They Arrived Together

Meanwhile, Tanjiro intervened when Genya Shinazugawa, a fellow examiner from the Ubuyashiki Family, treated the examiner roughly, restraining his hand and thus incurring his wrath. Upon returning to Mount Sagiri, Tanjiro reunited with his awakened sister, Nezuko, and learned from his master that Nezuko had developed the ability to replenish her strength through sleep to overcome her cannibalistic urges. Later, Tanjiro obtained his first Nichirin Sword from the swordsmith Hotaru Haganezuka. After successfully joining the Demon Slayer Corps, Tanjiro and Nezuko traveled to a town in the northwest to investigate a "missing girl" case, discovering the mastermind behind it all— the Swamp Demon. Although Tanjiro ultimately killed the Swamp Demon, he did not learn anything about Muzan from him.

At a critical moment, Tanjiro received help from Tamayo and Yushiro, who were enemies of Muzan. Tanjiro 'Tamayo act of turning a demon into a human, so she asked Tamayo to invite the Kamado siblings to their secluded abode. Yushiro then asked Tanjiro if there was a way to turn a demon back into a human, Tamayo received an affirmative answer. He decided to collect demon blood to turn his sister back into a human. During their conversation, Tanjiro and his Muzan were attacked by Yahaba and Susamaru, members of the Twelve Kizuki, who claimed to be direct subordinates of Muzan. [Afterwards, Tanjiro killed Yahaba, while Susamaru was killed by Muzan's curse after Tamayo uttered a forbidden phrase during Tamayo Blood Demon Art.]

Ultimately, Tanjiro is asked by Tamayo to collect demon blood in order to research a way to turn demons back into humans.

During the "Drum Mansion" arc, Tanjiro discovers Zenitsu Agatsuma, a fellow student, forcibly proposing to a Shoichi girl and stops him. He then travels with Zenitsu to the mission location— the Drum Mansion —where they find young Shoichi and Teruko following a trail of blood to rescue their brother Kiyoshi, who had been captured by demons. After entrusting the two children with the box containing Nezuko, Tanjiro enters the Drum Mansion Zenitsu. However, Nezuko makes a noise inside, causing the two children to follow them in.

Because Kiyoshi, who was kidnapped by a demon, used the Spatial Displacement Drum of Kyogai, whom he had stolen from the Drum Mansion, to disrupt the arrangement of the rooms in the mansion, Tanjiro was separated from Zenitsu. In the end, Tanjiro could only team up with Teruko, and while protecting Teruko, he tried his best to find demons and survivors, but later encountered Kyogai in the mansion.

During the battle with Kyogai, Tanjiro was unable to get close because Kyogai's Blood Demon Art allowed him to freely manipulate the room's layout. However, Inosuke Hashibira suddenly intervened and interrupted the fight. Because Inosuke Hashibira recklessly stepped on young Teruko, Tanjiro angrily threw Inosuke Hashibira away. Inosuke, intrigued by Inosuke Hashibira's actions, turned and attacked Tanjiro. Then, Inosuke Hashibira Kyogai Tanjiro moved to another location because Kiyoshi used his drum to further disrupt the room's layout. Afterwards, Tanjiro and Teruko found Kiyoshi, who had been kidnapped by Kyogai. After explaining the situation to Kiyoshi, Tanjiro, injured in the previous battle, decided to face Kyogai alone.

Trio

Finally, enraged by the repeated setbacks to his plans Kyogai unleashed his Blood Demon Art: Shoshō Rapid Drumbeat, intending to finish off Tanjiro in one fell swoop. Tanjiro deliberately avoided stepping on Kyogai's manuscripts. Kyogai slowed down, and Tanjiro used this opportunity to find a breathing technique that prevented him from aggravating his injuries. Ultimately, having seen through the principles of Kyogai's Blood Demon Art, Tanjiro killed him with the Ninth Form: Splashing Water Flow Chaos. Before disappearing, Kyogai acknowledged the power of Kyōkai's Blood Demon Art but also stated that he would never forgive his cannibalistic behavior.

After leaving the mansion, Tanjiro discovered that Inosuke Hashibira had attacked Nezuko Zenitsu in the box. [18] Tanjiro then used his Headbutt to give Inosuke Hashibira a concussion and knock him unconscious. After burying the people who had been harmed by the demon, Tanjiro prepared to take Zenitsu and Inosuke Hashibira down the mountain to the Wisteria House to recover from their injuries, but he had to knock Shoichi unconscious and carry him away because Zenitsu wouldn't let go of Shoichi.

