However, when Tanjiro returns home the next morning, he finds hisentire familycovered in blood, killed, and the only member whose body is still warm is his sister Nezuko. Soon, Tanjiro finds out that Nezuko has beenturned into a demon, and he vows to protect her.
Now, this raises the question, that why wasTanjiro’s familymurdered, who killed them, and why was Nezuko turned into a demon.
Tanjiro’s Family Members That Were Killed
Tanjiro’s mother who is Kie Kamado, younger brother Takeo Kamado, sister Hanako Kamado, brother Shigeru Kamado and Tanjiro’s youngest brother Rokuta Kamado were killed as well. Tanjiro’s father had died before his family due to an illness.
Who Killed the Demon Slayer Kamado Family?
The death of Tanjiro’s family looked like a bear attack at first, but that wasn’t it. Nezuko was not killed but instead turned into a demon, and only a man with an evil motive could have specifically picked Nezuko to turn into a demon. Also, it was obvious that this was an intentional demon attack because none of the bodies were eaten. Tanjiro’s family was killed and covered in blood, but their head and bodies were physically attached.
But it is indeed Tanjiro’s strong sense of smell that confirms that Muzan killed Tanjiro’s family. Tanjiro senses the presence of Muzan for the first time when he is at Asakusa, Tokyo, and in the middle of the crowd. Tanjiro recognizes Muzan’s scent and confirms it to be the same which was present at his family’s death scene.
Why did Muzan Kill Tanjiro’s family?
Muzan illness was going to take his life when a doctor in Japan turned him into a demon by using the Blue Spider Lily. Muzan Kibetsuji was finally healthy, but despite being immortal and becoming the first demon, there was one thing he still feared though his illness was gone: death.
There was no demon slayer or demon strong enough to fight against him, but the closest he came to death was when he fought against Yoriichi Tsugikini, who used the first and most powerful breathing technique, Sun-breathing.
Muzan wanted to make sure that there, Yoriichi Tsugikini would be the first and last sun-breathing user to have ever existed. He went as far as turning Yoriichi’s twin brother, Michikatsu, into a demon slayer. The twin brother Michikatsu became an upper-rank demon, the top of the Twelve Kizuki and alongside Muzan, he went on to kill anyone who could possibly have a connection with the sun-breathing users.
Many people assumed that Muzan killed Tanjiro’s family because of their connection with sun-breathing. In fact, when Muzan meets Tanjiro for the first time, he notices his Hanafuda earrings and becomes so scared he immediately orders his demon to kill him. But it turns out, that was not the case.
The demon king lived for thousands of years, but the fact that he cannot withstand sunlight and that the sun could take kill him really agitated him. He did not want to spend his entire life lurking in the night and staying hidden during the daytime. That is why he kept on transforming humans into demons, with the hope of one day having a demon that could withstand sunlight.
Muzan had simply killed Tanjiro’s family because they were one of his usual experiments of trying to give his blood to humans and making them demons with the hope that they would have the ability to withstand sunlight.
Muzan did not know that Tanjiro would learn Sun Breathing. Neither did he know that Tanjiro’s father, Tanjuro knew practised the powerful Hinokami Kagura, the dance of the fire god, and knew it even better than Tanjiro Kamado. Lucky for the demon king, Tanjuro died without becoming a demon slayer or using Nichirin sword.
Eventually, Nezuko develops the ability to withstand sunlight at the end of the “Swordsmith Village” arc. Muzan had achieved the goal he longed for, but at a heavy cost.
Why did Muzan not kill Nezuko?
Muzan gave a large amount of his blood to every Kamado family member, but the blood flow killed everyone except Nezuko. Muzan thought Nezuko would die as well and that is why he left her. This is probably the reason he did not know about the existence of Nezuko for some time.
Little did he know that she would become a powerful asset to the demon slayers, with a strong fighting spirit and the capability of going up against an upper moon.
What would have happened if the Demon Slayer Corps had arrived at the Scene?
If it was an average demon, then the Demon Slayer Corps could have had a chance of killing him, But the enemy presence at the scene was of the demon king. It would be very difficult for even a Hashira as skilled as Giyuu to kill Muzan. Even the powerful demon slayers cannot have a chance against Muzan.
Moreover, the demon slayers are usually busy with different missions and that is why only Giyuu had arrived a day earlier. Catching Muzan is not easy, as the Hashiras had not even seen him before Tanjiro did. Hence, demon slayers would have most probably been killed by Muzan.
Conclusion
Muzan was passing by Tanjiro’s family house and killed all the members. He had no clue what mess he had put himself in because he did not know anyone would come after his life because of killing a family in an isolated area. Making Tanjiro Kamado his enemy was the worst mistake of his life, which would eventually take his life.
Tanjiro went on to learn the sun-breathing technique, Hinokami Kagura, and revealed the demon slayer mark on Tanjiro’s forehead, which would eventually make Tanjiro a demon slayer powerful enough to kill Muzan.
Tanjiro’s fighting spirit and his love for his sister exceeded the motives of Muzan. Anime fans will be pleased to see Tanjiro in action as one of the most powerful demon slayers ever.
