Demon Slayer's best choice was breaking away from an archaic shonen sword trope

The manga of Demon Slayer is over, and the anime will be coming to an end with the release of their last film. Despite Demon Slayer not having a sequel or a spin-off, the series generates a lot of reactions among anime fans. One reason for this is due to how the story breaks away from the tropes that surround its genre.

Demon Slayer falls into the sword trope as many other popular manga and anime do. The likes of Bleach, Kagburachi, Rurouni Kenshin, and Katanagatari are famous examples. These anime have their power systems based around their swords.

While it falls under this trope, it differentiates itself from the rest by still focusing on the characters. Furthermore, there are no special swordsmiths as most of their faces are covered. Here is how Demon Slayer bypassed this trope to wonderful effect.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the author’s opinion and may contain spoilers.

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How Demon Slayer breaks the special sword trope

Tengen's Nichirin swords are cleavers (Image via Ufotable)

At first glance, it adheres to the special sword trope. The Nichirin swords are forged with Scarlet Crimson Iron Sand and Scarlet Ore, two materials that can only be gotten from a special place—the Sunlight Mountain. While this makes the sword special, it is no different from Wooden stakes in fantasy stories that kill vampires.

The weapon has a specific use and that seldom changes. Other anime that use swords imbue an addition to the swords. In Kagburachi, the swords made by Kunishige Rokuhira grant special abilities to the wielder. This is also the same with Bleach, as Shinigami’s swords have personalities. Many Shinigami can communicate with their swords and some of the strongest Shinigami truly know their swords on an intimate level.

Where Demon Slayer splits from this trope is in how it treats its swordsmiths. For most of the series, swordsmiths remain largely anonymous, this is despite the proliferation of Nichirin swords among members of the Demon Slayer corps. The series puts a separation between the viewers and the wordsmiths

Tanjiro wielding his Nichirin sword (Image via Ufotable)

This separation first forces viewers to focus solely on the lives of the Demon Slayer corps without distraction. Viewers get to see the relentless energy of the new corps members and the cynical drive of the Hashira. They also get to see how the corps interacts with the human world. This is something that the introduction of the swordsmiths would have deterred.

Another reason why Demon Slayer breaks this trope is that it shows viewers the real characters of the human. Tanjiro becomes stronger not because he has a special attribute, but because he is more driven than many Slayers in the series. Fans also see the characters who have turned evil like Kaigaku, the sword doesn’t contribute to their villainy, it stays independent of their actions.

Man creates swords, and the series places a huge emphasis on this. Various members of the corps also command their tools in various ways and use them in various forms. Tengen’s Nichirin Swords are cleavers and Inosuke’s swords have jagged edges which reflect his wild upbringing.

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Final thoughts

As much as Demon Slayer steers clear of this trope, the series also includes it at various moments. One of those moments is in Kokushibo, the Upper-Rank One of the Twelve Kizuki and brother to the strongest human in the series, Yoriichi.

Kokushibo’s sword is called Kyokokukamusari and it is made from his living flesh. The sword has been shown to freely change shape and to repair itself after it was destroyed. This part shows viewers that no matter how strong evil may appear, it can never stand against good.

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