Tanjiro Kamado

Tanjiro is kind by nature and has been described by others as having very gentle eyes. He exhibits a great deal of determination and will not give up once he has a goal to achieve; the best example of this is his relentless quest to find a cure for Nezuko. Tanjiro shows traits such as virtue, generosity, honesty, and humbleness. He is gentle to a fault, preventing him from making decisive decisions but is later shown to be serious when he needs to be. In the face of danger, he is brave enough to fight a demon slayer unarmed. Honest sense of righteousness, his demeanor can be interpreted as stubbornness when dealing with others. He is never afraid to ask others for help, and just as willing to return the favor. Tanjiro shows a natural talent for observation, able to discern situations quickly, often using his heightened sense of smell.
He is caring and protective of his friends, especially when it comes to his sister Nezuko. Out of all his traits, the one that sets him apart from others is his capacity for empathy, even towards human eating demons. Often followed by retaliation during battle, he hesitates with indecision before finishing his foes. However, he exhibits unfaltering conviction to protect Nezuko at all costs and does not hesitate when it comes to his sister.

Set in a world not too different from the Edo period in Japan, Tanjiro is a cheerful boy in charge of the family business selling charcoal living a humble yet happy life. One day as usual Tanjiro departs into town by foot to sell charcoal however, is unable to make it back home by nightfall. He returns the next day to find his entire family recently murdered, apart from his younger sister.
Having transformed into a demon herself Nezuko is unable to recognize her brother. Tanjiro not entirely sure as to what has occurred, the two are soon confronted by a demon slayer named Giyu Tomioka.
After Tanjiro resolves the conflict with the demon slayer, Giyu instructs Tanjiro to seek out a former demon slayer named Urokodaki on Sagiri mountain. Searching for answers and overcoming obstacles, during his journey Tanjiro is met by a stern old man in a tengu mask. After the old man reveals himself to be the former demon slayer Urokodaki, Tanjiro tests his conviction. How far he is willing to go to protect his sister, to avenge his family. Intent on hunting the demon responsible for the murder of his family in hopes of finding a cure for his sister Nezuko; Tanjiro moves towards the path of the Demon Slayer.

Tanjiro is a young boy of average height with fairly tanned skin and an athletic, muscular physique. He has ruffled black hair with red tips (and being entirely only burgundy in the anime), combed back to expose his forehead, and wide, dark red eyes with white pupils that appear lighter around the lower section of his irises. He also has a scar on the top left of his forehead, first seen when his mother brought him to watch his father perform the Hinokami Kagura dance. The scar originally looked somewhat like a graze that he got when he saved one of his siblings from a falling pot of boiling water, and it stayed like that until his fight with the Hand Demonduring Final Selection, after which it developed into a flame-like pattern as his Demon Slayer Mark. It is noted that his hands are visibly rougher for someone his age, as a result of his rigorous training under Sakonji Urokodaki. Tanjiro looks remarkably similar in appearance to his ancestor Sumiyoshi Kamado, possessing the same facial structure, eyes, and hairstyle as him, although Sumiyoshi's hair was longer, about shoulder-length, and would be tied in a ponytail behind his head.
Tanjiro first appears wearing a checkered, black-and-biscay-green haori over a white robe and black pants. He occasionally sports a turquoise scarf and is seen with circular, white bands looped around his calves. He also wears a distinct pair of hanafuda earrings with the image of the rising sun over a mountain. His hair is also kept tied back in a small ponytail or bun; as he trains with Sabito and Makomo, his hair grows to his shoulders. After becoming a Demon Slayer, Tanjiro wears the standard Demon Slayer uniform that is similar to the Japanese military uniform in Taishō era, his uniform being black tinted, and reddish black in the anime, it is consisted by a button-up jacket with stand colar and long sleeves, a white belt, tattsuke hakama pants that is wrapped tightly around his calves by a pair of white kyahan and socks.

• His first name contains the Go-on'yomi reading of the kanji for "charcoal" (炭たんtan?), "to heal" (治じ ji?) and "son, male" (郎ろう rō?), which is also a common masculine name suffix. The first kanji of Tanjiro's surname translates to a traditional Japanese wood or charcoal-fuelled cookstove/furnace (竈かま kama?)while the second kanji means "door" (門ど do?), and both contain the Kun'yomi reading.
• When Tanjiro lies, he can't keep a straight face due to his honest nature.
• Tanjiro inherited his rock hard forehead from his mother.
• Tanjiro is one of the few characters to have their Nichirin Sword change appearance.
• Apparently, Tanjiro is able to understand what birds are saying.