Tanjiro was born on a mountain as the oldest son of Tanjuro Kamado and Kie Kamado, his family was a family of charcoal sellers. After his 5 other siblings were born Tanjiro adopted the idea that as the oldest he should be strong and endure and hardships for them. (his family members are Nezuko Kamado, Takeo Kamado, Hanako Kamado, Shigeru Kamado, and Rokuta Kamado.) Although the family didn't enjoy a lavish lifestyle, they lived happily and showed a lot of love and care. One time one of his brothers accidentally knocked over a hot kettle and Tanjiro (wanting to be strong for his family) jumped in front of him, the result of that was a burned scar on his forehead. Growing up Tanjiro learned coal-burning techniques and was responsible for selling the charcoal in the nearest town to earn money to help his family and appeared in the town often, so often that he was easily recognized and people regularly asked him for some help. Tanjiro's father was a big influence on him and acted as his teacher for the foundations of the Hinokami Kagura, (the Hinokami Kagura or Dance of the Fire God is a ritual dance that has been passed down across multiple families over multiple generations alongside a pair of Hanafuda earings.) Tanjiro would usually watch his dad perform the stance, upon asking Tanjrio about his stamina despite the cold and harsh weather Tanjrio learned from his father that there were specific breathing techniques to dance endlessly. When Tanjiro grew old enough to dance instead of his father because he got a lot weaker he learned that the correct techniques would allow him to blank his mind, enter a plant-like state, and gain access to the see-through world. Before his father passed away one night there was the threat of a hungry bear that prompted him to show Tanjiro this state inaction, Tanjrio was scared that the hungry bear but his father quickly killed the bear with his ax upon entering the state. His father's abilities shocked him and Tanjiro made sure that he would remember this experience. Soon after Tanjuro sadly passed away, Tanjiro's younger siblings start to treat him and their father figure. During the Taisho period, Tanjiro lives a modest life with his family consisting of his mother and his siblings.
This story starts on a snowy morning Tanjiro prepares to leave to the nearby town and sell charcoal in because he was trying to prepare for the new year, however, 2 of his younger siblings (Hanako Kamado and Shigeru Kamado) hold him back begging them to bring them along. Their mother intercepts and tells them that he wouldn't be able to carry them if they were tired. Upon hearing the conversation another one of his brothers Takeo Kamado expressed his disappointment and states that he wanted to cut wood with his brother that day. Tanjiro starts leaving to the town when he meets his sister Nezuko Kamado holding his youngest brother Rokita Kamado, she comments on their attachment to them and sees them off and he is on his way. Upon arriving at the town Tanjiro is met with friendly conversations and with the townsfolk and some ask for help to perform some errands for them. After an afternoon spent helping the townsfolk he is stopped by a man named Saburo who requests that he stay at his house for the night and warns him about the dangers of the mountains. Tanjiro tries to decline the offer but Saburo keeps pushing and emphasizes that demons are active during the night, Tanjiro gets into the house and listens to Saburo talk about it as he falls asleep. In the morning he rushes to his house and in his horror, he saw ab unconscious and wounded Nezuko lying there in the snow and shielding their youngest brother Rokia Kamado with her in her arms. Devastated he realizes that his entire family was killed safely for Nezuko The person or demon that killed his family was the most powerful demon and the demon king Muzan Kibutsuji.
Meeting Giyu
After this Tanjrio carries Nezuko picks her up and attempts to carry Nezuko to the nearest doctor, but he discovers that she has been turned into a demon. (The only way for a human to turn into a demon is if they are exposed to demon blood.) Nezuko starts to attack Tankro, Tanjrio is unable to fend off his sister and is overwhelmed by her immense strength. He is narrowly managing to block her attack with the handle of his ax showing her demon teeth, as Nezuko begins to grow in size and overpower him Tanjiro says internally apologizing for the suffering they must have felt during their last moments and begs his sister to retain her humanity. When Nezuko hears these words she begins to cry, the siblings are interrupted by Giyu Tomioka who starts to attack Nezuko, but his attempt to kill her fails when Tanjiro moves Nezuko out of the way. Recovering quickly Giyu asks Tanjiro why he is protecting a demon and Tanjrio desperately replies that the demon is his sister. Looking at the madden Nezuko Giyu questions his statement before quickly removing Nezuko from Tanjiro's grip, Tanjiro calls out to Nezuko in panic. Giyu tells him not to move and states that his job is to kill demons, Giyu listens to Tanjrio attempt to defend Nezuko and explain what happened, as he expressed emotions of confusion with Nezuko transformation Giyu comments that the change is easy to explain. He explains to Tanjiro that any open wound exposed to demon blood causes that person to transform into a demon. He says to Giyu that Nezuko hasn't eaten anyone, but Giyu reminds him that she just attacked Tanjiro and tells Tanjiro that there is no way to turn someone back into a human when