Demon Slayer’s main character, Tanjiro Kamado, is not just strong and brave when fighting murderous demons, he is also filled with impressive words of wisdom. Throughout the series, he offers encouragement and refreshing but firm honesty to his companions, comrades, and demons alike.

While Tanjiro’s journey has been one of almost endless battles, his strength is not what defines him as a hero. One of the reasons why Tanjiro has become such a popular character is that he was able to inspire everyone around him, including much more seasoned warriors like the Hashira, and of course the fans of Demon Slayer.

10

“A Life That’s Lost Can Never Return. It’s Gone Forever.”

Spoken to the Demon, Daki

These sobering words properly convey the harsh reality of what really happens when a demon kills a human. When Tanjiro confronted the demons Daki and Gyutaro in season two about their horrific actions, he was not at all forgiving of the cruelties they had inflicted on the innocent. Tanjiro values human life, while evil demons do not.

Tanjiro himself is no stranger to death. He realizes the lives of his deceased family members and friends who perished due to the violence of demons can never be restored. This is precisely why he fights so relentlessly to take down any demons he can, because he finds this disrespect for the precious gift of human life utterly disgusting.

9

“Helping Others Often Ends up Helping Yourself.”

Spoken to Muichiro Tokito

Although Tanjiro is younger than many of the Hashira and less experienced, he has a lot to teach these more advanced demon slayers. Muichiro led a very tragic life, losing his beloved twin to a demon attack in his youth. This caused him to isolate himself and become hesitant to depend on others who could be taken from him at any moment.

In this quote, Tanjiro encourages his friend not to be so quick to disregard others. In Tanjiro’s eyes, assisting others is beneficial to both parties, leaving everyone better off than they were before. Tanjiro seeks to impart this admirable philosophy to everyone around him and his wise words help Muichiro gradually come out of his shell.

8

“To Be Born Is a Blessing. Please, Do Not Forget To Smile.”

Spoken to His Friends

Tanjiro has lived one of the most horrifying lives in Demon Slayer, filled with grief and unfathomable loss. In spite of the struggles he has faced, his positivity is enduring. He inspires everyone around him with his radiant smile and upbeat attitude, no matter what tragedy befalls him.

In this quote, he is incredibly encouraging to his friends, motivating them to appreciate the gift that is life. Tanjiro explains that even if unspeakably awful things happen at times, it is a wonderful miracle to still be alive. His cheery optimism is a shining example for both his Demon Slayer comrades and real-life viewers.

7

“You Gotta Protect Nezuko! Even if It Means Getting Slashed by Him at the Same Time!”

Spoken to Himself While Fighting the Demon, Rui

Tanjiro and Nezuko’s sibling relationship is one of the most beautiful parts of the entire series. Seeing two siblings who love and protect one another so adamantly is a remarkable thing to witness. Tanjiro uttered these words to himself during a particularly difficult battle with Rui, one of the Spider Demons.

Even though this enemy was the hardest he had faced up until this point, his love for his sister helped him push through the painful blows the demon dealt. Throughout Demon Slayer, Tanjiro only grows even more protective and caring as an older brother. He realizes the danger Nezuko is in due to being a demon and swears to protect her with his life.

6

“No Matter How Many People You May Lose, You Have No Choice but To Go On Living, No Matter How Strong the Blows May Be.”

Spoken to Kazumi

Kazumi featured in season one of Demon Slayer, as an unfortunate man who had just lost the love of his life to a dreaded demon attack. He was absolutely grief-stricken and unsure how to go on without his wife. Tanjiro spoke this quote as a sobering but necessary reminder to the man that even he has to keep pushing forward, although he lost someone crucial to him.

Tanjiro’s words are not just empty platitudes, he can relate to Kazumi. Countless members of his family were gruesomely killed, as well as many comrades in the Demon Slayer Corps who were ripped to shreds during demon battles. In spite of the oftentimes hopeless odds against him, Tanjiro’s determination is unbreakable, and he never stops fighting to keep others safe, making him one of the most admirable heroes.

5

“The Weakest Person Has the Greatest Potential.”

