The Saddest Deaths In Demon Slayer

Demon Slayer, one of the most popular manga and anime series in recent history, has a whole lot of tragedy packed within its story. This setting is infested with literal Demons who eat humans for food, so of course, there are going to be a lot of tragic deaths over the course of that tale.

And, with how large the cast around Tanjiro Kamado eventually becomes, it becomes hard to figure out which characters have their days numbered or not. So, let’s go through some of the most tear-jerking deaths in Demon Slayer, what makes them so sad, and what caused these heroes to lose their lives in the first place.

Updated September 12, 2025 by Ritwik Mitra: The Infinity Castle movie is right around the corner, and fans can’t wait to witness what is promising to be the cinematic experience of a lifetime. As bombastic as the fights promise to be, fans must also steel themselves for some heartbreak. After all, the series has made it clear that no one is safe, and some of the most promising heroes in the series are bound to bite the dust during the Infinity Castle arc.

The Upper Rank Demon Moons are going to be a nightmare to deal with, and that’s to say nothing of Muzan himself. As much as fans may want their favorite demon slayers to survive, there’s only so much they can push themselves against the highest-ranking demons in the series.

Disclaimer: Heavy spoilers for any and all character deaths in the Demon Slayer anime and manga are below. Read at your own risk. If you just came from watching the final episode of the Hashira Training Arc, proceed VERY carefully.

16

Kotoha Hashibira

Inosuke Is Given The Full Picture Regarding Her Death During The Fight Against Doma

Not a lot is known of Inosuke’s past, so some fans may be fascinated to know that he has a history with Doma. This is something that even Inosuke himself isn’t aware of until Doma starts exploring his brain and figures out that he actually ate his mother after she tried to betray the cult he leads.

This angers Inosuke to no end, who didn’t know the truth surrounding his mother’s demise until this very moment. This rage propels him to break his limits and take out the Upper Rank Two Demon Moon with Kanao. Thankfully, Shinobu’s mastery over the wisteria poison ensured that Doma would be weakened even after supposedly coming out victorious, eventually succumbing to the poison and meeting his end.

15

Kanae Kocho

Her Death Happened Off-Screen, But Its Effects Are Palpable Even Now

Kanae Kocho was the Flower Hashira and Shinobu’s sister, who was clearly an adept demon slayer. However, without the power of the Demon Slayer Mark, she didn’t stand a chance of fighting an Upper Rank Demon Moon. This meant that her fate was sealed from the moment she crossed Doma’s path, who killed her but was unable to savor this victory by devouring her body.

This allowed her to spend one last moment with Shinobu before passing away. Her death may have occurred before the events of Demon Slayer, but the emotional impact her passing had can still be felt in the show. Shinobu prepared her entire life for a grudge match against Doma, while Kanao carried forward her sensei’s legacy and mastered the forms of Flower Breathing as best she could.

14

The Shinazugawa Family

Genya And Sanemi Had A Tough Life

Genya and Sanemi are two characters who feel like total brutes, although fans can still sympathize with the former after seeing how much he wants to win his older brother’s approval. This makes Sanemi seem like a cold, heartless soul, but the truth is that their past experiences have hardened the surviving members of the Shinazugawa family.

One day, when their mother took too long to come back, the sons and daughters of the family were horrified by the fact that Shizu had come back as a demon. She killed her children in a bloodthirsty frenzy as a result of her demonic awakening, and it wasn’t until Sanemi stepped up that she could finally be taken out. It was a harrowing moment, with this grief plaguing the minds of both Sanemi and Genya as they swore to kill off Muzan and all of demonkind in the process.

13

Kokushibo AKA Michikatsu Tsugikuni

His Death Isn’t Sad, But Everything Else Around Him Is

Speaking of the highest Upper Moon, he also has an incredibly tragic backstory. Well, more like his brother Yoriichi has an incredibly tragic backstory, and hearing it by extension through Michikatsu is very sad. Essentially, Michikatsu had an inferiority complex about his younger brother his entire life since Yoriichi was born with the Demon Slaying Mark and all the superhuman abilities that came with it. Because of this, a lot of Michikatsu’s life was filled with feelings of jealousy, inferiority, hatred, spite, and more.

Despite the clear amount of love his younger brother showed him, Michikatsu would eventually scorn this compassion at every opportunity, even becoming a Demon and killing all of his Demon Slaying comrades to surpass his younger brother’s abilities (which he never did). The first Upper Moon is only included on his list simply because, if he had just come to terms with his emotions regarding his brother early on in life, his life could’ve gone down an entirely different (and almost assuredly much happier) path.

12

Akaza

As a Human, He Was Haku; As A Demon, He Was The Third Upper Moon

This might seem like a truly off-the-wall inclusion, considering Akaza is the Third Upper Moon and the actual Demon who killed the Flame Pillar, Rengoku, in the Mugen Train movie.

