The following article contains major spoilers for the final arc of the series.
The fact that Tanjiro Kamado escapes seemingly impossible difficulty every minute is part of the fun of Demon Slayeryet the series would have ended up making headlines long ago if it followed its own logic. Although the protagonist is a good-hearted person with a head like a rock, the power gap between a rookie slayer and a century-old demon is usually too wide to be closed by being nice alone. Many fans have commented that a world as enchanted as this requires Tanjiro to have a guardian angel (or a very kind mangaka) looking over his shoulder at all times.
These posts are about villains who almost won before some plot twist changed the plan or a last-minute save changed the series. These characters didn't just push the hero to his limits; they completely destroyed them, starting with the threats they encountered early in the anime and ending with the final boss. For viewers who love a good what-if scenario, these are seven times when the bad guys really should have won.
The strongest demons in Demon Slayer
There are several powerful demons present in the Demon Slayer anime. These characters are the most dangerous.
7
Yahab
The battle against Tamayo in her house was literally the headache of the fandom as it forced Tanjiro to fight the invisible forces of physics. The arrows that Yahaba used as vectors gave him the ability to toss the protagonist around like a ragdoll without having to get close enough to strike with his sword, a nightmare for any melee fighter. Since the hero was already working with a number of broken ribs, any landing was a possible game-ender, and since the demon could shift the direction the power was found, using the leg was practically unnecessary.
As far as traditions go, the protagonist of the story was only able to escape this mess due to the arrogance of Yahaba himself and some desperate means used to moderate the force of such violent arrow pelts. Instead of trying to be a bit creative with his vector manipulation, the demon could have simply turned the hero into a pretzel and made him realize too late how to counter the Blood Demon Art. It was a near-death experience that showed the community how dangerous demons can be when they stop engaging in fair battle and start interfering with the environment.
6
Enmu
The Mugen Train arc is a fan favorite, but it also features one of the scariest close-up moments in the series. Enmu is able to put Tanjiro into a dreamlike reality from which the only way out is to commit suicide, creating a deadly mental cycle. The dreams were so fast that Tanjiro couldn't even tell what the reality was. In real life, he almost stabbed himself in the throat with a sword. Had he intervened, the story would have closed with a self-inflicted fatal blow before the train could reach its destination.
This is when the fandom credits Allo with the fact that Inosuke physically deflected Tanjiro's blade. Inosuke's boar mask and wild instincts allow him to explore Enmu's tricks. He stepped in and yelled at Tanjiro to wake up even as the blade of the sword was about to plunge into his throat. Tanjiro would be a sitting duck without Inosuke and the help of Nezuko using her Blood Burst to remove the demon's influence. Enmu won the battle of the mind; Tanjiro was still alive because he had a team watching his blind spots.
5
Hanteng
The battle with the Upper Moon Four was a very tough test of patience that Tanjiro could not have succeeded on his own. The Zohakiten clone was a huge, multi-headed dragon that dominated the battlefield with sonic screams and wood manipulation. Tanjiro was so overwhelmed by the scale of the attacks that he was arrested several times and nearly crushed. The manga depicts his stamina as almost zero, as he was only able to keep going due to the fear of the Upper Moon keeping him moving.
Would people say I can't be human again? I was afraid, so I held back my power. But not anymore! – Mitsuri Kanroji
Fandom knows that Mitsuri Kanroji, Love Hashira, is the true hero of this match. She arrived at the right place at the right time to deliver a massive shock wave that would have killed Tanjiro instantly. As Mitsuri retrieved the main body, Tanjiro continued to make it difficult to find the real Hanteng, a mouse-sized beast lurking in the grass. The time limit of the day was traditionally the rising sun; if they were in the Infinity Castle or a gloomy cave, Hantengu would end up kidnapping Tanjiro.
Demon Slayer: Each main character's age, height and birthday
A must-read for Demon Slayer fans: the ages, heights and birthdays of the series' most iconic characters!
4
Rui
Arch of Mt. Natagumo was considered to be the point where performance changed Demon Slayer became a reality. Even after Tanjiro unlocks “Hinokami Kagura” in a stunning display of fire and determination, the manga reveals the brutal truth: it didn't work. Rui used his thread cutting cage to cut off his head before Tanjiro could attack, thus the demon still existed and controlled itself. The massive energy drain from the fire dance left Tanjiro face down in the dirt, unable to move.
It's the most popular clutch moment in the series: if Giyu Tomioka hadn't shown up with Eleventh Form: Dead Calm, Rui would have killed Tanjiro in seconds. There is an argument among fans that technically Rui won this exchange because he outplayed Tanjiro's biggest move and had a lot of Blood Demon arts left. It's a huge wake-up call for Tanjiro.
3
Daki and Gyutaro
The fight in the Entertainment District was a bloody battle that Tanjiro felt had broken him. The flying blood sickles as wielded by Gyutaro were covered in poisonous blood that would cause the death of a normal human being within minutes and Tanjiro was hit more than once during the fight. Fans remember how helpless Tanjiro felt during the fight. If it weren't for Tengen and the support of Inosuke and Zenitsu, Tanjiro would never be able to defeat a higher rank all by himself at this point. Gyutaro was an experienced assassin who had killed fifteen Hashirs, and there was no way he could lose to a team of rookies.
The only reason Tanjiro is still around is because of Nezuko's “Blood Burst” removing the poison and Tengen Uzui's “Musical Score” technique allowing enough time for the final opening. Tanjiro was practically a corpse even after the victory; if Nezuko had set his blood on fire, he would have died right then and there. If we were going purely by the teachings of Upper Moon's mortality, Gyutaro had the kill confirmed and only a series of “miracle” saves kept Tanjiro's heart beating.
2
Akaza
Tanjiro had just defeated Akaza with his decapitation blow due to his Selfless state which allowed him to avoid Akaza's “Compass Needle”, but legend shows that Akaza was the better fighter. Akaza, who lost his head, didn't want to die as he grew it back through sheer force during the terrifying shift as Tanjiro lay limp and unconscious. At this time the fight was over. With a single attack, Tanjiro released his last breath of soul, but it wasn't enough to stop the massacre of the Upper Moon Three.
The community understands that Tanjiro never defeated Akazu; Akaza defeated himself. When Akaza regained his memories of Hakuji and Koyuki, he killed himself with his own technique. It would take another five minutes for the demon to remain a monster, and Tanjiro and Giyu would no longer exist. It is also one of the few shōnen cases in which the antagonist was much stronger than the protagonist and had to resolve the situation through moral experience instead of physical victory.
1
Muzan Kibutsuji
The final battle with the Demon King turned into a desperate survival game that Tanjiro actually lost several times. Muzan was so fast and strong that he smeared all the assassins on the ground with poisonous blood that instantly destroyed their cells. Tanjiro was hit so hard that half of his face swelled into a huge tumor and at one point in the battle he was technically dead. It only took a high-stakes medical cocktail from Tamaya to get him back on his feet.
Demon Slayer: Saddest Death in the Series, Rated
As the Demon Slayer narrative continues, many more characters meet tragic ends. But which deaths were the hardest at the end of this story?
The exact details show that the 9,000-year-old Muzan fought four different poisons in a single night, yet almost won. Well, technically, he did. If it wasn't for the demon slayer corps to protect him and the sun to intervene, Tanjiro would have died in vain along with everyone else. It took all that survived, an immense dose of the drug, and the soul of the deceased Hashira to barely be able to pull Muzan into the light. In Tanjiro's case, it wasn't a fight he won, but a disaster he was able to survive because other people were ready to die for him.
- Release date
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April 6, 2019
- Network
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Swimming for adults
