The Transformation of Tanjiro: The Evolution of a Sword Style
Demon Slayer is filled with many exceptional characters. And many of these characters show some promising developments. It's a given that the protagonist, Tanjiro Komado would have one of the best developments of them all. But talking about his character development is a bit cliche. So let’s talk about the thing that signifies him, his sword style! From someone who had zero knowledge about the sword, he became someone who helped others realize their goals. He became a skilled swordsman who kept breaking bones and swords left and right. Despite this, was what we saw really the true “Tanjiro’s Katana” or did it have some deeper secret? Let’s find out!
The story begins when Tanjiro lost his family and swore to seek vengeance and cure his sister. It all started with a basic katana. A katana which had no special traits. Yet, Tanjiro made it his own. Seeing Giyu defeat a demon, he realized he could also become someone who could help the helpless. For this he took the sword in hand and started his journey. He trained in the mist filled mountains for months. With only one goal in mind, he started forging his heart and that was what started the formation of Tanjiro’s katana.
He mastered one of the many Breathing styles present in the story, the Water Breathing style. It was not a sword style that he took on easily for he had to face many hardships. But as time passed, he learned that all of this training helped him hone his sword far better than before. He became proficient enough to even take on Upper Moon demons. And it was at this point that Tanjiro learned his limits. His sword's limits to be precise.
Tanjiro's katana or the black Nichirin blade that he acquired after becoming a full fledged demon corp member was far inferior to the katana he bore in his heart. The water breathing style enhanced his physical strength far above a normal human, and the Nichirin blade was ok with it. But as Tanjiro developed, a different side of Tanjiro appeared that the blade was unable to cope with.
This power was him realizing his ability to perform the Sun Breathing style! It was the origin of all other demon slaying Breathing styles, so it was undoubtedly the most powerful one. This caused Tanjiro to attain a power that could not be expressed with his current blade. And thus, his blade broke!
A Nichirin blade can withstand the blow of even the most powerful demon, Muzan. Still when being used with a body enhanced by the Sun Breathing style, it can not withstand the weight of each blow. And this was evident during the fight between Tanjiro and Rui, the Lower Moon Five. This was the first time that Tanjiro was able to manifest the Mark, the mark that enabled him to wield the Sun Breathing style for the first time ever.
The breaking of his sword showed Tanjiro what he is truly capable of. And as soon as he realized this fact, he entered the final phase. The phase that enabled him to forge Tanjiro's katana as we come to know. He honed his breathing technique further with the help of Shinobu and company. Basically, he turned the breathing style that he used consciously into something that happens naturally. A transformation that enabled him to face even the upper moon demons with ease.
But even after all this training, he did not stop. For he was still unable to manifest the mark as he did against Rui. That was because he was blatantly ignorant of his own power. A power that lay dormant within him which he knew about but was unable to realize its potential. The power which we later came to know as the Dance for the Fire God, aka Sun Breathing style.
From childhood, Tanjiro saw his father performing this dance as an offering to the Fire God. He took it as something trivial, a family tradition of sorts. But when he was at a bind during his fight against Rui, a realization dawned upon him. The dance moves, the footwork he saw as a child, were oddly similar to the ones he used when using Water Breathing style. So in that life and death situation, he took a gamble and it paid off. He was able to use a Breathing style that was long thought to be extinct.
But it was not like he mastered it as soon as he discovered it. It was impossible for him to master the style. It was the style that was the father of all other breathing techniques. And thus, when used, it causes a massive strain on the user's body. A strain that Tanjiro’s current body was unable to withstand. To enable himself, he trained and trained till he was able to somewhat bear the pain and use the style against the Demon King.
Tanjiro truly reached his final stage at this point since it was this Sun Breathing style that enabled him to defeat the undefeatable Muzan!