But, like many Demons, Akaza came from a truly tragic life and was simply taken advantage of by Muzan. This isn’t to say that Akaza was blameless; the guy was a murderer even as a human. But, in his final moments just before managing to re-grow his head (which shouldn’t be possible), Akaza decides to pass on instead. It’s a tragic death overall because this boy had so much potential and was one of the more interesting Demons in the series overall.

11

The Kamado Family

The Tragic Deaths That Started it All

People don’t really think about it after the first couple of episodes, but Demon Slayer’s whole plotline started from a series of tragic deaths. Tanjiro only becomes a Demon Slayer to protect and cure his sister, Nezuko, after Muzan kills their entire family and turns her into a Demon. And, from all the flashbacks and moments where readers/viewers get to see Tanjiro’s father, mother, and siblings, they’re all such likable characters.

So, why is such a loving family that was cut down before its time so low in these rankings? Well, simply because the audience didn’t get to spend a lot of time with them outside of the Sun Breathing-related flashbacks of Tanjiro. The anime goes the extra mile to give viewers a bit more time with this family through flashbacks and dreams, but it’s only just enough to give them a clear picture of how much Tanjiro loved his family.

10

Sabito & Makomo

Finding Out About These Deaths Still Hits Pretty Hard, Despite Their Lack of Screentime

These next two deaths are discovered by readers/viewers not long after the deaths of the Kamado family, as Sabito and Makomo are two of Sakonji Urokodaki’s previous students, with Sabito actually being trained alongside Giyu, the Water Hashira.

As it turns out, Sabito died during his Final Section Test against the Hand Demon, a powerful monster who specifically would go after those trained by Urokodaki, such as Makomo and Sabito. Thankfully, Tanjiro manages to slay this horrifying demon, thereby freeing both Sabito and Makomo from their unfinished grievances and allowing them to pass on to the next life. Still, the sheer fact that Urokodaki and Giyu lost their friends and children like this is heart-wrenching.

9

Gyomei Himejima

The Stone Hashira Finally Gets The Apologies He So Deserves

At first, Gyomei Himejima seems like he’s going to be a one-dimensional character, going for that whole ‘always praying, always crying monk’ vibe. And, while he does fall into that category a lot of the time, there’s a lot more to this guy than meets the eye. Not only is he one of the strongest Pillars with his Stone Breathing techniques, but Gyomei also has an incredibly tragic backstory that connects him to one of the most twisted Demons, Kaigaku.

Thankfully, when Gyomei tragically passes while fighting Muzan, he finally sees the children from the monastery again, and they apologize profusely to him for falsely accusing him. It’s never confirmed whether this was just Gyomei imagining this or if the spirits of the actual children came to apologize, but given how much we see souls talking or spirits returning briefly in this series, it’s very likely to be the real thing.

8

Tamayo

A Demon Who Truly Redeemed Herself

Tamayo is one of the sweetest characters throughout the entirety of Demon Slayer. She takes care and treats humans without a word of thanks, and is one of the only Demons that seems remorseful of their actions and is trying to atone. But, underneath that kind and almost ‘motherly’ outer personality is a white-hot hatred for the long-lived Muzan, and it’s what actually drives her forward. Finally, after the Ubayashikis manage to wound Muzan in a suicidal attack, Tamayo is able to restrain him and inject her ‘Anti-Demon Drug’ into him by having him absorb her hand alongside the Blood Demon Art Spikes that were restraining him. Now, this drug has a variety of effects, the primary effect of course being the ability to turn Demons back into humans.

Of course, due to Muzan’s absurd power, it doesn’t immediately work, and he sadly kills Tamayo right after, but Tamayo’s plans accounted for her assured death. Still, to have such a nice character completely sacrifice herself just to give a better chance of defeating Muzan (despite her villainous past) is really tragic.

7

Jigoro Kuwajima

The Previous Thunder Hashira & Zenitsu’s Mentor

Jigoro Kuwajima, the previous Thunder Pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps, is such a loveable character. He’s the one who mentored Zenitsu, who is undoubtedly one of the most disliked main characters by the audience. But, in comparison to Zenitsu, Jigoro is such a charismatic and gentle (mostly) old man. He loved Zenitsu like his own grandson, put up with his absurd cowardice, and was constantly helping others.

But, his death was anything but sweet, as the poor man forced himself to commit Seppuku as a way of “atoning” after his other protege, Kaigaku, defected and became a Demon. And, because no one else was there beside him to cut his head off (which was customary for those committing Seppuku), Jigoro bled out slowly and went through a lot of unnecessary pain. And just to remind Demon Slayer fans, Kaigaku is also the one who led the Demon to Himejima’s monastery as well, effectively ruining the lives of two different pillars.