Should Murata have been given a bigger role in Demon Slayer? Explored

One of the fan-favorite characters from the popular anime series Demon Slayer has often been downplayed by the narrative, to the disappointment of several fans. While he has participated in several instances in the earlier parts of the series, without achieving anything major, fans loved him and would have wanted a better role for him.

The character in question here is Murata, a supporting character from the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba series. While he was a great accomplice of Tanjiro in the earlier stages, his role slowly started to get cut short in the narrative, which, to some extent, felt a bit unfair, and he should've had a better storyline.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the author's opinions and contains potential spoilers from the Demon Slayer anime and manga series.

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Did Murata deserve a better role than he got in the Demon Slayer's narrative?

Murata is a fan favorite character from the Demon Slayer series has always been an intriguing character, frequently making his appearances throughout the series, but the narrative never amounts to anything major in the end. His first appearance in the anime was in episode 15, titled Mount Natagumo, and in the manga in chapter 28, titled Urgent Summons.

While Murata, from the very beginning of the series, was shown as someone not that special or who possessed any Breathing Forms, which is a major key element of the series, his history and narrative before his appearance should have landed him a better role as a Demon Slayer Corps member in the series.

As per Murata's lore in the series, he attended the Final Selection alongside Giyu Tomioka, the current Water Hashira, and Sabito. After several participants died during the event, Murata was alive because of Sabito's sacrifice and went on to join the Corps. During the event, while Giyu was knocked out, Sabito entrusted the former's safety to Murata before passing away.

While Murata played several minor but key roles in the series, there was one constant feature about his character that fans might have missed due to him not being portrayed as a major character in the series. Murata's Nichirin Blade is black, which, while the series did not explicitly state as to why in his case, is usually associated with Sun Breathing.

So the question remains, was Murata a Sun Breathing user just like Tanjiro and Yorichii? The series never truly emphasised Murata's true potential, and most of the time portrayed him as a side character, even though it was stated that he was one. The series could've expanded on his character rather than showing him as a generic member of the Corps.

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Final thoughts

Murate played several small cameos throughout the various Demon Slayer arcs, but never amounted to anything that signified him as a major character. His narrative somehow felt a bit rushed as he had great potential in terms of exploration of his strength and his history with Giyu Tomioka.

With the upcoming Infinity Castle arc films, it is safe to say the fan favorite Demon Slayer character is going to make his return, based on the series' narrative, as Murata, alongside Tanjiro and the other Hashira's get teleported into the castle to fight against Muzan and his demons in the final battle.

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