Demon Slayer has a different feel from other shonen series for many reasons. The franchise blends heart-racing action and hilarious comedic elements, striking that difficult balance between serious and silly that so few other animes have mastered. Apart from that, Tanjiro is also unlike any other anime protagonist due to his unique approach to the fights he engages in during his job as a demon slayer and his interesting outlook on life itself.

In an interview with Natsuki Hanae, Tanjiro’s Japanese voice actor, he mentioned two seemingly opposing qualities that formulate Tanjiro’s personality in the series: fiery passion and collected calmness. These two aspects may seem to be in opposition to one another, but they complement one another very nicely in Tanjiro’s fighting approach.

The hero is able to stay very cool and collected, not losing his temper, but still unleashing his rage in the moments where it matters. Tanjiro can channel his furious energy into defeating demons who deserve his anger and outbursts. His perfect usage of these two qualities makes him anime’s most sensible hero.

"Initially, I played him as if he was desperate to perform, even when using a single Water Breathing Technique. But as he grew, he started to learn to be calm when using Water Breathing and Hinokami Kagura. So, in Swordsmith Village Arc, I tried to focus on the sense that he had burning passion in his heart, but he also possessed cool-headedness and space in his mind when he faced adversaries". - Natsuki Hanae, Times of India

Tanjiro’s Japanese Voice Actor Lists Two Qualities That Define the Hero’s Personality

These Two Crucial Attributes Are Calmness and Passion

Tanjiro's shockingly peaceful outlook comes as somewhat of a surprise considering his tragic origin story and the difficult circumstances life has thrown in his direction. Not only was his family murdered and his younger sister, Nezuko, turned into a demon, he faces increasingly dangerous demons on a daily basis. At the very beginning of his time as a demon slayer, he struggled tremendously. It took him two full years to pass a boulder cutting test, a necessary task before he was permitted to enter the Final Selection. What has kept Tanjiro going during strenuous trials like these is his patient dedication to his goals.

One of Tanjiro's most famous quotes occurred when he comforted a man who had just lost his wife, grimly explaining, "you have no choice but to go on living — no matter how devastating the blows might be." These profoundly heartbreaking words summarize the hero's outlook perfectly because, in spite of the horrors he has faced, he continues trudging onward in the hopes of creating a better and safer future where others do not have to face the life-destroying consequences of demons like he has. Tanjiro faces the majority of situations with a positive and relatively tranquil outlook considering his situation.

Fighting Demons Is Incredibly Personal to Tanjiro

His Life Experiences and Past Tragedies Pushed Him To Pursue This Career With Passion and Persistence

However, although Tanjiro often wears a smile, breathes deeply, and values emotions like careful thoughtfulness and levelheadness, he is fully prepared to become enraged, passionate, and fiery towards targets who deserve that level of emotional disdain. Most of all, he is disgusted by Muzan Kibutsuji, the first and cruelest demon, and has even boldly threatened to kill the evildoer himself, thus ending the vicious cycle of demons being created. In Tanjiro's most challenging battles, he pushes himself to his absolute limits and draws upon these passionate outbursts to push him further and give him endurance and strength he may not otherwise have.

Becoming a demon slayer was not just a simple career choice for Tanjiro, his motivations go much deeper and are far more personal. He fights to avenge his family members and friends who unfortunately passed away due to the actions of demons, to keep Nezuko safe and turn her human again, and to build a more hospitable world where humans can freely walk outside at night without looking over their shoulder for demons lurking in the shadows. These respectable reasons for fighting reveal what is truly important to Tanjiro and explain his "burning passion" that Hanae speaks of in the interview.

Tanjiro Embodies a Perfect Blend of Levelheadness and Emotion

This Reveals How Thoughtful and Wise Tanjiro Really Is

Hanae's assessment of these two best qualities of Tanjiro is accurate because these supposedly opposing characteristics actually play off of one another. Tanjiro possesses fantastic situational awareness and can quickly decide which emotion or approach is best for the situation at hand, proving how in tune he is with his surroundings and the demonic threats he faces daily. His understandable anger at the demons of the world urges him to continue fighting relentlessly for justice, while his inner peaceful nature helps him excel in fights and keep a stable and clear mind without letting emotions cloud his quick choices on the battlefield.

Also mentioned by Hanae in the interview, is how Tanjiro's actions and outlook changed as the hero matured and became more confident and practiced his abilities. Hanae describes him as "desperate to perform," when he first began using his Breathing Techniques, but as he developed as a Demon Slayer, he not only unlocked new Breathing Techniques, but was able to harness them more calmly and effectively. Tanjiro's not a hero who fits neatly in a box as completely "calm" or completely "passionate," he is a perfect blend of both that many fans will find easy to relate to and become inspired by.

Hanae’s Remarkable Voice Acting Captures the Duality Within Tanjiro

His Phenomenal Work Displays Both of These Important Qualities That Tanjiro Possesses

Tanjiro's multifaceted personality and how well he can regulate his emotions even in the face of absolutely chilling demons is a true testament to how much he has grown since season one of Demon Slayer. His excellent mix of fierce emotion and relative serenity sets him apart from some other anime heroes who either always seem calm and unphased or always seem passionate and fervent. His unique approach makes him easier to relate to and incredibly respectable. Hanae's voice acting captures both of these necessary facets of Tanjiro Kamado's personality well, emphasizing the duality present within the Demon Slayer hero.