Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, features the adventures of Tanjiro Kamado and his younger sister Nezuko. Despite their poverty, Tanjiro and his family live a happy life within their mountain community. But things take a terrible turn for the worst when Tanjiro returns home to find his family slain, and that the only survivor--Nezuko--has become a demon!
Following a faithful encounter with the demon slayer, Giyu Tomioka, Tanjiro gets the chance to become a demon slayer, avenge his family, and find a cure for his sister. Yet, before he can begin his quest, the young man must travel to meet the old master Sakonji Urokodai and complete his harsh training. Depending on whether you follow the manga or anime version of the series, there are some changes; read on to discover 10 differences between the two.
10 Anime: Letter From Giyu
Urokodai receives a letter from Giyu Tomioka describing Tanjiro's situation and requests that he train him. Giyu senses the potential in Tanjiro and believes that he would be a worthy student. He goes on to say how Nezuko is a demon who refuses to eat people and that together they make for a different pair.
Episode 2 of the anime, "Trainer Sakonji Urokodai", places this scene at the end versus its manga counterpart which opens the chapter with it (see chapter 3 "Return By Dawn"). Both formats use the placement of this scene to great effect and it even alters the ending of each.
9 Manga: Encounter With Farmer
The opening of chapter 2 of the manga, "The Stranger", begins with Tanjiro attempting to pay a farmer for her basket, some straw, and some bamboo. The kind farmer offers to let Tanjiro have the supplies for free, and they argue about it, but the teen insists that she take the money--even going as far as to smack it in her hand.
The farmer holds her hand in pain as Tanjiro thanks her and heads for the cave where he has hidden Nezuko. The anime skips this small (but humorous) interaction and detail about Tanjiro's character.
8 Anime: Extra Training
After passing Urokodai's first test--to climb and descend the mountain by nightfall--Tanjiro becomes his student. For days Tanjiro trains in the mountains, avoiding traps, and honing his sense of smell. Soon he is strong enough to carry a katana with him and begins to train with it, but here is a small detail that you might have missed between the anime and manga.
Both the manga and the anime series show the harsh training that young Tanjiro must endure, but anime seems to take things a bit further--by kicking a man while he's down. Tanjiro practices swinging the katana until he feels as though his arms will fall off, reaching 716 swings. The anime does the same only Tanjiro reaches 1000 swings, but Urokodai shoots him down and tells him to do 500 more! The animated version also gives the viewer a more in-depth telling of Tanjiro's training overall.
7 Manga: No Feast With Urokodai
Episode 4 of the anime, "Final Selection", has a scene that is not found in the manga. After Tanjiro manages to split the boulder, Urokodai arrives to congratulate him. Before leaving for the final selection, the two celebrate with a feast during the evening as Tanjiro gets some much needed time to relax.
Urokodai tells Tanjiro that he will face many hardships during his journey that will make his time spent training seem like nothing. This scene shows the bonding between the master and his student, and unfortunately, it is a scene that is missing from the manga.
6 Anime: Kibutsuji Snaps His Fingers
While in Tokyo, Tanjiro encounters Muzan Kitbutsuji--the demon responsible for his family's murder. Discovered, Kitbusuji causes a distraction by turning a citizen into a demon. Faced with the choice of dealing with the demon, or allowing Kitbutsuji to escape, Tanjiro decides to deal with the current threat. Moments later Kitbutsuji gets into a fight with a family in a nearby alley, and he deals with them all brutally!
One small detail that is different in the anime is the style of camera shot used when Kitbutsuji snaps his fingers, after disintegrating a woman, to summon a pair of his servants. The anime uses a behind the back type of shot while the manga utilizes a front perspective--so you can see the cold look on Kibutsuji's face.
5 Manga: Yushiro Calls Nezuko A Hag
After dealing with the distraction that Kibutsuji caused, Tanjiro meets with the demon Yushiro so he can take him to see doctor Tamayo (see chapter 15 of the manga, "The Doctor's Opinion"). When Yushiro first sees Nezuko he notices that she is also a demon, and calls her a "hag"!
Naturally, Tanjiro won't stand for it and defends his younger sister telling Yushiro that she was known as the town beauty. The animated version of this moment is nearly as harsh, but instead of being a hag, poor Nezuko is now an "eyesore" according to Yushiro.
4 Anime: Inosuke's Relaxation
Before heading to their next mission atop Mount Natagumo, Tanjiro and his allies stop to rest at an inn and let their wounds heal. While Tanjiro and Nezuko deal with a smitten Zenitsu, a hungry Inosuke finds himself in a great mood after the caretaker of the inn offers him a change of clothes and some fried tempura. Now healed, the group receives their orders and leave for their mission.
The opening minutes of episode 15, "Mount Natagumo", has the Inosuke and caretaker scene placed near the beginning. The manga, however, uses the scene as a flashback instead. While searching the woods for surviving corps members, Tanjiro thanks Inosuke for coming with him but all he can think of at the moment is delicious fried tempura; see chapter 28 if you would like to compare and contrast.
3 Manga: Tanjiro Sticks The Landing
Tanjiro and Inosuke battle the father spider demon on Mount Natagumo and it is their toughest fight so far. The father spider has incredible durability and strength, making it a challenge for Tanjiro and Inosuke's attacks to get any damage through. Tanjiro slows the demon down for a moment and attempts to cut him down with his finishing attack.
The attack fails and Tanjiro finds himself thrown into another section of the woods where he uses one of his water breathing techniques to save himself--and stick the landing too! Tanjiro wasn't so fortunate in the anime, he attempts the same maneuver only to fail and smack his head on a tree! Check out chapter 35 "Scattered", and episode 15 "A Forged Bond" to see.
2 Anime: Shinobu And Giyu Join The Fight
Hashira demon slayers, Shinobu Kocho and Giyu Tomioka arrive on Mount Natagumo in time to save the day. Episode 20 of the anime series, "Pretend Family" gives viewers a taste of just how power hashira rank members of the corps can be. It also provides some extra backstory about Rui and his spider family.
The anime switches things up by placing the battle between Rui and Giyu before Shinobu's fight with his sister. This is different from the way the manga details these events--covering chapters 41 and 42.
1 Manga: A Rude Greeting
After meeting the demon slayer corps leader, Kagaya Ubuyashiki, Tanjiro and Nezuko are taken to the Butterfly Mansion by a couple of kakushi so they can get treatment for their wounds. When they arrive at the mansion it appears to empty until they come upon a daydreaming Kanao Tsuyuri.
She seems oblivious to their presence and instead, they are given a rather rude greeting by a young caregiver, Aoi, who yells at them asking "Who the hell are you?" During episode 23 of the anime ("Hashira Meeting"), this is changed to a less vulgar line, having her say "And who are you?" instead. What other differences can be found between the anime and manga; read the series on the Viz website or stream it on Crunchyroll.