user performs a precise, fast and accurate thrust with their blade.
 * Drop Ripple Thrust, Curve (き・) - A modified strike that hits from a specific angle corresponding to the sword's structure which nearly nullifies the impact and momentum of a moving object.


 * Eighth Form: Waterfall Basin (ノ) - The user cuts the target vertically in a flowing motion which is most effective when they are falling downward.


 * Ninth Form: Splashing Water Flow, Turbulent (ノ　・) - The user changes their footwork in a way that minimizes the landing time and surface needed when landing, allowing the user to move without limits. Ideal when fighting in a place with no solid foothold.


 * Tenth Form: Constant Flux (ノ) - The user performs a continuous flowing attack which seemingly takes the form of a water dragon that increases in strength and power with each rotation due to momentum.


 * Dance - The user delivers a single high-powered vertical slash.
 * Dancing Flash - A modified version of Dance developed and utilized only by Tanjiro Kamado. The user infuses the Thunderclap and Flash technique of Thunder Breathing into the high-powered slash of Dance by inhaling huge amounts of oxygen, increasing the pumping of blood through the entire body, focusing it on the legs, and releasing it all to assault the target with a slash. This technique was capable of out-speeding Genya Shinazugawa, Nezuko Kamado, as well as the fleeing Hantengu.


 * Clear Blue Sky (の) - The user spins their body horizontally to deliver a 360° slash.


 * Raging Sun - The user unleashes two horizontal slashes to hit or defend from incoming attacks.


 * Burning Bones, Summer Sun - The user unleashes a large circular slash that defends from imminent frontal attacks.


 * Setting Sun Transformation - The user backflips into the air to deliver a powerful upended sword slash that aims to decapitate their target.


 * Solar Heat Haze - The user charges towards the target, unleashing a horizontal slash seemingly covered in haze that fails to land, but actually does hit the target.


 * Beneficent Radiance - The user spirals into the air and delivers a powerful slash that surrounds the enemy.


 * Sunflower Thrust - The user unleashes a single thrust attack with the point of the blade.


 * Sun Halo Dragon Head Dance (の・い) - The user unleashes a continuous fast and powerful sword attack that seemingly takes the form of a Japanese dragon made of solar flames. This technique is capable of decapitating multiple targets at once.


 * Fire Wheel - The user leaps behind the opponent and spins in the air downward, releasing a sword attack in a circular motion.


 * Fake Rainbow - The user performs high-speed twists and rotations, thus creating afterimages used mostly to evade attacks. The afterimages work most effectively on enemies with good vision.


 * Flame Dance - A two-combo strike which starts with a vertical slash and then a horizontal one right after.


 * Thirteenth Form (ノ) - The user continuously performs all twelve forms of Sun Breathing in repetitive succession to increase the accuracy and agility of his movements while reducing fatigue. This form was created solely for the purpose of killing Muzan Kibutsuji, since the repetition of all twelve forms aims to destroy Muzan's twelve vital organs (seven hearts and five brains) that move freely inside his body.

Game Exclusive Techniques

 * Cross Slash (り) - The user ignites their sword with solar flames and releases two arching flame slashes to their opponent, each individually making an "X" shaped slice.


 * Scorching Rush (けり) - The user rushes forward with a flaming sword and performs a 5-move combo as follows: a low-ended strike from the left, a low-ended strike from the right that lifts the user off the ground briefly, a spinning wave attack, a powerful forwards upward slash and finally an overhead downward slash.


 * Phoenix Flash (り) - The user disappears in a flash of fire, before reappearing from fire in mid-air either upright, where they perform a massive overhead circular slash, or upside-down where they perform an angled 360° sword slash.

Equipment
Standard Nichirin Katana: As a Demon Slayer, Tanjiro carries around a standard sized and shaped Nichirin katana. His first katana was forged by Hotaru Haganezuka. Originally it has standard metallic color, but changed to deep black the first time he held it. It can also become bright red either with Nezuko Kamado's Blood Demon Art or when he actively turns it bright red through his Demon Slayer Mark. His original hilt is a black ring connected to its core by lines with a border of the same color, which heavily resembles a wagon wheel in appearance. Along with his katana, Tanjiro has a standard sword sheath that is deep black in color. Tanjiro damaged or broke his sword a total of 3 times: the first in his fight with Rui when the latter's thread cut it in half, the second when Akaza punched it into pieces in a fit of rage, and the third during the fight with Daki when he chipped the blade after clashing with the Upper Rank.