On the way to the Wisteria House, Tanjiro gets into a loud argument with Inosuke because Inosuke Hashibira calls him by the wrong name, which wakes Zenitsu up. But after learning that Inosuke Hashibira is an orphan who grew up in the mountains, Tanjiro decides to become his friend.

After resting at the Wisteria House for a few days, Tanjiro and his group received orders to head to Mount Natagumo.

Hinokami Kagura

In the Spider Mountain, Tanjiro and Inosuke Hashibira encountered Demon Slayer Corps members controlled by the spider demon "Mama." Inosuke Hashibira then used his self-created Beast Breathing, Seventh Form: Spatial Perception, to locate their target and assist Tanjiro in slaying the demon. After Tanjiro found the spider "Mama," she willingly allowed herself to be beheaded by Tanjiro due to her fear of Rui. Tanjiro used the gentle and painless Fifth Form: Blessed Rain After the Drought to behead her, and before disappearing, she reminded Tanjiro of the existence of the Twelve Kizuki in the mountain.

While fighting the Spider Demon "Father" with Inosuke Hashibira, Tanjiro was forced to separate from his comrades under its attack and unexpectedly encountered the Spider Demon "Sister" and "Brother" Rui. However, Rui, the younger brother, is actually the true head of the family. Because of Rui's atrocities against his family, Tanjiro denies Rui's so-called family bond and claims that the bond between them, which exists only in terror and hatred, is false.

Later, during his battle with Rui, Tanjiro learned that Rui was the Lower Rank 5 of the Twelve Kizuki. After Rui broke his Nichirin Sword with his Blood Demon Art: Entangling Cage and nearly killed him, Tanjiro recalled his father's teachings on Hinokami Kagura Breathing from a flashback. In a desperate situation, Tanjiro unleashed Hinokami Kagura: Clear Blue Sky, severing Rui's threads, and added Nezuko's Awakening Blood Demon Art: Exploding Blood, ultimately beheading Rui with the broken blade. However, Rui survived by severing his own neck with his threads before being decapitated.

Just as the exhausted Tanjiro and his sister were about to be killed by Rui, Giyu Tomioka arrived in time and killed Rui. Because he smelled a heavy aura of sorrow on Rui, Tanjiro reached out his hand to the headless Rui. Feeling the warmth like the sun, Rui remembered everything. In the end, before dying, he apologized to the souls of his parents and went to hell to atone for his sins with his parents by his side.

After Rui disappears, Giyu Tomioka nonchalantly steps on Rui's clothes, pointing out that Rui is nothing more than an ugly monster who has lived for decades, harming the innocent, and deserves no sympathy. Tanjiro immediately retorts, "Of course I will mercilessly slash a demon's neck, but I will not trample on those who suffer for being a demon, those who regret their actions. Because demons were once human, once human like me. They are not ugly monsters; demons are empty creatures, pathetic creatures!"

Upon hearing this, Giyu Tomioka, upon seeing Nezuko, finally remembered the boy who had pleaded with him desperately in the snow. Immediately afterward, the Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kocho, arrived intending to kill Nezuko, but Giyu Tomioka intervened and stopped her.

While Giyu Tomioka stayed behind to hold off Shinobu, Tanjiro immediately took his sister and fled, but was quickly attacked by Kanao Tsuyuri broke his jaw and knocked him unconscious. Due to the orders of the Demon Slayer Corps leader, the Kamado siblings were taken back to the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters for trial.

During the Hashira Trial, Tanjiro repeatedly declared that Nezuko would not eat humans. However, because the act of demons eating humans was commonplace, most of the Pillars disagreed with letting Nezuko live and demanded the Tanjiro, who was biased towards demons. Then, Tanjiro attacked Nezuko because the Wind Pillar, Sanemi Shinazugawa, had stabbed her, and he hit him on the Headbutt. In the end, thanks to the guarantee of their master Kagaya Ubuyashiki, and Nezuko's ability to withstand the temptation of Sanemi Shinazugawa's Rare Blood, the siblings were able to remain in the Demon Slayer Corps. They were then sent to the Butterfly Mansion for treatment.

