Quick Answers
How does Nezuko Kamado express her protective nature towards her brother Tanjiro?
What triggers Nezuko Kamado's rage against demons?
How does Tanjiro calm down Nezuko when she is enraged?
What is the significance of the bond between Nezuko and Tanjiro?
How does Nezuko's relationship with Tanjiro reflect in her interactions with other characters?
Relationships[]
Tanjiro Kamado[]
Tanjiro and Nezuko's bond.
Tanjiro is the elder brother of Nezuko and her only remaining family member alive after her family was killed. As such, Nezuko, who is usually calm and well-mannered, will become enraged and attack any Demon who harms Tanjiro.[1] Nezuko is very protective of her brother, and being the sole surviving members of a poor family, the siblings have a very close bond, trusting and loving of one another. He is likely the only one capable of actively calming Nezuko down by calling her name or singing to her their mother's lullaby.
After Muzan turns Tanjiro into a Demon, Nezuko is the only person who he does not try to kill or purposefully harm, even after she clings to him and blocks one of his attacks. This might be possible due to Muzan only asking him to destroy the Demon Slayer Corps.
Takeo Kamado, Hanako Kamado, Shigeru Kamado, and Rokuta Kamado[]
Takeo, Hanako, Shigeru, and Rokuta are Nezuko's younger siblings. Nezuko's relationship with her younger siblings is rarely seen since her younger siblings died during the beginning of the anime/manga, but it can be assumed Nezuko cared about them deeply and loved them very much. She also saw them in her visions many times in many battles such as Tanjiro Kamado and Nezuko Kamado vs Swamp Demon and Demon Slayers vs Daki and Gyutaro. She also tried to protect them during Muzan's attack at their house (or at least it was pictured that it looked like she tried). The sibling that Nezuko had the closest bond with after Tanjiro was Rokuta. Despite this, just like Tanjiro, she got very enraged at Muzan when she finally got her memory back and would do anything to avenge her siblings by killing him.
Zenitsu Agatsuma[]
Zenitsu crushing on Nezuko.
Upon seeing her for the first time, Zenitsu falls in love with Nezuko at first sight. She apparently views Zenitsu as a "weird dandelion"[2] and did not initially seem to reciprocate his feelings. Although the two are rarely seen interacting together, Zenitsu treats her with affection and care.
Despite his cowardly nature, Zenitsu musters the courage to ascend to Mount Natagumo upon realizing that Tanjiro (and by proxy Nezuko) were in the territory of the Spider Family, intending to protect Nezuko.[3] During their recovery training, Zenitsu would sit beside her box and tell her stories about Tanjiro and their rehabilitation training. Nezuko would often respond by moving and scratching her box, suggesting that she enjoyed listening to Zenitsu's stories.[4]
As Nezuko returns to humanity, she starts to remember her time as a Demon and in particular a memory of Zenitsu gifting her flowers, hinting she does see him in a good light.[5] Although initially she was nervous by him declaring her as his wife, the two along with Inosuke and Tanjiro would come to live together and in due time the two of them would marry each other and form a family that would yield great-grandchildren in the present day.
Inosuke Hashibira[]
After Nezuko turned back into a human, she and Inosuke formed a close bond. Unlike anyone else, when Inosuke would get things wrong or mispronounce words, Nezuko never judged or insulted him for his lack of knowledge. Instead, she would take time to explain to Inosuke with kindness and patience. The two would also go to the Butterfly Mansion every month to check up on Kanao and Aoi.
Sakonji Urokodaki[]
Sakonji embraces Tanjiro and Nezuko.
When Giyu tells his master Sakonji about Tanjiro and his demonized sister along with his belief that the two were different, Sakonji takes in Tanjiro as a disciple while allowing Nezuko to rest in his house. Though the two do not have too much interaction, the two seem to care for each other. To ensure Nezuko would not succumb to her Demon instincts, Sakonji hypnotises Nezuko to convince her that humans were a part of her family and must be protected. When Tanjiro survives the test to become a Demon Slayer and returns, he receives a hug from both Nezuko and Sakonji. Later, Sakonji sends a letter to Kagaya Ubuyashiki, the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps, citing that if Nezuko ever did succumb to her Demon instincts, he would commit suicide for her actions, demonstrating great care for her wellbeing and trust in both her and Tanjiro. After Nezuko takes Tamayo's drug to transform back into a human, Sakonji is the one by her bedside to watch over her. After meeting Sakonji as a human again, they embrace each other in a warm hug.
Giyu Tomioka[]
Giyu protecting Nezuko from Shinobu.
When Giyu responds to the murder of the Kamado family, he tries to kill Nezuko since she had recently transformed into a Demon. He captures her and nearly kills her even when Tanjiro begs him to spare her, believing Nezuko to be a threat to humanity as all Demons were. However, Giyu is surprised when she chooses not to eat Tanjiro but rather protect him instead. Despite his disgust towards Demons, Giyu decides to give her and Tanjiro a chance and sends them to his master Sakonji for training.
While Giyu and Nezuko do not have much further interaction, they share a similar bond with Tanjiro. In addition, Giyu protects Nezuko from being slain by fellow Demon Slayer Shinobu Kocho and has promised to take responsibility for not slaying Nezuko given his status as Hashira and, should she eventually decide to succumb to her Demon instincts and murder someone, he would commit suicide, demonstrating his great faith and care for her.
