Demon Slayer, one of the most well-liked shōnen anime series of the present day, stuns with its distinct visual aesthetic, motivational characters, and incredible battle sequences. Many anime enthusiasts around the world have found great solace in Tanjiro’s mission to redeem Nezuko from the demon transformation she suffered at the hands of Muzan Kibutsuji, who also massacred their family.
However, not every story point, quirky character, or storytelling choice resonated with me. Some of its more dubious decisions, like the fact that Inousuke has a breathtakingly attractive face hidden beneath his boar mask or that Zenitsu must be asleep in order to wield all of his power, make viewers wonder why such a thing was included in the show.
10 Zenitsu Can Only Fight When Sleeping
While traveling alongside Tanjiro, Nezuko, and Inosuke to battle demons for the Demon Slayer Corps, the frightened and terrified Zenitsu is frequently there. Zenitsu, a practitioner of the Thunder Breathing technique, cuts through demons with the dexterity of a hot knife through butter thanks to his lightning-fast reflexes and sudden bursts of strength.
Watchers witness the terrifying force of the Thunder Breathing method as the demons of Tsuzumi Mansion get closer for an attack in one of Zenitsu’s greatest episodes. But there’s a strange catch to this incredible show: Zenitsu can only use his power while he’s asleep. It’s strange and dubious for a shōnen series that one of the main characters fights only when unconscious.
9 Nezuko’s Lack of Agency Feels Awkward
Following Muzan Kibutsuji’s attack on Nezuko and her family, the demon transformed into a ravenous beast eager to devour human flesh. She fought against the hunger pangs that would have driven her to eat her sibling Tanjiro, and as a result, Giyu, the Water Hashira, showed her an uncommon amount of pity. Nezuko goes with Tanjiro as he begins his training to join the Demon Slayer Corps.
It is impossible to deny the threat she poses as a demon, yet many of the measures adopted to lessen that threat also lessen her autonomy as a character. Nezuku is put under hypnosis by former Water Hashira Sakonji Urokodaki and given a bamboo mouth gag. Although these actions may be necessary to protect the people Nezuko comes into contact with, they weaken her will, which is probably the factor that ignited the entire anime, and destroy her agency as a character going forward.
8 Tengen Attempts to Kidnap Aoi During his Introduction
After finishing tasks, Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke return to the notorious Yoshiwara red-light area, where they see Sound Hashira Tengen Uzui attempting to kidnap Aoi for a mission. In order to locate the demon preying on the district, Tengen discloses that he had been collaborating with his three wives, who had gone undercover. Tengen now requires a female Corps member to infiltrate his wives’ last-known locations.
Viewers have grown accustomed to expecting a particular level of power and dignity from the Hashira, particularly since Rengoku’s tragic death marked the end of the previous season. Tengen, the most charismatic of all the Hashira, breaks all of those stereotypes and, for the most part of his debut, seems more like a villain than a hero as he tries to put a noncombative member in danger. It’s an intriguing storytelling decision, particularly as his persona is revealed and viewers realize how genuinely noble he is at his core.
7 A Mountain Full of Trapped Demons Feels Like a Catastrophe Waiting to Happen
Tanjiro has to pass the Final Selection, a demanding test, in order to be allowed to join the Demon Slayer Corps. Tanjiro was trained in Total Concentration and Water Breathing forms by trainer Sakonji Urokodaki, a former Water Hashira, in order to prepare him for this assignment and increase his chances of surviving the Final Selection. Urokodaki grants Tanjiro permission to attend this last exam when he has mastered these techniques.
Tanjiro and the other candidates find out that their last test requires them to survive for a week on a mountain plagued with demons when he gets to the testing site. The test proctors explain that because the wisteria blooms all year long, the demons are kept inside the mountain. There are still many unanswered questions, though, such as what would happen to those who were to unintentionally fall onto the mountain and why the other trainers aren’t given breathing skills to assist them live.
