The main antagonist of Demon Slayer, Kibutsuji Muzan set into motion the sequence of events that lead to Kamado Tanjiro's enrollment in the Demon Slayer Corps. However, what if the massacre of the Kamado family was premeditated? There is one developing explanation for the Demon Lord's actions, and it is a lot to reckon with.
Muzan's hatred for the Demon Slayer Corps is palpable, to the point in which the defeat of a Hashira at the hands of one of his Twelve Demon Moons is not met with elation or joy, but irritation that there was only one Demon Slayer death. He hates them so much that killing them only makes him angry that others are still alive and so his hatred is central to speculations surrounding the Kamado family massacre. The explanation why the Kamado family's untimely demise in Demon Slayer was not random relies on two things; the Kamado family's Sun Breathing heritage and Kibutsuji Muzan's very hazy memories seen through the Upper Sixth Ranked Daki. These memories show a shadowy figure with hair similar to Tanjiro's, wielding a sword.
RELATED:
The Bonds of Blood
The aftermath of the Mugen Train Arc throws the audience in a loop when Rengoku Kyojurou's father, Shinjurou, loses his temper after seeing Tanjiro's forehead scar and rising sun earrings. Calling them markers of a never-before-mentioned branch of Demon Slayers – the Sun Breathers – both Tanjiro and the audience are at a loss regarding what he means.
Shinjurou angrily explains that the Sun Breathers are the first-ever Demon Slayers, and that every Breathing Art that exists is an offshoot of Sun Breathing in some way. As primordial Demon Slayers, it makes sense that we hadn't heard of them until that point; however, there were very real clues regarding Tanjiro's special heritage.
Exploring Demon Slayer Etymology
Firstly, the family name of the Demon Slayer main sibling pair, "Kamado", bears with it the connotations of heat and fire because seeing how it is written in Kanji. "Kamado" refers to the traditional Japanese charcoal oven. This is supported by the fact that Tanjiro had been supporting his family through the sale of charcoal, and that activity is what had kept him away overnight when his family was slaughtered. Also, given that Tanjiro's family lived fairly deep in the mountains, they were users of traditional Japanese charcoal ovens for cooking as well as for warmth.
RELATED: Demon Slayer: Every Unique Nichirin Blade Introduced So Far
Tanjiro's signature "Hinokami" attacks also bear with them the connotation of heat and fire, but differently. When analyzed etymologically, at least only on a sonic level, "Hinokami" contains elements that refer to "Sun" or "Fire" and "God" or "Hair". Altogether, "Hinokami" when heard and not read could translate to "God of Fire". This is a deliberate trick to put a shroud over Tanjiro's true elemental affinity, as the "Hi" from "Hinokami" could either be "Sun" or "Flame", particularly if the written form of the word is not known. Tanjiro's connection to the deceased Flame Hashira Rengoku Kyojurou adds fuel to the proverbial fire of Tanjiro's elemental association, and with Rengoku's little brother Senjurou acknowledging Tanjiro as a worthy successor to Kyojurou, the association with Flame becomes stronger. Even Nezuko's Blood Demon Art, "Exploding Blood", is thematically rooted in fire as a concept and like Tanjiro's Hinokami techniques, a direct reference to their family name because of that connection to fire.
Memories of Somebody
Throughout the fight between Daki and Tanjiro in the most recent season of Demon Slayer, there have been several references to Tanjiro's likeness to a certain someone. In the flashbacks Daki experiences due to Kibutsuji's blood coursing through her veins, the figure looks eerily like Tanjiro, but we know that it could very well be his father. If it was assumed that Kibutsuji Muzan's most feared opponent is the figure who is literally embedded in the memory of his body, someone so dangerous that Muzan's blood kept a note of that person. Assuming it was Tanjiro's father, then various truths about Tanjiro begin to change.
If his father was the Sun Breather in the visions, then it is possible that Kibutsuji Muzan intended to wipe that person out as well as their kin in order to eliminate any possible threats coming from the man's family. Not only was the intention to eliminate, but seemingly to gloat somewhat, as we know that Muzan hates the Demon Slayer Corps more than anything. Eliminating any possible Sun Breathers constitutes an elimination of the core principles of Demon Slayers, but turning a descendent of the Sun Breathers into a demon – the very antithesis of the Demon Slayers – constitutes a symbolic perversion of what it means to be a Demon Slayer at the site that birthed them in the first place. For them, Nezuko's condition would be a fate worse than death, and the Flame Hashira's demise is proof.
MORE: Demon Slayer: Why Can't Demons Say Muzan's Name?
