Highlights
- Demon Slayer explores the theme of family bonds, showcasing the deep connection between Tanjiro and Nezuko.
- The series also reveals that demons, like humans, seek familial connections, as seen with the creation of the Spider Family.
- Rui, the leader of the Spider Family, has a troubled past and controls his family through fear, contrasting the loving bond between Tanjiro and Nezuko.
One of the primary themes in Demon Slayer is the bond between family. This is majorly highlighted by showing the bond between Tanjiro and his sister Nezuko. His determination and perseverance showcases the lengths to which he is willing to go for the protection of a loved one.
However, the Demon Slayer series also shows that it is not just humans who desire a familial bond, but demons too. The Spider Family, which lived on Mount Natagumo, was one of the demon families shown in the series, a family which was created by a lower-rank five demon, Rui, a demon with a troubled past.
Arachnid Origins
Rui, was once a human boy who was born weak and fragile, and spent most of his life stuck in his house being cared for by his parents. Rui was desperate to be a normal boy and was given the opportunity when he met Muzan, who offered to give the boy strength and power like no other. Rui was then turned into a demon with spider-like demon art abilities, but just like all demons, he needed to eat humans in order to survive, and he ended up killing people. Once, when his parents discovered the body of a dead man, they were afraid and believed that killing Rui was the way to stop all the killings, but before his father could strike him with a knife, Rui woke up and ended up killing them both. Shaken by the fact that his own parents were willing to kill him.
As his parents lay dying, Rui heard the final words spoken by his mother, saying that she was sorry she could not give him a better life and a healthy body. Rui then remembered the last words his father spoke when lifting the knife to kill him, which was not to worry because they were going to kill themselves right after, so that the three of them could live together peacefully in the afterlife. Rui then understood that this was an act of love and not ill intent, but the realization came too late. Traumatized by his actions, Rui deeply longed for a family again. As the years went by, Rui grew to become a powerful demon, so powerful that Muzan gave him a large dosage of his blood so Rui could become stronger.
The Spider Family
Muzan favored Rui so much that he gave him permission to create a family of his own to fill the void with his missing family. Thus began the beginnings of the Spider Family, Rui started searching for demons, by offering them protection from Demon Slayers, but in return, they had to join his family. If they agreed, Rui would kill the Demon Slayers who were after them and then take the demon to his home, where he would initiate a welcoming ceremony by making them drink a drop of Muzan's blood, making them stronger. Rui would then transform them to have similar appearances as he does and designate roles such as father, mother, brother or sister. Rui would position himself as the younger sibling even though he was clearly the strongest and the leader of the family.
Demon Slayer: How Strong is Muichiro Tokito?
Hashiras are expected to be exceptional, and Muichiro Tokito still manages to rise above those expectations.
While families are meant to be built on love and trust, Rui's made-up family was quite the opposite. He believed that his entire family should protect him and do what he said. If Rui's expectations were unmet or if he felt betrayed, the consequences were grim. If the family member disobeyed his orders, they would be killed by being hung outside until dawn as the sun's rays burned them to death. Many of his family members were afraid of him and only wanted to become a part of his family, so they could be protected from Demon Slayers. Rui's family initially consisted of nine members, but then that gradually reduced to five members, which included the spider demon father, mother, eldest son, eldest daughter and Rui as the youngest son. The previous members could possibly have been killed for not obeying Rui's orders.
Rui's behavior of controlling his family stems from a story he heard of a father who sacrificed his life to rescue his drowning son. This story had been engraved in Rui's mind, and he believed that all his family members should sacrifice themselves for him when needed. This is what he believed a family was supposed to be. He forces this idea on his family members by means of torture. Rui's desire to be a part of a family is so deep-rooted that he would also push his fake family to also reenact scenarios a normal family would do, such as sitting around a dinner table. Tanjiro was also able to understand the fake relationship the family had, and called Rui out on it, explaining that a familial bond is built on love and not fear. The Spider Family was one of the prime examples of how tragic backstories are mixed with character development in the Demon Slayer series. It showed the difference between Tanjiro and Nezuko's loving sibling bond compared to the Spider Family's controlling and dark connection.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba can be streamed on Prime Video and Netflix.
Demon Slayer: How Strong Is Muzan?
Demon Slayer's main antagonist has yet to show just how powerful he really is.
