Muzan Kibutsuji didn’t have any idea about Tanjiro Kamado until Tanjiro sensed the presence of Muzan’s Smell in the capital city of Tokyo, Asakusa.
This was the first time Tanjiro contacted Muzan; Tanjiro is the only Demon Slayer in decades to come in contact with Muzan.
None of the Hashira had ever encountered Muzan or Kokushibo.
Tanjiro was carrying a Nichirin Sword and was with his sister Nezuko.
Tanjiro, while chasing the smell of a powerful demon, put his hand on Muzan’s shoulder and forced him to turn.
Muzan turned and saw Tanjiro with his Hanafuda Earrings and the Nichirin sword, and it looked like he was scared of Tanjiro.
I’m sure Demon Slayer fans then thought, Why is Muzan Scared of Tanjiro?
Does Tanjiro’s Hanafuda Earrings have a significant impact on Muzan? Here is our theory below.
Why is Muzan Scared Of Tanjiro?
Muzan is sacred to Tanjiro because of Tanjiro’s Hanafuda earrings, the same earrings which Yoriichi Tsugikuni once wore.
Yoriichi was the founder of the sun-breathing technique who defeated Muzan and almost managed to kill him.
Yoriichi was considered the most powerful Demon Slayer of all time who defeated Muzan single-handedly, but when it came to killing Muzan, Yoriichi was in a state of selflessness while fighting, so he let him live.
So the first reason is the Hanafuda earrings.
Now, in addition to the Hanafuda earrings, Tanjiro also had a demon slayer mark on his forehead, similar to Yoriichi.
When Muzan first saw Tanjiro in the middle of the street Asakusa, he resembled Tanjiro with Yoriichi.
Hence that is the reason why he was scared of Tanjiro because he reminded him of Yorrichi.
What do Hanafuda Earrings mean? and Why does Tanjiro has the Hanafuda Earrings?
Why does Muzan fear Tanjiro? (image credit: Ufotable Studios)Hanafuda Earrings are the earrings passed on to the users of Sun breathing from generation to generation.
So why does Tanjiro has the Hanafuda Earrings?
Well, Tanjiro inherited the pair of Hanafuda Earrings from his father, Tanjuro Kamado.
Tanjuro Kamado inherited the same pair of Hanafuda Earrings from his father.
Tanjuro Kamado was also a user of Sun Breathing.
Tanjuro was born with a faint mark on his forehead(Demon Slayer Mark).
Tanjuro’s words for Tanjiro were:
“Tanjiro, this ceremonial dance and pair of earrings, I wish for them to be passed down to you. This is my gift.”
This is how Tanjiro received the Hanafuda Earrings and some knowledge about Sun Breathing.
MediaScrolls’ Theory on Why is Muzan afraid of Tanjiro?
As per our theory, Muzan is mainly afraid of Tanjiro because of the demon slayer scar on Tanjiro’s forehead.
This demon slayer mark of Tanjiro is the same mark that Yoriichi had when he confronted Muzan.
Plus, the Hanafuda earrings and these marks are present for all Sun Breathing style users.
Although, Tanjiro was not born with the mark.
Instead, Tanjiro obtained it when he tried to save his younger brother from a falling pot of boiling tea.
The scar at that time was a light pink circular mark on his head.
But later on, when Tanjiro fought with Lower Moon 5, Rui, the Upper Demon Moon 6, Gyutaro and Daki, he activated the scar, cut through both Lower Demon Moon 5 and Upper Demon’s neck, and defeated them.
So as per our theory, the scar on Tanjiro’s forehead and the demon slayer mark is the main reason why Muzan is scared of Tanjiro.
It reminded him of Yoriichi Tsugikuni, who was the user of the Sun breathing technique, the most powerful breathing technique of all time, as Muzan was scared of Yoriichi for being a sun breathing user, so when he stumbled upon Tanjiro, he also deduced that Tanjiro might be the user of that powerful technique.
Hence that was the reason Muzan sent demons after the Tanjiro.
Why is Muzan Afraid of Tanjiro? (image credit: Ufotable Studios)How did Tanjiro manage to identify Muzan in Asakusa?
When Tanjiro and Nezuko reached the Capital, Tokyo, Asakusa, after the reports of demons in the city, he sensed the scent of a powerful demon from far away as it was the same scent Tanjiro found at his house after discovering his family had been slaughtered.
This particular scent was of Muzan Kibutsuji, so when Tanjiro chased the smell and almost caught Muzan and forced him to turn and look at him, Muzan was surprised to see how a kid managed to find him based on the smell.
Tanjiro then tried to use his sword on Muzan, but he saw a child and a woman with him.
Muzan lived a completely normal life among humans after taking so many human lives that no one could think of him being a demon.
But this was the first time any Demon Slayer came in contact with Muzan Kibutsuji, knowing he was a Demon, so it scared Muzan a bit.
Then when Muzan saw the Hanafuda Earrings, the same earrings passed on to Sun Breathing users, it reminded him of Yoriichi Tsugikuni and scared him.
Tanjiro’s words to Muzan after their first confrontation: No matter where you go; I promise you won’t escape me.
How does Tanjiro defeat Muzan?
In the Demon Slayer finale, when Tanjiro fights Muzan, Tanjiro gets visions of his ancestor Sumiyoshi in the form of dreams.
He observes the creator, Yoriichi Tsugikuni perform the Sun Breathing as he teaches it to Sumiyoshi Kamado.
Tanjiro eventually figures out that his form of Hinokami Kagura has some waste movements of wrist and sword, due to which he was not able to completely use the technique.
He rectifies his mistakes, and during the fight against Muzan, he masters the Sun Breathing.
He uses all the 12 forms to finally unleash the thirteenth form of Sun Breathing and land decisive blows on the Demon King and defeat him.
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