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Demon Slayer characters are complex and nuanced but under-utilized. Take a look at a few areas that could be improved in the manga.
Demon Slayer is an exceptionally entertaining modern shonen title. Today, we have an incredibly high volume of manga and anime being created at a rapid rate. Therefore, there is no shortage of variety and options for a reader today. As a consequence, only the best-quality manga stand out and perform well from a sales standpoint. Demon Slayer is one of them.
There are plenty of reasons attributed to the series’ success. Usually, a manga with a good story is popular among readers. That isn’t really the case here since it’s rather simple. However, Demon Slayer characters are so well-written that they drive the narrative forward.
Plot or characters usually drive the narrative. In this case, the plot is so simple that a child can understand it. Therefore, the characters need to be complex and well-written. Furthermore, they need to keep the viewers hooked on the show and play an important role in initiating the next phase of the story. That being said, it is also important to note that the characters weren’t particularly utilized to their full potential. In this article, we will take a look at some characters who were underutilized in the series and analyze the reasons behind them.
Demon Slayer Characters That Didn’t Receive Enough Screen Time
When we talk about Demon Slayer characters, it is hard not to bring up the topic of the Hashira. They are the most powerful demon hunters in the organization. Furthermore, they are the only ones who are capable of standing their ground against an Upper Moon demon. While they are the most powerful in the series, they didn’t really receive much screen time in the manga. There are a few characters who were set up incredibly well but had very little time to leave a lasting impact.
One such character is Obanai Iguro. He is the Serpent Hashira in Demon Slayer. Obanai Iguro had one of the worst childhoods among all characters. He was born into a family of thieves who worshipped a demon. A demon would constantly peer at him and even carve his face so the two had resembling appearances. He channeled that pain into something productive and became a powerful demon hunter. However, he didn’t receive much screen time for us to get a better understanding of the character.
A Deeper Look Into the Characters’ Relationships
The Demon Slayer manga completed its course rather quickly. Therefore, we couldn’t get a glimpse of the characters’ relationships with one another. Some received more attention than others. However, there are layers to the relationships that could have received more focus. For example, Mitsuri managed to find a romantic partner for herself. However, fans never got to see what their relationship dynamics were like.
At the end of the day, it is a shonen title. Therefore, having slice-of-life moments might not be ideal. However, it would have been interesting to see her relationship with her partner. Those who have suffered during their childhood tend to have difficulties communicating or being in a romantic relationship with someone. It would have been fascinating to see how Mitsuri and Obanai would have navigated their way through this.
Under-Utilized Fight Sequences in Demon Slayer
The sheer lack of Yoriichi fight sequences is criminal. He is the strongest demon hunter to have ever lived. Additionally, he was the one who created Breathing Techniques and paved the way for future-generation demon hunters to kill Muzan. However, we barely see him on screen. Furthermore, he nearly defeated Muzan all by himself. He was so powerful that Muzan had to split his body into 1,500 parts and escape. Yoriichi cut down 1,200 parts despite Muzan’s best efforts to flee.
Fans would have also loved to see more of the former Hashira’s fight scenes in the manga—Jigoro Kuwajima, Shinjuro Rengoku, and Sakonji Urokodaki, to name a few. They cultivated talented swordsmen who went on to play an integral part in killing Muzan and his lackeys. The manga could have delved deeper into these fights. Shonen fans love good action sequences, and the author could have explored more of these in his work.
Demon Slayer Was Rushed and Fans Know It
The manga’s pacing was perfect up until a certain point. However, readers felt that the manga was rushed toward the end. Demon Slayer’s progression was quite steady until the Hashira Training arc. After that, the manga felt rushed, and the author concluded the series quickly. There was a good mix of fighting and character interactions with a splash of comedic relief. However, that was not the case when the demon hunters declared an all-out war against Muzan.
At the end of the day, Demon Slayer’s setting is such that there is very little room for comedy. However, there was breathing room between fights. This was missing after the conclusion of the Hashira Training arc. The characters and their personal relationships could have received more importance. It would have been interesting to see interactions featuring Shinobu and Tamayo. The Insect Hashira was forced to work with someone she absolutely hated. She smiles on the outside, but her anger is quite evident.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that Demon Slayer has excelled in creating nuanced and complex characters. However, there are a few issues with the manga that prevented the series from utilizing the characters’ full potential. Many of these characters left a lasting impression on us. That being said, there were a few characters who were set up perfectly but lacked the screen time to show their true potential.
All in all, Demon Slayer is the perfect example of a series with a simple plot executed to perfection. Koyoharu Gotouge’s writing is unparalleled. But fans tend to wonder just how far the series could have gone if some of the issues were fixed along the way.
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