they get turned into a demon. Despite Tanjiro saying there must be a way Giyu is about to kill Nezuko, but Tanjiro starts begging for his sister to be released Giyu when brings his sword up to Nezuko's neck, Tanjrio continues to beg that she not be killed which enrages Giyu and he yells that he was no authority on who lives and who dies. He tells that his dream to cure his sister and kill his family's killer is crazy, Giyu demands that Tanjiro prove his dedication to protecting his sister by drawing his ax, Tanjiro is hesitant at first and Giyu quietly encourages him to find the resolve necessary to accomplish his goals. He then stabs her in the chest and then Tanjrio throws stones at him Tanjiro repeatedly attacks and then rushes him with nothing in his hand, Giyu then knocks him out with his sword. He realizes that his ax is missing and looks in the air to see the ax going close to him he narrowly dodges it and muses over Tanjiro's clever strategy. This distracted him and Nezuko attack Giyu but he dodges backward from her kick, he watches the girl go closer to his brother thinking she was going to kill her but she stands protecting his body and charging at him in rage, Giyu then knocks her out. After this Giyu makes a bamboo muzzle-like tube across Nezuko's mouth, When Tanjiro wakes up Giyu instructs him to visit a man named Sakonji Urokodaki in the Sagiri mountain and to not take his sister out while the sun is up, after this is suddenly vanishes.
Meeting Sakonji
Later that day while they are going to Sagiri Moutain Tanjiro hides Nezuko in a cave and goes to a nearby farm and buys a broken basket plus straw and bamboo. Tanjiro makes a basket to carry her on his back, One villager tells him that to reach Sagiri mountain he would need to pass through a dangerous mountain where people were disappearing. While walk he goes inside a house smelling blood, he is shocked to see a demon feasting on 3 humans that he had just killed, the demon tries to strangle him but Nezuko kicks his head off saving him from his grip, even without a head the demons commands his body to kill Tanjiro, Tanjrio tries to attack him and then can pins him to a tree with his ax. Tanjiro is prepared to kill this demon with his knife, a man wearing a tengu mask touches his shoulder and tells him he would be unable to kill the demon with that weapon, he questions him and asks him how to properly kill a demon but he is told he would need to figure it out by himself. A bit later he introduces himself as Sakonji Urokodaki and asks if he was the one Giyu spoke of in his letter, Tanjiro confirms this and follows this questions by telling Tanjrio his inability to make quick decisions and slaps Tanjiro, he says that he lacks resolution stressing that he can't allow his sister to ever harm a human. He then tells Tanjiro to follow him saying he would be tested if he could fit the role of a demon slayer, while following him he keeps a fast pace and is soundless when he walks. While at Sakonji's house he asks him if he passed the test and he says that the test just only begone, They start going to a mountain, when they reach the top, Tanjiro becomes dizzy and feels weak in his legs. He then tells Tanjiro to climb down to the house at the foot of the mountain by dawn, afterwards he vanishes. He easily memorized his seat and starts descending the mountain, however, he discovers traps, with the thinness of the air Tanjiro begins to focus on his breathing, an exhausted Tanjro manages to make it before dawn. Sakonji conforms to the passage of the test he accepts as his student.
Training for the Final Selection Exam
After Tanjiro wakes up Sakonji explains his profession and how to join the demon slayer core. (you have to survive the final selection which is held at Fuji Kasane mountain.) To prepare him for the trial Sakonji begins to train Tanjiro in the way the sword, his training consists of regiments focusing on different skills like enduring which he had to scale the mountain every day making him more agile and have a sharper nose, Sakonji slowly increases the danger level of his traps to the point where Tanjiro thought that his teacher wanted to kill him. For swordsmanship, Tanjiro starts to perform the same training as before but he had to wield a katana as a way for him to start thinking of it as a part of him. After descending the mountain Tanjiro stands at the foot of the mountain and swings his sword many times, Next Tanjrio learns from Sakonji about the complexity of the weapon and the forces behind it and he starts slashing bamboo poles to train his aiming and precision, for combat he learns how to break his fall and get up quickly with his katana. For breathing, he learns the proper forms of breathing receiving blows to the stomach from Sakonji when he fails to get it right. After 1 year of training, Sakonji tells Tanjiro that there is nothing left to teach him and tells him to prove himself by working upon the basics he had been taught. He leads Tanjiro to a big bolder and instructs him to slice it in half with his sword, if he was able to he would be permitted to participate in the final selection. Before he can ask any questions Sakonji leaves without a word, Tanjiro starts training on his working harder and harder for half of a year. But he is still not about to cut the bolder in half, on one day with still him not being able to cut it he headbutts the rocks and sees a boy with a fox mask appear on top of the bolder and shouts at him to be quiet scolding him for his whining. The boy then proceeds to attack Tanjrio with