Demon Slayer: Why did Tanjiro's eyes turn red?

Kamado Tanjiro with his eyes bloodshot red (Image via Ufotable)
Kamado Tanjiro with his eyes bloodshot red (Image via Ufotable)

Kamado Tanjiro is arguably one of the strongest swordsmen in Demon Slayer. A member of the Demon Slayer Corps, he has gone up against some of the strongest demons in the series, managing to come out on top through his sheer skill and determination.

In his recent fight against Daki in the Entertainment District Arc of the anime, Tanjiro was pushed to his absolute limits, and the audience got to see a new side to his character. Witnessing the death and destruction caused by Daki, the protagonist was taken over by rage, causing his eyes to turn bloodshot red.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from the Entertainment District Arc of the Demon Slayer anime.


Tanjiro's overwhelming rage contributed to the change in his eye colors while fighting Daki in Demon Slayer

Tanjiro performing Sun Breathing in Demon Slayer (Image via Ufotable) Enter Enter
Tanjiro performing Sun Breathing in Demon Slayer (Image via Ufotable) Enter Enter

Demon Slayer is full of memorable and flashy fights, but very few come close to the one between Daki and Tanjiro. During their battle, the former unleashed an attack that harmed multiple people in the entertainment district. Seeing the loss of human lives and the ceaseless destruction caused by the demon, Tanjiro's was overcome with rage, causing his eyes to start bleeding.

He spoke to Daki about how demons trample over the lives of normal humans who, once dead, will never return. He asked her why demons rob people of their lives, making her see the vision of a man who spoke similarly. While the man looked like Tanjiro's grown-up version, Daki had no recollection of who the man could be. She then realized that she was seeing Muzan's memory, which was triggered in response to Tanjiro's speech about human life.

Daki's vision of Muzan's memory in Demon Slayer (Image via Ufotable)
Daki's vision of Muzan's memory in Demon Slayer (Image via Ufotable)

Daki responded by saying that the demons were beautiful and all-powerful, giving them the free rein to do anything they wanted. Hearing the response, the young protagonist resumed the fight and was able to outclass the Upper Moon demon.

Tanjiro's sun-breathing technique, Hinokami Kagura, allowed him to cut through Daki's obi sashes with ease. This created the opening he was looking for, allowing him to almost slash Daki's head off. However, the strain of using the technique got the best of him, and he collapsed on the roof, gasping for breath.

Tanjiro using Hinokami Kagura against Daki in Demon Slayer (Image via Ufotable)
Tanjiro using Hinokami Kagura against Daki in Demon Slayer (Image via Ufotable)

As he fought Daki, Tanjiro had a vision of Rengoku imploring him to set his heart on fire. This prompted him to use sun-breathing, which almost served as an homage to his late mentor. As Tanjiro pushed past the threshold of pain during this fight, he almost managed to kill Daki. The fuming rage that Tanjiro felt from seeing Daki destroy human lives helped him push past his limits while also making him bleed through his eyes in anger, resulting in his eye colors changing to bloodshot red.

Moreover, the fight helped Tanjiro improve as a warrior and showed fans his anger-filled side. While he was able to outclass Daki in his rage mode easily, he soon collapsed due to the strain Sun Breathing put on his body. Nezuko arrived in time to protect her brother, and together they were able to win against the Upper Moon after a hard-fought battle.

However, Daki didn't go down quietly as her older brother Gyutaro appeared and engaged in a battle with the Sound Hashira, Tengen Uzui. The demon sibling duo proved to be quite a match for the demon slayers as Inosuke, Zenitsu, Tanjiro, and Tengen pushed beyond their limits in order to eke out a last-minute victory.