Nezuko Kamado

is a fictional character in Koyoharu Gotouge's manga series '' Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba''. Nezuko and her older brother Tanjiro Kamado are the sole survivors of an incident they lost their entire family in due to the Demon King, Muzan Kibutsuji, with Nezuko being transformed into a demon, but unexpectedly still showing signs of human emotion and thought. After an encounter with Giyu Tomioka, a demon slayer, Tanjiro begins his quest to help his sister turn back into a human and avenge the death of his family.

Nezuko's character was created to make Tanjiro's character more complex, as he struggles to reconcile with his sister being a demon. Critical response to Nezuko has generally been positive due to how unconventional it was for the narrative to have her kind of character as a demon, as well as how her fighting abilities adapt and grow as the series progresses.

She has also been a popular character within the ''Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba'' fanbase, appearing in an issue of the ''Weekly Playboy'' magazine.

Creation and development

Nezuko's character was created by manga artist Koyoharu Gotouge to make the main character, Tanjiro Kamado, more unique. Due to Nezuko being a demon, Tanjiro cannot bring himself to hate the demons he faces and instead finds himself in a gray zone of black and white morality. He says that demons also had a soul once and are not truly evil. The author's editor and other assistants said that, thanks to this, the manga took a more innovative narrative that easily engaged the readers.

Anime producer Yuma Takahashi said that although Nezuko is silent ever since the first episode, the staff could express intricate changes in the character's facial expression and humanize her emotions. Through those advantages, they were able to give more depth to her. Takahashi claimed that he wanted viewers to look forward to the development of Nezuko and the wide range of emotions she could show. The anime uses an insert theme song titled " Kamado Tanjiro no Uta". It expresses the determination of Tanjiro, who stands up from despair and struggles to protect his younger sister.

Voice actresses

Akari Kitō, the Japanese voice actor of Nezuko, said Tanjiro's voice actor, Natsuki Hanae, is similar to a big brother to her at the studio as he is supportive, and if there are parts that she has difficulty recording, Hanae would stay and wait until she finishes even though he has done his part. Hanae said he also thinks of Kitō as a younger sister. For the English dub, Abby Trott described Nezuko as "a sweet, caring sister to her many siblings," including when she becomes a demon, as she often aids her brother in battles. This kindness displayed by Nezuko was found relatable by Trott.

Characterization and themes

Although Nezuko is Tanjiro's younger sister and has become a demon, she is depicted as looking and behaving attractively and attempting to behave as a human. She is altruistic and kind, but her life changes when she becomes a demon. In ''Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba'', demons need to eat humans to survive, but Nezuko believes that she should spare human lives. She wears a bamboo muzzle and communicates nonverbally. She can harm demons and spare humans by having her blood become fire when it leaves her body.

Appearances

In ''Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba''

Nezuko grew up on a mountain alongside her older brother, Tanjiro, and the rest of her siblings and mother as the eldest daughter of the Kamado family. Unlike Tanjiro, who was responsible for selling firewood in town, Nezuko would usually help out around the family home. After a demon attack kills almost her entire family, Nezuko is turned into a demon by the orchestrator of said attack, Muzan Kibutsuji. At first, she is rather wild and attacks her single remaining brother; however, she quickly comes to her senses and swiftly jumps in to defend him from Giyu Tomioka when the Hashira tries to harm him. Following her awakening after their short fight and her brother receiving instructions from Giyu to find a man named "Sakonji Urokodaki", Nezuko is taken by Tanjiro to first bury and pay their respects to their deceased family. She then hides in a nearby cave, since the sun has risen, and waits for her brother to find something to carry her in so they can travel by day. The two begin to travel towards Sakonji's home but run into a demon who has just killed and is preying on a family on their way. Tanjiro attacks the demon, hitting it in the jaw with his axe, but it swiftly heals the wound and boasts about its regeneration abilities. Angered, the demon pounces on Tanjiro, but Nezuko swiftly kicks its head off, also kicking its body away as it continues to attack. The pair manage to fend off the demon, pinning its head to a tree and throwing its body off a mountain, until Sakonji suddenly appears and informs them that they cannot kill a demon through these methods. Tanjiro hesitates to deliver the final blow, and, eventually, the sun rises, causing the demon to disintegrate and Nezuko to flee to the safety of the house. After a short lecture and test of strength, Sakonji takes the siblings in and begins training Tanjiro in the Water Breathing Style. Nezuko then sleeps for the full two years Tanjiro spends training, not awakening after he leaves for the Final Selection. Sakonji keeps her in check the entire time, until Tanjiro successfully passes the Final Selection, because it is only then, when he returns to them, that Nezuko awakens. She greets Tanjiro, embracing him and relieving him of his fears. Sakonji used suggestive hypnosis on Nezuko as she slept to reinforce a simple mindset that all humans were members of her "family" and she should protect them and kill all demons.

