So it’s not that much of a surprise nowadays that I tend to love anime. Anyone who knows me well knows that about me. While I didn’t always love the genre, my love for it has only grown in the last few years, and I’ve seen a lot of it.
I’ve watched all of the Pokemon anime, the latest and greatest that came out in the last few years, as well as some of the classics, such as Dragon Ball and One Piece (even if that show has taken the life out of me). And through it all, there’s really one protagonist through everything that I genuinely think is the best, out of all the anime that I have seen.
And that’s Tanjiro Kamado from Demon Slayer.
Keep in mind – I am twenty-four, turning twenty-five soon, so I haven’t seen every single anime known to man. There might be a protagonist that I’m missing out on, but in my years so far, there is not another protagonist that I found myself loving more than Tanjiro. And today, we’re going to talk about it.
He Seriously Loves His Sister More Than Anything
Something that I’ve noticed in many anime is that there’s usually a big focus on romantic relationships or friendships, which is fine and dandy. That’s what really makes great anime sometimes, watching the dynamics between those friends.
In fact, I’d say that most anime these days focus on a single trio of friends that really carry the series. Attack on Titan began that way. The same goes for My Hero Academia. 2022’s biggest hit, Chainsaw Man, was also that way – friendship groups are something that I really do admire.
But man, I love that the main reason for Tanjiro’s fight is that he just loves his sister and wants her back.
Granted, Demon Slayer does have a core three characters – Tanjiro, Zenitsu and Inosuke, but in Season 3 of the show, their friendship really sits in the background as the focus returns back to Tanjiro and his sister, and the compelling familial relationship that they have.
I have never seen someone care so deeply for their family the way that Tanjiro does, and it makes me smile every single time. He will do literally anything to protect her – even build her a little box so that she can travel in the sunlight with him when she is turned into a demon. Heck, the whole reason Tanjiro became a demon slayer in the first place was because he wanted to be strong enough to take down Muzan and turn his sister back into a human because he wished to find a cure for her.
His journey stems from the love he has for his sister, and not in a weird, creepy way like some anime have done (such as Spy x Family with Yor and Yuri). It’s the sweetest friendship and relationship that I have ever seen and I really can’t ask for more than to enjoy these two together.
He Works Hard To Be The Best He Can Be
I mean, I feel like every anime protagonist at some point “works hard” to be the best that they can be. You could relate that to Ash from Pokemon – “I wanna be the very best, like no one ever was.” Or you could think of Deku from My Hero Academia, another very sweet protagonist.
But I think what makes me like Tanjiro so much when he trains is that he does not quit. There is not a single second where he believes that he can’t do what he is trying to do. While you can clearly see him struggle, he is willing to do everything in order to become better, even train in crazy conditions.
The first arc of this show is always what gets me, especially when he was trying to learn how to properly slice that boulder in the first season. His determination is unmatched. If I had to compare him to any modern-day anime protagonist, I’d compare him to Isagi from Blue Lock. Obviously, they have very different motivations, but Isagi does everything he can and learns from everyone to be better – the same way Tanjiro does.
He’s Always There For His Friends No Matter What
While friendship isn’t the main draw of the story of Demon Slayer in my eyes, I will say that Tanjiro is always there for his friends, literally no matter what.
At first, they didn’t quite get along just because they had such different personalities and fighting styles, but over time, we really did start to see a shift in their friendship and how often Tanjiro would aid them. He would encourage them to do better, train with them, and fight with them.
I have to say, as much as I loved Season 3 of the show, I really missed seeing them fight together. All three of them, during the Entertainment District arc while they were fighting, were some of the best modern-day anime action scenes I have seen. I hope that in Season 4, we’ll get to see them again real soon.
Even When He Is Down, He Pushes Himself To Beat His Enemies
Again, the determination this young man has is outstanding, and I can barely believe it.
No matter how damaged Tanjiro is, he always finds a way to stand up and fight. He was bleeding ridiculously in that fight against Daki and her brother, but when it felt like he was going to lose it all, he was able to pull through and concentrate without blinking an eye, avoiding hit after hit. I don’t know where this man’s adrenaline came from but I wish I had it.
Another example would be in Season 3 of the show in that final fight against Hantengu. Tanjiro was at the end of his limit, he could barely walk, and was most likely going to end up bleeding out if he pushed himself anymore. But through literal sheer determination and using the skills he had learned from others, he was able to use the last of his energy in order to take down the demon in order to save innocent lives.
He never gives up, even if that might end in his death one day. He’s always at the edge of his game.
He Even Feels Empathy For The Demons He Faces
I think what really makes Tanjiro stand out from the rest is that he genuinely feels bad for the people he kills.
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Obviously, he still needs to kill demons to save lives, but Tanjiro also knows deep down that these demons were once people before, people who were lost or killed or did something to survive or were treated horribly in their past life. While he has a job to do, he doesn’t throw it in their face that they’re evil.
He’s shown compassion to them despite what they’ve done, and it takes a special kind of person to do that -- and really, it all stems from him wanting to help Nezuko turn back into a human. You would never see Eren showing that compassion to his enemies from Attack on Titan, or Denji from Chainsaw Man. Tanjiro has the purest heart I’ve seen – and I love him for that.
Truth be told, there are plenty of anime protagonists out there, but I don’t know – Tanjiro to me is just the best, and always will be. If you have someone else in mind, feel free to bring them up, but for now, I’ll stick with Tanjiro and how amazing he is.
