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What Happens to Tanjiro and Nezuko in Demon Slayer?
What Happened to The Hashira in Demon Slayer?
Demon Slayer's Ending is The Perfect Reward for Its Heroes
Summary
- Demon Slayer's final chapter focuses on Tanjiro and Nezuko's descendants, revealing their fates and peaceful lives.
- Many characters, including the Hashira, are reincarnated in the present, leading peaceful lives after the final battle.
- The ending of Demon Slayer rewards its heroes with a peaceful life, emphasizing the good they've done lasting into the future.
Demon Slayer is an insanely popular series, even in spite of the fact that the manga ended several years ago. The manga ended with a special final chapter set in the modern day, effectively the distant future for Demon Slayer's 1910s setting.
This epilogue chapter indirectly reveals the fates of many characters, but most notable among them are, of course, Tanjiro and Nezuko. Chapter 205 focuses on the descendants of Tanjiro and Nezuko as they go about their normal lives, and meet characters who happen to be reincarnations of Tanjiro's friends.
Since Demon Slayer's final battle is such a bloodbath, there are a lot of characters who die before they have any descendants, and thus are seen in reincarnated forms in the story's epilogue.
What Happens to Tanjiro and Nezuko in Demon Slayer?
Tanjiro and Nezuko Start Families of Their Own
Since the chapter focuses on Tanjiro and Nezuko's descendants, the first and most obvious thing that can be said about Tanjiro and Nezuko's fate is that they each marry. The chapter opens with two boys, Kanata and Sumihiko Kamado, with the former attempting to wake the latter in time for school. As evidenced by their last name, these are the descendants of Tanjiro, who in a family photo is shown to be married to Kanao Tsuyuri. The character in the present day who resembles Nezuko, Toko, has the last name Agatsuma, suggesting that she married Zenitsu. Tanjiro and Nezuko seem to have had peaceful lives after Muzan's defeat, able to raise families.
Tanjiro, of course, did suffer some massive injuries in the final battle which he has to live with. Tanjiro is left blind in one eye and unable to feel his arm below the elbow, rendering his left hand useless. Kanao also suffered injuries to her eyes, reducing her visibility significantly as well. Fortunately, these disabilities don't seem to have impacted their ability to lead happy lives, especially knowing how much they sacrificed in order to achieve this peace. Tanjiro seems to have held a place of honor in his family, with his earrings and sword shown to be on display in his descendants' home.
Inosuke is also shown to have a descendant, one Aoba Hashibira, a scientist who discovers the Blue Spider Lilies in the present. Judging by the name Aoba, and Inosuke's interest in her in chapter 204, it seems likely that Inosuke ended up marrying Aoi Kanzaki, another of the girls at the Butterfly Mansion. Aoba is shown lamenting his fate after the Blue Spider Lily dies, wishing he could live alone in the mountains as his ancestor Inosuke once did.
What Happened to The Hashira in Demon Slayer?
Many Hashira Were Reincarnated in the Present
After reading his grandfather's book about the battle against Muzan, Yosh*teru Agatsuma says that he believes everyone who fought against the demons was reincarnated to live peaceful lives. The chapter seems to confirm this, as many characters in the present are shown to resemble members of the Hashira and other demon slayers. Since almost all the Hashira died during or just after the final battle, very few of them had the opportunity to have direct descendants.
Tengen Uzui was shown to have a descendant/reincarnation in the form of Olympic gold medal winner Tenma Uzui. Muichiro Tokito and his brother are shown as infant twins, being pushed by a mother. Shinobu and her sister Kanae Kocho are seen reincarnated as students at a women's academy. Gyomei Himejima is shown to be reincarnated as a kindergarten teacher, still caring for children even in the next life. Mitsuri Kanroji and Iguro Obanai are shown running a diner, and are given the chance to be together in this life, as they're married.
Giyu Tomioka is also shown to have a descendant/reincarnation, Giichi, who has friends that resemble Sabito and Makomo, Giyu's fallen friends. Kyojuro Rengoku is shown to be reincarnated, or perhaps descended from his brother, as Tojuro, a good friend of Sumihiko. Lastly, Sanemi and Genya Shinazugawa are shown to be reincarnated as policemen, who catch Sumihiko late to school and call his mother about it. While Sanemi's reincarnation's personality isn't much better than his, at least the two brothers seem to get along in this reincarnation.
And, despite it being a hundred years in the future, some characters were shown to still be alive. Kiriya Ubuyashiki, the surviving son of the Ubuyashiki family, is seen on TV, being hailed as the oldest man in Japan. It's also shown that Yushiro is still alive, the last living demon, and is still painting images of Lady Tamayo, which are widely regarded as exceptionally lifelike portraits. Yushiro is an extremely reclusive figure, however, responding violently to attempts at interviews and focusing exclusively on his paintings. Yushiro is shown to still own the cat demon, Chachamaru, as well.
Demon Slayer's Ending is The Perfect Reward for Its Heroes
A Peaceful Life is the Ultimate Reward
Demon Slayer is a manga all about the difficult struggle of good and selflessness against evil and selfishness, and pulls no punches by showing that such a battle is deadly, even for those with extreme skill. Being rewarded for the selflessness that they showed with reincarnation into a more peaceful era feels like an appropriate reward for Tanjiro and his friends and allies, emphasizing the good that they've done that has lasted well into the future.
It's a surprisingly happy ending for a series as bloody and serious as Demon Slayer can be at times, but that's just what's in order after such a long and hard-fought battle comes to an end. Tanjiro and his friends certainly suffered a lot for their happy ending, but all that suffering wasn't in vain, as it has allowed their descendants to live the kind of happy and peaceful lives that they themselves could only have dreamed of. It's only a shame that more people don't know about the sacrifices that Tanjiro and the Demon Slayer Corps made throughout Demon Slayer, so that their deeds can be more widely appreciated.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba (2016)
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba follows Tanjiro Kamado, a young boy who becomes a demon slayer after his family is slaughtered and his sister Nezuko is turned into a demon. Tanjiro embarks on a perilous journey to find a cure for his sister and avenge his family, facing numerous demons and formidable opponents along the way. Set in Taisho-era Japan, the series combines intense combat sequences with intricate character development.
- Writers
- Koyoharu Gotouge
- Penciler(s)
- Koyoharu Gotouge
- Inker(s)
- Koyoharu Gotouge
- Publisher(s)
- Viz Media