Demon Slayer is one of the most popular anime of the decade.
The series is a perfect blend of action, comedy, tragedy, thrill, and suspense.
After the release of the record-breaking movie of Demon Slayer, fans are eagerly awaiting its second season.
The upcoming season will reveal many secrets about the Sun Breathing Technique and Demon Slayer Mark.
We will also learn more about Muzan's past. Up till now, Muzan is more or less a mystery.
The anime has yet to mention why Muzan hates Tanjiro and his family.
The secret behind this isn't as simple as Tanjiro being a mere demon slayer, but his hatred goes back to five hundred years.
Here, we will unveil the secret behind Muzan's relentless attempt to kill Tanjiro. This article contains a lot of spoilers for anime fans.
Why Does Muzan Want to Kill Tanjiro?
Muzan Kibutsuji made his anime debut by the end of episode 7.
It was also the first time he and Tanjiro came face to face.
Muzan was able to keep his composure and acted like a normal human who was out having fun with his family.
However, unlike Muzan, Tanjiro was totally frightened and had no idea what to do.
Why is Muzan Scared of Tanjiro?
In episode 8, we saw Muzan ordering two of his minions to kill the person with the hanafuda earrings.
He was gritting his teeth while remembering a certain person from his memory wearing the same hanafuda earrings.
The face of the person wasn't shown but he was holding a Nichirin sword and looking down on a person who appeared to be Muzan.
In reality, Muzan has no grudges against Tanjiro whatsoever.
He only wanted to kill Tanjiro because of his earrings.
Even the attack on the Kamado family and turning Nezuko into a demon wasn't a well-thought-out plan.
He was merely looking for people to create a demon that can stand in the sun.
Muzan has only one weakness to speak of and that is sunlight. Over the course of millennia, his biggest fear is getting exposed to the sun.
Yet, he still yearns for a day where he will be able to bask in the sunlight without the fear of getting killed.
Who Was the Man in Muzan's Memory?
The flashback we saw in episode 8 traces back to over five centuries.
The man's name was Yoriichi Tsygikuni.
He was the strongest demon slayer in history and the only person who won against Muzan in a one-on-one fight.
He was the first user of the breathing style and created the sun breathing technique, the second biggest weakness of Muzan.
Sun Breathing Technique is the original and strongest breathing style of all.
Its inheritors bear a mark on the top right side of their foreheads.
It was rumored that the inheritors of sun breathing don't live long lives and die before reaching the age of 25.
However, it was never really confirmed since Yoriichi was over 80 years old when he died.
On the other hand, Tanjuro Kamado (Tanjiro's father) was a sickly man and died at a young age.
Though it was never mentioned how old he was before his death, he was supposedly in his thirties.
Is the Kamado Family Descendants of Yoriichi Tsugikuni?
This is a very common misconception among Demon Slayer fans that the Kamado family is the direct descendants of Yoriichi.
It is not a baseless guess since both Tanjuro and Tanjiro had the same mark on their foreheads as proof of inheriting the Sun Breathing Technique.
On top of that, Yoriichi's hanafuda earrings have been passed down in the Kamado family for generations.
The hanafuda earrings are a family heirloom that Tanjuro gifted to his son just before his death.
His wish was for Tanjiro to carry on the family's tradition of Hinokami Kagura.
However, the truth is that the Kamado family is not at all related to Yoriichi.
He never had any successors of his own.
After the death of his wife Uta and their unborn child, Yoriichi was heartbroken and never started another family again.
The Kamado family was the descendants of Yoriichi's close friend. Yoriichi wasn't wearing the earrings by the time of his death.
Although it was never shown in the manga, we can assume that Yoriichi gifted the earrings to his friend who made them a family heirloom.
