Adrian Pilanga
If you’ve watched Demon Slayer anime or read the manga, you know Tanjiro Kamado’s story (well, the anime isn’t done yet, but you know his story up to a certain point at least). A young man who witnesses the death of his family by demons and then went out to become a Demon Slayer to make sure no one else suffers the same fate yada yada yada.
But how much do you know about his father? The late Tanjuro Kamado who died before the events in the show took place.
It’s been of some debate whether or not Tanjuro Kamado was a Demon Slayer. The confusion often stems from the “scar” that Tanjuro shares with his son. It’s been revealed that the scar is actually a secret Demon Slayer mark. Therefore, Tanjuro must have been one, right? Unfortunately, wrong. Tanjuro Kamado was not a Demon Slayer.
The mark doesn’t necessarily exclusively appear on people who are Demon Slayers (or people who are destined to be one). Despite being called the “Demon Slayer mark”, the mark actually appears on those who know the Sun Breathing (Hinokami Kagura) technique specifically. So being a Demon Slayer doesn’t really have anything to do with the mark.
And for those who have/are only watching the anime, you may be thinking “Oh, but maybe it’ll be revealed in a future season that he secretly was a Demon Slayer!” Well, sorry to say but as you might know, the Demon Slayer manga is already finished and no, it was never stated that Tanjuro Kamado ever joined the Demon Slayer Corps. So, unless they make some drastic deviations from the manga in the later seasons (which is highly unlikely), Tanjiro’s dad is certifiably not a Demon Slayer.
Also, any connections Tanjuro may or may not have had with the Demon Slayers are unclear at best.
Tanjuro Kamado’s Skills
Demon Slayer or not, Tanjuro had a pretty impressive skillset that could have placed him in one of the Corps’ highe ranks had he joined, here’s a few of them:
Sun Breathing: Despite not being a part of the Demon Slayers, he’s still a descendant of Sumiyoshi Kamado, one of the two people to develop the strongest breathing technique: Sun Breathing (the other person being Yoriichi Tsugikuni, one of the best Demon Slayers in history). This technique has been passed down through the Kamado clan for generations, and before Tanjiro learned it, it was taught to him by his father.
Transparent World: By entering the Transparent World, Tanjuro could also observe a being’s muscle, blood flow, and joint movement to predict their next move or attack. This can also be used to look at a person and see whether they are physically well or hurt. Once again, this is an ability that Tanjiro learns in his journeys as well.
Incredible Stamina: Even though he was generally sickly and frail, with the proper breathing technique, he could have the stamina to perform the Hinokami Kagura dance for an entire day! Eventually, though, his physical body could only take so much and he passed away. Demon Slayer he ain’t but you wouldn’t have wanted to mess with this coal.