6 Nezuko can Slip Into a Coma Whenever the Plot Needs it
Tanjiro trains and practices for a very long time in order to eventually get to the point where he can support himself. He occasionally puts in months at a period practicing these drills, putting in a lot of effort to enhance his physical ability, form, or technique.
Tanjiro spends his time going through these vital training sessions, but Nezuko just goes into a protracted, contracted coma. The storyline explains that she does this rather than consuming people to regain her strength, but viewers are left wondering if this is more plot device than storytelling because of how easily she enters and exits these protracted sleeps, which also happen to correspond with Tanjiro’s training periods.
5 Sabito’s Tragic Death Defies Giyu’s Memory of Him
In the early phases of Tanjiro’s demon slayer training, the ghost of Sabito assists him by personifying the level that must be reached before Urokodaki will permit Tanjiro to compete in the Final Selection. Tanjiro must successfully finish this last test in order to enter the ranks of the Demon Slayer Corps, just like the other demon slayers who came before him.
Subsequently in the anime, Giyu discloses that both Sabito and he trained under Urokodaki, acquiring one of the most potent breathing techniques, with Sabito being the more skilled of the two. Regretfully, during their Final Selection, he was struck by a demon, and Giyu barely made it out alive. Audiences are left wondering by the contradiction between Giyu’s memory and Tanjiro’s personal interactions.
4 Eating too Much Desert Caused Mitsuri Kanroji’s Vibrant Hair Color
Mitsuri Kanroji’s unique physical composition helped her to gain a spot among the strongest Hashira. Being stronger than other people and having an even greater appetite, Mitsuri initially tried to shrink herself in order to fit into the stereotype of women and their duties in society. Unable to live a true life in such a constrained and oppressive environment, Mitsuri turned to the Demon Slayer Corps to give her strength a purpose.
Because of her vivid green-and-pink hair, her character design is well known. Even if an anime with this color scheme for hair is not at all out of the ordinary, the traditional, historical setting of Demon Slayer required an explanation for the unique coloration. This made it one of the most peculiar features in the series, explaining it as the consequence of Mitsuri consuming an excessive amount of cherry mochi as a child.
3 Inosuke’s Face Underneath the Mask is too Beautiful
Like Naruto’s headbands or One Piece’s straw hat, Inosuke’s boar mask has become an iconic part of the Demon Slayer universe. The boar mask is so widely used that even anime fans who aren’t watching the show can identify it as one from Demon Slayer.
Nevertheless, it’s possible that these anime enthusiasts are unaware of Inosuke’s remarkably attractive face behind the mask. Although he made good use of it when going incognito during the Entertainment District Art, it seems like a dubious detail to add in a drama involving swordsmen, demons, and the quest to turn a little girl back into a human.
2 Tanjiro Stumbles Upon the Most Hunted Demon by Accident
In Demon Slayer, every demon has a single, singular parent: Muzan Kibutsuji. To prevent him from carrying out his last intentions, the Demon Slayer Corps and the Hashira seek for him nonstop. The demon slayers saw Muzan as the head of the metaphorical snake, and they think that by eliminating Muzan, all demons will be destroyed, putting an end to their job and bringing safety and peace to Japan.
Early in his career as a demon killer, Tanjiro accidentally encounters a disguised Muzan White on his way to an Asakusa mission. Considering the extensive and well-prepared network of slayers actively searching for Muzan, this chance encounter seemed improbable, if not suspicious.
1 Nezuko’s Fan Service Goes Too Far
Nezuko is just twelve years old at the beginning of Demon Slayer, when she is transformed into a demon following the murder of her family. Between this sad event and the start of the Entertainment District storyline, years pass, leaving Nezuko mentally trapped at twelve years old, but physically fourteen years old.
Nezuko transforms into a more mature physical state in her Awakened Form when she battles Dabi in the Yoshiwara red-light area. This puts her on a more level playing field with the Upper Six ranking demon as she can now compete with Dabi head-to-head. Her clothes get tighter and more revealing due to her increasing physical state, which turns up the fan service to an unsettling level—especially when viewers realize that she’s actually fourteen years old with the mindset of a twelve-year-old.