Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is a big favorite here at The Otaku Box, and I am busily finding more and more merch to add to the boxes! I especially love the wonderful Nezuko, so here are some facts about one of the best shows from the past few years and the absolute cutest demon.
Nezuko and Tanjiro’s family worked with fire; even their last name Kamado refers to a traditional charcoal-fuelled stove. They respected fire, and we see their father, during a flashback, performed a traditional dance in a ring of torches on New Year’s Day.
This may go some way in explaining why both the siblings have fire-based powers, with Nezuko able to manipulate demonic flames from her blood that don’t hurt humans.
This is made extremely obvious from the beginning of the story, as Nezuko manages to retain some of her humanity and not harm the people she loves. Later she is tested by Sanemi Shinazugawa, and she refuses to bite him and even turns her head in disgust. Instead of using human blood to regenerate, she can recover with sleep instead.
The Demon Slayer Mark appears on Demon Slayers after experiencing life-threatening conditions, usually when a demon attacks them. Tanjiro’s awakened after he was attacked by a demon called Gyutaro. The marks look like tattoos or scars and grant the bearer extra abilities to help them in battle. They can increase speed, strength, and agility.
Demon marks also come with a price, as most with the mark die by the age of 25. Tanjiro’s Demon Slayer Mark is on his forehead and resembles a flame pattern.
Akari Kitō is the voice actress who plays Nezuko in the anime. Interestingly one of the kanji used to spell Akari Kitō’s name is the kanji that means ‘demon’. Nezuko and Akari Kitō are also the same height at 5 feet tall!
The Hashira are the most powerful members of the Demon Slayer Corps. There are only nine of them, mainly as to become one, a Demon Slayer needs to kill fifty demons or one of the strongest demons that belong to the Twelve Kizuki (the demons under the direct command of the Demon King).
The Hashira each have authority over a given region, protecting the humans that live there and knowing about any demon activity on their land.
The siblings potentially come from a mighty lineage of sword wielders; in the manga, Ninjiro dreams of his ancestor Sumiyoshi. The two have very similar facial features. Some even think their family is linked to the first Breath of the Sun user, which may be why Nezuko is such a unique demon.
So, this fact is fairly obvious, but Nezuko and Tanjiro have an unfathomable sibling bond. Right from the first episode, we see Nezuko protecting Tanjiro, which is totally unexpected as other demons have been known to eat their own family.
Tanjiro, in turn, shows on many occasions his ultimate devotion and love for his little sister, in both significant actions and small things like constantly carrying her around while she sleeps in her box. Ultimately, their bond gives them their strength, as they can combine their powers in new, more potent ways.
