Kousatsu NoteReading the stories of games, films and anime through their own wordsKousatsu Note ／ Demon Slayer ／ The big picture
MangaDemon Slayer The big picture What Is Demon Slayer About? The Whole Story to the Final Chapter, and Why Tanjiro Fights Demons
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is set in Taisho-era Japan. Tanjiro Kamado's family is killed by a demon and his little sister Nezuko is turned into one, so he fights demons to find a way to make her human again. He joins the Demon Slayer Corps and, with his friends and the elite swordsmen called Hashira, hunts Muzan Kibutsuji, the origin of all demons. In the end, Muzan is destroyed by the light of dawn and Nezuko becomes human again. The manga is complete at 23 volumes and 205 chapters.
This article covers Demon Slayer up to its final chapter.
What’s the story?
It’s the journey of a boy trying to turn his demon sister back into a human.
It’s the Taisho era. Tanjiro Kamado, a boy who makes charcoal in the mountains, goes down to town to sell it, and while he’s away a demon kills his family. The only survivor, his sister Nezuko, has been turned into a demon. Even so, Nezuko doesn’t attack her brother.
To find a way to make her human again, Tanjiro becomes a swordsman of the Demon Slayer Corps, the organization that hunts demons.
What are demons?
Man-eating beings that are almost impossible to kill.
A demon only dies if it’s exposed to sunlight or beheaded with a special Nichirin sword. Every demon was created by being given the blood of Muzan Kibutsuji, the man who became the first demon over a thousand years ago. The strongest demons, who received the most of Muzan’s blood, are called the Twelve Kizuki and are divided into Upper and Lower Ranks.
Almost all demons were once human. Again and again, the series shows demons remembering their human lives as they die at the hands of the Corps.
How does the story unfold?
| Arc | What happens |
|---|---|
| Final Selection to Mount Natagumo | Tanjiro joins the Corps, meets Zenitsu and Inosuke and fights Rui of the Twelve Kizuki |
| Mugen Train | Fighting the demon on a train with Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku. Upper Rank Three, Akaza, appears |
| Entertainment District | Fighting Upper Rank Six with Sound Hashira Tengen Uzui |
| Swordsmith Village | Fighting Upper Ranks Four and Five. Nezuko conquers the sun |
| Hashira Training | The Hashira train the Corps for the final battle |
| Infinity Castle | Pulled into Muzan’s fortress, the Corps faces the Upper Ranks |
| Final battle | Holding Muzan in place until dawn and destroying him with sunlight |
How does it end?
At great cost, the Corps holds Muzan in place until dawn and destroys him in the sunlight. Many of the Hashira die in this battle.
At the very end, Muzan tries to turn Tanjiro into a demon. Called back by his friends and Nezuko, Tanjiro becomes human again. Nezuko has also been turned back into a human with the help of medicine.
The final chapter jumps to the present day and shows the descendants of Tanjiro and his friends. The ending is covered in detail in the ending article.
Where should I start?
The manga runs 23 volumes. The anime began in 2019 and is now adapting the final battle as the Infinity Castle film trilogy. The viewing order is in the watch order article.
Personally, I think the series’ greatest strength is the stories of the demons being defeated. Every time we learn why someone became a demon, the enemy stops being just a monster. That build-up is what gives the final battle with Muzan its weight.