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Why does Tanjiro look like Yoriichi Tsugikuni in Demon Slayer? Let’s explore their similarities and the reasons behind them.
Tanjiro Kamado is the protagonist of the Demon Slayer anime and manga series. He is one of the most beloved characters in the series because of his demeanor and personality. The young demon hunter has a lot of empathy despite his line of work, setting him apart and making him a great leader in the series.
There have been plenty of discussions surrounding this character on various social media platforms and forums. The topic of discussion might seem odd at first glance because it concerns his appearance. Every character has a unique design in this anime-manga series. However, fans couldn’t help but notice that Tanjiro’s design was quite similar to another character—Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
This begs the question: Why does Tanjiro look like Yoriichi Tsugikuni in Demon Slayer? Tanjiro looks like Yoriichi because this is the writer’s subtle foreshadowing of the protagonist’s greatness. There is absolutely no familial connection between the two characters. That being said, there is an element that unites them both—the Breath of the Sun.
Why Does Tanjiro Look Like Yoriichi Tsugikuni in Demon Slayer?
Shonen titles often feature legendary characters from a different generation. In order to foreshadow the current generation’s character greatness, writers often make connections to the previous generation’s characters.
In this case, Yoriichi was a legendary swordsman who nearly defeated Muzan on his own and created Breathing Techniques. The Breath of the Sun was not taught by any current generation demon hunter, and it became part of the legend. However, Tanjiro’s unique connection to Yoriichi allowed him to access the Breath of the Sun.
This was one of the greatest feats in the manga since it played a key role in Muzan’s defeat. Tanjiro’s efforts, among other elements, were the deciding factors in this equation. Therefore, the author chose to make a connection to the legendary swordsman by giving the protagonist a similar appearance.
This is also why Muzan was absolutely terrified when he first met Tanjiro. The Demon King saw the Hanafuda earrings that were given to Yoriichi. He in turn met Sumiyoshi Kamado and gave them to him. The Kamado family handed down the earrings for generations. Tanjiro looks like Yoriichi because the author wanted to foreshadow his greatness and the fact that he would eventually utilize the Breath of the Sun in the Demon Slayer series.
Tanjiro’s Connection With Yoriichi in Demon Slayer
As stated earlier, Tanjiro Kamado and Yoriichi Tsugikuni are not blood relatives. The only descendant of the Tsugikuni bloodline was Muichiro. This was revealed in the manga when Kokushibo realized that Muichiro was his descendant. This explains why the Mist Hashira was considered to be the most talented swordsman in the Demon Slayer Corps.
Coming back to Tanjiro, he is a descendant of Sumiyoshi Kamado. He was a humble coal merchant who lived a simple life. One fine day, a demon nearly killed Sumiyoshi and his wife. Luckily, Yoriichi neutralized the threat. Sumiyoshi developed a strong bond with the legendary swordsman.
Sumiyoshi saw Yoriichi perform the Breath of the Sun, and he imitated these moves. He put the moves together and passed them down through generations as a dance form performed to honor the Fire God. This dance was called the Hinokami Kagura. Tanjiro learned this from his father and also accessed Sumiyoshi’s memories. This is how Tanjiro was connected to the legendary swordsman from the Sengoku period.
Tanjiro and Yoriichi’s Similarities
There are a few similarities between these two characters in the Demon Slayer series. One of the most prominent ones is their mark on the forehead. Yoriichi was born with the Demon Slayer Mark and lived until the age of 80. He had a flame-like mark on his forehead. Tanjiro, on the other hand, wasn’t born with it. However, he got a burn mark on his forehead because of an incident involving boiling hot water.
That being said, the mark appeared to change over a period of time, especially after he unlocked the Demon Slayer Mark. Both their marks are quite similar in the anime-manga series.
They also have dark red-colored hair in the series. Their hairstyles differ slightly. However, the wavy properties are quite similar when we compare both characters. Both Tanjiro and Yoriichi wielded black-colored Nichirin Blades. They also utilized the Breath of the Sun technique, which was designed specifically to kill Muzan.
Last but not least, they also had the same Hanafuda earrings. This earring was originally made by Yoriichi’s mother and given to him. Later on, Yoriichi handed these to Sumiyoshi, and they were ultimately handed down to members of the Kamado family.
Tanjiro and Yoriichi’s Power Levels
Yoriichi is one of the strongest demon hunters to have ever lived. He invented Breathing Techniques and nearly took out Muzan. The only reason why Muzan was able to escape can be credited to his ability to split his body into 1,800 parts. Yoriichi managed to cut down 1,500 parts. This allowed Muzan to escape, and he regenerated the rest of his body.
Yoriichi was powerful enough to take on Kokushibo at the age of 80. The only reason Kokushibo was alive was that Yoriichi died of natural causes.
Meanwhile, Tanjiro is nowhere near Yoriichi’s level. Tanjiro was strong enough to deliver crucial blows to Muzan. Towards the end of the manga, Tanjiro was on the same level as one of the weaker Hashiras. He unlocked his Demon Slayer Mark and accessed Transparent World. He is far stronger than the likes of Inosuke and Zenitsu.
Despite having access to the Breath of the Sun, he isn’t as strong as some of the more powerful Hashiras, such as Gyomei or Sanemi.
Conclusion
Tanjiro looks similar to Yoriichi because of his importance in the plot. The author wanted to foreshadow Tanjiro’s significance to the plot and the destruction of Muzan himself. That being said, they are not related by blood. This is a technique that is common in Shonen anime-manga titles.
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