Yushiro[]
Nezuko patting Yushiro's head
At first, Nezuko is threatened by Yushiro's presence as she senses that he is a Demon; however after she realizes he shows no ill intent or harm towards her or Tanjiro, she no longer perceives him as a threat and stops being wary around him.
Yushiro initially sees her as "unsightly," due to his personal belief that all Demons are disgusting and grotesque with the sole exception being Tamayo, his master and the object of his undying love. However, after they fight side-by-side during the attack on their hidden clinic by Yahaba and Susamaru, he revises his opinion of her, calling her beautiful. Nezuko likewise sees Yushiro as one of her younger siblings and begins patting his head, much to his dismay.
Tamayo[]
Nezuko is seen to be at ease around Tamayo, acting more childish than she would normally. She sees Tamayo the same way she views all humans: a part of her family, specifically an individual similar to her mother. This endears her to Tamayo, as she is touched by the fact that Nezuko views her as a normal person, despite her status as a Demon and her past sins.
Sanemi Shinazugawa[]
Sanemi trying to get Nezuko to attack him
In their initial encounter, Sanemi held a deep hatred towards Nezuko due to her nature as a demon. He taunted Tanjiro by stabbing Nezuko multiple times from within the box with his nichirin blade with intentions of trying to prove to Kagaya Ubuyashiki that all demons eat humans, hence trying to indicate that Nezuko was a threat. He attempted to tempt Nezuko into attacking him by wounding his arm, seeming to believe that she would do so since he possessed special marechi blood that managed to even hindered Upper Moon One during their intense battle into the near future. Unexpectedly, Nezuko turns her head away refusing to devour him even when he possesses marechi, the blood type that gave the equivalent strength from eating a hundred humans. Nezuko is irritated, which is indicated by her mad expression that she displays towards Sanemi when she retreated into her box. During Nezuko's transformation back into a human, she remembers the moment where Sanemi was trying to get her to devour him by flaunting his wounded arm.
Sanemi gives Nezuko a headpat
After the battle against Muzan Kibutsuji, Nezuko now a human, somehow runs into an awkward encounter with Sanemi again. Asking if his wounds were ok, he bluntly replies that his wounds are fine. He then apologizes to Nezuko about everything he had done to her in the past and that he was asleep the entire time after the defeat of Muzan. To lessen the tension, Nezuko tells Sanemi that she was asleep for two whole years and implied that she loves sleeping which briefly reminded Sanemi of his younger brother, Genya. He gives her a headpat and smiles at her before parting ways, leaving her flustered with embarrassment.
Muzan Kibutsuji[]
Just like Tanjiro, Nezuko shows nothing but hatred towards Muzan. During her battle with Daki, she regained the memories of when Muzan killed her loved ones which convinced her to kill one of his followers as well. And just like Tanjiro, all she wanted to do in the entire manga series was to take revenge on Muzan for killing her family by killing him back. At the same time, Muzan also wanted to kill the Kamado siblings as well, he mostly wanted to absorb Nezuko to gain immunity to the sun which also caused their relationship to worsen.
Shinobu Kocho[]
Upon first meeting her, Shinobu tries to kill Nezuko due to her Demon status, but is quickly shielded by Tanjiro and protected by Giyu. However, during Nezuko and Tanjiro's trial at the Hashira meeting, Shinobu feels sorry for the siblings when they are questioned, later showing concern for the two, even allowing them to stay at her mansion and rest. While Shinobu still holds a deep hatred for Demons as a whole, it doesn't seem to extend to Nezuko, partially because she sympathizes with Tanjiro and his kind nature being similar to her sister's. When Nezuko was transforming back into a human, she reflected on a memory of when Shinobu allowed Nezuko to look at her pet goldfish.[6]
Kanao Tsuyuri[]
While they have little to no interaction in the series, Nezuko cares enough for Kanao that she was distraught when Tanjiro (now a Demon influenced by Muzan) injured Kanao and referred to her as Kanao chan, implying there is some closeness between them. After Tanjiro marries Kanao, they become sisters-in-law.
Mitsuri Kanroji[]
Mitsuri playing with Nezuko
Nezuko first meets Mitsuri at the hidden Swordsmith Village. They enjoy each others' company and have a relationship that can be seen as akin to sisters. Additionally, Nezuko enjoys getting Tanjiro to style her hair like the Love Hashira's.[7]
Tengen Uzui[]
Nezuko burning Gyutaro's poison away
Nezuko meets Tengen at the Entertainment District. At first Tengen didn't accept Nezuko from being a demon and wanted to kill her along with Tanjiro as a result of breaking the corps rules. When Nezuko used her Blood Demon Art to burn Gyutaro's poison out of his body, Tengen expressed gratitude towards Nezuko for saving his life with his wives showing signs of gratitude as well. After the battle against Muzan Kibutsuji, Tengen and his wives visited Nezuko who is human again, and Tanjiro while also giving an invite to visit them someday. Nezuko expressed joy when Tengen lifted her up onto his shoulder.
References[]
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 83 (Page 18).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba First Fanbook.
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Anime: Episode 15.
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 51 (Pages 10-11).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 196 (Page 5).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 196 (Page 7).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Volume 12, Extra Pages.