With demons, gorgeous stylised art, and a protagonist whose good nature tells us right from page one that something bad will happen to him, Koyoharu Gotouge offers a modernised take on the formulaic Shonen manga. While presenting revenge themes through a hero’s journey to a fantasy infused Taishō era backdrop (1912-1926), children are devoured and terrorised by demons, and a whole family is slaughtered to a bloody mess within the first chapter. A bit of a bleak start, yet our fearless young protagonist retains the budding optimism and dedication we have come to expect from our favourite Shonen heroes!
“When happiness ends there’s always… the smell of blood in the air”
Tanjiro’s ominous foreshadowing sets a darker tone
Koyoharu Gotouge’s debut manga introduces us to Tanjiro, a young boy who tragically discovers his family brutally massacred by demons after a routine journey to the local village where he sells charcoal to support his family. The only survivor, his sister Nezuko, has been transformed into a demon, barely hanging onto her humanity through lingering memories of her older brother, leading Tanjiro to set out in search of a cure and join the Demon Slayer Corps. And in order to cure her, he’ll have to hunt the very demon responsible for butchering his family…
This first volume primarily introduces key elements and characters that help establish a strong sense of world building within the series. As such, the pacing is methodical, though certain aspects feel shielded in favour of being explored in later volumes. The dynamic of a Demon Slayer protecting a demon, otherwise forbidden by Corps regulations, feels under-utilised here, as does Nezuko herself, who spends most of the book comatose with most of the character development placed on Tanjiro. The demons themselves, meanwhile, hold a great deal of mystery and intrigue, as we are drip fed details of their lore, keeping their origins shrouded, making it clear that they are intrinsically linked to Tanjiro’s quest to save his sister. It’s a series that will appeal to Shonen fans, with familiar themes, ideas, and even character traits, yet it manages to retain a unique identity largely thanks to its bold style and presentation.
“Demon blood got in her wound, so she’s transformed into a demon”
Tomioka – a member of the Demon Slayer Corps – reveals how demon’s are created in Demon Slayer
As with other popular Shonen series before it, we follow the hero on his mission to become a Demon Slayer, his journey and his personal struggles along the way, a concept which we’ve seen countless times before from Hunter x Hunter to Full Metal Alchemist. While Demon Slayer doesn’t exactly reinvent or break the formula, it does offer its own unique ideas, namely the mystery surrounding the demons and how they interact with Gotouge’s world, the existence of the Demon Slayer Corps, and the contradictory nature of Tanjiro’s mission to join the Corps and protect his now demon sister.
One of the main focal points of the chapters contained within this volume revolves around Tanjiro’s training before tackling the Final Exam to be considered a fully-fledged Demon Slayer. This involves seeking out and training under a mysterious swordsman with a tengu mask, who tasks him with splitting a boulder with a sword, taking a time skip of over a year to split the rock. To paraphrase the wise words of Dodgeball’s Patches O’Houlihan: If you can cut a boulder, you can cut a demon! Though actually killing a demon is a little more complicated in this universe, as Tanjiro discovers, due to their powerful regenerative abilities and the fact that, even if you sever their heads, they can still carve you up into finely sliced sashimi. No one said it was going to be easy…
In some ways, this segment is inspiring and shows Tanjiro’s dedication, yet the story doesn’t really pick up traction until after he leaves to venture out on his own. The fact that Nezuko sleeps during this period is also a little too convenient, leaving her feeling somewhat lacking in personality – aside from her obviously kawaii demeanour, of course! However, it is because of the characters involved that this story becomes more engaging, even if some of the more interesting story elements are implied at and not fully explored. At least not just yet. Some background characters, from Tanjiro’s mentor to some of the first demons he fights, help establish some of the key concepts of the manga, while others break up the more serious overtones of the book with moments of comic relief: demonic transformations, mass slaughter, and freakish mutations don’t exactly make for light-hearted readership!
“For ages… man-eating demons have roamed these woods after dark. So you shouldn’t walk around at night”
As a protagonist, Tanjiro himself doesn’t shy away from recognisable Shonen tropes, yet there is nonetheless a charm to his likeable, good natured personality. But even then, he seems to have a one-tracked mind when it comes to saving his sister and exacting vengeance upon the demon responsible for the deaths of his family, adding a personal, even grave maturity to his quest. Unlike other protagonists, like Hunter x Hunter’s Gon, we’re also shown that he isn’t perfect straight away: while Gon was able to best every trial thrown at him during the first volume with little challenge, Tanjiro struggles to better himself and grow stronger, adding a more humanistic touch to his development as a character and warrior. This leaves him open for further development in future story arcs.
