There’s no denying how popular the Demon Slayer anime and the manga have become in the past two years. In fact, it keeps on breaking all sorts of records, both inside and outside of Japan. However, there’s no denying that much like any other series out there, Demon Slayer has some serious flaws.
Apart from a cliché protagonist with dead parents who seeks out revenge against supernatural beings, the show’s other characters suffer from done-to-death clichés. That, or the manner in which they were portrayed just did not appeal to the sensibilities of fans.
10 Want To See More Of: Giyu
Giyu’s impression among fans is clear— he’s a straight laced hashira who goes by the book. Yet, he disobeyed a core belief of the hashira by not only letting Nezuko live, but sending the sibling duo to Sakonji Urokodaki for training.
His betrayal to the hashira code became even bolder when he decided to actively stop Shinobu when she tried to kill Nezuko. His end goal remains unclear, and more screen time for him would explain exactly that.
9 Had Enough Of: Sanemi Shinazugawa
This silver haired hashira is such a cliché that one can simply glance at his character design and tell everything about him (despite the fact that he only appeared for a few minutes in the anime). He’s hot-headed, rebellious to the point of being treacherous, blunt to the point of hurting people’s feelings knowingly, and is a ball of rage 24x7.
There’s nothing new Sanemi can offer as a character, that fans haven’t seen a hundred times over in the shonen genre already.
8 Want To See More Of: Kagaya Ubuyashiki
Kagaya is the leader of the hashira, and half his face is filled with one massive scar. He’s soft-spoken and foresighted, but that’s all fans know about him. Who exactly is he? What’s his lineage and why is he the leader of the hashira?
What are his powers? Fans know practically nothing about such an important figure, and it would be great to see his past and motivations explained in the second season
7 Had Enough Of: Hotaru Haganezuka
This Demon Slayer Corps swordsmith exists only as a figure of comedy, seeing how he adds absolutely nothing to the plot. Time wasted on him would be time well spent building up on the stories or character arcs of other characters.
As for comedy, well, there’s enough of it going around among many characters (like the conversations between Giyu and Shinobu). Hotaru is dead weight for the series.
6 Want To See More Of: Muzan
Yes, Muzan is evil and fans hate him for being evil. However, that’s all fans know about him. How did he become the first demon? How did he acquire such powers? Why is he disguising himself as a human being who has a child of his own?
Why did he get so upset when he was called “pale” by that drunk man in the alley? Why did he allow Rui to have a family when Tamayo made it clear he prefers demons working alone? There are so many questions that are unanswered that more screen time could solve.
5 Had Enough Of: Genya Shinazugawa
Genya already put a bitter taste in the mouths of fans when he harassed and man-handled one of the Ubuyashiki siblings, to the point where Tanjiro had to intervene. Like Sanemi, his arrogance, hot-headedness and rudeness are all that define him.
He will expectedly get a redemption arc in the anime, most possibly by including a sob story as an excuse for his horrid behavior. Fans already have Sanemi for that. Why have a Sanemi 2.0? It would have been a pleasant surprise to see a female character who was this aggressive and rude, but seems like all the female characters in Demon Slayer just exist to be soft-spoken killing machines and little else.
4 Want To See More Of: Inosuke
Without a doubt, Inosuke is one of the most liked characters from the series (among Western fans). With his boar head, feminine face and constant need for validation, he easily becomes one of the series’ most entertaining characters.
He also displays the most growth among all characters, admitting he’s not as strong as he believed himself to be. Fans would definitely love to see him grow more as a demon slayer, who could eventually become a hashira!
3 Had Enough Of: Mitsuri Kanroji
Speaking of female characters with little to no personalities, Mitsuri is someone who represents every negative stereotype about female shonen characters in the show. She’s aloof, absent-minded, and falls for every guy she lays her eyes on.
She’s soft-spoken like all other female characters, is covered in pink from head to toe (since fans needed to be told again and again that she’s a female), and her outfit was clearly designed to fill Demon Slayer's obligatory fan service quota. Apart from being strong, Mitsuri didn’t offer much to the show, and honestly, anime is better off without such flatly written female characters that exist to be little more than eye candy and fan art inspiration.
2 Want To See More Of: Tamayo
Without a doubt, Tamayo was the only female character from the show that had an interesting story. It was hinted at when Susumaru and Yahaba were surprised to stumble upon her, commenting that Muzan would be greatly pleased when they brought her to him.
What relationship did Tamayo and Muzan share? How did she escape his clutches? How did she create Yushiro, a demon who could survive on minimum amounts of human blood?
1 Had Enough Of: Zenitsu
Zenitsu is the most divisive character from the series, and it’s easy to see why. He has zero respect for females because he instantly views them as prey that he must cling to and harass them in order to gain their appreciation.
As a demon slayer, he’s a coward where he’s canonically shown to let his friends walk into danger, while he preferred to sit away dangerous missions. Even when he fights demons, he does so subconsciously (a very convenient power, of course). Essentially, the only two things he does when he’s conscious is be a complete coward and harass women. That’s his entire personality explained in one sentence.