Best Demon Slayer Character Arcs, Ranked (2024)

The Demon Slayer anime series draws anime fans in with a delightful cast of characters, mainly the sword-slinging slayers who fight demons for a living. It's always fun to watch these characters in action when they fight demons like the Lower and Upper Moons, but it's these characters' arcs that make them worth watching from beginning to end. Plenty of Demon Slayer heroes have short but sweet arcs that show them changing and growing as people.

A good character arc may have many components, from a character learning hard-won lessons from their mistakes to forming new relationships and even discovering a new, better side to themselves. While a few side characters in Demon Slayer remain largely the same as part of the supporting cast, plenty of major characters reshaped themselves as people based on their life experiences and the lessons they learned along the way.

10 Nezuko Kamado Found Inner Strength to Resist Her Demonic Hunger

Nezuko First Appeared in "Cruelty"

Even if Tanjiro's sister Nezuko hardly has any dialogue in the Demon Slayer anime, she still has a substantial character arc through her actions alone, which speak volumes on her behalf. She was turned into a demon when Muzan slaughtered the Kamados, but Nezuko resisted her hunger for flesh when she attacked her brother.

Since then, Nezuko has learned to tame and control her demon side, making her a hero no matter her supernatural blood. She also had a bonding moment with Mitsuri Kanroji at the swordsmith village, with Nezuko viewing Mitsuri as the older sister figure whom she evidently always wanted. All this makes Nezuko far more impressive and sympathetic than if she had just remained a human civilian for her whole life.

9 Zenitsu Agatsuma Has Learned to be Braver and Stronger For His Friends

Zenitsu Agatsuma First Appeared in "Final Selection"

Zenitsu Agatsuma made a bad first impression with his constant loud worrying and complaining, but ever since he joined Tanjiro and Inosuke to form a classic shonen trio, Zenitsu has started showing his good side, too. He stopped chasing random women and started nursing a passionate yet innocent crush on Nezuko, which actually brought out the best in him.

Also, even if Zenitsu still doesn't have nerves of steel, he's more willing than ever to fight demons, and is proud to fight alongside Tanjiro and Inosuke. He did well when fighting Enmu aboard the Mugen Train, for example, and he showed a whole new level of skill and courage when fighting Daki at the entertainment district.

8 Inosuke Hashibira Went From a Selfish Thug to Tanjiro's Best Friend

Inosuke Hashibira First Appeared in "Tsuzumi Mansion"

When he first appeared, Inosuke Hashibira almost felt like a demon himself, what with his fearsome boar head and bloodthirsty attitude. At the time, he was a feral loner who fought by instinct just for fun, but when he joined Tanjiro's team, he showed his noble side. Inosuke may still be energetic and wild, but at least he believes in true friendship and is a trustworthy ally.

Inosuke also nurses a competitive side, and he enjoys a rivalry with Tanjiro and Zenitsu to serve as an outlet for hisw boundless energy. Now and then, Inosuke sets aside his competitive and aggressive streak to show how much he cares about everyone, and he's been doing that more and more, such as tearfully honoring Kyojuro's last words and dreaming about spending time with his friends while under the effect of Enmu's magical sleep.

7 Muichiro Tokito Overcame Brutal Trauma and Started Fighting to Protect Others

Muichiro Tokito First Appeared in "Against Corps Rules"

The youthful Mist Hashira, Muichiro Tokito, didn't make any particular impression when he first appeared late in Demon Slayer's first season. Then, he was the co-star of the swordsmith village arc alongside Mitsuri, where Muichiro acted like a quiet himbo until it was time to fight the Upper Moons.

Muichiro acted cold at first, but then he listened to Tanjiro and heroically fought not just to do his duty, but also to shield innocent people from harm, proving he had a good heart all along. He also had a tragic flashback about his family's demise, showing how far he has come from his horrific trauma to become a hero who saves people from similar losses.

6 Tengen Uzui Proved He Loved His Three Wives as People

Tengen Uzui First Appeared in "Against Corps Rules"

Tengen Uzui the Sound Hashira was introduced as a bizarre oxymoron, a flashy and loud ninja who likes attention. But he's not just a gimmick character or an excuse for action scenes, such as when he fought Gyutaro. Tengen is a noble, idealistic man who rejected his ninja clan's restrictive ways, and that flattered his character.

Tengen's three wives weren't just tools and baby makers in his eyes, despite his ninja clan's norms. He valued the three of them as friends and allies, and he made that fact clear to them. Thus, Tengen earned the admiration of Demon Slayer viewers as he fought alongside his beloved, trusted wives to fight the Upper Moon 6 as a proper team.

