The mystery of inherited memories in Demon Slayer and how they work

Viewers of Demon Slayer season 3 are still curious about the visions of the enigmatic swordsman (who manga-readers recognize as Yoriichi) despite the incredible animation and action sequences. As Kotetsu stated, these are inherited memories that Tanjiro and the demons in the series share.

Hantengu and Gyokko have gathered in the Swordsmith Village, but Tanjiro seems to realize his untapped ability in Demon Slayer season 3. The protagonist was able to use his Breathing Style and defeat the Hantengu clones with the help of Nezuko. However, Tanjiro and the Upper-Rank demons are curious about this strange memory of a swordsman, which, in this regard, is known as the inherited memory.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from the Demon Slayer anime and manga.

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What inherited Memories are symbolic of in Demon Slayer

As the name implies, inherited memories are just one's ancestors' recollections. In the earliest episodes of the Swordsmith Village storyline, Kotetsu briefly explains this occurrence. He claims that these memories are handed down from earlier generations to current ones.

This does not necessarily imply that the memories they inherit will just be those of one of their ancestors. It might also be from a third-person viewpoint. Instead, practically every inherited memory that viewers see in the Demon Slayer anime is from a third-person viewpoint. Tanjiro, for instance, has such memories of an enigmatic swordsman in his subconscious.

As a side note, Tanjiro's forefather is not this swordsman. This disproves all theories that he is Tanjiro's father. These memories are recollections of Sumiyoshi's tales, one of Tanjiro's biological ancestors. He was the one who had seen the swordsman with hanafuda earrings at work.

The swordsman everyone knows is the legendary forerunner of all demon slayers and hashiras and the only person whom Muzan was truly scared of, aka Yoriichi Tsugikuni. The person was so incredible that the manga depicts him dying as he stands up, never having lost in his life.

The way it works for Tanjiro is the same way it works for the demons. The main character goes through memories that Sumiyoshi saw. However, Muzan Kibutsuji also passes down these memories to the demons who see them.

These memories originate from an encounter Muzan had with the enigmatic swordsman hundreds of years ago. Even though they only engaged in a brief battle, he quickly outmatched Muzan and came dangerously close to killing him. Since then, Muzan has harbored intense resentment for that swordsman and endures the horrors of that day.

The demons, who directly ingested Muzan's blood to become demons, have inherited these bad memories. When Daki revealed this, the behavior was seen in Demon Slayer's Entertainment District arc. In Muzan's memories, she saw the enigmatic swordsman. Even if anime-only fans haven't seen much of the enigmatic swordsman yet, these flashbacks from the anime's two ends demonstrate his tremendous might.

Furthermore, this swordsman will quickly establish himself as a key figure later in the series. Fans of the anime had not previously anticipated that these inherited memories would play such a significant role in the narrative. However, going ahead, it appears that Tanjiro needs the memories to reach his full ability, as demonstrated in Demon Slayer.