Nezuko accompanies Tanjiro to his first mission, where she emerges from her box to fight a copy of the Swamp Demon. She falls asleep after the demon is defeated; Nezuko spends most of this arc in her box, as it takes place during the day. Inosuke tried attacking her box because he could smell her demon blood, but Zenitsu protected her box with his body.

Nezuko takes part in the battle against Lower Rank 5, Rui. She helps her brother at first, using herself as a shield against Rui's threads, but is then captured and tied up by him to the top of several trees upside down, falling asleep as a result of blood loss. Her mother's spirit asks her to wake up and help Tanjiro for saving him from Rui. She wakes up for a moment and deals the killing blow with her newly awakened Blood Demon Art, thanks to her blood that stained Tanjiro's sword previously and through the same threads that Rui used to tie her up for defending against Tanjiro's last attack instead.

After that fight, Shinobu tries to stab her with poison, but her attack is blocked by Giyu. Tanjiro tries to escape with Nezuko from the scene, but he fails after Kanao (without being seen by him) stomps on his back. Tanjiro instructs Nezuko to run, and his jaw is broken after a kick on his head. Nezuko proceeds to turn into a small child and make a run for her life. Before Kanao is able to decapitate the cornered Nezuko, a crow appears, ordering her to bring the Kamado siblings to Demon Slayers' headquarters. She decided on getting to headquarters inside her box.

Nezuko gets out of her box, only to get confused by Kyojuro Rengoku, who is strangling a human as he sleeps. She tries to wake her brother up for a head pat and then proceeds to give him a headbutt in frustration when she is unable to rouse him. However, due to Tanjiro's hard forehead, she ends up splitting her own forehead open and starts bleeding. This causes her to cry and use her Blood Demon Art on her brother. She uses it on the ropes of the Demon Slayers after they were put to sleep by Lower Rank 1, Enmu. She fights with her fingernails since she will fall asleep soon if she uses her blood. After the train is stopped and during the fight between Kyojuro and Akaza, she falls asleep on the arms of Zenitsu, who is asleep as well. Before Kyojuro dies, he finally acknowledges Nezuko as a member of the Demon Slayer Corps since she protected the humans on the train.

Nezuko awakens to her berserk-like Demon Transformation ability during the fight with Daki, the female half of Upper Rank 6. Being unmuzzled and having spent the fight disconnected from her own humanity for a prolonged period of time, Nezuko stumbles upon and attempts to consume a human, but she is subdued by Tanjiro and is sidelined for the rest of the fight. She proves instrumental in saving several Demon Slayers from the brink of death by using her Exploding Blood ability to burn the lethal poison of Gyutaro, the male half of Upper Rank 6, out of the Slayers' blood. Nezuko almost disintegrates in the sunlight but then suddenly becomes a demon immune to the sun, something which Muzan had tried so hard to find.

Nezuko assists Genya as they fight the Upper Rank 4, Hantengu. During this time, Nezuko took Tamayo's medicine and was under the care of Sakonji Urokodaki, whom she was delighted to see.

