Tanjiro Kamado

Tanjiro Kamado (竈門かまど 炭たん治じ郎ろう|Kamado Tanjiro) is the main protagonist of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.

He is a Kanoe ranked Demon Slayer and a member of the Demon Slaying Corps. He is hunting down the demon who is responsible for the murder of his family and his sister's transformation into one.

Appearance
Tanjiro is a young man who is short for his age, with rather tanned skin and an athletic physique. He possesses ruffled burgundy hair that casts notably dark shadows on itself, combed back to expose his forehead, and wide, dark eyes with white pupils that appear dark pink around the lower section of their irises. He also has a birthmark on the top left of his forehead, which originally looked somewhat like a graze until his fight with the Hand Demon during the Final Selection Arc, after which it appears more like a large, dark red scar. It is noted that his hands are visibly tougher than someone his age's should be as a result of his rigorous training under Sakonji Urokodaki.

Tanjiro wears a checkered dark turquoise and black patterned haori over the standard Demon Hunter uniform, which consists of a dark brown gakuran jacket, a white belt around his waist and baggy pants that extend into tabi socks, as well as zōri and bands of white cloth wrapped around his calves. He also wears a pair of hanafuda earrings, decorated by a red sun symbol and carries a large wooden box on his back, where his sister sleeps during the day.

Personality
Tanjiro is kind by nature and has been described by others as having very gentle eyes. He exhibits a great deal of determination and will not give up once he has a goal to achieve; the best example of this being his relentless quest to find a cure for Nezuko. Even though he is relatively strong on his own, Tanjiro isn't opposed to asking others for help when he needs it. He is very protective of his friends and even more so of his younger sister. However, despite his kind and understanding nature, Tanjiro does have a limit to his tolerance and has a distaste for rudeness, as he easily becomes annoyed by Zenitsu Agatsuma's constant whining, and angered by Inosuke Hashibira's barbaric actions.

Tanjiro's most notable attribute is his ability to empathize with anyone, even demons, which often made him hesitate before delivering the final blow. This moment of hesitation has a downside, as it has allowed some Demons to take advantage of Tanjiro's understanding nature to recover and continue the fight, though this occurs rarely. However, as Tanjiro gains experience over the years of his service, he becomes more calculating and strict in his decisions. His courage to protect the weak commits him to face his enemy with respect and dignity, whether versus good people or evil Demons.

Quotes
− − −
 * (To Muzan Kibutsuji) "Muzan Kibutsuji! No matter where you go, you're not getting away! I'll follow you to the ends of Hell, and I swear I'll slice off your head with my blade! I'll never forgive you no matter what!" Kimetsu no Yaiba Anime: (Episode 8)
 * (To Giyu Tomioka) "To dispel the regrets of those killed, to stop anymore victims from appearing, I will relentlessly wield my blade against the Demons, and that's a fact. But I will not trample on the pains of being a Demon. Nor on those who regret their own actions. Because demons were humans. Because they were humans like me." Kimetsu no Yaiba Anime: (Episode 21)
 * (To Sanemi Shinazugawa) "If you can't differentiate the good Demons from the bad ones, you should quit being a Pillar!!" Kimetsu no Yaiba Anime: (Episode 22)

Trivia

 * Kamado, without the second kanji (竈, かまど) is a traditional Japanese wood or charcoal-fueled cook stove/furnace.
 * Do, the second kanji of his family name, (門, ど) means door.
 * Tan (炭, たん) means charcoal.
 * Ji (治, じ) can mean 'to heal'.
 * Rō (郎, ろう) is a common Japanese name suffix for boys. It also means male.
 * Tanjiro was ranked in 1st place as of the first character popularity poll with 6,742 votes.