These Demon Slayer Characters Have Endured the Toughest Training in Modern Anime

It is a classic shonen anime narrative where the protagonist earnestly strives to become stronger and wiser as a person. This leads to countless training arcs, and sometimes the heroes even learn something new on the fly while fighting a serious battle. This is the case with a variety of Demon Hunter characters, all 100% human.




In this anime world, there is a clear divide between humanity and demons. Demons are those who have cheated to gain power, using their supernatural strength and demonic blood arts to defeat their enemies and live forever, while human demon slayers have no choice but to train hard to become worthy fighters. And even among humans, there is some variance, as some members of the nine Hashira have apparently had it easy to become elite warriors, while the other members of the Demon Slayer Corps had to train long and hard to succeed. In fact, this is the crux of some character arcs, because for some of them, relying on talent is never an option.


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10 Tanjiro Kamado trained until his hands were chapped

Debut Episode: “Cruelty”

It is no surprise that the shonen protagonist, Tanjiro Kamado, is the very personification of someone who can make his way through hard work and perseverance. Until the age of 13, Tanjiro had probably never seen a sword, and after Muzan slaughtered his family, Tanjiro knew that becoming a demon hunter was his destiny. Thus, he left home forever and began training after meeting Sakonji Urokodaki.


In a two-year editing process, Tanjiro trained until he was a stump, his hands sore from the strain of wielding his practice swords for so long. Thus he cut through a boulder and passed the final selection, and has since continued to train with mentors ranging from Hashira to the Yoriichi Type Zero training doll.

9 Inosuke is a self-taught swordsman with a killer instinct.

Debut Episode: “Tsuzumi Mansion”

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Not much has been seen of Inosuke Hashibira's upbringing, but Demon Hunter Fans know that Inosuke grew up alone, in the wilderness. Through exposure and training, he learned to tune into his instincts to an incredible degree and even learned to wield a sword, inventing Beast Breathing in the process.

Inosuke did not need any master or mentor to become worthy, though he was still intelligent and humble enough to take further training when it was offered. He willingly took part in the Hashira training arc to continue honing his skills, though he hit a wall with Gyomei's training until Tanjiro set a good example with his Repetitive Action to move that boulder.

8 Zenitsu Agatsuma didn't enjoy training, but it was worth it

Debut Episode: “Final Selection”


Demon Hunter Fans only saw snippets of Zenitsu's previous training, but they still got the point. Zenitsu knew what he was doing, but he didn't have any exceptional talent, so he had to train long and hard to get a firm grip on Thunder Breathing. His main problem wasn't his strength, but his fear in battle, something he had to overcome on his own.

Zenitsu's training finally paid off when he began falling asleep in battle to use Thunder Breath, and pushed himself to use it in greater and greater ways. He had only himself to thank when he used an astonishing zigzag pattern to fight Daki, something he had no doubt trained hard to do, and he did his best in training Hashira, despite his typical complaints and worries.

7 Gyomei Himejima pushed himself to become the No. 1 Hashira

Debut Episode: “Against the Rules of the Corps”

Gyomei Himejima looks down as he speaks.


Some of the Hashira are said to be immensely talented, such as Muichiro Tokito and Kyojuro Rengoku, so it seems they didn't have to train. That difficult to become the best fighters in the Corps. Becoming the best of the best seemed easy for them, but that is not true for all Hashira. This seems to be the case with Gyomei Himejima, the Stone Hashira, for example.

Based on the training Gyomei had his students do, it appears he spent a lot of time pushing his body to become stronger and more durable.t, as hard as the stones he emulates. It must have taken hard work to become the kind of swordsman who can pray peacefully under a thundering waterfall and push boulders with such ease.

6 Sabito trained well under Sakonji Urokodaki

Debut Episode: “Sabito and Makomo”

sabito holds his sword while wearing a mask


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As Hashira begins training for the Demon Slayer Corps, the character arcs expand, providing plenty of hilarious moments for Tanjiro and his friends.

We haven't seen much of Sabito's training, but in that flashback sequence he shared with Giyu, it was clear that Sabito was a good student. He was clearly Sakonji's top student at the time, though fans wouldn't call him a prodigy, nor did his training necessarily come easily. The same seemed to be true for his fellow student, Makomo.

