The audience cannot connect with a character with whom they have no access. Restricting access to Nezuko’s feelings and trauma runs counter to the central idea of imparting empathy towards the characters of Demon Slayer, human or otherwise. Nezuko’s infantilization, objectification, and silencing is not only frustrating, it’s thematically inconsistent. For the audience, the less she is seen, the less time there is for connection and empathy, which runs counter to one of the central concerns of the series. Nevertheless, the amount of time she spends inside her box not only objectifies her in a literal sense, but keeps her unseen and unheard. ![]() These moments are often emotionally satisfying beats during a fight, and Gotouge makes it clear Nezuko can hold her own alongside her brother in battle. To fit inside it, she must shrink herself down to toddler size, infantilizing herself before becoming akin to an object to be tucked away until she can spring to Tanjiro’s aid in times of peril. What’s worse, because exposure to sunlight is deadly for demons, Nezuko must spend her daytime hours tucked away in a wooden box Tanjiro carries on his back. However, the series also doesn’t allow Nezuko an internal monologue the way it does Tanjiro, nor does it employ any visual imagery from Nezuko’s own perspective (divorced of Urokodaki’s influence)-both of which would go a long way in centering Nezuko in her own trauma and healing process. Of course, verbal speech is not the only way for a character to convey their feelings, as not everyone uses speech to communicate. Both her stolen words and bamboo muzzle leave Nezuko unable to use language to express herself, and she must rely on her brother to speak for her. This often positions Tanjiro as interpreter, explaining her feelings and intentions to the audience and other characters.īy the end of the first season, it’s unclear if she’ll eventually gain back her communication skills, though nearly every demon they encounter is able to communicate. She often elicits nonverbal vocalizations comparable to those of an infant, if she makes any noise at all. Her demonic transformation has robbed her of her language skills which, considered alongside her often-used ability to shrink to the proportions of a toddler, lead her to act and be treated as a person much younger than she is. Unfortunately, this plot device also restricts Nezuko from speaking, disallowing her the use of words to express her feelings and connect with the audience through dialogue.Įven when the gag is removed, Nezuko is kept silent through her inexplicable infantilization. This not only physically restrains her teeth but also serves as a comforting sight to Tanjiro’s human allies who may be wary of her. The gag prevents the improbable but not impossible event of her losing control of herself and biting a human. That access is restricted in a number of ways, including silencing her with a bamboo gag Nezuko must wear at all times. The child who would become a mass of flesh and fury at the end of Tanjiro’s blade cries out for his brother to hold his hand. ![]() The audience sees a flashback into the demon’s childhood where he mourns the brother he killed in an uncontrollable frenzy after being turned into a demon. Though this demon has taken dozens of lives-and Tanjiro cannot forgive him that-in his dying moments, Tanjiro senses the demon’s profound, underlying sadness through his superhuman sense of smell. The demon gloats about gorging himself on not only fifty aspiring Demon Slayers, but several children who trained under Tanjiro’s teacher, Urokodaki. During the exam that determined whether he would be admitted into the Demon Slayer Corps, he fights a monstrous demon who oozes through the woods as a pile of tangled arms with no other features beyond a ghoulish face leering out of the mess. Reaching Out to Hold a Hand Drenched in Bloodįrom the beginning of the series, Tanjiro is characterized as incredibly kind and radically empathetic.
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