After the events in Swordsmith Village, he switched to using the katana he found inside Yoriichi Type Zero that was sharpened and polished by Hotaru Haganezuka. His hilt was changed to the one used by the late Kyojuro Rengoku as well, which is shaped like a flame with a red core and orange border. The new blade was not observed to change color, being already in deep black but has more intricate pattern, with the word Slay engraved on the side. It is implied to be stronger than the standard Nichirin Katana as Haganezuka mentioned that the steel was especially good quality. While Tanjiro has a notorious habit of damaging his swords during his encounters with demons, this sword broke only at the end of the final fight with Muzan Kibutsuji. The sword was implied to be subsequently repaired and displayed as a decoration in his descendants' house.

Abilities (Demon)
Overall Abilities: Tanjiro is later transformed into a demon by Muzan Kibutsuji as his last-ditch attempt at living on even after being killed by the Demon Slayer Corps; Muzan hoped to pass his feelings and abilities onto Tanjiro, deeming him capable of fulfilling his legacy and becoming the next Demon King.

It was later stated by Yushiro that Tanjiro's potential to evolve as a demon was much higher than his sister's, who was the first demon to develop a resistance to sunlight, and even Muzan's, the progenitor of all demons. This suggests that if Tanjiro reached his fullest potential, he would grow into a being stronger than the Demon King himself, and when combined with Sun Breathing, Tanjiro could possibly match Yoriichi Tsugikuni, the strongest Demon Slayer in existence.

Nigh-Absolute Regeneration: Upon assimilating the blood of the Demon King, a being who possesses the fastest and most powerful regenerative power out of all demons, Tanjiro's regenerative abilities surpassed that of all other demons that existed. Even Giyu Tomioka noted that this ability, coupled with his immunity to sunlight, makes him a being who is practically invincible to all forms of physical harm.

Sunlight Resistance: After he first transforms, Tanjiro is initially affected by sunlight as any normal demon would be, however he quickly develops a resistance to it and is soon able to move around in broad daylight without taking any damage. It's possible that he's able to do this because, as noted by Muzan right before his death, Tanjiro is of the same blood of Nezuko who overcame her weakness to sunlight as a demon. Due to his resistance to sunlight, all Nichirin weapons and even Bright Red Nichirin Swords lose their effectiveness. Giyu claimed that, with his immunity to the sun, along with his enhanced regeneration, Tanjiro is practically invincible.

Unlimited Stamina & Endurance: Despite his heart stopping only moments before receiving Muzan's blood, Tanjiro's transformation temporarily gave him a demon's innate unlimited stamina and endurance, immediately attacking the survivors around him without stopping.

Fighting Style (Demon)
Short-to-Mid Ranged Combatant: With his Blood Demon Art, Tanjiro's fighting style focuses on unleashing attacks from a distance similar to Muzan Kibutsuji. Had Tanjiro used Sun Breathing along with his Blood Demon Art, like Muzan suggests he would, Tanjiro's fighting style would be a combination of melee ranged sword attacks as well as mid-ranged whip attacks similar to Muzan.

Blood Demon Art
Biokinesis: As Tanjiro assimilated Muzan's blood, he subsequently gained his Blood Demon Art which allows him to control various properties and aspects of his body. Tanjiro first displays this by protruding bladed bone-like whips and appendages from his back which he uses to extend his attack range. However, due to his feral state, Tanjiro hasn't displayed the same skill at wielding them as Muzan.

