Why Did Muzan Kill Tanjiro’s Family in Demon Slayer?

Why Did Muzan Kill Tanjiro’s Family in Demon Slayer? Taking a look at these entities’ connection to Yoriichi and Sun Breathing

Why Did Muzan Kill Tanjiro’s Family in Demon Slayer? (Image via Ufotable)

Kibutsuji Muzan from the Demon Slayer series is one of the most hated characters. The entire fanbase detests him unanimously. The reason for this trend is character writing. He is someone who will not stop until he gets what he wants. Muzan is a selfish, ruthless murderer who will kill anyone as long as he achieves his goal. 

While he calls himself the Demon King, he has no qualities of a leader. He cowers in fear despite claiming superiority over the human race. These are some of the reasons why fans have nothing but hatred for him. He is also the reason why Tanjiro Kamado decided to become a demon hunter. Kibutsuji Muzan killed Tanjiro’s family. 

Those who are fairly new to the series might wonder the reason for Muzan’s actions. So, why did Muzan kill Tanjiro’s family in Demon Slayer? Muzan killed Tanjiro’s family because of their connection to the Breath of the Sun. Yoriichi Tsugikuni, the legendary swordsman from the Edo period, devised this technique, and he developed this technique specifically to counter Kibutsuji Muzan.

Why Did Muzan Kill Tanjiro’s Family in Demon Slayer?

Muzan young demon
Muzan in his early days as a demon (Image via Ufotable)

Kibutsuji Muzan is a coward who would do anything to avoid Yoriichi or anyone who remotely resembled him. Over the past few centuries, there wasn’t a single swordsman who could even come close to Muzan’s combat abilities. But Yoriichi was no ordinary human being. He forced Muzan to run from the battlefield with his tail tucked between his legs. The proud demon was forced to swallow his pride and run because he saw his life flash before his eyes. 

The Kamado family has a close connection to the Breath of the Sun. While they didn’t call it that, they performed moves in the form of a dance. This was done as an offering to the Fire God. The dance gave the user energy to perform physically demanding moves for hours on end. Muzan realized that the Kamado family continued practicing the very moves that Yoriichi had created. 

Muzan wanted to eliminate all possibilities of a swordsman learning those moves. However, his worst nightmare came true when he saw Tanjiro with those Hanafuda earrings. The death of Tanjiro’s family is due to Muzan’s paranoia. 

Why Did Muzan Spare Nezuko in Demon Slayer?

Nezuko Kamado as seen in the anime series (Image via Ufotable)

We know that Tanjiro was alive because he wasn’t in town at that time. However, Nezuko should have died during that attack. Instead, Muzan turned her into a demon and spared her. Why did he do such a thing? He spared Nezuko because of her family’s affinity to the Sun. Since this family had a special connection to the sun, he believed that a demon from this family might be able to conquer the sun. This was the only thing that truly killed a demon. 

Muzan’s goal has always been to conquer the sun, thereby achieving true immortality. He spent centuries finding the Blue Spider Lily. After realizing the Kamado family’s connection to the sun, he thought it would be worthwhile to turn one of them into a demon. Ultimately, Nezuko conquered the sun as a demon. However, she was slowly reverting to her human form as well. 

Tanjiro’s Family and Their Connection to Sun Breathing in Demon Slayer

Tanjiro and Yoriichi as seen in the anime series (Image via Ufotable)

As mentioned earlier, the Kamado family has a special connection to Sun Breathing. Yoriichi is not related to this family by blood. However, he encountered Tanjiro’s ancestor when he was exiled from the Demon Slayer Corps. At some point, Yoriichi and Sumiyoshi were in contact. The former performed the Breath of the Sun. 

Sumiyoshi was awestruck by the swordsman’s power, fluidity, and grace. He copied those moves and practiced them diligently. Yoriichi gave his Hanafuda earrings before parting ways with Sumiyoshi. He thanked the demon hunter and swore to pass it down to future generations while teaching them the moves. This is how the Kamado family had been unknowingly preserving the first-ever Breathing Technique – the Breath of the Sun. 

Tanjiro was able to access his ancestor’s memories and eventually managed to perform 12 important moves in this technique. The protagonist played a big role in defeating Muzan towards the end of the show.

Yoriichi’s Connection to Tanjiro’s Family

Yoriichi founder sun breathing demon slayer
Kokushibo lived under the Yoriichi’s shadow (Image via Ufotable)

Yoriichi Tsugikuni was exiled from the Demon Slayer Corps, despite being their only hope. There were two main reasons for his departure from the Corps. The first reason was his inability to kill Muzan, and the second reason was his brother’s choice to become a demon. Naturally, Yoriichi was not in the best state of mind at this stage of the story. However, he had an odd encounter with a young couple. 

A demon was on the verge of killing the couple. However, he managed to get there in time, thwart the demon, and save the couple. Yoriichi saved Sumiyoshi Kamado and his wife, who were Tanjiro’s ancestors. They were humble coal merchants who showed exceptional hospitality. 

This is how Yoriichi met the Kamado family. Following this, he taught Sumiyoshi the moves from the Breath of the Sun. Sumiyoshi learned this in the form of a dance, and it was passed down for the years to come. This was also when Yoriichi handed the Hanafuda earrings, which were given to him by his loving mother. The legendary swordsman passed away due to natural causes, even though it happened during the fight against Kokushibo. The opponent failed to land a single hit against the swordsman, who just froze in place and passed away due to natural causes.

Conclusion

Tanjiro Kamado was an earnest young man who was destined for greatness. His family preserved the Breath of the Sun, which played an important role in killing the Demon King. This story emphasizes a lot on teamwork. The entire human race contributed in their own ways, and it ultimately paid off. They overcame Muzan and proceeded to live a peaceful life for the years to come.


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