The Demon Slayer series is filled with characters both extremely good and extremely bad. Characters like Tanjiro Kamado are well-known for their compassion and kindness, even in the face of incredible evil (as seen when Tanjiro feels bad for the demons he must kill). Other characters are ruthless, such as Shinobu Kocho, who asks the demons to be her friend before painfully killing them.
These characters do what they must to achieve their goals, keep their family/comrades safe, or survive. However, this makes some of them much better role models than others.
10 Good: Tanjiro Is The Embodiment Of Compassion
Tanjiro Kamado begins the series proving his kindness as he helps out various villagers, and when he finds his family dead and Nezuko turned into a demon, he never gives up on her. He believes in her and protects her no matter what. He also feels sadness for the demons he must kill, as he can see where they come from and why they are so angry.
However, Tanjiro wants to stop Muzan and his army of demons to prevent his families' fate from ever happening to another. Thus, he dedicates his life for his sister and for people he has never even met.
9 Bad: Shinobu Is An Amazing But Ruthless Slayer
Shinobu Kocho is an amazing fighter. She is the insect hashira and moves about with grace. However, her fighting tactic is cruel, using poison to defeat her enemies. On top of that, she hates demons.
Even though Shinobu hates demons for their bloodthirst and kills any demon who has killed a human, she does so in a cruel way. When fighting the spider demons, she gives them false hope that they can live only to take it away and kill them in painful ways.
8 Good: Nezuko Has Such Strong Willpower She Can Fend Off Her Demon Nature
Nezuko Kamado is just as impressive as her brother. Though she was forcibly turned into a demon, she never acts on her urge to kill and eat humans, and as a result, she gained incredible powers. However, Nezuko would have never been able to do this if it had not been for her impressive amount of sheer willpower.
Nezuko reminds others that compassion can outweigh demonic blood lust and that not all who look evil or come from evil origins are indeed evil. Many of the hashira could benefit from learning this lesson.
7 Bad: Zenitsu Can Be A Creep
Zenitsu is the cowardly demon slayer who only fights when he is unconscious. However, when he is unconscious, he becomes incredibly powerful. Despite his power, ability, and innocence, he tends to be creepy toward women, and thus he cannot be considered a good role model.
Nezuko obviously does not want Zenitsu chasing her around, but Zenitsu does not consider this and continues to bother her. He does this even to women who voice their displeasure with Zenitsu's actions.
6 Good: Giyu Knows When To Be Compassionate And When To Be Firm
Giyu endeavors to save as many innocent people as he can; that is why he joined the Demon Slayer Corps. When he meets Tanjiro, he tries to tell him that Nezuko is a lost cause, but Nezuko tries to protect Tanjiro. Giyu changes his mind at this moment.
Giyu is compassionate, and when he sees potential in Nezuko, he sets both her and Tanjiro up with their best chance of survival and for saving Nezuko from her demon nature. He sends them to Sakonji and lets them go, despite his duty to kill any demon he crosses paths with.
5 Bad: Rui Is The The Defenition Of Toxic Familial Relationships
Rui is one of Muzan's powerful Twelve Kizuki, demons with great potential. He was a spider demon, and thanks to his past trauma derived from when his parents tried to kill him for becoming a demon, he is obsessed with creating a family. So, he attempts to make a family of spider demons, but his family is toxic and twisted, many of the members being forced to be part of it. Eventually, Rui dies, but it was not before terrorizing both his "found family" and Tanjiro, Nezuko, Zenitsu, and Inosuke.
4 Good: Rengoku Is A Paragon Of Honorable Heroes
Rengoku Kyojuro was the flame hashira and one of the few who supported Tanjiro. He was always optimistic and confident, even when the odds were stacked against him. Though he was often known to be intense, he was smart and capable of devising great battle plans.
Rengoku was an incredibly powerful fighter and Nichirin blade-wielding swordsman, however, he did not originally support Tanjiro protecting his sister-turned-demon. Eventually, he comes around to the idea after getting to know them, showing his ability to be open-minded and not blindly follow rules.
3 Bad: Sanemi Shinazugawa Is Cruel And Rude
On the other hand, Sanemi Shinazugawa was another hashira who did not support Nezuko's existence. However, instead of simply voting against allowing her to live, he attacks her. His intense hatred for demons keeps him from seeing the benefit of Nezuko's survival nor her pure heart. He even tried to stab her multiple times and tries to trick her into attacking him.
It takes a while, but Sanemi eventually accepts Nezuko, though it was certainly not for her demonic nature. On top of that, he is one of the grumpiest hashira.
2 Good: Sakonji Did What He Had To For Tanjiro To Be Prepared For Selection
Sakonji Urokodaki is Tanjiro's mentor and teacher of the water breathing technique. When Tanjiro and Nezuko first come to Sakonji, he surprisingly allows Nezuko to stay with them and gives her a chance. While he was hard on Tanjiro when training him, he was only so hard because he knew the dangers of the selection.
When it all is said and done, Sakonji trains Tanjiro well and provides safety for him and Nezuko as the series starts out. Tanjiro never would have made it without his tutelage.
1 Bad: Muzan Manipulates Demons And Demon-Hopefuls
The most obvious pick for a bad role model in Demon Slayer has to be Muzan himself. He is a demon who makes demons, and if they do not listen to him or complete the goals he sets for them, he does not hesitate to end his underlings. Furthermore, he kills humans without remorse and forcibly turns them into demons (just as he did with Nezuko).
On top of everything, Muzan is manipulative not only to humans whom he sometimes tricks into becoming demons but also to those who work under him.