Nezuko Kamado (Japanese: 竈門 禰豆子, Hepburn: Kamado Nezuko) 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 Muzan Kibutsuji's murder of their family, with Nezuko being transformed into a demon, but unexpectedly refusing to consume and harm humans. 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 is solely motivated to turn Nezuko back into a human. Nezuko received praise for her characterization as a demon and physical abilities. 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. Although Nezuko is a demon for the majority of the series, 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, acting like a younger child due to amnesia common to most demons. She can harm demons and spare humans by having her blood become fire when it leaves her body.
Voice actresses
Akari Kitō, the Japanese voice actress 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.
Appearances
In Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Nezuko is born to Tanjuro Kamado and Kie Kamado up on a mountain alongside her older brother, Tanjiro, and the rest of her siblings and as the eldest daughter of the Kamado family. Unlike Tanjiro, who was responsible for selling charcoal in town, Nezuko would usually help out around the family home. Nezuko is turned into a demon by Muzan Kibutsuji during his murder of the Kamado family. She attempts to attack Tanjiro upon his return, but comes to her senses to defend him from Giyu Tomioka. Surprised by her behavior, Giyu sends her to the care of Sakonji Urokodaki, where she falls unconscious for two years while Tanjiro trains to become a Demon slayer. After receiving assistance from Tamayo and helping her with her research, Nezuko assists Tanjiro in slaying demons during his nighttime missions, surprising and infuriating various demons due to her refusal to consume human flesh. She becomes traveling partners with Demon Slayers Zenitsu Agatsuma and Inosuke Hashibira. Her presence led to prosecution by Shinobu Kocho, but she is granted clemency on the condition she does not consume human flesh, being sent to the Butterfly Mansion for shelter. Nezuko proves to be a great help to the Slayers, developing the Blood Demon Art Combustible Blood, which burns Demons but does not harm humans; she uses it on the ropes holding the Demon Slayers after they were put to sleep by Lower Rank Enmu on the Mugen Train, contributing to Enmu's defeat. Nezuko awakens to her berserk-like Demon Transformation ability during the fight with Daki at the Entertainment District. 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 out of the Slayers' blood. At Swordsmith Village, Nezuko befriends Mitsuri Kanroji and fights Hantengu with her brother. Before Hantengu's death, she is exposed to sunlight to Tanjiro's horror, but develops an immunity to sunlight which infuriates Muzan. Nezuko returns to Sakonji's residence, where she is administered a drug produced by Tamayo and Shinobu to be turned into a human, falling unconscious in the process. After Tanjiro defeats Muzan on the surface after dawn, she rushes to his location, finally becoming a human and regaining her memories. To Nezuko's horror, Tanjiro was turned into a demon by Muzan, leading to her subduing him the same way she was two years ago; ironically, Tanjiro also refuses to harm Nezuko while going feral, before the combined efforts of his allies turning him back into a human. After the Demon Slayers disband, Nezuko returns to her old life caring for Tanjiro and his friends at their residence, having received an absurdly large pension from the Ubuyashiki family. She also runs errands for her family, being the sole member who was not physically disabled after the fight against Muzan. She later marries Zenitsu, some time after he comically fails to propose marriage by yelling too loudly and rendering her temporarily deaf.
… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.
