◆ Role in the Story (Spoiler Warning)

※The following contains major plot details from the anime and film adaptations of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. Proceed with caution if you haven’t watched them yet.





Tragedy and Joining the Demon Slayer Corps
On a snowy day in the Taisho era, Tanjiro Kamado returns home from selling charcoal to find his entire family slaughtered by a demon—Muzan Kibutsuji. His younger sister Nezuko is the sole survivor, but she has been turned into a demon. Devastated and on the brink of despair, Tanjiro encounters Giyu Tomioka, who initially attempts to kill Nezuko. However, seeing Tanjiro protect her with such resolve, Giyu recognizes an unprecedented potential in the siblings and lets them go.

Under Giyu’s guidance, Tanjiro travels to meet Sakonji Urokodaki, a cultivator of Demon Slayers. Determined to find a way to turn Nezuko back into a human, Tanjiro resolves to join the Demon Slayer Corps himself. He endures two years of grueling training under Urokodaki and eventually masters Water Breathing. In the Final Selection held at Mount Fujikasane, he overcomes a fierce battle with the infamous Hand Demon and survives—marking his official entry into the Corps.

First Mission and Allies
Tanjiro’s first assignment as a Demon Slayer takes him to a town in the northwest where young girls have been disappearing at night. There, he confronts the Swamp Demon and defeats it using Water Breathing, successfully slaying a demon for the first time with his own hands.

He is then sent to Asakusa, where he unexpectedly encounters Muzan Kibutsuji, the very demon who destroyed his family. Enraged, Tanjiro attempts to pursue him, but Muzan causes chaos by turning a civilian into a demon and escapes. During this mission, Tanjiro meets Tamayo, a demon doctor, and her assistant Yushiro, who become valuable allies in his quest. They begin helping him collect demon blood as a means to research a cure for Nezuko.

On his next mission, Tanjiro meets fellow recruit Zenitsu Agatsuma, a cowardly and emotional swordsman. They are soon joined by another comrade, Inosuke Hashibira, a wild boy wearing a boar's head. Together, the trio battles Kyogai, a former Lower Rank Six demon, in the Drum House. Despite suffering from Kyogai’s Blood Demon Art, Tanjiro adapts and defeats him with precision. This marks the beginning of a deep bond between the three, who continue to travel together on demon-slaying missions.

The Battle on Mount Natagumo
Responding to a crow’s directive, Tanjiro and his companions head to Mount Natagumo, where a family of spider-themed demons—led by Lower Rank Five, Rui—is terrorizing Demon Slayer members. Tanjiro and Inosuke confront Father Spider Demon, but are overpowered by his brute strength and severely injured. They are saved just in time by Giyu Tomioka, who slays the demon.

Tanjiro and Nezuko then face Rui directly. Pushed to his limits and caught in Rui’s razor-sharp threads, Tanjiro recalls his late father’s ceremonial dance and unlocks a new power—the Hinokami Kagura. He uses the Dance form to unleash a fiery slash, while Nezuko supports him with her Blood Demon Art, Exploding Blood, severing Rui’s threads. Their combined attack nearly severs Rui’s neck, but Tanjiro collapses from exhaustion, and Rui escapes by cutting his own threads—only to be immediately executed by Giyu, who arrives at the scene.

Hashira Meeting and Recognition
After the battle, the heavily injured Tanjiro and Nezuko are forcibly taken to the Hashira Meeting, where their fate is deliberated by the Corps’ leader, Kagaya Ubuyashiki, and the elite Hashira. Many of the Hashira fiercely object to Nezuko’s existence as a demon. However, Tanjiro passionately defends her innocence and his resolve to protect her.

At Shinobu Kocho’s suggestion, a test is conducted to determine whether Nezuko harbors hostility toward humans. She proves herself by resisting temptation, and Kagaya steps in to vouch for them both, referring to them as “children of my benefactor.” At last, the two are officially recognized as special members of the Demon Slayer Corps.

Source : DemonSlayer Official