Demon Slayer: How Tanjiro Kamado is related to Yoriichi Tsugikuni

Tanjiro Kamado is one of the most popular characters in the Demon Slayer series and is loved by the entire fanbase. Tanjiro is one of the two people in the entire series who is capable of using the Breath of the Sun technique, which makes him quite important towards the later part of the series.

Another character who was equally popular was Yoriichi Tsukiguni. He was a prodigy and happened to be the only character who was so strong that he almost succeeded in killing the Demon King by himself.

He was also responsible for the creation of Breathing Techniques which allow the average human being to compete with demons that are far superior in terms of physical abilities and regeneration rate.

Ever since the Entertainment District arc made its debut, anime-only Demon Slayer fans have been wondering if the two aforementioned characters are related. Let’s understand whether those two characters are blood relatives and if not, how they are related in the series.

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the concluding arc of Demon Slayer manga.

Demon Slayer: Are Yoriichi and Tanjiro related to each other, and if so, how?

Tanjiro is a young boy who lived in the mountains with his family and they mainly sold coal. He would take trips to the neighboring village, sell the coal and would bring back the money the following day.

One thing that fans noticed was his father’s appearance and his Hanafuda earrings. This was introduced during the first season and after his encounter with Muzan, fans realized that this was an important element in the series.

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Muzan feared the earrings and the dance performed by Tanjiro’s father was done as a prayer to the Sun God.

An important theme in every popular shonen anime and manga series is lineage. Tanjiro and his father look extremely similar to each other. Fans think that Tanjiro was related to the legendary swordsman since he had the same earrings, and their appearances are similar as well.

However, Tanjiro is not a descendant of Yoriichi Tsukiguni. Tanjiro is the descendant of someone who knew Yoriichi personally and was a good friend of his as well.

Sumiyoshi was rescued by Yoriichi when a demon threatened his life. Since then Yoriichi often met him and they became close acquaintances. Sumiyoshi would often watch Yoriichi perform the Breath of the Sun and memorize the moves properly.

This impacted the overall plot of Demon Slayer since Tanjiro was able to perform the Breath of the Sun because of Sumiyoshi’s efforts.

Tanjiro’s Breath of the Sun was pivotal in the defeat of the strongest antagonist in Demon Slayer because the technique was developed specifically for killing Muzan and it accounted for all the vital organs that he had.

Tanjiro’s efforts were quite important, but Yoriichi’s efforts were important as well. This is because Tamayo was able to concoct certain poisonous chemicals after witnessing Yoriichi take on Muzan and almost succeed in killing him.

Tanjiro performing the Breath of the Sun (image via Ufotable)

Tamaoyo was able to create a four-stage drug that prevented Muzan from splitting his body into numerous parts. That was the only way he was able to escape from Yoriichi.

Yoriichi and the protagonist of Demon Slayer might not be related to each other by blood, but the former’s techniques were passed down for generations along with the Hanafuda earrings. These two were important characters whose efforts were essential in eradicating demons and freeing humans from their tyranny.