Demon Slayer is one of the most successful manga and anime series in the world and has become a phenomenon thanks to the amazing characters and emotional journies that they take.
First created by Koyoharu Gotouge, the Demon Slayer manga series was released between 2016 and 2020 with the anime series debuting in 2019 and the film, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train, released the following year in 2020 that has become the highest-grossing film in Japan of all time.
What makes Demon Slayer such a brilliant series is how unafraid it is to allow readers and viewers to get close to characters who eventually meet their demise.
At no point does Gotouge allow fans to get too comfortable but in doing so, it becomes a story filled with all kinds of emotions. So what is Demon Slayer even about?
The series follows Tanjiro Kamado, a teenager who aims to become a demon slayer after his parents are murdered and his sister, Nezuko, is turned into a demon.
With so many character deaths throughout the franchise, there are few deaths more impactful than Tanjiro, who dies during the Final Battle during the Sunrise Countdown Arc. But how does this happen? And does Tanjiro stay dead?
In this guide, we’ve gathered everything you need to know about Tanjiro’s death and the aftermath of the event.
This article contains many spoilers relating to both the manga and anime so if you are working your way through either series or are wanting to be surprised then you should stop reading.
It is worth mentioning that the manga series finished in 2020 meaning that you can read the full thing while the anime has only finished its first season and had one film and season two is underway.
The first question that is often asked by people who are unfamiliar with the series, as well as those who have read through the story for the first time and may be a bit confused, is whether Tanjiro dies.
We’ll be delving into the specifics later in this guide but the simple answer is that Tanjiro does die during the Final Battle near the end of the series when fighting Demon King, Muzan; however, he is resurrected shortly afterward.
There is a time jump at the end of the manga that suggests Tanjiro has died of old age as his descendants thrive indicating that he was able to lead a peaceful life after getting resurrected.
Muzan has become well-known for being one of the most powerful villains in anime history so the fact that Tanjiro was able to reign victorious proves how strong a protagonist he is and the emotional journey that he goes through will captivate readers and viewers from beginning to end.
However, there is a lot to unpack over Tanjiro’s death at the hands of Muzan which is what we will explain in this guide.
How Did Tanjiro Die?
Multiple factors contribute to Tanjiro’s death during the Final Battle with Muzan. Muzan’s weakness is sunlight and Tanjiro’s job is to stall his nemesis long enough for him to be exposed to the sunrise.
To do this, he is forced to utilize his Sun Breathing techniques to the maximum which causes great injury to himself including the loss of one of his arms as well as a severe head injury.
Muzan is capable of overpowering Tanjiro still and eventually poisons him which weakens him and blinds him in one eye which leads to his death following Muzan’s demise.
As Muzan is King of the Demons, he is the most powerful demon of all and thus, the hardest to defeat which is what makes the Final Battle such a huge physical and emotional test for Tanjiro.
These events occur during the Final Battle Arc within the Infinity Castle Arc when Tanjiro, his friends, and the Hashira team up to defeat the demons once and for all.
Together, they can inflict damage upon Muzan but not enough to overpower him into submission which is why they have to resort to sacrificing themselves to keep Muzan exposed so he cannot escape the sunlight.
This results in many characters dying as well as the destruction of the castle and surrounding environments.
What Are Muzan’s Abilities?
Now that you know that Tanjiro’s death was at the hand of Demon King Muzan. But what abilities does the villain have? There is a reason why he is known as one of the most powerful villains in anime history and it is because of the number of abilities he has.
It’s important to remember that Muzan has existed for over 10,000 years which has resulted in a character that is emotionally distant, calculated, and completely ruthless.
From his physical abilities such as strength, speed, and fast reflexes, Muzan also has numerous magic abilities that allow him to overthrow demon slayers such as using blood to create demons and creating spiked wires that can be used to whip and entangle his enemies.
Therefore, it takes a lot of power to try and weaken him as he is the original demon and holds more power than all the demons combined. Even when Muzan is weakened during the Final Battle, it’s still not enough to completely overthrow him.
Other abilities that Muzan has include being able to avoid decapitation which makes him almost immortal for demon slayers to kill him.
This is because he can transform into his Infant form which helps to provide an extra layer of flesh that defends him when facing a high number of enemies from the Hashira.
Arguably, the ultimate form that Muzan can take is his Combat form which changes his physical appearance by turning his hair white and giving him a bloodied look while also increasing all of his aforementioned abilities, including his strength, which makes him invincible and the reason why Tanjiro dies along with many other characters.
From his ability to change form depending on the battle strategy he has, Muzan is one of the hardest villains to beat and in many respects, is unbeatable at the hands of Demon Slayers.
Final Battle Against Muzan
The Final Battle against Muzan begins to build up during the Sunrise Countdown arc which is when the Hashira are all alive and Muzan has full energy; however, there are members of the Hashira that are wounded whereas Muzan seems undefeatable as he is in combat mode.
