Demon Slayer’scharacter backstories are grim like none other. Demons and demon slayers alike have suffered grievous injuries, abuse, and significant losses that have dramatically altered their lives. There are more characters in the series with difficult upbringings and pasts than those with positive ones,proving how difficult it is to merely survive in theDemon Slayerworld.
From losing beloved family members to being mistreated, abandoned, and abused, the circumstances these characters have found themselves in are unspeakably devastating. Many of these unfortunate individuals chose to become demon slayers, devoting their lives to preventing further tragedies from occurring. The bravery and resilience these characters exhibit in the face of such traumatic loss and horror is truly inspiring and provesthey will let nothing hold them back from saving others from similar fates.
10Shinobu Kocho Lost Her Parents and Sister to a Demon Attack
Almost All of Shinobu’s Relatives Were Slaughtered by Demons, Leading Her To Seek Revenge as a Hashira
Shinobu Kocho, the Insect Hashira, lost her parents during her childhood. Demons killed them, leaving her and her sister Kanae orphaned and alone,their lives shaken by the loss.Sadly, the grief and demon attacks did not end there for Shinobu.
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Her older sister,Kanae, was murdered by the Upper Rank Two demon, Doma, ripping another beloved family member away from Shinobu. At that point, Shinobu had lost everyone, except for Kanao, her adoptive sister. The heroine trained dutifully to become a powerful Hashira and seek revenge on the creatures who thoughtlessly slaughtered so many of her family members.
9Kanao Tsuyuri Was Abused and Sold Into Slavery at a Young Age
The Kocho Sisters Rescued Her, but She Suffered Immensely at the Hands of Her Parents Before That
Kanao Tsuyuri was taken in by Shinobu and Kanae, since her upbringing was horrifically difficult.She and her siblings were abused severely, to the point that a few of her siblings unfortunately did not survive. Because of the inhumane circumstances she grew up in, she struggled mentally.
The Kocho sisters were a true blessing to Kanao. When the girl was sold into slavery,Shinobu and Kanae adopted her, making her a part of their family. The trio became inseparable and Kanao finally found a loving family, although Kanae sadly died soon after, adding an additional layer of sorrow to Kanao’s life.
8Tanjiro and Nezuko Kamado’s Entire Family Were Slaughtered by Demons
They Were the Only Two Survivors Left Standing, and Nezuko Was Transformed Into a Demon
The story ofDemon Slayerbegins with tragedy and deathfrom the very first moment. When Tanjiro was not home, his entire family was brutally murdered by demons. The only survivor was Nezuko, his younger sister, who was turned into a demon.
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For the rest of the series, Tanjiro has to protect Nezuko from sunlight and external threats, all while preventing her from harming others with her difficult to control demon instincts. The two siblings share an unbreakable bond, strengthened by the terrible losses they have both suffered. Even in Tanjiro’s most hopeless moments, he spurs himself on to keep fighting demons byremembering the promise he made to avenge his family.
7Tengen Uzui Was Born to a Clan That Forced Him To Kill His Own Brothers
He Was Deceived by His Father Into Murdering Two of His Own Relatives
Tengen Uzui,the former Sound Hashiraand former member of a shinobi clan, has a little-known but devastating backstory. He was forced to train tirelessly throughout his entire childhood, subjected to torturous exercises that even killed three of his nine siblings. The seven remaining children weredeceived into murdering one another in a gruesome trickorchestrated by their father.
Tengen’s father disguised the identities of the children and encouraged them to fight, making them unaware they were slaughtering their own siblings. Tengen was forced to live with the grief of knowinghe was responsible for the deaths of two of his own brothers.Following the disastrous incident, Tengen turned his back on the clan, joining the Demon Slayer Corps instead.
6Giyu Tomioka’s Family and Best Friend Were Murdered by Demons, Leaving Him Alone
Giyu Has Lost Everyone He Ever Loved, Explaining Why He Has Adopted Such a Quiet, Withdrawn Personality
It is no wonder that Giyu Tomioka is the most reserved and solitary of the Hashira, considering the fact his life has consisted of one heart-wrenching loss after another. He grew up as an orphan, living with his sister Tsutako instead, since their parents were murdered by demons. Tragically,he lost Tsutako to a demon attack years later, on the night before her wedding, no less.