Techniques (Demon)
Shockwave Energy Blast: Similar to Muzan, Tanjiro can project a ball of lightning-like energy from his mouth that produces shockwaves strong enough to create craters on the ground where it was released. The technique is powerful enough to blow away Zenitsu, Inosuke, and Goto while they tried to restrain him, with only Nezuko able to hold on. Even then, Nezuko's arm was damaged to the point her nails and flesh were destroyed from the blast.
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Trivia

 * His first name contains the Go-on'yomi reading of the kanji for "charcoal", "to heal" and "son, male", which is also a common masculine name suffix. The first kanji of Tanjiro's surname translates to a traditional Japanese wood or charcoal-fuelled cookstove/furnace while the second kanji means "door", and both contain the Kun'yomi reading.
 * Tanjiro's rankings in the popularity polls are as follows:
 * Tanjiro ranked 1st place in the first popularity poll with 6,742 votes.
 * Tanjiro ranked 4th place in the second popularity poll with 9,045 votes.
 * When Tanjiro lies, he can't keep a straight face due to his honest nature.
 * Tanjiro inherited his hard forehead from his mother.
 * Tanjiro has been incorrectly dubbed as Gonpachiro Kamaboko, Gengoro Shakariki (しゃかりき), Tontaro Itadaki (き), Kanjiro Anago, Tangoro Hamado, Jangoro Amado (じゃん), Monjiro, Kentaro, Soichiro, Santaro, Sochiro, and Tanpachiro by Inosuke.
 * In Inosuke's dream he was named Ponjiro (ポン) as a racoon dog.
 * Tanjiro is one of the few characters to have their Nichirin Sword change appearance.
 * Apparently, Tanjiro is able to understand what birds are saying.
 * Tanjiro's penpals are Sakonji, Senjuro, the courtesans from the Entertainment District, Giyu (who never writes back) and Tengen.
 * In a Weekly Shonen Jump spoof 4-koma, Tanjiro is the vocalist of the band "Chic-N-Scruffy Democracy," the other members being Zenitsu (shamisen), Inosuke (taiko), and Tengen (harmonica). "Melancholy of Explosive Sound Skin and Modern Sense of Smell" is their debut single, and it reportedly made everyone who heard it feel dizzy and nauseous.
 * Tanjiro is tone deaf, along with Inosuke.
 * The second fanbook gives more context to Tanjiro's quote "Whenever happiness is destroyed, there is always the scent of blood.". This was because Tanjiro was the one who found his father dying and coughing up blood. Tanjiro was also the one who found his grandmother dying. One time he visited the village, he smelt the scent of blood from a dying person. He informed them and realized that had he not been there, the family wouldn't have realized that someone was dying.
 * Tanjiro's favorite food is angelica sprouts (タラの). When they're on the table, even if he keeps himself composed, you can notice his nostrils flaring.
 * In Kimetsu Academy, Tanjiro is a boy who's known to continuously violate the rules. He's a first year student from Tansu class, and his and Nezuko's family owns a bakery. He was dubbed as the Most Polite Man in the academy.

