demon slayerThe heroes all share many traits including courage, determination, and skill, but there is actually another secret ability that Tanjiro and his closest allies have in common. Demon Slayer’s protagonist Tanjiro is known to fans as having a very keen sense of smell. This ability has allowed him to find important loopholes and give him early warning of a demonic presence.
In Tanjiro’s case, this special trait has saved his life countless times. What is less obvious is that Tanjiro’s four friends—Zenitsu, Inosuke, Genya, and Kanao—each possess a special skill. Similar to Tanjiro, their talent is invaluable to their enduring existence throughout the series.
Tanjiro’s earliest allies identified by enhanced senses
In an old MANGA Plus interview with Demon Slayer editor Tatsuhiko Katayama, he talks about the early incarnations of the series, and how it became the hit man it is today. While talking about the order in which the characters were created, Katayama explained that Koyoharu Gotoge, the author of Demon Slayer, once told him that the first characters were all designed around being excellent in one respect. specifically. Tanjiro’s is clearly his sense of smell. Zenitsu has excellent hearing, while Inosuke’s touch is exceptionally strong. Genya boasts impressive taste buds, while the last, Kanao, has incredible eyesight.
This revelation makes a lot of sense when one thinks about it. For example, Zenitsu often executes his attacks while sleeping or with his eyes closed, using his hearing to locate and attack enemies. Inosuke’s sense of touch is illustrated in Spatial Perception, allowing him to detect small changes in the air or tremors in the ground to detect opponents. Genya’s taste buds are clearly tied to his willingness to eat demon flesh to reincarnate. As for Kanao, her exceptional eyesight allows her to track a demon’s movements, and this ability of hers was even commented on by Doma, the second-class demon.
While a lot has obviously changed to the Demon Slayer in these early stages, it’s easy to see how the initial idea of having five characters who excel in one particular sense managed to pass the final version. While not as blatant as it was initially, the idea of all the main characters having a heightened sense of self is still one of demon slayermost special feature.
Source: MANGA Plus