Spoken to Genya Shinazugawa

Tanjiro started in season one with zero experience in slaying demons. He is living proof that someone can start from nothing and grow into a powerful hero. His time in the Demon Slayer Corps shaped him into a master swordsman, a proficient user of various Breathing Styles, and even unleashed his ability to use Sun Breathing, or Hinokami Kagura.

The fact he went from a seemingly ordinary boy who worked as a charcoal burner to one of the world’s best demon slayers proves that anyone can become a hero through hard work and careful practice. In this quote, he tells Genya that being weak does not mean a person can never become strong, it just means they have an abundance of untapped potential. Tanjiro is a perfect example of a fairly “weak” person blossoming into a brave, mighty hero, shifting from someone who needs to be protected to a protector.

4

“Nevertheless, I Will Do Everything I Can. I’ll Keep My Heart Burning. I Will Not Lose. I Will Not Break.”

Spoken to Himself

It seems like nothing can truly break Tanjiro, even though he does have understandable moments of grief. He is human and mourns like anyone else would, but he always picks himself up and rejoins the fight. His dedication to defeating Muzan and ending demon cruelty forever is an important goal that influences his daily actions, as well as his promise to Nezuko that he would turn her back into a human.

Tanjiro seems to be a person who can keep the big picture of his life and goals in clear focus in his mind. Although he struggles along the way and suffers physical injuries, emotional anguish, and mental strain, his dream of a demon-free world is like a shining light that guides him forward through even the darkest of times. He often inwardly urges himself to keep going, and this quote is an example of one of those many times Tanjiro offered the encouragement to himself that he so freely doles out to others.

3

“You’re the One Who Lost! It’s Rengoku Who Won!”

Spoken to the Demon, Akaza

Rengoku’s tragic death was one of the most impactful moments in Tanjiro’s life. Watching someone he looked up to as a bulletproof hero fall at the hands of a demon was not just heartbreaking, it also caused him to confront his own mortality. However, Tanjiro still applauded Rengoku’s efforts and directly confronted the Upper Rank Three demon, Akaza, who was responsible for murdering the Flame Hashira.

In this quote, he warned Akaza not to celebrate his perceived victory, because the real winner of the fight was Rengoku. This may seem shocking to say, since Akaza was the one left standing, but Tanjiro explained that since Rengoku protected innocent people and Akaza harmed them, Rengoku is more of a winner than he will ever be because of his righteous moral code and valiant sacrifice for the sake of humankind.

These words reflect Tanjiro’s own worldview too, that anyone who protects the defenseless is acting admirably, while those who harm others deserve disgust, disdain, and punishment.

2

”There Are People That Risk Their Lives for Someone Else. Because They Are People That Don’t Want Others To Go Through The Same Suffering and Sadness That They Did.”

Spoken to the Demon, Muzan Kibutsuji

This quote summarizes Tanjiro’s personal philosophy and worldview better than any other. The Demon Slayer hero believes that his job is to prevent others from suffering the same hardships he has faced. He had no problem telling Muzan, the strongest demon of all, that he feels this way.

Muzan is the first and most evil demon of all, making the world a dangerous, inhospitable place by producing new demons. He has no regard for who he kills and doesn’t value human life whatsoever. This makes him the complete opposite of Tanjiro and an excellent foil for the main hero, since they could not possibly be any different in their morals and actions.

1

“Those Who Regretted Their Own Actions, I Would Never Trample Over Them. Because Demons Were Once Human Too. Just Like Me, They Were Human Too.”

Spoken to Giyu Tomioka

This is one of Tanjiro’s most interesting and surprisingly heartwarming quotes. One may not expect him to show any sympathy or kindness to demons considering all they’ve done to him and his loved ones. However, Tanjiro actually extends compassion to the creatures on many occasions.

As he tells Giyu, demons originated from humans. The fact that Tanjiro can still see the inherent humanity in demons, even once they’ve turned to a life of evil and callousness, is truly remarkable. He calls them out for their wrongful actions and kills them when necessary to prevent them from harming any more humans, but oftentimes offers them a shoulder to cry on or a comforting gesture in their final moments, realizing they likely didn’t ask to become demons and were exploited by Muzan.