As a story whose plot is not particularly outstanding, Demon Slayer nonetheless became explosively popular across the entire internet.
What exactly makes it unique?
The answer lies in its characters.
Especially the protagonist, Tanjiro.
As a gentle, yasashii type of male lead, he actually holds no real advantage in today's market.
(Yasashii - is a Japanese word that means gentle, kind, or tender. It can also mean easy or simple.)
What sets him apart from other "kind-hearted protagonists" is that his gentleness and inner resolve never contradict each other.
He is the kind of person who feels sorrow for the tragedy of demons, yet will still decisively cut down an evil demon's head.
Yuko had originally gotten into the series because of an edit that highlighted Tanjiro's gentle moments.
The character writing in Demon Slayer is incredibly delicate. Compared to the plot, Yuko feels this is the true reason behind its explosive popularity.
As Tanjiro's ancestor, Sumiyoshi, too, possesses a personality nearly identical to Tanjiro's.
Gentle, understanding.
So Yuko thinks—perhaps they will understand her as well.
After breakfast, Suyako went to the kitchen to wash the dishes.
Yuko handed Sumire over to Sumiyoshi.
Sumiyoshi smiled warmly. "Thank you."
Yuko swallowed, then smiled lightly. "Not at all. The child is very adorable."
Yoriichi noticed the slight oddness in her expression, feeling a deep emotion stir within him.
Yuko is trying her best too...
Holding Sumire in his arms, Sumiyoshi sat quietly to the side without asking about what had just happened.
Yuko looked at the sunlight pouring in from the doorway and reached her hand toward it to test.
Yoriichi quickly grabbed her wrist and gently shook his head.
Yuko smiled soothingly. "It's alright."
Sumiyoshi watched their interaction with puzzled eyes.
Under the gaze of both men, Yuko slowly extended her fingertips into the light.
Szzzz—
Her pale fingertips looked as though they had been plunged into fire, burning rapidly.
Sumiyoshi's expression changed drastically, but before he could react, Yuko had already withdrawn her hand.
Lowering her head, she looked at her fingers. Almost in the blink of an eye, the charred half of her fingertip quickly regenerated.
Under direct sunlight, her regeneration nearly came to a halt.
But once hidden in the shadows, it was no longer restricted.
Seeing Sumiyoshi's shocked yet unafraid expression, Yuko smiled softly.
As expected—he truly is very much like Tanjiro.
Sumiyoshi knew demons existed; after all, the reason they met was because two years ago, they had saved his family from a demon.
So Sumiyoshi was well aware that Yuko had become a demon.
Yuko did not explain much, and Sumiyoshi, after a brief silence, returned to normal and cheerfully began talking about his family's daily life.
At that moment, Yoriichi stood staring blankly at the rising sun.
Perhaps it was Sumiyoshi's understanding nature that compelled him to finally speak such words.
"I've always… wanted someone to confide in."
Yoriichi began recounting the events of his life since his birth.
Including every detail about his family.
He spoke of leaving home, of meeting Uta—who was just as lonely as he—and living together with her, eventually marrying after ten years.
When he spoke of how, while Uta was about to give birth, he went out to look for a midwife, but ended up coming home too late because he had helped an old man he met on the road find his son—leading to his wife and unborn child being slaughtered by a demon…
Yuko finally understood why, years before, when Suyako gave birth to her daughter, Yoriichi was the first to volunteer to go search for the midwife—why he had been more enthusiastic than anyone. What kind of grief lay hidden beneath that warmth?
Much of Yoriichi's story was unknown to Yuko.
Perhaps because she had been gravely ill, Yoriichi had never wanted her to worry, so he had never spoken of it.
Now, before Sumiyoshi and before Yuko—now free from illness—Yoriichi finally spoke openly of his past.
"I'm afraid… I was born with this talent solely to defeat Kibutsuji Muzan."
"Yet I failed. And because of my failure, countless people will continue to lose their lives."
"My heart finds no peace."
Despite possessing such immense strength, he had been unable to protect anyone.
His wife, his child, his brother, his sister…
His life held no value.
…
Yoriichi's story had completely captured Sumiyoshi's attention. At some point, Sumire had crawled out of his arms and made her way to Yuko.
Hearing Yoriichi's self-blame, Yuko, who had been playing with Sumire, turned her head.
This is wrong.
Failing to kill Muzan was not Yoriichi's fault, and the fact that more people would die in the future was not his fault either.
Saying that the strong must protect the weak—this is wrong.
Such kindness is a beautiful human virtue, not something that should be turned into a societal rule.
There is no rule stating that Yoriichi is obligated to protect others. His overwhelming strength was never something he asked for.
Yuko's lips parted slightly, but before she could speak, Sumire crawled off her lap and wobbled over to Yoriichi, tugging on the hem of his clothing.
"Up~"
Sumiyoshi seemed to want to say something comforting but didn't know how; upon seeing this, he waved his hands hurriedly.
"Ah—please, please pick her up. If you lift her high, she'll be really happy. And you're taller than me so…"
Yoriichi stared at cheerful little Sumire with wide, blank eyes, but followed Sumiyoshi's instructions and lifted her high.
Sumire's bright, delighted laughter shone in Yoriichi's eyes. In the eyes of the invincible swordsman, tears began to fall.
Indeed, children are the greatest healers of the heart.
Yuko watched the scene with a face full of tenderness.
Sumiyoshi finally let out a breath of relief, then accidentally turned his head—and froze when he saw Yuko's face.
Yuko noticed his reaction and looked puzzled.
"What's wrong?"
Sumiyoshi stared at Yuko's clueless expression, opened his mouth, but couldn't bring himself to say the words.
Yoriichi returned to his senses after hearing their voices. Holding Sumire in his arms, he turned to look—and the tears in his eyes abruptly stopped, the corner of his mouth twitching.
"Yuko…"
"Yes?"
"Your drool… it's running."
Yuko froze, then her face flushed bright red as she hurriedly wiped her mouth.
A moment later, she lowered her head, unable to look at anyone. In a small, fragile voice, she whispered:
"I'm sorry…"
Sumire was just too tempting… she really was sorry her drool came out.
When holding Sumire earlier, Yuko had been consciously suppressing her cravings.
But she had gotten distracted for a moment because of Yoriichi's story—and lost control.
A little embarrassing.
After washing the dishes, Suyako came out with the child on her back, only to be greeted by this scene.
"What's going on? Why are you all staring at Miss Yuko like that?"
Anyone who didn't know better would think she was being scolded.
Yuko lowered her head even further.
Too embarrassing.
"Oh right, Miss Yuko, could you watch the children for a moment? I'm going into the forest to see if there are any fresh chestnuts."
Yuko lifted her head and instinctively waved her hands in refusal. "Ah—this…"
"Then I'll leave them to you," Suyako said without giving her a chance, untying the child from her back and placing them in Yuko's arms.
Suyako smiled. "Compared to a careless man, Miss Yuko is much easier to trust."
Yoriichi and Sumiyoshi: "…"
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Currently at chapter 171 for advance chapters
https:// ko-fi.com/rabi08