Remember Muzan’s freaked-out expression when he confronted Tanjiro for the first time? He immediately ordered two of his subordinates to slay the boy wearing Hanafuda earrings. Now that’s some hasty actions from the one who claims to be the ‘sorcerer supreme’ of all the demons. We believe that there has to be something special about that earring, which even Muzan Kibutsuji is afraid of.
Fans immediately started wondering if the Hanafuda earrings were the reasons why Tanjiro’s family got slain in the first place. Well, you don’t have to be in the dark anymore; we have brought you everything that you must know about those mysterious earrings.
Hanafuda Earring’s Origin Story
The earings originally belonged to the greatest demon slayer who ever lived, Yoriichi Tsugikuni, the first user of the Sun breathing technique. Her mother made those earrings for him as a charm to receive Sun’s blessings.
Years later, when Yoriichi was well past his prime, he passed on those earrings to his friend, Sumiyoshi, who happened to be Tanjirou’s ancestor from Sengoku Era.
Let’s just make one thing clear, that Yoriichi’s twin brother, Michikatsu, didn’t wear these earrings, and neither did any of his descendants, the Tokito family.
So, it’s safe to assume that the Hanafuda earrings are exclusively passed on to the ones who have mastered the art of Sun breathing. This explains why Tanjirou’s father ensured that Hinokami Kagura Dance (Dance of the Fire God) and the Hanafuda earrings were passed on.
Also Read: Demon Slayer Watch Order: Where Can It Be Streamed?
Why was Muzan Scared of Tanjiro?
As you have already guessed by now, the earrings aren’t the only things that Yoriichi passed on. He showed Sumiyoshi how to perform Sun breathing, and the form looked so beautiful that it was passed on in the form of dance.
Now, what’s so special about Sun breathing? It’s basically the parent breathing style from which other forms like Wind, Water, Thunder, Flame, and Stone are derived, somewhat similar to how all forms of energy are in some way connected to the Sun.
Not to mention that the Sun breathing style is far superior to any of its offspring. You can imagine how overpowered it is from the fact that Yoriichi almost killed Muzan the first time they confronted each other.
Any manga reader must be aware of blurry illustrations of a mysterious demon slayer, whom Muzan fears. Yes, you guessed it right, that was none other than Yoriichi himself. In their infamous face-off, Muzan found himself unable to regenerate from his wounds, and thus, he had no other option but to self-destruct his body so that a small part of it survives.
Despite having avoided death by inches, Muzan treated him like an everlasting symbol of fear. He did everything within his power to ensure that Yoriichi’s god-like traits weren’t passed on to the next generations.
Tanjiro’s Demon Slayer Mark
Muzan’s fear turned into reality when Tanjiro survived the assault on the Kamado family. Furthermore, the Hanafuda earings aren’t the only things that alarm him. Tanjiro bears the Demon Slayer mark on his head, which gives him tremendous physical strength and superhuman agility.
Such scars tend to appear on the bodies of the most talented Demon slayers and are tailored depending on the user’s breathing style. The origin or the back story of these marks still remains a secret; however, we do know that it was first recorded in the Sengoku Era on Yoriichi Tsugikuni himself.
Well, Great powers come at a great price, and so does the Demon Slayer mark. The marked ones suffer from its adverse effects, and most of them end up with an untimely death. Gradually, these cursed marks disappeared permanently for good but reappeared on Tanjiro after ages.
It can’t just be a coincidence that both Yoriichi and Tanjiru had the Demon Slayer marks and were among the practitioners of Sun breathing. Not only that, even Tanjiro’s father had a mark on his forehead, which somewhat looks the same. All these facts open up the possibility that the Demon Slayer can be one of the prerequisites of mastering Sun breathing.
Read More: Will Tanjiro Kamado Die in Demon Slayer? How will He Die?
Final Thoughts
Don’t you think these are enough reasons for Muzan to be concerned about Tanjiro? I wouldn’t spoil anything for the anime-only fans, but considering the alarming rate at which Tanjiro is improving, it’s just a matter of time before he meets Muzan face-to-face.
Who knows, he may become the ‘Yoriichi Tsugikuni’ of his time and do the task that was left incomplete by his successor.
You can stream all the episodes of Demon Slayer anime on Netflix.
