Tanjiro Kamado

A kind-hearted slayer wielding the sun against the night.

Tanjiro Kamado is the central character of Koyoharu Gotouge’s manga Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. After a demon attack kills his mother and younger siblings, his sister Nezuko is turned into a demon by Muzan Kibutsuji. Tanjiro sets out to find a way to make her human again. Following a meeting with the demon slayer Giyu Tomioka, he joins the Demon Slayer Corps, training to fight demons using a sword technique called Hinokami Kagura (Sun Breathing). He becomes a key member of the Corps and a primary enemy of Muzan and the demon Akaza. Beyond the manga, Tanjiro appears in a prequel light novel and the anime adaptation by Ufotable.

Gotouge created Tanjiro after their editor suggested a bright protagonist to contrast with the story’s dark tone. His design was partly inspired by Himura Kenshin from Rurouni Kenshin. Early sketches lacked his scar and earrings, but these details were added to make him stand out. The editor noted that Tanjiro’s kindness and his bond with Nezuko place him in a moral gray area, as he cannot view all demons as purely evil. For the anime, Ufotable drew on Hokusai’s ukiyo-e style for his Water Breathing techniques, and the fight scenes were carefully animated. An insert song, “Kamado Tanjiro no Uta,” reflects his resolve to protect his sister. In China, his hanafuda earrings, which resemble the Rising Sun Flag, were briefly altered to avoid offense.

Tanjiro is voiced in Japanese by Natsuki Hanae, who found the role easier than his usual sad characters because Tanjiro speaks his mind. Hanae developed a supportive, brotherly dynamic with Nezuko’s actress, Akari Kitō. The English dub features Zach Aguilar, a fan of the series who was thrilled to land the role. Both performances have been praised. Critics and audiences have responded well to Tanjiro’s empathy and his relationship with Nezuko, earning him multiple awards, including one for Hanae’s performance.

Quick Facts

Series

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

Creator

Koyoharu Gotouge

First

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba chapter 1: "Cruelty", June 3, 2016

Last

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba one-shot: "Tanjiro's Status Report", February 4, 2021

Spouse

Kanao Tsuyuri (future wife)

Portrayed by

Ryota Kobayashi; Shogo Sakamoto

Voice

Japanese
Natsuki Hanae
English
Zach Aguilar
Allegra Clark (child)

Species

Human; Demon (briefly)

Facts from the source article.

Background

Tanjiro Kamado is the oldest son of already deceased charcoal-seller Tanjuro and Kie. In the first chapter of the manga, he finds his mother and his younger siblings murdered by a demon named Muzan Kibutsuji, with the only survivor being his sister Nezuko Kamado for having been turned into a demon. After seeing Tanjiro's skills in battle as well as Nezuko's unwillingness to devour her brother, Giyu Tomioka sends the siblings to Sakonji Urokodaki on Mt. Sagiri in order to become a demon slayer.

Tanjiro vows to save his sister and defeat Muzan in the process. Tanjiro trains under Sakonji for two years, learning the "Water Breathing" sword-style and improving his ability. He is instructed by Sakonji to slice a large rock in order to be allowed to partake in the Final Selection, which he succeeds in doing so with the help of ghosts Sabito and Makomo. Tanjiro becomes a member of the Demon Slayer Corps after surviving the Final Selection, during which he slays a demon who was responsible for the deaths of Sabito and Makomo.

During his first days as a Demon Slayer, Tanjiro finds Muzan at Asakusa. Muzan manages to escape by turning a passerby into a demon as a distraction, but is infuriated upon seeing Tanjiro's hanafuda earrings and vows to kill him. The siblings later meet friendly demons named Tamayo and Yushiro, assisting with their research to find a way to restore Nezuko's humanity. As a result, Tanjiro starts collecting samples of blood from the demons he vanquishes through their cat Chachamaru.

Tanjiro becomes traveling partners with fellow Demon Slayers Zenitsu Agatsuma and Inosuke Hashibira. Later in his battle against the demon Rui, Tanjiro remembers the Kamado family dance, which his father had wanted to pass on the next generation; he imitates the dance to perform the Hinokami Kagura technique, which unbeknownst to him is based on the original breath style, the Sun Breathing, merging both to create a more sustainable fighting style.

After Rui's defeat at the hands of Giyu, Tanjiro and Nezuko are prosecuted by Shinobu Kocho due to Nezuko's presence, but they are pardoned by their superior Kagaya Ubuyashiki. He is granted shelter at the Butterfly Mansion, where he recovers and trains with its inhabitants. Tanjiro and his friends, alongside Kyojuro Rengoku, embark on the Mugen Train to defeat Enmu, with Kyojuro dying after a chance meeting with Akaza. This leads to Tanjiro meeting Kyojuro's family, where his father and predecessor provided vital information on its status after a violent confrontation.

His sword's color is black, occasionally turning crimson red and becoming much stronger when combined with Nezuko's Blood Burst, a technique he later learns to perform without her help. Tanjiro goes to the top secret Swordsmith Village to acquire a new katana, acquiring Yoriichi Tsugikuni's sword by sheer coincidence and defeating Hatengu in the area with the help of other Slayers. Due to Nezuko's sun immunity causing alert in the Demon Slayer Training, he partakes in the Hashira Training, developing his physical abilities to his full potential before the final battle with Muzan.

Upon arriving at Muzan's location, where he is incapacitated by Ubuyashiki's suicide bombing, Tanjiro is sent to the Infinity Castle with Giyu, where they fight Akaza in a long confrontation. He perfects his Hinokami Kagura technique by entering the Transparent World and Selfless State, beheading Akaza, only for him to regenerate and subsequently commit suicide. Tanjiro reaches Muzan and fights him with the other Slayers; upon reaching the surface mere hours before dawn, he relives Yoriichi Tsugikuni's memories and perfects Sun Breathing technique, finally defeating Muzan after losing an eye and an arm in the fight and significant casualties.

However, Muzan turns Tanjiro into his successor as the Demon King, causing him to go feral and lash out at his allies, but a human Nezuko and his friends manage to revert his transformation in time. He heals his lost arm and eye, which otherwise remain non-functional after turning back into a human and thus end up rendering him being physically disabled. After the Demon Slayers' disbandment, Tanjiro returns to his life as a charcoal burner, with Nezuko, Zenitsu.

Did You Know?

Tanjiro's hanafuda earrings were considered 'a little feminine' by his editor but were kept because they accentuated his character.
His design was partially influenced by Himura Kenshin from Nobuhiro Watsuki's manga Rurouni Kenshin, specifically the scar.
When the anime premiered in China, Tanjiro's hanafuda earrings were briefly retouched due to Rising Sun-style elements.