During their physical recovery training, Tanjiro, Zenitsu Inosuke Hashibira constantly frustrated because they couldn't defeat Kanao Tsuyuri in training. Eventually, Zenitsu and Inosuke Hashibira refused to train anymore. Although Aoi pointed out that Tanjiro could leave at any time if he wanted to give up, Tanjiro decided to push through his training himself for his friends' sake and then help Zenitsu and Inosuke Hashibira complete their training. Because of Tanjiro's gentleness and understanding, the medical staff of the Butterfly Mansion, Kiyo Terauchi, Sumi Nakahara, and Naho Takada, told Tanjiro that to defeat Kanao Tsuyuri must learn "Total Concentration: Constant Concentration." Subsequently, with the help of the three, Tanjiro began to train, but he was constantly discouraged because he found it difficult to master.

One night, Tanjiro unexpectedly encountered Shinobu while training on the rooftop. During their conversation, Tanjiro sensed Shinobu's suppressed anger. Tanjiro then revealed that ever since her sister, Kanae Kocho, was Doma by Upper Moon Two, Doma, she had harbored a deep hatred for demons. Despite inheriting her sister's wish for harmony between humans and demons, her deep-seated loathing for demons who lied to protect themselves and ultimately revealed their true nature continued to grow. Afterward, Tanjiro asked Nezuko to fulfill her sister's last wish before leaving.

Determined to train hard, Tanjiro asked the three nurses from the Butterfly Mansion to help him complete his training and successfully mastered "Total Concentration - Normal Concentration". Subsequently, Tanjiro successfully defeated Kanao Tsuyuri in physical recovery training: he successfully held her hand during hide-and-seek; when they were splashing tea on each other, he held her hand down, but because he couldn't bear to splash her, he gently placed the teacup on her head instead.

Later, when Hotaru Haganezuka and Kozo Kanamori arrived at headquarters, Tanjiro had broken his Nichirin Sword during his previous battle with Rui. Upon receiving the news, Hotaru Tanjiro angrily chased Tanjiro with the Tanjiro for an hour before reluctantly handing him a new Nichirin Sword.

After fully recovering, during Shinobu's diagnosis, Tanjiro asked Shinobu about the Hinokami Kagura, but Shinobu said she had never heard of it and suggested that Tanjiro go and ask the Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku.

Upon returning home, Tanjiro unexpectedly encountered Genya Shinazugawa and smelled a strange odor emanating from him. Before heading off on his mission, Tanjiro went to thank Aoi Kanzaki, but Aoi, believing him to be a coward who backed down, thought it unnecessary. Tanjiro, however, insisted that he would carry her thoughts to the battlefield and said he would ask for her help again if he were injured again.

Afterwards, Tanjiro went to thank Kanao Tsuyuri, but because Kanao Tsuyuri was unable to make her own decisions due to her psychological issues, she chose to flip a coin to decide whether to respond to Tanjiro. Seeing Kanao Tsuyuri like this, Tanjiro, hoping that Kanao Tsuyuri could make her own choice, chose to break Kanao Tsuyuri's self-restraint by flipping a coin, and at the same time asked Kanao Tsuyuri to live according to her heart.

Mugen Train

That night, Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke Hashibira boarded the Mugen Train with Kyojuro Rengoku. Having never seen a train before, they mistook it for a land god or something similar. After boarding, Tanjiro asked Kyojuro Rengoku for clues about the Hinokami Kagura, but received no meaningful answers.

Afterwards, everyone was trapped in a dream due to Lower Moon Enmu's Blood Demon Art. In the dream, Tanjiro returned to a time when his family was still alive, enjoying a happy time with them in a hallucination. At the same time, Enmu had several human subordinates use special ropes to enter the spiritual realm of Kyojuro Rengoku, Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke Hashibira's dreams, attempting to destroy their "spiritual cores," turning them into cripples before killing them. However, to Enmu's surprise, Tanjiro's inner gentleness ultimately touched the heart of the young man he had been manipulating.

