Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba by Koyoharu Gotouge

 

As you can probably guess from my last post, I greatly enjoy reading manga. Although I’ve read a handful of series this past year, the one that always reels me back in is Demon Slayer by Koyoharu Gotouge.

SUMMARY

In the world of Demon Slayer, demons have existed for centuries due to an extremely powerful demon, Muzan Kibutsuji, who is also nicknamed the “Demon King”. Humans can be converted into demons if they choose to be (usually either for selfish desires or if they think their life will improve). They feed on humans and gain strength from their blood, which also means the more blood equals the more power they hold. They can only be defeated by the sun, or by people who wield swords with sun stones. Demons are mostly hidden from common people, since they can only mostly move during the nighttime. To counter this, an organization called the Demon Slayers Corps trains to defeat the demons and protect the people.

The story revolves around the main character, Tanjiro Kamado, a kind-hearted boy who embarks on a journey to become a demon slayer after his family is slaughtered and his sister is turned into a demon. Although his sister is a demon, she retains some of her human-like characteristics, which is almost unheard of. Along the journey, Tanjiro meets a wide variety of people who share the same goal as him, including a fearful boy and a stubborn demon slayer who grew up in the mountains (and also happens to wear a boar head). Tanjiro journeys with his friends to someday eliminate all of the demons and defeat Muzan once and for all.

REVIEW

23 volumes and 206 chapters. This series is 23 volumes/206 chapters long and I adored reading almost every page of it. Words cannot describe how much I enjoyed this series. This manga is action packed, so if you’re someone who’s into this stuff, I absolutely recommend this. I was constantly on the edge of my seat reading the fight scenes. I was so invested that I stayed up past midnight reading this series and even read it during my lunch breaks. Despite it having a lot of action, this story does have its fair share of lighthearted moments. I loved seeing the interactions between characters, whether it be heartwarming or comedic.

One of my favorite parts of the series were the characters. I felt each character had an importance to the story and was given a developed backstory. I even sympathized with the demons at multiple points due to their heart-wrenching backstories. I really appreciated seeing all of the characters’ motives and reasons for fighting. I think the characters all have distinct personalities and qualities and the readers can see how much they grow throughout the story. 

I had such a thrilling experience reading this manga that I picked up on barely any flaws while reading. Looking back, the only complaint I have is that the ending could have been developed a little better. There were a couple characters I wished to see more of near the end, but they ended up not contributing a ton. Another complaint is that I feel like the supporting villains are more complex than the main antagonist. Although the main antagonist didn’t have a super sad or a long backstory, I feel like the readers should’ve gotten a little more detail on him since he is so important to the story. 

In all, I think I’ve stated how much I adore this manga. I’d like to put in a reminder that this series is relatively violent and very action-packed (also quite emotional) if you consider reading. I hope this review inspires you to try out this series!

-Khuyen