Demon Slayer is one of the best Shonen anime series of modern times. It has everything a fan can ask for – lovable characters, emotions, light comedy, action, amazing fights, and above all, an epic story.

The world of Demon Slayer is a harsh one full of loss and death. Most anime characters have gone through a lot and will have to endure even more in the upcoming seasons of the series. It doesn't matter whether the character is a human or a demon, most of them have suffered so much that their personality and lives have been forever changed and fans can't help but root for them. Demon Slayer has some of the most interesting characters with the saddest backstories that deserve to be heard.

Updated April 9, 2024, by Ritwik Mitra: Demon Slayer is one of the most popular anime currently airing. The show's simple premise makes it easy to follow, and Ufotable's stellar animation kicks it up a notch. In fact, most people would argue that the stellar animation and direction are a huge reason why so many people are fans of this amazing anime. Many fans are waiting for the adaptation of the Hashira Training arc with bated breath. The characters in the series live in a world where tragedy follows them every step of the way, and many of them have faced heavy strife before embarking on a path that either paints them as heroes or villains.

Spoiler Alert

17 Genya Shinazugawa

Consumes His Enemies To Become More Powerful

• Saddest Moment: Watching his mother killed by his older brother, who ignores his presence after this traumatic moment.

It's easy to paint Genya as an apathetic man looking out for his own good. The fact that he mostly looks out for his well-being and ingests the flesh of demons to become stronger makes him seem rather evil. However, there's a reason why this man is so headstrong and aloof. For starters, his brother isn't the greatest role model. Sanemi is pretty savage and doesn't show much love for his brother.

Their relationship was fractured for good when their mother was turned into a demon, who came back to eat the rest of her family. Before Genya succumbed to her ravenous appetite, Sanemi stepped in and took her out. Ever since then, both brothers have focused solely on becoming as strong as possible to take out the demons who have tormented humanity.

16 Yoriichi Tsugikuni

The Progenitor Of Sun Breathing

• Saddest Moment: Watching the world be consumed by demons, with his own brother succumbing to this demonic thirst for power.

There is only one man whom Muzan feared, and that is Yoriichi. The Demon King realized just how scary Sun Breathing could be if used against him. After all, Yoriichi almost took him out with a single attack. What fueled this power is everything from Yoriichi's natural talent to the tragedy he faced throughout his childhood.

Yoriichi's own father shunned him because of the mark on his face, and the fact that twins were considered a bad omen. Barely taken care of and isolated by his own family, he still clung on to hope and showed natural talent at swordsmanship. This only served to alienate him from his brother, who eventually decided to join Muzan and enhance his powers as a demon. This betrayal caused the Demon Slayers to shun Yoriichi, leading them to a path of ruin without his guidance as the world was slowly overrun by the demon presence of Muzan and his creations.

15 Shinobu Kocho

The Insect Hashira

• Saddest Moment: Witnessing the death of her sister, Kanae Kocho, at the hands of Doma.

Shinobu Kocho's tragic backstory is one of the most heart-wrenching in Demon Slayer. She and her sister, Kanae, were orphaned at a young age after their parents were killed by a demon. Thankfully, Gyomei Himejima came in the nick of time to save them. This prompted the sibling duo to take up arms and become demon slayers as well.

Kanae eventually ascended to the role of the Flower Hashira, but ended up in a fatal confrontation against Doma, the Upper Rank 2 Kizuki. Despite putting up a valiant effort, Shinobu eventually ended up breathing her last in Shinobu's arms after being fatally wounded in this battle. Shinobu's guilt and grief over her sister's death led her to develop a toxic hatred towards all demons, which manifested in her obsession with creating poisons that could kill them.

14 Giyu Tomioka

The Water Hashira

• Saddest Moment: Watching both his sister, Tsutako, and his best friend, Sabito, sacrifice themselves to save him.

Giyu Tomioka's tragic backstory starts with the loss of his sister, Tsutako Tomioka, who sacrificed herself to save him from a demon. Instead of believing this child's words, he was labeled as crazy by the masses and sent away. However, he decided to carve out his own fate and met Sakonji Urokodaki, who decided to take him in and educate him on the ways of Water Breathing. Following this event, Giyu met and formed a great bond with another apprentice called Sabito.

During the Final Selection trial, Giyu was injured and didn't beat a single demon, while Sabito saved his hide and killed all the demons on the mountain. However, he did so at the cost of his own life, with Giyu passing the trail despite failing to kill a single beast. This left Giyu devastated and guilt-ridden, blaming himself for Sabito's death and struggling with feelings of worthlessness and self-doubt soon after. This trauma and pain ultimately shaped Giyu into the stoic and emotionally reserved demon slayer he is today.

13 Kokushibo

Practitioner Of Moon Breathing; Brother Of The Legendary Yoriichi Tsugikuni

• Saddest Moment: Harboring intense hatred for Yoriichi, he cuts down his brother's corpse, only to see the flute he'd gifted him as a child remain on his person.