Ultimately, Tanjiro awakens with Nezuko's help and dispels Enmu's Blood Demon Art. Enmu then creates nightmares for Tanjiro, who is rushing towards him, inducing accusations from his deceased relatives, but Tanjiro manages to overcome these nightmares. Enraged by the insults to his family, Tanjiro immediately rushes to the train roof, finds Enmu, and beheads him. However, because Enmu's true form has merged with the train, it does not die. Inosuke Hashibira and Tanjiro then awaken and arrive to help. Tanjiro finds Enmu's true form at the train's engine and uses the Hinokami Kagura: Kyojuro Rengoku Enmu sever its spine, successfully destroying it.

After defeating Enmu, Upper Moon Three, Akaza, suddenly appeared and easily defeated Tanjiro and the others. Kyojuro Rengoku, to protect them, fought Tanjiro bravely. Ultimately, Kyojuro Rengoku, burning with his life force, unleashed the Flame Breathing Secret Akaza: Ninth Form - Purgatory, but Akaza neutralized it with Destruction Kill: Annihilation Type. In the ensuing hand-to-hand combat, Kyojuro was pierced through the chest by Akaza, but still managed to hold off Akaza's arms, intending to hold him until dawn and die together. As dawn approached, Akaza was forced to sever his own arms and flee in a sorry state. But as he escaped, Tanjiro threw his Nichirin Sword, piercing Akaza's body, and angrily denounced Akaza as nothing more than a coward who only dared to fight in the darkness.

Tanjiro and Kyojuro Rengoku

Before his death, Kyojuro Rengoku told Tanjiro that his hometown might hold news about the Hinokami Kagura, and also told Tanjiro what he wanted to say to his father and younger brother. After entrusting his will to Tanjiro and the others, Kyojuro Rengoku died with a smile. Apart from Kyojuro Rengoku himself, none of the more than two hundred passengers on the train, including Tanjiro, perished. Because of Kyojuro Rengoku's death, Tanjiro felt extremely guilty about his own weakness.

Shortly after, while delivering Kyojuro Rengoku's obituary to the Rengoku Family, Kyojuro Rengoku's father, Shinjuro Rengoku, was enraged upon seeing Tanjiro's Hanafuda Earrings. He punched Tanjiro, revealing that Tanjiro was the user of the original Breathing technique, Sun Breathing. Tanjiro only regained his senses after Tanjiro countered with Headbutt. After visiting Kyojuro Rengoku's younger brother, Senjuro Rengoku, Tanjiro resolved to become stronger, but then lost his Nichirin Sword and was once again chased by Hotaru Haganezuka for a day and a night.

Later, Tanjiro received an apology letter from Makijuro and learned about Sun Breathing and the Demon Slayer Mark on his forehead. However, because his Demon Slayer Mark was not natural, Tanjiro did not consider himself a "chosen one of the original Breathing users," but he also stated that he would not back down even so.

Several months after returning from the Rengoku Family, when the Sound Tengen Uzui, came to the Butterfly Mansion to capture girls, Tanjiro was furious because the Sound Hashira treated the girls like objects and threw them around. He said, "Everyone has their own hardships. Don't take advantage of your high social class to trample on other people's dignity." He offered to go in place of Aoi Kanzaki, and Inosuke Hashibira and Zenitsu also expressed their willingness to go with him. So the three of them followed Tengen to Yoshiwara to carry out the mission.

Afterwards, Tanjiro was disguised as a courtesan named "Tanko" by Tengen and infiltrated the famous brothel "Tokito House" in Yoshiwara. Later, he discovered that Upper Moon Six, Daki, intended to kidnap Tokito House's star courtesan, Koinatsu, and fought her. During the battle, he was mocked by her for cracking his sword after only a few attacks, making him realize that he was not suited to using Water Breathing. Because of Daki's unreasonable and arrogant behavior, even after taking lives, she showed no remorse, Tanjiro, enraged, immediately began to use Hinokami Kagura to launch a relentless attack on Daki.

However, just one step away from defeating Daki, Tanjiro's physical abilities reached their limit, nearly costing him his life. At that moment, his sister Delia's spirit appeared just in time, pleading with her brother to stop, saving Tanjiro's life, but he also collapsed from exhaustion. Then, an enraged Nezuko took her brother's place, but blinded by Demonization, she rapidly transformed into a demon, completely overwhelming Daki. Next, Tanjiro was awakened again by his younger brother Takeo Kamado's spirit, stopping Nezuko from turning into a man-eating demon and lulling her to sleep by singing her favorite childhood lullaby. Daki was then beheaded by Tengen Uzui, who arrived shortly afterward.

