One of the editors who worked on Koyoharu Gotouge's Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba has revealed that protagonist Tanjiro Kamado almost had a very different personality
As reported by Anime Senpai, Tatsuhiko Katayama shared in a recent interview that they initially designed Tanjiro to be a ruthless, merciless killer, completely lacking the kind heart that so thoroughly defines him in the actual story. The original artwork of the character features a cold, emotionless expression on his face and a missing arm.
How Changing Tanjiro Would Have Altered Demon Slayer's Story
Katayama further explained that aligning with the dark nature of the original Tanjiro, the first general concepts of Demon Slayer's story were much more brutal and savage, with themes all about revenge. According to the editor, the narrative would have lacked the well-loved comedy and hijinks of the final product that attracts many anime fans. So he asked Gotouge to rework the heartless protagonist into someone with greater appeal.
The advice from Katayama likely helped Demon Slayer become a massive success; not only is the series one of the best-selling manga in history with over 150 million copies globally, but the larger franchise is one of the most profitable media properties of all time. With over $8.7 billion in total revenue, Demon Slayer ranks above other notable pop-cultural IPs like Power Rangers, Pirates of the Caribbean and Jurassic Park.
A significant portion of those earnings comes from the award-winning anime adaptation by Ufotable. The first season premiered in April 2019 and won multiple categories at the Newtype Anime Awards -- including Tanjiro winning Best Character (Male) -- and Best Anime Series at the IGN Awards. The most recent season, which depicts the events of the "Swordsmith Village" arc from the manga, debuted as part of the spring 2023 anime lineup.
Beyond the manga and anime, the Demon Slayer franchise also includes multiple spin-offs, movies, light novels and a plethora of merchandise and collectibles. Fans celebrate Gotouge's work by creating their content, especially cosplay. Cosplayer Macklmoor, for example, showed off their genderswapped interpretation of Doma, the powerful Upper-Rank demon, with a costume that spotlights the character's signature blood-red turtleneck, hat and black crown. Similarly, Naoko-Hime uploaded a picture of their dazzling Nezuko cosplay that uses cherry blossoms to highlight the young demon girl's pink-centric character design.
The Demon Slayer anime is available on Netflix, Hulu and Crunchyroll. VIZ Media distributes the manga in North America.
Source: Anime Senpai