Kokushibo, originally known as Michikatsu Tsugikuni, is a riveting villain who is the Upper Rank 1 Kizuki, which shows just how powerful he is. However, he attained this power at a price, sacrificing his humanity to be stronger than his twin brother Yoriichi.

Yoriichi was ostracized as a child as a result of a bad omen. Michikatsu felt sorry for his brother and gifted him a flute that his twin would cherish. However, after realizing that his sword fighting skills were not as high as Yoriichi's, he developed an inferiority complex that caused him to develop feelings of hatred for his brother and set him on the path to becoming a demon. After slashing up Yoriichi's corpse in a moment of frustration, Kokushibo noticed that his brother had still kept the flute after all this time, causing him to shed a tear despite all the hatred that had built up in him.

12 Tamayo

A Demon Who Strives To End The Reign Of The Demon King

• Saddest Moment: Ended up killing her family after choosing to transform into a woman and overcome a disease.

When Tamayo was human, she was a married woman with children who fell sick with a disease that threatened her life. Muzan found her and offered to save her life by transforming her into a demon. She accepted, but regretted it eventually. Once she became a demon, she started killing innocents and even slaughtered her family in the process.

She joined Muzan's side for a few years after realizing that she couldn't kill him on her own — until she saw him battle the Demon Slayer Yoriichi. Muzan had almost lost. This fight revived Tamayo's hope that he could be taken down, and so she fled. She managed to change her diet and lifestyle and dedicated her life to helping humans and demons while studying cures.

11 Kanao Tsuyuri

Shinobu Kocho's Tsuguko

• Saddest Moment: Enduring constant abuse from her parents, who beat their children so severely that some of her siblings passed away.

Kanao was born into an impoverished and abusive family. Her parents would often beat or try to drown her and her siblings whenever they did something they deemed wrong. Kanao would sometimes wake up and notice that her siblings had passed away during the night as a result of the beatings.

She quickly learned not to show her emotions and to bottle everything up to keep her parents satisfied. Eventually, she was sold as a slave and would have gone through worse things if she hadn't been saved by Shinobu and her sister Kanae, who took her to the butterfly mansion. Eventually, Kanao joined the Demon Slayer Corps.

10 Inosuke

A Headstrong Individual With A Boar's Head Who Uses Beast Breathing

• Saddest Moment: Losing her mother to Doma's hunger.

When Inosuke was born, his mother, Kotoha, ran away with him to escape her abusive husband. They eventually found a refuge when someone named Doma offered to help. Kotoha didn’t know at that time that he was part of a cult called Paradise Faith until she realized that he was a demon who ate members of his cult. She ran away again with a baby Inosuke, but found herself trapped above a cliff.

When Doma was closing in on them, she dropped her child over the cliff into the river in an attempt to save him. Later on, Inosuke was found by boars and raised by them. Inosuke has a tragic backstory considering the fact that his mother only wanted to raise her child peacefully, but fate had other plans.

9 Muichiro Tokito

The Mist Hashira

• Saddest Moment: Watching his older twin brother, Yuichiro, sacrifice himself to protect him.

Muichiro Tokito was born to an older twin, Yuichiro, and both were left orphaned after their parents died. Their mom had died of bronchitis, and their father had fallen off a cliff during a storm. The siblings survived together until Kagaya and his wife, Amane, came to recruit them. Yuichiro blamed himself for the loss of their parents and became cold toward people. He also refused to join Kagaya as a way to protect his brother.

When a demon attacked the siblings, Yuichiro died protecting his younger brother, who got hired by the Demon Slayer corps after killing the demon in question. This event was so traumatic for Muichiro that he forgot about it and unconsciously adopted his brother’s cold personality and hatred of demons.

8 Gyomei Himejima

The Stone Hashira

• Saddest Moment: Lost all the orphans he'd raised because of a series of unfortunate events, before being blamed for their deaths and imprisoned by villagers who didn't know better.

Gyomei, the Stone Hashira, raised nine orphans in a temple protected from demons due to some burning Wisteria Incense. One night, a kid snuck out and encountered a demon, but just before he was about to be killed, he made an offer. In exchange for his life, he would let the demon inside the temple where it could make more victims.

The night of the attack, the kids didn’t trust Gyomei’s protecting abilities due to his blindness and frail nature, so they fled. All the orphans died except Sayo, who listened to Gyomei’s orders. Gyomei managed to kill the demon, but when questions from villagers came the morning after, there was a misunderstanding. Sayo’s retelling of the events led people to believe Gyomei was the murderer, and he was wrongfully imprisoned. He was about to be charged with the murder of seven children, but the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps, Kagaya Ubuyashiki, intervened and hired him as a demon slayer instead.

7 Sabito & Makomo

Kindred Spirits Who Aid Tanjiro In His Journey

• Saddest Moment: Dying after trying to protect the other students during the trial at Sagiri Mountain.

Sakonji Urokodaki took the two orphans under his wing and trained them to become Demon Slayers. When Sabito finally made it to the Final Selection exam, he faced the Hand Demon and was killed while protecting others and his friend, Giyu Tomioka. His soul remained trapped on Sagiri Mountain with 13 others of Sakonji's students who died at the hands of the same demon.

