Demon Slayer was worth finishing

Earlier this year, after watching enough students reading Demon Slayer, I started reading it. And I’ve now finished it.

Twenty-three volumes isn’t super long, particularly by manga standards, but it is long enough to let a story ruminate and develop. At the same time, it turned out to not be monster-of-the-week, Spider-Man-endlessly-fighting-bad-guys. At a certain point, I realized that a single story arc was emerging.

Here’s the elevator pitch:  After almost his entire family is slaughtered and his sole surviving sister becoming a demon, Tanjiro Kamado joins the Demon Slayer Corps. From there, he and his true companions slay demons.

But Demon Slayer subverts many of my expectations.

Spoilers 

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First off, Tanjiro is a grade A, all-loving hero. I’ve said that before and I’ll keep on saying it. I think that’s become more common than it used but I’m used to hot-hotted idiots or arrogant anti-heroes. Tanjiro as a sweetie is fun to me. 

Although just because he empathizes with everyone doesn’t keep him from chopping demon heads without hesitation.

However, Demon Slayer’s exploration of character development isn’t limited to just Tanjiro and his nakame. (And, yes, I only know that word thanks to One Piece) Other demon slayers and even demons get their backgrounds and motivations fleshed out. Usually when they are dying.

There’s lots of dying in Demon Slayer. And, near the end, I decided that Tanjiro, whose father died young, poverty stricken family was almost entirely slaughtered by demons and only remaining family is a demon, had one of the happiest backgrounds.

And the entire giant ensemble approach really plays in the plot and the overall theme of Demon Slayer. The demon slayer corp isn’t just about slaying random demons. They have the long term goal of killing Muzan, father of demons, which will end demon kind.

And, spoilers, they do. And while Tanjiro plays a crucial role, it takes everyone working together to do it. I was expecting a series focused on one character and got a giant, interconnected cast instead.

Demon Slayer, fun series.

So that’s why the kids like Demon Slayer

 After I kept seeing multiple students reading Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (and I’m going to call it just Demon Slayer from here on out), I finally asked one what was so special about the manga. I was told that they really liked the character development.

So I got the first few volumes out of the public library so I could read it for myself. (As someone who is old enough to remember when the United States was given Mazinger Z as Tranzor Z and when Robotech was actually a good thing, I think we live in an age of wonder as far as manga and anime is concerned)

Here’s the one sentence pitch: After a demon ravages a boy’s family, the boy devotes himself to slaying demons and restoring his demonic sister’s humanity.

So, the actual plot isn’t that unusual. Tanjiro and his true companions fight the monster of the week. New powers show up as necessary. If you’ve read any Shonen stuff, it’s familiar.

However, I found the character of Tanjiro to be unlike what I was used to in Shonen heroes. To be fair, I’m a dabbler and far from up to date on developments. But I’m used to hot-blooded idiots or cynical anti-heroes. 

Tanjiro, on the other hand, is very sensitive and empathetic. I’m fact, his sensitivity helps fuel his fantastical sword fighting.  He mourns for demons’ intrinsic tragedies. (He still slays them on any day ending in Y, of course)

It is very easy for me to see why some students would really take to Tanjiro. He is a character that they can relate to and has traits they probably aspire to.

(All that said, the fact that Nezuko, the most significant female character, has been reduced to a child mentally and has to wear a bamboo gag feels problematic for me, no matter the story justification)