Tanjiro Kamado is a kind-hearted and intelligent boy who lives with his family in the mountains. After his father’s death, he became his family’s breadwinner and travels to the nearby village to sell charcoal. One day, Tanjiro came home and discovers his family was slaughtered by a demon. His sister Nezuko is the sole survivor of the incident. She has been transformed into a demon, but still surprisingly shows signs of human emotion and thought. Following an encounter with Giyu Tomioka, the Water Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, Tanjiro is recruited and send to Giyu’s retired master Sakonji Urokodaki for training to also become a Demon Slayer. He begins his quest to help Nezuko turn into a human again.
Two years later, Tanjiro learns the “Water Breathing” style after a strenuous training and takes part in a formidable exam. He is one of the few survivors to approve, officially making him a member of the Corps. Nezuko has been hypnotized to not harm humans and occasionally helps Tanjiro, who starts his work of hunting down and slaying demons. One of their assignments bring them to Asakusa where they encounter Muzan Kibutsuji, the evil progenitor of all demons and the responsible for the murder of their family. Tanjiro and Nezuko also meet Tamayo and Yushiro, two demons who are free from Muzan’s control. They ally to develop a cure for Nezuko, though it will require Tanjiro to supply Tamayo with blood samples from the Twelve Kizuki.
Continuing their missions, Tanjiro and Nezuko meet fellow exam survivors Zenitsu Agatsuma and Inosuke Hashibira. They team up during a battle with Kyogai, a former member of the Kizuki. The group soon faces off against Rui and, although Tanjiro unlocks a mysterious style known as “Hinokami Kagura”, they are ultimately outmatched. Giyu and Insect Hashira Shinobu Kocho rescue the group and brought them back to headquarters where Tanjiro partakes in a council between the Corps’ leader Kagaya Ubuyashiki and the Hashira, its most elite members – Giyu, Shinobu, Stone Hashira Gyomei Himejima, Wind Hashira Sanemi Shinazugawa, Serpent Hashira Obanai Iguro, Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku, Mist Hashira Muichiro Tokito, Sound Hashira Tengen Uzui, and Love Hashira Mitsuri Kanroji – who, with Giyu’s exception, do not believe Nezuko should be allowed to live. However, Kagaya nonetheless manages to convince the Corps to accept her. With this agreement, Tanjiro begins to work alongside the Hashira, where he acquires significantly more resistance from the demons.