Nezuko, appearing to have sensed something, gets up. As Sakonji asks the girl what is wrong, she dashes into the forest, seemingly aware of and drawn to Tanjiro's impending death. Kiriya, worried and wondering what to do, yells for her to be retrieved. Kiriya then remembers his father's words to let Nezuko do as she pleases, allowing her to leave. Urokodaki still chases her, but Nezuko is far too fast for him. She then leaps off of a cliff, landing safely in the forest below. As Nezuko rushes towards the city, she begins to undergo drastic changes. Her right eye becomes that of her human self, and her hair has returned to being solely black. Nezuko remembers Muzan slaughtering her family and becomes enraged. She then remembers how Tanjiro carried her through the snow, panicked and desperate, trying to save her life. She recalls every ally and friend she has made along the way and every tender moment she shared with them. She remembered the time Sanemi had stabbed her. As her reversion continues, her hands become those of a human again. She envisions Tanjiro holding his hand out to her and his promise to protect her. As she becomes fully human once more, she is awakened by Sanemi, who stabs her in an attempt to provoke her and her brother. Sanemi, trying to prove that Nezuko is dangerous, uses his Marechi blood as bait. Nezuko recalls her family and refuses to drink it at the end. She ends up becoming furious at Sanemi after being awakened and stabbed. She is carried out to the Butterfly Mansion alongside her elder brother.

Other appearances

The character also makes an appearance in the video game '' Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Hinokami Chronicles''.

In the stage play ''Demon Slayer: The Stage'', Karen Takahashi portrays Nezuko.

Merchandise

Much ''Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba'' merchandise features Nezuko, including glasses frames, loungewear, and canned coffee. Japanese manufacturer Good Smile Company released figures of Nezuko in their Nendoroid, Figma, Hello! Good Smile and Pop Up Parade lines. From October 6 to 9, 2022, Good Smile Company released Nendoroid Pins of Nezuko exclusive to the New York Comic Con. Bandai Namco released figures of her in the Ultimate Legends HD and Banpresto lines. Bandai also released a Tamagotchi of her called Tamagotchi ''Exploding Blood!'' Bandai subsidiary released a Lookup figure of her.

Reception

Popularity

Nezuko's character has been popular. She was ranked in third place in the first ''Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba'' character popularity poll with 3,319 votes. She won the ''Newtype'' Anime Award for "Best Female Character" for her role in the series, along with Akari Kitō also being awarded "Best Voice Actress" for her performance as Nezuko. In February 2020 at the 4th Crunchyroll Anime Awards, Nezuko's fight with Tanjiro against Rui won the "Best Fight Scene" category while she was nominated for " Best Girl". The 19th episode of the first season, "Hinokami", was cited by critics at ''IGN'' as one of television's best episodes in history, commenting on the build-up and exciting execution. ''Manga.Tokyo'' enjoyed the build-up of this scene as Nezuko managed to assist Tanjiro thanks to being motivated by her late mother, and the power she showed surprised the writer. Due to the emotional delivery of this scene, the writer looked forward to more interactions between the two siblings. At the 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards in 2024, Abby Trott was nominated in the " Best Voice Artist Performance (English)" category for her performance as Nezuko, but lost to Ryan Colt Levy's Denji.

Nezuko was one of the five recipients for the "Best Girls of the Decade" in Funimation's Decade of Anime fan poll. ''IGN'' regarded Nezuko as one of the series' most popular characters and noted how her design elaborates the way she sees humans as good people as a result of hypnosis. ''Siliconera'' made a similar article discussing her characterization and how compelling she is during the anime's first season due to how, despite her tragic backstory, Nezuko becomes a more heroic figure when fighting other demons. In 2021, Nezuko appeared on the cover of the July issue of ''Weekly Playboy'', featuring an interview with Kitō. In October 2021, Shueisha failed its appeal to trademark the clothing patterns for three of ''Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba''s main characters, including Nezuko.

As a result, the internet has exploded with various cosplayers dressing up as Nezuko on TikTok and Instagram. Many websites have also started creating content on how to do a Nezuko cosplay. Graphic designers and illustrators have taken to Pinterest with their own fan art and interpretations of Nezuko. One cosplayer in China was expelled from an anime event for wearing a kimono, even though she had intended to dress as Nezuko.

