Relationships[]
Yushiro[]
Tamayo assisting a sick Yushiro.
It's unknown how these two met, but it was most likely due to Yushiro's unknown illness that was unavailingly treated by Tamayo. When he was about to die, Tamayo asked him if he either wants her to save his life by turning him into a demon or to let him succumb into his illness. He decided to become a demon, and since then, Tamayo took him in as her personal assistant and a medical practitioner.
Yushiro blissful to be in Tamayo's presence.
He also developed strong romantic feelings towards her, becoming very possessive of her, to the point of becoming angry when someone was even dwelling too close in her presence, hitting Tanjiro multiple times (which deeply annoyed her) and becoming visibly distressed seeing Tamayo being hugged by Nezuko. However, these feelings weren't reciprocated since Tamayo never got over the loss of her husband and children.
Tamayo's hairpin being clutched by a tearful Yushiro after the battle ends.
After sensing Tamayo's demise from Muzan's hands, Yushiro became deeply angered, swearing to kill Muzan at any cost. After Muzan is defeated, and Tanjiro is restored to his humanity after temporarily being transformed into a demon, it's heavily implied that Yushiro considered suicide out of grief for Tamayo. However, he is later told by Tanjiro to live on to keep Tamayo's memory alive. Yushiro would take these words to heart, and to the present day, he paints numerous highly acclaimed portraits of Tamayo, allowing her image to live on forever.
Tamayo's memory lives on through paintings by Yushiro in the modern era.
While Yushiro was never able to admit his feelings to Tamayo, due to her continual love for her lost family, he had once made a promise to her that they would be married when they reincarnated, which Tamayo smiles and nods to in response. It has been hinted that after atoning for her sins in the afterlife after hundreds of years, perhaps she will be reborn as a human and Yushiro's demonic blood will have diminished by then, allowing them to grow old together as humans.[1]
Tanjiro Kamado[]
Tamayo's Aroma of Visual Fantasy witnessed by Tanjiro.
The first instance of when Tamayo met Tanjiro was when he was restraining a newly-turned demon caused by Muzan. Through his actions and words showing compassion to demons, Tamayo was touched by his gesture and gave assistance to him in his mission of killing Muzan Kibutsuji. This trust was further solidified when Tanjiro willingly assisted Tamayo in her goal to create a drug that allows demons to revert to humans through blood research.
Nezuko Kamado[]
Nezuko hugging 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 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.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki[]
It's unknown how these two met or what their relationship is, but after Tanjiro's trial before the Hashira is over, Kagaya tells Tanjiro to give her his regards as Tanjiro is carried away by two kakushi towards Shinobu's house, also known as the Butterfly Mansion. Additionally, the two of them have a working relationship as both are interested in the elimination of Muzan Kibutsuji; this was manifested in Kagaya's request for her to assist the Demon Slayer Corps.
Shinobu Kocho[]
Upon being requested and offered by Kagaya Ubuyashiki to help the Demon Slayer Corps to kill Muzan once and for all and Tamayo accepting his offer, she was immediately introduced and set to work with Shinobu due to her own immense skills in drugs and poisons working well with the Insect Hashira's own.
Initially there was little trust between the two, with Tamayo being initially scared of trusting a Demon Slayer, especially a Hashira due to her status as a demon, and Shinobu's own paranoia and prejudice against her for being a demon. However, eventually through their work together in creating the humanization drug and anti-Kibutsuji concoction, the two developed a genuine sense of friendship and respect for each other, with Tamayo being genuinely impressed by Shinobu's talent in poisons and Shinobu being seemingly touched by the demoness's attempts to make up for her past actions and her being impressed by the latter's immense skills as a doctor.
It was also revealed that Tamayo also had a hand in personally modifying Shinobu's body in preparation for her duel and eventual death against Upper Rank 2 Doma in order to fulfill her vengeance for her older sister Kanae Kocho, showing just how much she had come to trust Tamayo: to the point of allowing her to personally alter and modify her body, which could potentially damage/destroy her body.
Muzan Kibutsuji[]
Tamayo declares she and Muzan will die to atone for her sins.
In their initial encounter, Muzan turned Tamayo into a demon in order to cure her disease, hiding from her the true consequences of the transformation and so causing the death of her husband and kids. Much like Nezuko, Muzan views her as a nuisance to him after she was freed of his control, and desires for her to be killed. He didn't hesitate to mock Tamayo about killing her husband and children as well as going on a rampage out of despair killing other humans in the process, placing all the blame on her without taking responsibility for any of it.
Prior to this, hundreds of years ago, Tamayo had attempted to kill Muzan. However, upon realizing that she stood absolutely no chance of winning, Tamayo's mental state was completely defeated, her resolve and determination replaced by a docile, servant-like demeanour. However, upon witnessing Yoriichi's immense power and skill during his fight with Muzan, Tamayo's resolve to kill him was reignited, causing her to once again refocus her efforts onto defeating the Demon King and restart her research into creating drugs for weakening or killing him.
Tamayo refusing to reveal the other Anti-Kibutsuji drug effect to Muzan.
Tamayo's personality was a clear contrast to Muzan's own. Both demons had the power to turn humans into others of their kind, but whereas Tamayo does this out of altruism, Muzan does so for his own gain. Additionally, Tamayo makes sure that her patients know she will transform them into demons before doing so, whereas Muzan keeps them in the dark that they will transform into demons.
Even in death and being absorbed by Muzan, Tamayo made a mockery of him and would not divulge the specifics of the effects of her and Shinobu's Anti-Kibutsuji Drug and would force him to peer into her memories and render them ineffective through his own analysis. Ultimately, however, Tamayo would get her revenge through his death at the hands of the Demon Slayer Corps.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni[]
Tamayo's memory of encountering Yoriichi.
Tamayo met Yoriichi when the Demon Slayer encountered Muzan for the very first time. She was mistaken as a minion of Muzan but she proved him incorrect after he realized that she was elated after witnessing that Muzan was close to death. After he escaped through scattering into pieces of flesh, Tamayo though hesitant at first agreed to assist Yoriichi in defeating him. It was due to Yoriichi's near fatal attacks towards Muzan that Tamayo's link to Muzan was finally severed. After informing him of all she knew about the Demon King, he allowed her to leave as he trusted that her unrelenting passion into killing Muzan would one day come to fruition. A prediction that came true centuries afterwards, as it was through her aid that the modern day Demon Slayers finally succeeded in destroying Muzan once and for all.
References[]
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba First Fanbook.