Tanjiro Kamado has been on the front lines for a good portion of Demon Slayer. Ever since he joined the Demon Slayer Corps, he's gone up against all sorts of powerful demons, including members of the Twelve Kizuki. It seems like he's overdue for a promotion of some kind. As it turns out, Tanjiro has received a few promotions during his service. However, saying that Tanjiro has become a Kanoe doesn't mean much on its own.
The Corps' ranks and functions are fairly straightforward. They determine how much a Demon Slayer earns, how difficult their missions are supposed to be, and who they'll be partnered with. A Demon Slayer will steadily climb through the ranks as they slay demons and complete missions. Prospective Demon Slayers earn their first position after passing the Corps' entrance exam, the Final Selection. Examinees are expected to survive a week in the demon-infested woods of Mount Fujikasane. If they pass, they'll begin their service at the bottom of the proverbial totem pole as Mizunoto.
Updated on October 19th, 2023 by Louis Kemner: This feature about the Demon Slayer ranks and what the system means to Tanjiro Kamado has been expanded with new data and new analysis to dive deeper into the demon slayer corp' ranking system.
The Demon Slayer Ranks Are Named for the Heavenly Stems
There are ten ranks in the Demon Slayer Corps. Going up from Mizunoto (癸), the ranks are Mizunoe (壬), Kanoto( 辛), Kanoe (庚), Tsuchinoto (己), Tsuchinoe (戊), Hinoto (丁), Hinoe(丙), Kinoto (乙), and Kinoe (甲); these ranks are named after the Heavenly Stems, for what that information is worth. Collectively, they represent the average ranks most Demon Slayers can expect to climb in their lifetime.
The Hashira, the peak of the Corps' strength, rank at a level beyond even Kinoe. To qualify for this prestigious title, a Demon Slayer must attain the rank of Kinoe and slay either 50 demons or a member of the Twelve Kizuki. The Hashira get special privileges in the Corps and are even allowed to request large amounts of money if they need it. They only answer to members of the Ubayashiki family, namely Kagaya.
Of the nine active Hashira presented in the series thus far, Tanjiro has gotten to know four of them; Giyu Tomioka, Shinobu Kocho, Kyojuro Rengoku, and Tengen Uzui. He met the rest of the Hashira when they were deciding what to do about him and his sister, but he hadn't gotten to know them. He's slated to be formally introduced to Muichiro Tokito and Mitsuri Kanroji in the upcoming adaption of the Swordsmith Village Arc. As for the remaining three Hashira, he'll likely meet them again in good time.
The Main Ranks and the Hashira
Tanjiro's Current Demon Slayer Rank Is Kanoe
Not many of the Demon Slayers' ranks are known as of Season 2, but there are a few. Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke have moved from Mizunoto up to Kanoe due to their exploits. Murata, the Demon Slayer, who was almost digested on Mount Nagumo, is also a Kanoe. Kanao Tsuyuri, Shinobu's adoptive younger sister, is a rank above all four of these boys at Tsuchinoto; she's also a Tsuguko, which means she's expected to succeed her Hashira sister one day. All of this was covered in Episode 11 of Season 2, "Tonight."
As things stand, Tanjiro is progressing through the ranks slowly but surely. If the Demon Corps is smart, they'll properly account for Tanjiro's ability to go up against the Twelve Kizuki; his role in the defeat of an Upper Rank for the first time in over 100 years should be taken into account. He's much better at his job than his rank would suggest.
Does Tanjiro's Demon Slayer Ranking Actually Matter By This Point?
Like other shonen action series before it, such as Naruto, the Demon Slayer anime strove to use numbers and ranks to quantify the combat system and make it feel more cohesive. Just the way Naruto had genin, chunin, and jonin, along with ranks for jutsu and missions going from D to S, the Demon Slayer anime used the ten main demon slayer rankings to make everything feel more regimented. Then, it capped off those ten ranks with the Hashira, probably to emulate the 13 Soul Reaper Captains from Bleach, an anime that helped inspire Demon Slayer. At first, it felt like standard procedure and gave Tanjiro a ladder to climb to measure his progress, but soon, the narrative of Demon Slayer outgrew its own system. By the end of Season 3, after two more Upper Moons fell to Tanjiro's team, the demon slayer corps' ranking system felt like a simple formality and little more.
It wasn't wrong for Demon Slayer to introduce the ten ranks, since it contributed to the worldbuilding a bit and made sense for a shonen action anime like this one. Still, Tanjiro's trio never really aimed to climb those ranks, and their power scaling has made it moot. Tanjiro underwent rigorous training and learned even more by fighting foes like Daki, Gyutaro, and Hantengu, including unlocking Hinokami Kagura, his best move yet in the Demon Slayer anime. Tanjiro is no ordinary soldier -- as the shonen protagonist, he's on his own heroic trajectory that few other demon slayer corps members could emulate. The plot itself excused Tanjiro from caring about the ten Demon Slayer ranks.
Instead, Tanjiro's growth is better measured by his victories against high-ranking demons and his network of alliances and friendships, such as having an influence on Muichiro Tokito, earning Tengen Uzui's respect, and impressing Mitsuri Kanroji the love Hashira. That's the yardstick that really matters for measuring Tanjiro's progress, along with his combat record. He's gone from struggling against Lower Moons demons to fighting Upper Moons and winning, and there's no rank for that. Besides, Demon Slayer' relatively short anime doesn't even have time for those ranks, because Tanjiro has his eyes on his real goal -- defeating Muzan Kibutsuji the demon king to save Nezuko, regardless of rank.