Critical response

Response to Nezuko has generally been positive. Rebecca Silverman from ''Anime News Network'' noted that Nezuko retained her humanity despite becoming a demon due to how she protects her older brother, making Giyu allow the siblings to embark on a quest to find a cure to her state. James Beckett from the same site said that Nezuko's transformation into a demon was the pilot's strongest part, making the narrative surprisingly unconventional, based on Tanjiro's reaction to it and Giyu's actions. Steph Donaldson of ''Manga.Tokyo'' also praised the development of Nezuko's actions because she manages to awaken after two years as a caring demon to Tanjiro, making their embrace emotional. ''Comic Book Bin'' enjoyed Nezuko's portrayal because, although being a cursed character, she is still active and appealing to see, mostly due to how she develops supernatural strength to use in combat. In a general overview of the series's first episodes, ''UK Anime News'' found Nezuko as the most compelling character for the depth she possesses and, like ''Comic Book Bin'', noted she is surprisingly helpful to Tanjiro when it comes to fighting.

A writer for ''UK Anime News'' also enjoyed how the two siblings are compared to the villains in a meaningful way. A writer for ''Anime Inferno'' said, "Tanjiro and Nezuko make a great team and are two enjoyable protagonists, with the series at its best when the two siblings are working together." In ''Jungian Dimensions of the Mourning Process, Burial Rituals and Access to the Land of the Dead: Intimations of Immortality'', the writer Hiroko Sakata addressed similarities between the Kamado siblings with the Forgotten God Hiruko, the Oni Katako, and the child K, citing the Kamados' stories as modernized versions of Japanese myths, comparing them with Yuta Okkotsu and Rika Orimoto from the manga '' Jujutsu Kaisen 0'', as both aim to control the Oni element present in the narrative and become fighters in the process.

James Beckett of ''Anime News Network'' was surprised by Nezuko's heroic actions in the episode as well as the voice acting from Akari Kitō, despite not having multiple lines in the series, being able to develop her character in the process. The character's handling in the '' Entertainment District Arc'' was panned by James Beckett of ''Anime News Network'', who accused it of sexualization despite her changing her size and her being fictional. Laveena Joshi of ''FandomWire'' criticized Nezuko's portrayal in ''Demon Slayer'' by saying that her character development failed to impress readers and that she was "reduced to the status of a mascot".

Ronald S. Green, the Chair of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Coastal Carolina University, stated that in '' Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train'', Nezuko is a reference to Yuki-onna, a figure that commonly appears in Japanese fiction. As Yuki-onna, a demon, would rescue the woodcutter in her narrative, Nezuko would rescue Tanjiro. According to Green, this shows their deep connection, Nezuko's humanity, and the internal conflict Nezuko must face between demonic nature and wanting to defend Tanjiro. Green also wrote that the bamboo muzzle could signify past cultural norms of silencing women. He compared her to characters from authors such as Fumiko Enchi and Yōko Ogawa. Megu Itoh of Rikkyo University and Fielding Montgomery and Taylor Hourigan of the University of Maryland wrote that in the film, an unconscious Tanjiro would undergo a dream sequence where all of the Kamado family members are still alive, but Nezuko would hit her forehead against him and bleed. The odor of her blood would cause him to become conscious again and reject these fantasies about their family. Itoh, Montgomery, and Hourigan said this prioritizes connectedness with the world instead of neoliberalist pleasure on a particular thought. Nisha Marudhavel, a research scholar at the Vellore Institute of Technology, and C. Suganthan, an assistant professor at the same university, applied Donna Haraway's statement about posthumanism to ''Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba'' by demonstrating that as Muzan Kibutsuji resists change despite being powerful and using that power unethically, Nezuko connects demonic and human characteristics. According to Marudhavel and Suganthan, even though Nezuko was transformed into a demon, she cares deeply about her family and chooses to protect humans instead of eating them. She is also the first demon to be in sunlight, even though Muzan longs to do the same.

References

External links

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