Sabito knew how hard it was to train for a swordsman to be able to cut that boulder, and that was why Sabito was the right person to train and motivate Tanjiro Kamado. to do just that. By then, Sabito and Makomo were already dead, but their spirits lingered on to push Tanjiro a little further into his grueling training regimen.


5 Kanao Tsuyuri has embraced the methods of flower breathing

Debut Episode: “Final Selection”

Kanao Tsuyuri looks happy while crying.

Fans haven't seen much of Kanao Tsuyur's training, but they can still deduce that while Kanao is a capable fighter, she was no prodigy, so she needed good old-fashioned hard work and discipline to become a worthy member of the Demon Slayer Corps. In particular, Kanao trained to use Flower Breathing, the same style that Kanae Kocho once used.

Kanao's years of training and hard work have paid off, making her skilled enough to train Tanjiro's trio of heroes. to the Butterfly Estate and take their techniques to the next level. However, fans have yet to see Kanao wield the fruits of her training in a serious battle against demons, so they may have to wait for the final trio of Demon Hunter movie.


4 Giyu Tomioka trained with Sabito to master underwater breathing

Debut Episode: “Cruelty”

Giyu Tomioka raises his blade and frowns.

In a way, Giyu Tomioka deconstructed the awe and fascination surrounding the nine Hashira. Although he held this elite rank, Giyu was not a true prodigy of the blade, unlike Muichiro, who achieved that rank in an incredibly short time. Most likely, Giyu had to work harder than the nine Hashira to become a fighter of that level.

Giyu trained hard under Sakonji to master the underwater breathing techniques, and since he almost cheated to get into the Corps, Giyu made sure to continue training hard to improve his skills and prove his worth. It was personal for Giyu, as he was struggling with both survivor's guilt and impostor syndrome, to the point where he still doesn't feel worthy of the title of Hashira, despite his hard work.


3 Genya Shinazugawa has gone beyond all limits to prove himself as a demon hunter.

Debut Episode: “Final Selection”

Genya looks alarmed, despite being half demon.

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Using powerful breathing techniques such as stone breathing and underwater breathing, Tanjiro and his allies can hold their own against Muzan and his demons.

Genya Shinazugawa soon became the very embodiment of hard work making up for a lack of raw talent, even more so than Tanjiro himself. All the other demon hunters relied on specific breathing techniques, but for some reason, Genya proved incapable of using a single breathing style, so he turned to Gyomei Himejima for help.


Thanks to his great effort, Genya has learned to master the methods of repetitive action.which enhanced his power and even granted him a different fighting style. This helped him stand a chance against the likes of Hantengu, but despite this progress, his older brother Sanemi was still unimpressed. Either that, or Sanemi feared that Genya would one day get himself killed, hence Sanemi's constant pressure to have Genya abandon the Corps entirely.

2 Murata is a fine example of hard work for ordinary demon hunters.

Debut Episode: “Mount Natagumo”

Demon Hunter Fans might say that Murata is a stock character who is simply there to make the main characters look better by comparison. Murata is pretty average overall, from his appearance and personality to his fighting style, and hasn't accomplished much of note. In fact, he's lucky to have survived this far.


On the other hand, perhaps Murata deserves a little more credit than just saying he was lucky in everything. The plot armor may have played a role, but there's no doubt that his rigorous training and grit played a role as well. For example, Fans saw Murata try hard in Hashira's training arc, although, like Zenitsu, he felt overwhelmed by it all.

1 Shinobu Kocho invented his own breathing style and developed powerful poisons

Debut Episode: “Mount Natagumo”

Shinobu Kocho attacks with his hand raised.

Shinobu Kocho and Genya both had unique shortcomings as demon hunters, so they turned to ingenious solutions. While Genya used repetitive action and a shotgun to fight in place of a breathing style, Shinobu invented insect breathing because he was too physically weak to cut off the heads of demons..


Shinobu must have trained strenuously to invent and master her breathing style, and there's even more. Shinobu's fighting style revolves around powerful anti-demon poisons, which she invented herself to use in battle at the tip of her sword. It's a unique way for Shinobu to push herself and overcome adversity as one of the smallest demon hunters of them all.

The Demon Slayer poster features Tanjiro Kamado, Nezuko Kamado, Zenitsu Agatsumu, and Inosuke Hashibira jumping forward.

Demon Hunter: Kimetsu no Yaiba

Release date
January 22, 2021

Launch
Natsuki Hanae, Zach Aguilar, Abby Trott, Akari Kitō, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka

Seasons
4

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