The saga of Demon Slayer began when a boy came home and found his family had been massacred by a demon. Not only that, his sister began to turn into a demon as well. The name of that boy is Tanjiro Kamado, and after that fateful evening in the snowy mountain, he decided to become a demon slayer in order to find the cure for his sister, Nezuko Kamado, and kill the demon who was responsible for what happened to his family.A lot has happened since that first episode of the first season of Demon Slayer. Since then, Tanjiro has experienced numerous hardships, gained valuable friendship, and fought against powerful demons. So how much do all of those events change Tanjiro? Well, here are several noticeable things that changed with our favorite demon slayer.
He Gains More Confidence
At the beginning of the series, Tanjiro was just a helpless boy who couldn't do anything to help his loved ones. His chance encounter with the water hashira, Giyu Tomioka, opened up a whole new world and changed his life forever.
He learned the Water Breathing technique from Urokodaki, passed the hellish Final Selection exam, and became a full-fledged demon slayer. He took on jobs from the corps to exterminate demons in various places and fight increasingly powerful opponents. Every time he finished a mission, he got stronger and wiser than before.
All of those things helped Tanjiro gain confidence in his own ability. He is no longer the desperate boy who cried in the snow near the corpse of his family. Season 2 proves that he can properly help a Hashira fight one of the most powerful demons and win. Tanjiro now knows that he has the power needed in order to save Nezuko, and that means there is still hope for her future.
He Learns to Rely More on His Sister
Speaking of his sister, Tanjiro has always been a doting big brother not only to Nezuko, but to his other siblings as well. He rather walked through the snowy forest and did the work by himself so that his brothers and sisters could stay at home and play.
When Nezuko became a demon, that brought about numerous complications that he never had to face before. She can't talk, she can't face the sun, her original personality was not there, and not to mention the scorn from the people and the threat from other demon slayers if they know that she has become a demon. The only thing that Tanjiro knows is the fact that he is the only one that could save her. And that makes him overprotective of Nezuko.
During the early story of Demon Slayer, Tanjiro wouldn't let Nezuko out of her box because he feared for her safety. He wouldn't let anybody touch his sister and would go on rampage if anybody treated her badly. Tanjiro even went as far as trying to attack the wind hashira, Sanemi Shinazugawa, for trying to incite Nezuko's demon's tendency by showing her a drop of his blood.
However, the entertainment district proved that Nezuko not only has gained more control over her power now, but she is also a highly valuable asset in the battlefield. Nowadays, Tanjiro has become less protective of Nezuko and slowly learns to accept the fact Nezuko can and wants to fight alongside him.
His Breathing Technique
A breathing technique for every demon slayer is a set of specific fighting skills that is usually taught by a master of the technique. Tanjiro learned the water breathing technique from a former water hashira, Urokodaki, and has been using the water breathing for most of the story.
However, the Natagumo Mountain arc came along, and there he found another breathing technique that is surprisingly much more suitable for him. Not only that, even his body is strangely more adapted to this seemingly new breathing style. He began to use this breathing technique extensively in the entertainment District Arc.
Tanjiro, later on, learns about the fact that it is actually not a new breathing style. On the contrary, it is the ancient breathing technique used by the first demon slayer called the Sun Breathing. The movement itself is actually passed down in the Kamado family from father to son as a dance called Hinokami Kagura (Dance of the Fire God). Tanjiro found out that Sun Breathing is extremely effective on every demon, so he began to exclusively use this breathing technique after the Entertainment District Arc.
Some Things Remain the Same
There are numerous substantial things that are changing within Tanjiro's mind and body. Yet there are also some things that remain the same. Chief among them is his objective. Despite every crazy thing that has happened to him, his one and true goal hasn't changed since the first episode of season one. He wants to find the cure to return Nezuko back to her former self and defeat the source of his despair, the original demon, Muzan Kibutsuji.
Another aspect of Tanjiro’s personality that doesn't change despite everything that he’s been through is his sense of sympathy. He can see the faintest trace of humanity even in the most evil demons like Gyutaro and Daki. It's great to see that he still manages to maintain that level of kindness and warmth this far into the series.
The story of Tanjiro is still not done yet, at least in the anime. There are a couple of arcs left to go through. Nevertheless, he manages to showcase some notable growth and development as a character while still firmly holding the value instilled in him by his parents. We surely can't wait to see what kind of person he will turn out to be at the end.