Tamayo and Shinobu’s Critical Role In The Final Arc

Tamayo and Shinobu played a critical role in the demise of their respective hatred towards demons. While Tamayo has taken a neutral approach to humans and has converted her physique to withstand donated blood so as not to prey on humans, she ultimately sought a chance to cure demonization and, if possible, end Muzan.

Kocho Shinobu has taken to following in the footsteps of her older sister, wishing that humans and demons alike could co-exist. However, deep down, she resents all demons. When combining their knowledge in their respective fields, Tamayo and Shinobu had created a drug that would systematically slow Muzan down, so what role did they play, and what did they have to set aside to work together on this project in Demon Slayer?

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Who is Tamayo?

Misguided by Muzan, Tamayo now seeks revenge and retribution

Lady Tamayo initially appeared in the Asakusa arc and was one of the two demons, alongside Nezuko and Yushiro, who were not aggressive towards humans. Like many of the demons that Muzan has turned, Tamayo was approached by him after she fell sick with a deadly disease. Muzan thus offered her a solution to turn her into a demon, which quickly resulted in Tamayo killing and eating her husband and children during her rampage.

After killing her family in her delirium, Tamayo also killed several other people, which led her to fall in despair for her actions, as Muzan misled her and confesses in Chapter 138 that had she known the outcome of her actions, she would never have accepted his help. As Tamayo was still under the control of Muzan, she accompanied him until the day they encountered the Demon Slayer named Tsugikuni Yoriichi.

After the battle, in which Muzan was nearly beheaded by Yoriichi, at the brink of his death, Muzan scattered 1,800 pieces of flesh to escape Yoriichi. However, Yoriichi was able to cut a little more than 1,500 pieces of them, resulting in a small lump of flesh Muzan used to escape. Throughout this encounter, Tamayo, who wishes for Muzan’s demise, collapses in frustration that Muzan has not perished.

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After being surprised that Muzan’s curse had not killed her, she quickly relayed all the information about him to Yoriichi. Yoriichi, noticing Tamayo’s sadness and willingness to defeat Muzan, allowed her to escape. For around 200 years, Tamayo then decided to become a doctor. Upon learning this fact, Tanjiro questions whether there’s a cure to turn a demon back into a human. At the time, Tamayo admits there has yet to be a cure. However, she confesses she will do her best to research and develop a treatment method, which will require two things from Tanjiro.

• Tamayo will first need to investigate Nezuko’s blood, as Nezuko has yet to consume any human flesh or blood.
• Secondly, Tamayo will need Tanjiro to gather the blood of the demons, with Muzan’s blood coursing through their veins. The best demons to use for this are those within the Twelve Kizuki.

Shinobu’s deep hatred towards demons

Having her family slain by demons, Shinobu sets aside her emotions for a more significant cause

Shinobu was initially characterized as extremely polite and amiable. However, this demeanor concealed her genuine emotions. While the Insect Hashira presents herself as friendly towards both humans and demons, she harbors a profound resentment for demons due to the loss of her family and older sister at their hands.

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Despite the exhaustion that comes with it, she admires her older sister and desires to emulate her, a sentiment she shares with Tanjiro in Chapter 50. She reveals that demons are inherently deceitful and driven by a primal urge to kill, which makes her cautious around them. Nevertheless, she opts to empathize with demons, as that is the approach her sister, Kanae, would have taken.

Although Shinobu disliked the thought of working with a demon, with the assistance of Tamayo, Shinobu was able to create a much more powerful poison to ingest and sacrifice herself to kill Douma, another one of the Twelve Kizuki. Although Shinobu had a deep hatred for demons and often asked her older sister to help calm her down when her facade was slipping, Shinobu knew she needed Tamayo and Yushiro’s assistance to develop a drug that would put an end to Muzan.

Shinobu and Tamayo’s critical contribution in the final arc

Through their efforts, a drug was created that effectively weakened Muzan

Shinobu and Tamayo’s role in defeating Muzan was but a critical and significant contribution towards the final battle. It went to show that to defeat Muzan entirely, both parties involved would require help and assistance, which would be the demon side and humans. This is important for several reasons.

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As the Insect Hashira, Shinobu was also well-versed in demon physiology and other pharmaceuticals, as seen in Chapter 45 when she offered Tanjiro water with a painkiller. Shinobu was the head of the Butterfly Mansion, where many of the Demon Slayer Corps members recovered after fierce battles. Shinobu had a weak constitution but was still a powerful swordswoman; she often dabbled in poison as her preferred choice for killing demons and injecting them with deadly wisteria poison.

Tamayo has significant knowledge about the demon physique and Muzan’s weaknesses. With Tanjiro’s assistance, she’s also been researching the cure for demonization, which becomes a success near the end of the Swordsmith Village arc. Combining Shinobu’s knowledge of poisons along with Tamayo’s innovative research into Muzan’s blood, they were able to successfully create a drug that would systematically weaken and destroy Muzan.

Tamayo’s profound aversion towards Kibutsuji Muzan motivated her to pursue a medical career, offering assistance to those in need. This also guided Tamayo to approach Tanjiro upon witnessing his empathy towards an individual who had recently been transformed into a demon by Muzan in Asakusa. Tamayo and Yushiro were then invited to the Ubuyashiki Estate by their messenger crow. With Tamayo’s knowledge of Muzan and research on the cure, along with Kocho Shinobu’s knowledge of pharmaceuticals, their role in Muzan’s demise was a vital part of the battle. While their contribution and sacrifice towards the creation of the drug slowed down Muzan a significant amount, it was the efforts of the remaining Demon Slayers and Tanjiro that put an end to his reign.

Demon Slayer is now available to stream on Crunchyroll.