As for Makomo, she suffered the same fate as the other slayers and only met Sabito once her soul became trapped as well. They waited years, watching as more slayers perished like them until Tanjiro finally put a stop to it and set their souls at peace.

6 Tengen Uzui

The Sound Hashira

• Saddest Moment: Being raised in a shinobi clan which held outdated, murderous laws.

Tengen was born in a shinobi clan where they valued extensive training even at the cost of their children’s lives. Three of his nine siblings died before they reached the age of ten years, and the others were forced to kill each other while being blindfolded. Only two boys survived all the trials; Tengen and his younger brother.

Tengen realized that his father believed that in order for their clan to survive, they needed to kill innocent people. Unlike his brother and father, Tegen renounced that way of thinking and left the clan with his three wives. He eventually became a Demon Slayer and the sound pillar of the Harisha.

5 Lower Rank Five Demon Rui

A Frail Child, Shunned By His Family After Becoming A Demon

• Saddest Moment: Killing his own family after they tried to end his life, leading to him constantly seeking the perfect family.

Before Rui became a demon and a member of the Twelve Kizuki, he had a sad human life. He was frail and struggled to walk or even breathe, so his parents kept him inside. He watched the world from the comfort of his home and couldn't play with kids his age until Muzan came around and offered to change his life by transforming him into a demon.

Rui, who loved his parents unconditionally, didn't want to be a burden anymore or spend his life confined, so he accepted. After killing a man to feed his hunger, his parents tried to kill him for becoming a monster but were killed in the process by Rui himself. This event led Rui to try and find what he expects is a perfect family and create his own when he couldn't find one.

4 Tanjiro & Nezuko Kamado

Forced Through Endless Hardships After Muzan Destroys Their Family

• Saddest Moment: Their peaceful life was upended by Muzan, who wanted to cover all his tracks and kill off anyone with a trace of Sun Breathing in their veins.

Tanjiro had to step up and become the "man of the house" shortly after his father passed away. He did it willingly out of love for his mother and siblings. He discovered his family had been slaughtered by a demon when he returned from a trip into town. He lost everything, and his sister, Nezuko, lost her humanity and freedom when she became a demon.

With nothing more to lose, Tanjiro embarked on a quest to become a demon slayer. He trained vigorously for months so that someday he may take down the demon responsible for ruining his life and perhaps have Nezuko turned back into a human.

3 Sanemi Shinazugawa

The Wind Hashira

• Saddest Moment: Having to kill his own mother, who had turned into a demon.

Sanemi has a deep hatred of demons, which is understandable considering his backstory. He grew up in a toxic household with an abusive father, who was one day killed by someone who hated him. As the eldest brother of 7 siblings, he took charge of taking care of them and their mother with the help of his brother, Genya.

One day, their mother disappeared and returned as a demon who tried to murder all her kids. Genya was the only one to survive due to Sanemi, who had arrived just in time to kill her. He then started killing demons on his own and abandoned Genya in the process. Eventually, he joined the Demon Slayer Corps because of Masachika, who later died at the hands of a Twelve Kizuki demon, which promoted Sanemi to the rank of Wind Hashira.

2 Obanai Iguro

The Serpent Hashira

• Saddest Moment: Mutilated by his own family to appease a demon he was going to be fed to,, after reaching the age of 12.

Obanai was born into a family with morally questioned values. They worshipped a snake-like female demon, and in exchange for money or valuables, they would sacrifice anyone, even newborn babies or family members. Obanai was kept in a cell because the demon was fascinated with him since he was the first boy born to the family in years. The demon planned to eat him, but only after he grew up enough for her.

In order to resemble and honor the demon, Obanai's mouth was cut wider at the age of 12. When he eventually escaped, the demon killed his family out of spite and went after him. However, it was killed by the Flame Hashira of that time, and later on, Obanai became the Serpent Hashira.

1 Upper Rank Three Demon Akaza

Circumstances Beyond Akaza's Control Forced Him Down A Dark Path

• Saddest Moment: Seeing his betrothed and his mentor die because of the pettiness of a rival dojo heir.

Before Akaza became a demon, he was a human named Hakuji. Hakuji grew up in an impoverished neighborhood with his sick father. To get medicine for him, Hakuji often stole money from others and was caught and beaten for it. He was even forced to get tattoos as a way to be branded as a criminal.

Once his father learned of the news, he hung himself to avoid being a burden to his son. Hakuji was then banished from his town and with so much anger and nothing to lose, he took it out on people by beating them. Keizo, the owner of a local dojo, offered to take him in and teach him how to properly fight in exchange for helping his sick daughter, Koyuki.

The nearby dojo's heir wanted their space, so he tried to get it by force and failed against Hakuji, and thus years later when he found out Hakuji and Koyuki were getting married, he enacted his revenge. He poisoned her and Keizo. This led Hakuji into a blind rage, who killed all 67 members of the rival dojo. This caught the attention of Muzan, who then offered to transform him into a demon. Hakuji having nothing more to lose, accepted.