TANJIRO’S DEMON SLAYER SWORD

Kia ora Hobby Zone fam,

During the regional Armageddon shows, we noticed that our Demon Slayer swords (from Kimetsu no Yaiba) remained consistently popular (surprising absolutely nobody). Future cosplayers, anime aficionados, proud katana displayers and fans of shiny, pretty things all seemed to unite in their love of the Nichirin blades. Some of the katana, like those belonging to Shinobu and Kyojuro, were admired by fans of the anime as well as people who had never heard of the show. However, Tanjiro’s sword proved to be an absolute crowd favourite at each of the shows, flying off the walls in Christchurch, Tauranga and Wellington.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the show, the plot revolves around young Tanjiro, a charcoal selling boy whose family is killed by a demon. Only his sister Nezuko survives the onslaught. However, she is being transformed into a demon due to a powerful curse, although her memories and emotions remain intact. Tanjiro then becomes a demon slayer in order to avenge his fallen family, and seeks a way to help his sister regain her humanity.

The Demon Slayer Corps that Tanjiro is recruited into has been protecting humans from demons for centuries, and each demon slayer is equipped with a special sword - their Nichirin Blade. Each of these blades are made of a unique alloy which absorbs sunlight, which can then be wielded against demons, as sunlight is their biggest weakness. This is one of the few ways in which a demon can be slain, as they are gifted with supernatural abilities such as regeneration, making them incredibly hard to kill. Nichirin Blades are unique to their owners, as each one takes on a distinct colour when their owner first wields them; however, the wielder must have a certain amount of skill, or else the blade won’t change colour. Comic Book Resources states that each colour imparts ‘certain properties’ to the blade; however, not much is known about Tanjiro’s black Nichirin Blade. Black Nichirin Blades are considered rare, with the ominous reason being that their owners do not tend to live long.

Fan theories surrounding the colour of Tanjiro’s blade run rampant on the internet; some suggest that Tanjiro’s sword took on the black colour as a reference to his past, pre-demon life, wherein he sold charcoal in order to support his family while they were still living. However, the exact truth of his blade colour is still unknown.

The handguard of his sword, a black ring which is connected to the sword by black lines, remains as black as the sword itself, while the handle features red diamonds. These red shapes break the continuity of the blackness, and their colour might even lend credence to the idea of the sword being a reference to Tanjiro’s previous charcoal-selling career (black = charcoal, red = fire, geddit?).

Anyway, I think I’ve rattled on enough about Nichirin Blades for now. Hope you’re enjoying your week and catching up with all of your manga!

Cheers,

Hobby Zone