demon slayer, one of the most popular manga and anime series in recent memory, has packed a lot of tragedy into its story. This setting has been ravaged by literal demons that eat humans for food, so of course there will be many tragic deaths along the way.
And with just how big the cast around Tanjiro Kamado ends up getting, it becomes difficult to figure out which characters have their days numbered or not. So let’s take a look at some of the most tear-jerking deaths in demon slayerwhat makes them so sad and what caused these heroes to die in the first place.
8 The Kamado Family
People don’t really think about it after the first few episodes, but it’s actually a series of deaths that get this story going in the first place. Tanjiro only becomes a demon slayer to protect and heal his sister, Nezuko, after Muzan kills their entire family and turns her into a demon. And after all the flashbacks and moments when readers/viewers get to see Tanjiro’s father, mother and siblings, they are all such lovable characters.
So why is such a loving family cut before their time so low in this ranking? Well, just because the audience couldn’t spend much time with them outside of Tanjiro’s Sun Breathing related flashbacks. These are the most technically impacted deaths in the past demon slayer, based on what they have set in motion.
7 Tamayo
Tamayo is one of the sweetest characters in the whole of demon slayer. She cares for and treats people without a word of thanks and is one of the few demons who seems to regret their actions and tries to atone. But beneath that kind and almost “motherly” outward personality lies a red-hot hatred for the long-lived Muzan, and that’s what really drives her forward. Finally, after the Ubayashikis manage to injure Muzan in a suicide attack, Tamayo is able to restrain him and inject her “Anti-Demon Drug” which has a variety of effects, including turning demons back into humans. .
Of course, due to Muzan’s absurd power, it doesn’t work right away and unfortunately kills Tamayo right after, but Tamayo planned this and developed the drug to have multiple “stages” with different effects in case Muzan was able to resist to offer it.
6 Jigoro “Ex-Thunder Pillar” Kuwajima
Jigoro Kuwajima, the previous Thunder Pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps, is such a sweet character. He is the one who raised and trained Zenitsu, who is undoubtedly one of the most hated main characters of the public. But compared to Zenitsu, Jigoro is such a charismatic and gentle (mostly) old man. He loved Zenitsu like his own grandson, endured his absurd cowardice and constantly helped others.
But his death was anything but sweet, as the poor man forced himself to commit Seppuku as a way of “reconciliation” after his other protege, Kaigaku, defected and became a demon. And because there was no one else next to him to cut his head off (which was common for those who committed Seppuku), Jigoro slowly bled and suffered a lot of unnecessary pain.
5 The Ubayashiki . family
The Infinity Castle Arc and the Sunrise Countdown Arc are the two main parts of: demon slayer where many of the cast meet their tragic end. After all, these two arcs include the final showdown with the “Demon King” Muzan, and it starts with a bang. More precisely, Kagaya Ubuyashiki, the chief of the Demon Slayers, lures Muzan into sneaking into his house to kill him. But this was all an act, and Muzan had actually fallen into his suicidal trap. Ubuyashiki, after saying what he wanted to say, blows up his estate, killing himself, his wife and his two eldest daughters, all of whom pretended not to face their deaths.
While this doesn’t kill Muzan, the initial damage and shock from this attack allow Tamayo to inject him with her Anti-Demon Serum, which is a major part of what ultimately leads to his end. So by sacrificing himself and much of his immediate family, Kaguya did a lot. But the end of this beloved character and his devoted family members was so tragic and so sudden that many fans were left speechless.
4 Mitsuri “Love Pillar” Kanroji & Obanai “Serpent Pillar” Iguro
Mitsuri Kanroji and Obanai Iguro were two more pillars of the Demon Slayer Corps. More specifically, they were the Pillar of Love and the Pillar of Serpent, and they were good friends. But both realized (or accepted) their true love for each other in their final battle against Muzan during the Sunrise Countdown Arc, the pinnacle of tragedy.
Both Obanai and Mitsuri give their all in this battle and contribute greatly to killing the evil existence that was Muzan. But as a result, they both die, unable to spend time with the one they now realize they love. As such, before they pass, they swear to find each other in their next life. And, in the epilogue of demon slayer which takes place years later, there is an adorable married couple who run a restaurant that resembles them.
3 Shinobu “Insect Pillar” Kocho
Shinobu Kocho, the Insect Pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps, is another character who hides their true emotions under a mask. Like Tamayo, Shinobu is warm and friendly on the outside, but is constantly burning with anger and hatred towards demons. Tanjiro is the first to notice and during her battle with Doma, the terrifying Upper Moon Two, Shinobu shows her true self again.
In the end, she does fall for Doma, who actually absorbs her into herself. But before Shinobu is fully engrossed, he manages to use hand gestures to tell her apprentice, Kanao, exactly how Doma fights and what to watch out for. Additionally, Shinobu had also worked with Tamayo so she could slowly and safely ingest Wisteria Flower poison over the past year, meaning Doma had just ingested over 700 times the lethal dose of Wisteria. This genius, grudge-filled move eventually resulted in Doma dying, but Shinobu who must die to achieve this still hurts.
2 Genya Shinazugawa
Genya Shinazugawa is one of those characters in demon slayer that readers/viewers tend not to even realize they like it until it’s too late. When he first appears, Genya is a bully and a jerk to everyone around him. But the constant bullying of Tanjiro’s kindness makes Genya a little more bearable. And once readers/viewers get to know his backstory with his brother Saenemi, he becomes so much easier to understand.
But this is also exactly why his death hurts so much. Not only does Genya contribute heavily to the death of Kokushibo, the number one Upper Moon, but he does so without using any breathing style. That said, after surprising Kokushibo, Genya dies, literally fading to ashes before his brother’s eyes. Most demon slayer fans had expected one of these brothers to die, but most would have guessed it would be Saenemi.
1 Kyojuro “Flame Pillar” Rengoku
And finally, let’s get to the saddest death in the franchise, which of course is the death of the fiercely burning Flame Breathing user that is Kyojuro Rengoku. Not only is this probably one of the more popular characters in the series now, thanks to the success of the Mugen train movie, but his death will probably still remain the most tragic event even if the anime eventually ends.
The pure spectacle of the anime and the Mugen train movie added so much to Kyojuro as a character through his dreams that it made his death all the more depressing. Originally, though sad, his death didn’t hit that hard in the manga simply because it was an image on a page, with no motion, sound, or anything else added to it. But now that this moment has been beautifully recreated in a full-budget film, it hits that much harder.
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