Giyu despised demonsfor cutting the lives of his cherished family members short, so he joined the Demon Slayer Corps to fight against them. There, he made a close friend named Sabito. Unfortunately, when a demon attacked Giyu,Sabito leapt into action to protect him and passed away, adding to Giyu’s already monumental misery.
5Gyomei Himejima Was Unable To Protect a Group of Children From a Demon Attack
Gyomei Himejima, the Stone Hashira, who is also consideredthe strongest Hashira, grew up among a group of orphans. He took on a caring, parental role, raising the children as if they were his own and even skipping meals to ensure none of them went hungry.Devastatingly, all but one of the children were murderedby a demonwho broke into the temple one night.
Gyomei was even falsely accused of killing the children under his care, but was saved by Kagaya Ubuyashiki and the Demon Slayer Corps. Although he survived the petrifying demon attack,he never shook the guilt he feltfor allowing most of the children to perish. He internally beat himself up for years, wishing he could have rescued the people he cared for so deeply.
SomeDemon Slayersmay be unaware of the fact thatSanemi and Genyaare siblings,but the pair actually did grow up together. Sadly, their childhoods were not joyous times because their father was an unspeakably cruel and abusive man. Their mother was the opposite and worked hard to show them love, but she was later turned into a demon by Muzan.
The burden of killing his own mother fell on Sanemi,since he had to end her life to protect his siblings. Despite his efforts, she managed to murder five of her own children, unaware of the atrocity she was committing. The heartbreaking incident drove a wedge between the brothers, because Genya did not understand the true reason why Sanemi killed their own mother for years.
3Akaza’s Father Took His Life, and the Adoptive Family Members He Later Met Were Poisoned
Akaza Was Left Miserable and Susceptible to Muzan’s Plea That He Become a Demon
It may be difficult to feel much sympathy for Akaza knowing the atrocities he committed as a demon, but his past was riddled with despair. He grew up poor, with an ill father and insufficient funds to pay for his medication. Akaza resorted to stealing and landed himself in legal trouble,causing his father to take his own life out of guilt.
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Akaza, then called Hakuji, was taken in by Keizo, a dojo owner, and developed an attachment to the man and his daughter, Koyuki. But tragedy struck yet again andboth Keizo and his daughter were killed by poison, planted in the water by a rival dojo. Akaza was even engaged to be married to Koyuki, but she passed away before that ever came to fruition.
2Muichiro Tokito’s Family Died and He Developed Amnesia
A little-knownDemon Slayerfact is that Mist Hashira,Muichiro Tokito, had a twin brother named Yuichiro.The two boys were orphaned when their parents both died. Their mother passed away due to illness and their father died while gathering medicine to help cure her. Living alone, the two brothers were attacked by demons multiple times.
Yuichiro lost an arm and was later killed by a demon,leaving Muichiro completely alone and heartbrokenat the prospect of living without his parents and older brother. Perhaps due to shock, Muichiro developed some form of amnesia, forgetting all that had happened to him thus far in life. It took years for him to even remember the catastrophic incidents, since they were buried away so deep in his mind.
1Obanai Iguro Was Treated Like a Prisoner, Trapped in a Cage For His Entire Childhood
Even Once He Escaped, His Suffering Was Not Over Because the Serpent Demon Killed Most of His Family
Obanai’s childhood was filled with nothing but torment and terror. He was raised in absolutely abysmal conditions,trapped in a wooden cageand never permitted to enjoy a normal youth. His parents and family worshiped a serpent-like demon, who constantly scared Obanai in his cage, causing him to lose sleep.
He was physically and emotionally tortured by his family and the evil Serpent Demon, with no hope of ever being released from his prison. Eventually, he devised a plan to free himself from the cage. A Hashira helped him after he had escaped, but the damage was done, andalmost his entire family was murdered by the Serpent Demon, who was furious Obanai had left.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
Cast
Set in Japan’s Taisho Period, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba follows Tanjiro, a young boy whose family is killed by demons. With his sister Nezuko transformed into a demon, Tanjiro embarks on a quest to become a demon slayer, seeking vengeance and a cure for his sister’s condition.
