Highlights
- Tanjuro Kamado, despite being sick and frail, played a crucial role in Tanjiro's journey as a Demon Slayer through his knowledge of the Hinokami Kagura and teaching Tanjiro the sun-breathing technique.
- Tanjuro was not a Demon Slayer himself, but he used his breathing technique to protect his family and even fought off a bear. He passed down the technique and hanafuda earrings to Tanjiro.
- Tanjiro's father's presence, teachings, and the sun-breathing technique he passed down greatly influenced Tanjiro's growth as a Demon Slayer, and if Tanjuro was alive, their family would have been protected from Muzan's tragic attacks.
Tanjiro's father, Tanjuro Kamado, was known to be a sick and frail man. He was suffering from an illness that made him weak and died even before the series began. Although Tanjiro's father doesn't make a lot of appearances in the Demon Slayer series, he is a key factor in the development of Tanjiro's journey as a Demon Slayer.
Just like his son, Tanjuro also wore a checkered haori and also possessed a demon slayer mark on his forehead. This is mainly akin to descendants of the Kamado family. Tanjiro remembers his father as a kind and patient man, who loved his family and would do anything to protect them. The hanafuda earrings which he wore were also passed down to Tanjiro after his death.
A Demon Slayer?
Tanjuro Kamado was, in fact, not a demon slayer. While there are many theories to prove that he could have been one, these were easily dismissed given his illness. Tanjuro however, lived a peaceful life in the mountains as a charcoal burner. What makes Tanjuro an instrumental character in the series is his knowledge of the Hinokami Kagura, also known as the sun-breathing technique, which was passed down through the Kamado family, and was later found to be the first breathing style. The Hinokami Kagura was passed on from father to son in every generation of the Kamado family along with the hanafuda earrings. The Hinokami Kagura was used every new year during a ritual ceremony where the breathing style user offers the Fire God a dance from sunset to sunrise to chase away evil threats and diseases.
The Hinokami Kagura comprises of twelve segments consistently repeated from night to dawn. Even though Tanjuro was weak and sick, he was still able to carry out the ritual by using the breathing technique. Even when Tanjiro offered to do the dance in his place, he refused, saying he never grew tired and was able to breathe in a way he wouldn't wear out. It is not clear if Tanjuro was aware of the existence of demons or not, but he did use his breathing technique to protect his family.
This is seen in one of Tanjiro's memories when Tanjuro took him to the woods to fight a massive bear who was killing people. Tanjiro was also surprised that his father was able to detect the smell of the bear even though they had not heard or seen it coming. This acute sense of extra-sensory was also something that was passed onto Tanjiro as he was seen using this throughout the series. Even though Tanjuro was weak and frail, he was easily able to cut off the head of the bear with a small axe. He demonstrated this technique to Tanjiro by using a technique known as the selfless state.
Like Father, Like Son
Tanjiro remembers his father as someone with a plant-like presence, someone who had a weak and frail body but was powerful in spirit. The fact that Tanjuro taught Tanjiro how to use the sun-breathing technique is what makes the story more interesting, as Tanjiro further develops this technique to a thirteenth form, a form that utilizes all twelve forms of sun breathing in a repetitive way to reduce tiredness and increase accuracy. He unlocks this form in order to defeat Muzan and destroy all his vital organs.
It goes without saying that Tanjiro learned a great deal from his father, and it all contributed to his growth as a demon slayer. If Tanjuro was alive from the beginning of the series, he would have protected his family from Muzan and the Kamado family would not have experienced tragic deaths. Tanjiro would have continued his father's legacy as a charcoal burner and would not have become one of the most powerful demon slayers in the series.
Demon Slayer is available to stream on Netflix and Amazon Prime.