a wooden sword and overwhelms him and receives insults from him and then knocks him out, as Tanjiro wakes up a girl with a fox mask is beside him and asks him if he's all right and proceeds to tell Tanjiro that he will help him with his techniques. She tells that their names are Makomo and Sabito, the next few days Makomo is pointing out the defects and correcting unnecessary movements in his technique, She tells them that they are not related but were raised by Sakonji along with other children, she tells Tanjiro about the concept of total concentration breathing technique, she explains by expanding his lungs and bringing move air into his bloodstream his temperature would shot up and his heartbeat would accelerate and would be as powerful as a demon. For 6 months he uses what he learned with Makamo and spar are against Sabio, but is defeated many many times, one-day Tanjiro again spar's with Sabito, and perform a simple contest the faster blade would win, Tanjiro strikes first and his masks split's in half reveling Sabato's face, he holds a sad smile and alongside Makamo fades away. After they disappear he realized that he had split the bolder, he gets praised by Saknji and says he didn't want him to participate in the selection, because it would mean he would risk another one of his children being killed. at their house, Sakonji cuts his hair and gives him a white mask resembling a fox with a sun symbol of his scar as a way to ward of evil. While he is leaving he says to give his best to Makomo and Sabito, this surprises Sakonji with the fact that Tanjiro somehow knew the names of his dead students, this means that they were in fact ghosts.
Final Selection Exams
Tanjiro arrives at Fuji Kasane mountain for the final selection and he gathers around with the other contestants, a boy with black and a girl with white hair walk in and explain that demons hate Wisteria flowers which grow a lot in this area even when it is out of season. They explain more that there will be no more Wisteria and the demons captured by demon core roam free, they say that their trial is straightforward, all you have to do is survive a week or 7 days, you don't need to kill demons, you can just hide for a week and you would win. When he enters 2 demons start attacking Tanjiro, he avoids and seizes the opportunity to decapitate both in one strike, Sakonji had bestowed upon Tanjiro a special sword called the Nichiren blade which if he decapitates a demon would crumble its corpse preventing it from regenerating. While going closer to the middle he sees someone running away from a giant demon with several hands around its body, it is about to kill him but Tanjiro acts and unleashes water breathing's second form waterwheel which saved the boy from the demon. The demon recognizes Tanjiro as one of Sakonji's students by his fox mask, the demon questions Tanjiro regarding current affairs to establish which period he was in, he discovers that 47 years had passed since his capture by Sakonji during his time in the demon slayer corps in the Edo period, after this the demon becomes enraged. The other boy refuses and says that there is no way that a demon could live that long, the demon replies that not only that he survive that long but he had also killed 50 people in his lifetime 13 of those deaths were Sakonji's students, he refers to Sabio and Makamo as strong victims and implying that Tanjiro would be the 14th. Tanjiro recalls Sakonji teaching him that the strength of a demon is the number of humans it has killed/eaten, Tanjiro notes his sense of smell had developed so much that he could detect the strength level of the demon by its decaying scent. After this, the demon starts describing how he killed both Sabito and Makamo, after this Tanjiro starts breathing heavily and starts angrily charging at the demon slicing several of the demon's arms but gets his in his rib cage by one of the remaining hands and gets thrown into on of the nearby trees hitting his head and fainting. While Tanjiro is laying there he could hear the voice of one of his dead brothers, after this Tanjiro regains consciousness and closely dodges the demon's attack, Tanjiro suddenly leaps high into the air in response to smelling the demon hands from the ground, the demon tries to take advantage and strike him down but Tanjiro uses a headbutt in defense. He rolls forward and positions himself in range of the demon's head, then Tanjiro uses the water breathing first from the water surface slash and killing the demon. On the morning of the 7th day, Tanjiro and 3 other contestants are congratulated for having survived the trial, One of them seems distant, another is frightened about the trails that he had just passed, and the last one questions when they would get their official Nichiren blades. They introduced the demon slayer uniforms and the ranking system ranging from the lowest to the highest rank in which the final selection survivors were the lowest level of the demon slayer corps a Kasugai Garasu is provided to them which would fulfill the task of following the new demon slayers at all times for communication and a crow lands on Tanjiro's shoulder. With him losing patience of not getting his Nichiren blades one of the survivors Genya Shinazugawa hits Kaneta Ubuyashiki who is one of the spokespeople. This makes Tanjrio grab Genya's arm and ask for him to calm down, he doesn't comply and Tanjiro breaks his accidentally breaks Genya's arm in the process, afterward, each survivor is asked to choose an alloy for the Nichiren blade to be forged from.