Despite the Hashira, Tanjiro, and others coming together in a bid to overthrow Muzan, it doesn’t seem to work, despite their abilities providing unbeatable up to this point.
Muzan’s strength only seems to be growing as well as huge improvements in his Blood ability which is helped by boosted speeds and reflexes.
Muzan’s ruthlessness results in the deaths of many members of the Hashira as well as Demon Slayers meaning that no character was safe. Among the Hashira, here are some of the key members that Muzan killed:
Akaza
Daki
Doma
Gyokko
Gyutaro
Hantengu
Kaigaku
Kokushibo
Nakime
As mentioned before, it isn’t just the Hashira that faces Muzan’s weather as some Demon Slayers also meet their ends. Some of them are killed by Muzun directly while others sacrifice themselves as a distraction to prevent Muzan from escaping the sunrise.
Tanjiro is one of the latter as he helped to stall Muzan which in turn resulted in a variety of fatal wounds that kill him after Muzan is disintegrated by the sun.
Some of the wounds that Tanjiro faced included losing an arm, multiple bones breaking when he used his Sun Breathing attack numerous times, and a head wound.
On top of this, Muzan poisoned him which blinded Tanjiro and weakened him greatly to the point where he couldn’t recover following Muzan’s defeat.
The Kakushi confirmed Tanjiro’s death who tried checking for a pulse in a scene that is one of the most emotional in the entire manga and is sure to have an impact when it is adapted in the anime.
The image of Tanjiro that we see at this moment is of him kneeling where he holds his blade with one arm while the other one is missing.
The Aftermath Of Tanjiro’s Death
Now it would have been a shame to lose Tanjiro forever in such a horrific way which is why he is immediately brought back to life. After all, Tanjiro is the main protagonist of the entire Demon Slayer saga and it would bring the story to an abrupt end.
When he dies, Tanjiro comes back to life after death because he becomes a demon himself just as his sister Nezuko does.
This is because Muzan is defeated which then proved that he was overpowered and he uses the last of his powers to bring Tanjiro back to life to make him the new Demon King.
Tanjiro as we previously knew him has gone and in his place is an extremely powerful demon that not only makes him stronger than ever before, but he is also immune to sunlight.
Another advantage that comes with Tanjiro in demon form is that he is strong enough to resist killing his sister and is capable of fighting against Muzan within his subconsciousness which can cause moments of conflicts when he is feeling more vulnerable.
His demon form isn’t something he lives with all the time and for the majority of the series, he is his normal self.
Some things are not the same with the main one being that he is blind in one eye which is the result of the poison that he received from Muzan during the battle as well as losing some of the abilities he once had which makes him weaker in certain areas in his regular form.
Since all the demons have been eliminated, there isn’t a need for Demon Slayer anymore meaning that losing his abilities isn’t a major problem although it’s important to remember that a part of Tanjiro did die during the Final Battle against Muzan.
If Muzan hadn’t revived Tanjiro then the latter would not be able to live due to the number of injuries he faced as well as the poison.
The final part of Tanjiro’s story shows a time skip where his descendants are thriving showing that the protagonist was capable of raising a family of his own with no problems.
In a way, you can say that Tanjiro has faced two deaths with the first being his painful and fatal encounter against Muzan and the second being of old age after a long and peaceful resurrection.
What Episode Did Tanjiro Die In The Anime?
The Demon Slayer anime is a relatively new adaptation meaning that it is nowhere near finished. Following the huge success of the Mugen Train film in 2020, fans are eager to see what season 2 will bring.
What season 2 is going to contain has been kept secret so fans will have to wait to see what events it will cover. In the manga, Tanjiro dies during the Final Battle Arc so whether they will get that far or make another film afterward and make the Final Battle a huge event.
The manga has finished and Tanjiro’s demise starts in Chapter 200 during the battle against Muzan but the actual cause of death isn’t explicitly explained.
In Chapter 204, there is a time jump that shows modern-day Japan and it is implied that Tanjiro has died as we see his descendants thriving. How he dies isn’t explained but he has likely died of old age as he has managed to raise a family.
When it comes to the anime, they may explain Tanjiro’s death in more detail although this isn’t guaranteed given how faithful the anime has been to the manga.
Conclusion
Overall, Tanjiro’s death has been the source of much discussion among Demon Slayer fans as it hasn’t been shown on the anime yet but Chapter 200 has made circulation around the web with some fans have made a video of the panels so you can see the manga version of Tanjiro’s death.
Whether his death is shown in season 2, a later season or a film is unknown but what is certain is that it will be an event in the Demon Slayer universe.
If you love the anime and haven’t read the manga then you may find yourself waiting for some time but if you just cannot wait then a simple online search will show you the panels; however, it’s best to read the story in full so you can get the full emotional impact surrounding the Final Battle.
