The “shonen” part of the “Demon Slayer” title literally means “child” (via Jisho), while it refers more broadly to a sub-genre within the anime and manga industry.
Successful shonen series often last for considerable periods of time; In the case of “Naruto”, for example, the series initially ran for 700 chapters in total only for its story to continue in the sequel series “Boruto”, which is still running today.
Due to the scope of works like “Naruto”, anime and manga shonen stories often classify heroes and villains alike into groups or ranks that serve to organize their large casts of characters.
In the case of “Demon Slayer”, most of its heroes are representatives of the Demon Slayer Corps, an organization dedicated to eradicating evil demons from the world. At its head are nine Hashira, a position bestowed upon the most capable of all demon hunters.
Meanwhile, the demons are led by the Demon King Muzan Kibutsuji. Directly below him in the hierarchy of demons are the Twelve Kizuki, divided into six Upper Ranks and six Lower Ranks, representing the strongest warriors demonic humanity has to offer.
The end of the first season of “Demon Slayer” grants viewers a look at the major developments behind the scenes within the ranks of the Twelve Kizuki, which amounts to what some viewers may not realize is one of the moments. darkest in the show’s run. far.
Demons are also people in Demon Slayer
Often times, the individual demons in “Demon Slayer” are not entirely unfriendly. Over the course of Tanjiro’s fight with Drum Demon Kyogai, for example, it is revealed that Kyogai’s villainy is motivated by a simple desire for respect as an artist. Meanwhile, the spider demon Rui turned into villainy mainly due to wanting a functional human body and a loving family.
Tanjiro even meets Tamayo, a benevolent demon, as he is perpetually accompanied by his demon sister Nezuko. In short, then, even bloodthirsty demons possess markedly human characteristics in the world of “Demon Slayer”.
In the season 1 finale, the demonic leader Muzan addresses the members of the lower ranks of the Twelve Kizuki, numbering five after Rui’s defeat. After some scolding, Muzan murders four of the five remaining members out of anger.
Presumably, those demons also had human stories of sympathy, so their unceremonious deaths contrast sharply with, for example, Tanjiro complementing Kyogai’s demonic abilities, thus granting him the recognition of artistic abilities that he coveted in his human life prior to his death. death.
Not only does Muzan treat the demons they kill as expendables, but as a Demon King, Muzan is something of a father figure. So his act is not only a waste of human life, but a family betrayal.
At a glance, Muzan slaying four underlings may seem like a villain as expected from the show’s great evil, but beneath the surface, Muzan reveals his true colors at the time as a villain as ruthless as he is ruthless.
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