However, Daki did not die after being beheaded. Instead, she cried out in grievance and shame, summoning her brother, Upper Moon Six, Gyutaro. In the battle against Daki and Gyutaro, Tanjiro initially used Mixed Breathing to save Tengen's wife, Hinatsuru. However, under Gyutaro's powerful offensive, everyone gradually collapsed. Later, when Tanjiro awoke, Gyutaro loudly mocked him for failing to protect his sister and asked if he wanted to become a Tanjiro. Enraged, Tanjiro seized the opportunity to Headbutt him, piercing his leg with Hinatsuru Tanjiro. Subsequently, Gyutaro temporarily lost his mobility due to the wisteria poison coated on his kunai. Tanjiro then attempted to behead Gyutaro directly, while Zenitsu and Inosuke Hashibira also stood up and joined forces to attack Daki, intending to kill both demons. However, as the wisteria poison wore off, Gyutaro failed.

Then, after Tengen Uzui returned, he overwhelmed Gyutaro with his completed Demon Slayer Mark. Tanjiro, attempting to kill Gyutaro stabbed him in the chin with a spinning circular slash. However, at the same time, Tanjiro Awakening his Demon Slayer Mark in his desperate situation, greatly increasing his power. Ultimately, with the combined attack of Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke Hashibira, Daki and Gyutaro's heads were simultaneously severed. However, the Yoshiwara region was immediately reduced to ruins by the giant spiraling blood blade that emerged from Gyutaro's body. Finally, through Nezuko's Blood Demon Art, the Blood Scythe poison in Tanjiro, Tengen, and Inosuke Hashibira's bodies was successfully removed.

Dreams of the Past

When Tanjiro went to check on the two beheaded demons, he found Gyutaro and Daki arguing fiercely over their defeat. Frustrated, Daki impulsively yelled at Gyutaro, "How could an ugly monster like you be my brother?" Equally annoyed, Gyutaro retorted, "Why should I keep cleaning up your messes? You shouldn't have been born!" However, Tanjiro sensed that Gyutaro's words were insincere; he wasn't truly angry with his sister. Therefore, as the Upper Moon Six siblings were about to disappear, Tanjiro hoped they could reconcile and stop blaming each other. Later, sensing that the siblings seemed to have reconciled in Hell, Gyutaro, exhausted, fell into a coma and slept for two months, only waking up after being cared for by Kanao Tsuyuri and others. In his dream, Tanjiro saw a Tanjiro wearing the same earrings as himself and with flame Demon Slayer Mark on his forehead.

Upon waking, Tanjiro, whose Nichirin Sword had broken again during his battle with the Upper Moon Six siblings, received a pile of letters from Hotaru Haganezuka, who refused to forge any more swords for him.

The Swordsmith Village

Because Hotaru Haganezuka was unwilling to forge any more swords for Tanjiro had no choice but to travel to the Swordsmith Village with Nezuko.

Upon arriving at the Swordsmith Village, Tanjiro encountered Mitsuri Kanroji, and Genya Shinazugawa while resting at the hot springs. However, Genya Shinazugawa was quite resentful of Tanjiro's defeat of Upper Moon Six, and also because Tanjiro had broken his arm two years prior, so he treated Tanjiro very badly. At mealtime, after eating with Mitsuri, Tanjiro learned from her that the village possessed a secret weapon that could enhance one's strength.

Later, while searching for Steel Mist, Tanjiro unexpectedly encountered Kotetsu and Muichiro Tokito, the Mist Hashira, who was about to steal the key to the Yoriichi Type Zero he possessed. However, Muichiro Tokito was immediately knocked Muichiro Tokito. Upon waking, Tanjiro saw the Yoriichi Type Zero automaton fighting Muichiro Tokito and realized that it had the same appearance as the swordsman he had seen in his dream. After the automaton was defeated by Muichiro Tokito, Tanjiro comforted Kotetsu and told him not to give up, while also realizing that Muichiro Tokito's actions were not malicious. Then, with Kotetsu's help, Tanjiro trained by sparring with the weakened Yoriichi Type Zero. After several days, he finally completed the training and found a Nichirin Sword from the Sengoku period inside the damaged Yoriichi Type Zero. However, because the blade was rusty, Steel Mist, who was obsessed with sharpening swords, suddenly appeared and stole the sword to sharpen it.