5 Giyu Tomioka is Grapping With Survivor's Guilt and Grief

Giyu Tomioka First Appeared in "Cruelty"

The Water Hashira, Giyu Tomioka, was the first demon slayer to ever appear in the anime. In Episode 1, he was a cold, stern professional who almost killed Nezuko until he was convinced to spare her, and then Demon Slayer fans saw him again at the Hashira meeting. But it wasn't until Season 4 when fans saw more of his heartbreaking arc.

Giyu was once Sabito's friend, and Sabito gave his life saving Giyu during final selection, giving Giyu a great deal of survivor's guilt, along with imposter syndrome since he joined the corps without properly passing the test. However, Giyu still has his heroic side, no matter his burdens and guilt, so he may reluctantly agree to help Tanjiro after all and be the hero Sabito trusted him to become.

4 Kanao Tsuyuri Went From Slave to Hero Thanks to Her Role Models

Kanao Tsuyuri First Appeared in "Final Selection"

In her youth, Kanao Tsuyuri was in a terrible spot. She was a peasant bound by rope, being taken to a city to be sold as a slave, but then Kanae Kocho the Hashira freed her. Kanae helped train her new friend until Kanae died, and then Shinobu Kocho took over Kanao's training. Since then, Kanao has become a formidable user of Flower Breathing, just like Kanae before her.

However, despite her training and empowerment, Kanao remained quiet and unassertive, to the point she relied on coin flips to make decisions. Then, Tanjiro encouraged her to become bolder and more decisive, and she took that to heart. Kanao has since started talking, and is in a position to fight Kanae's killer, Doma, with great ferocity and resolve.

3 Genya Shinazugawa Embraced a Strange Power to Become a Slayer Like His Hashira Brother

Genya Shinazugawa First Appeared in "Final Selection"

Genya Shinazugawa was just an hotheaded ruffian when he first appeared in Demon Slayer. Or at least, that was the impression he gave. Far from being a thug or bully, Genya is just a frustrated slayer with unresolved issues, such as his unfortunate feud with his own brother Sanemi, who does not respect him very much.

Genya suffered greatly when he lost his mother and most of his siblings to demons, but unlike Sanemi, Genya didn't have immense talent and skill to become a Hashira. But even if Genya couldn't learn a breathing style, he learned a unique style from Gyomei to become a half-other like a demon, empowering him to fight back against demonkind at last. Thus, he became a strange yet effective ally and friend for the Kamados.

2 Lady Tamayo Bridges the Gap Between Humans and Demons

Lady Tamayo First Appeared in "The Smell of Enchanting Blood"

Lady Tamayo's personal arc is only slowly coming to light for Demon Slayer fans. Centuries ago, Muzan Kibutsuji turned her into a demon, and she went on a bloody rampage, even killing her own husband in the process. Tamayo despaired at the creature she had become but couldn't kill Muzan, so she became a doctor who has bridged the human and demon worlds.

Tamayo learned much about medicine since then, becoming a gentle and nurturing person who has done some serious good for the Kamados. At long last, she may get a chance to indirectly get revenge on Muzan by helping Shinobu and the other Hashira deal the final blow to Muzan, allowing Tamayo to face the end of her life in peace when the time comes.

1 Mitsuri Kanroji Learned Self-Acceptance

Mitsuri Kanroji First Appeared in "Against Corps Rules"

Unlike many of her fellow Hashira, Mitsuri Kanroji the Love Hashira didn't suffer trauma or loss in her youth, but her shonen-style flashback did give her another kind of personal obstacle to overcome. Mitsuri faced some self-image issues, feeling faulty and strange for having immense, unladylike strength and a huge appetite worthy of any himbo. She even obtained colorful hair thanks to her diet.

Mitsuri struggled to figure out who she was supposed to be, even dying her hair to appease a potential suitor. Then, she learned self-acceptance, finding validation and happiness that opened the doors to her future success as a Hashira. As of Demon Slayer's current events, Mitsuri is happy to support and validate other people in turn, including accepting the demon Nezuko as a beloved little sister figure.

Demon Slayer

TV-MA

Anime

Action

Adventure

When Tanjiro Kamado returns home to find his family was attacked and killed by demons, he discovers his younger sister Nezuko was the only survivor. As Nezuko slowly becomes a demon, Tanjiro sets out to find a cure for her and become a demon slayer so he can avenge his family.

Release Date

April 6, 2019

Cast

Natsuki Hanae , Zach Aguilar , Abby Trott , Yosh*tsugu Matsuoka

Main Genre

Anime

Seasons

4

Studio

ufotable

Creator

Koyoharu Gotouge

Streaming Service(s)

Crunchyroll , Hulu , Amazon Prime Video , Netflix