Nezuko, meanwhile, captures our hearts for less refined reasons: she’s just too darn adorable! Tanjiro may be the aspirational hero, but Nezuko’s cutesy design, loyalty to Tanjiro, and vague expressions win us over. Though it’ll be made quite plain that she is perfectly apt at protecting herself when required. It’s just a shame that while Tanjiro trains and develops, she spends her time in a deep sleep.
Along his way to become a Demon Slayer, when the siblings aren’t being traumatised by freakish mutated demons, Tanjiro sets out to find a mysterious masked man called Urokodaki. Like the Mr. Miyagi of Demon Slayer, Urokodaki begins Tanjiro’s strenuous training in preparation for the Final Selection, in which he proves his worth as a warrior. Following the guide book of “hero mentors 101,” he initially comes across as a stern, grouchy old man with a firm teaching method (splitting a boulder with a sword is hardly the most forgiving of tasks), though there is a clearly a compassionate side to his personality, with a potent lingering feeling of tragedy that is gradually revealed, making his past more compelling. Likewise, his similarly masked students Sabito and Makomo, who come to aid in Tanjiro’s training, help to establish the darker tragic tone that persists in the series’ character backgrounds, elevating the intrigue and mystery by the time Tanjiro sets out from Urokodaki to begin his final test.
Each of these characters, whether they’re main characters or in the background, boast memorable designs and pertain to a style that unquestionably cements them in the Demon Slayer world.
“Tell me, Tanjiro… what will you do when your sister eats someone?”
The art and stylistic choices are perhaps the strongest aspect of Demon Slayer. Even before it received its wildly popular anime adaptation, the art conveyed an animated quality about it. The monochromatic nature of printed manga allows Gotouge’s line work to highlight its woodblock inspirations, while emotive facial expressions and memorable character designs compliment the strong character writing. Naturally this also includes chibi moments that illustrate the comical writing of certain scenes.
As Gotouge draws influences from traditional woodblock prints, the overall style helps convey the Taishō era, while allowing the more fantastical elements to exist harmoniously. That being said, Gotouge’s best moments include the depiction of the Demon Slayer’s unique fighting techniques – in Tanjiro’s case, Water Breathing Style – indulging our need for over the top, flashy battle scenes you can only get from a Shonen Jump manga. The panels with Tanjiro’s Water Breathing attacks are most reminiscent of traditional printing styles, making use of inspired waves and pattern designs that also add to the motion and energy of each panel. In practice, these techniques allow users to increase their physical abilities by focusing their breathing and mental concentration, surpassing the physical limitations of an average human to fight on par with demons. But more importantly, it’s a good excuse for some badass images of Tanjiro’s epic swordsmanship!
The demons themselves convey strong horror motifs with grotesque designs – one made of a mass of hands, while others seem to bear a demonic Noh mask motif, as if they could be Junji Ito monsters in a Taishō era art style! Their design reflects the brevity of their barbaric, horrifying nature as it is made clear to us from the outset that they hunger for human flesh. Even if some of the comedy at times feels counterintuitive to the horror themes at play, the demons themselves and their backstories are still monstrous, though some of the tragic tales behind them add an intriguing sinister tone. The designs also seem to draw heavily from Japanese mythological creatures depicted in traditional art, which is a consistent and potent aspect to the manga’s style.
“In order to join the Demon Slayer Corps, you must survive the final selection at Mount Fujikasane”
While it doesn’t quite reinvent the wheel, Demon Slayer Volume 1 is a strong start to a modern Shonen manga that has taken both the manga and anime world by storm. Stylish, bold art and a unique setting are enough to set it apart, even if some of its story aspects settle into a recognisable formula. Boasting a memorable cast of characters with an intriguing sense of mystery surrounding its demons and world building, for a debut manga, Gotouge has crafted what has already been hailed as a modern classic. If its reputation isn’t reason enough to take a look, Nezuko’s unquestionably adorable design certainly will be!