Quotes

 * (To Muzan Kibutsuji) "Muzan Kibutsuji! No matter where you go, I promise you won't escape me! You can run as far as you want! I'll follow you to the ends of Hell, and my blade will be the last thing you see! I'll never forgive you for what you've done!"
 * (To Rui) "The bond between Nezuko and me... cannot be... severed by anyone!"
 * (To Giyu Tomioka) "In order to soothe the spirits of those it killed, and to make sure it claims no further victims... I will swing my blade down and lop off the head of any demon without mercy! But I will not belittle those who regret their actions... and suffer over the things they did as demons. Because demons were once human. Because they were like me."
 * (To his family) "I wish I could stay here forever. I wish I could turn around and go back. By right, I should've been living like this forever. Right here. If none of this had happened... they'd all be alive and well now. And Nezuko would've lived in the sunlight, under a blue sky. If none of this had happened... If none of this had happened... I should be here making charcoal every day. I never would've laid my hand on a sword. If none of this had happened... If none of this had happened... But I've lost them now. [...] I can never go back. Sorry! I'm sorry, Rokuta! We can never be together anymore. But I'll always think of you, okay? I'll be thinking of you all. There are lots of things to thank you for. Lots of things to be sorry for! But I will never forget you! No matter what, my heart will always be with you!"
 * (To Akaza) "Don't run away! Don't run away, you coward! Don't run away! The Demon Slayer Corps is always fighting you Demons in the dark of the night where you have the advantage! That's right, us flesh-and-blood humans! Our wounds won't close up that quickly. And we cannot regenerate a limb once lost! Don't run away, you bastard! You bastard! You coward! Rengoku is way more amazing than you! He's stronger! Rengoku didn't lose! He didn't let anybody die! He fought to the end! He protected them to the end! You're the one who lost! It's Rengoku who won!"
 * "I heard my father was born with a faint mark on his forehead but not me. I'm definitely not a chosen one. But... even if I don't have the powers of a chosen one... there are times in life when you simply can't back down! Because there are monsters in this world. Monsters with no souls. Monsters who take life without hesitation, remorse or regret. Their aggression... is something I can't forgive!."
 * (To Muichiro Tokito) "Helping others often ends up helping yourself."
 * (To Zohakuten) "You guys all reek of blood! You've probably eaten two hundred people! What did those people do to you? Did they do something they had to pay for with their lives?! You've killed and eaten a lot of people! So don't play the victim! Your whole being is twisted! And I can't forgive that! You devil! I'm going to cut off your head!"
 * (To Daki) "A life that's lost can never return. It's gone forever. A demon's body isn't made of human flesh. Why do you steal people's lives? Why do you ruin them? What is it that makes life interesting? What do you think life is?"
 * (To Akaza) "Everything you're saying is wrong. Your presence here now is proof. Everyone is a helpless baby when they're born. Same with you Akaza. You don't remember it, but when you were a baby... someone protected and helped you too. The strong protect the weak. Then the weak get stronger and help those weaker than themselves. That is the law of nature!"
 * (To Genya Shinazugawa) "The weakest person has the greatest potential, Genya. When I fought that Upper Rank 6, it was like that. Precisely because I was weak, I was able to change the situation. The opponent can only focus on a certain number of us. The rest depends on how the enemy divides its attention. The enemy is warier of strong people, so the wall of their caution is thick. If they think someone is weak, that wall is thinner. So if a weak person acts unexpectedly and breaks through the wall... then all at once the direction of the wind changes and a way to victory opens."
 * (To Gyomei Himejima) "I always wanted to proceed down a path without making mistakes, but I don't know what lies ahead. Someone always helps me and as a result I get by without making any mistakes[…] So don't be too quick to respect me. Thank you for the water. And thank you for training me. I've learned a lot."
 * (To himself) "It's a tremendous task that's sure to put me through hell. I don't have Yoriichi's or my father's skill. I don't even know if I can stay alive until dawn. Besides, how can I prevent Muzan from escaping? I can understand why someone might lose confidence. Can I do what Yoriichi himself couldn't? Nevertheless, I will do everything I can. I'll keep my heart burning. I will not lose. I will not break."
 * (To Muzan Kibutsuji in regards of the Demon Slayer Corps) "None of them are like this. There are people that risk their lives for someone else. Because they are people that don't want others to go through... the same suffering and sadness that they did."
 * (To everyone) "I dream of a bright future where the people I love are smiling until the day they depart for heaven. I hope that they will live happily and I pray that they will live safely without fear. Even if I'm no longer there. I want them to live. To live their lives to their fullest. I'm sure if you were me, you'd say the same thing."
 * (To everyone) "To be born is a blessing. Please, do not forget to smile. When you cry, it's unbearably sad. Do not look back in remorse. Just remember that we were here... fighting together and laughing together like brothers and sisters, or like parents and children. Be proud. Meeting you was most fortunate and it brought happiness. Your existence saved me and drove away loneliness. Thoughts of you cause strength to rise from deep inside, like a fire. If possible, everyone would desire to live and stay by each other's side. But they had to make a choice. Live or die. Win or lose. But to have any choice at all is fortunate. True suffering is like an avalanche. It swallows a person in an instant and offers no choice. They just wanted to protect others. Other lives were more important than their own. Happiness isn't about the length of your life. I want you to see the depth of this happiness I have. I have never thought for a moment that I was unhappy. We never gave up or ran away and we kept our faith. And we always gave it everything we had. Many strong feelings became an immense blade and defeated our enemy. That was due to everyone's strengths. Victory would have been impossible without even one of us. Life itself is a miracle. You are precious. You are important. Please, live the best you can, my most beloved friends"

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