Recommends - Demon Slayer, the Rare Revenge Story That Chose Mercy

A boy loses his family to a demon, and still stops to pray for the demons he cuts down.

Words by Jamie Harper 05 November 2026

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: the main characters

A boy loses his family to a demon, and still stops to pray for the demons he cuts down.

Demon Slayer looks like a revenge story, and it refuses to be one. We think that choice, made by a boy who sells charcoal, is why it reached people who never watch anime.

The premise - A sister who will not bite

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: a sister who will not bite

Tanjiro Kamado comes home from selling charcoal in the snow to find his family gone and his sister Nezuko turned into a demon. She still shields him.

He joins the Demon Slayer Corps to find a way to make her human again, and she travels with him in a wooden box on his back.

Why it works - A hero who mourns the monsters

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: a hero who mourns the monsters

Tanjiro can smell what people feel. After a fight he often smells the sadness of the demon in front of him, and he remembers that it was once a person.

That kindness is the engine of the show. It is why every win feels heavy, and why his loud friends Zenitsu and Inosuke land as relief.

The verdict - Water on the blade

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: water on the blade

ufotable made it in 2019 with director Haruo Sotozaki, adapting Koyoharu Gotouge's manga, and Tanjiro's sword style is painted as flowing water.

LiSA's “Gurenge” opens it and Yuki Kajiura and Go Shiina wrote the score. If you want one modern action anime with a soft heart, start with episode one.

Where to watch

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba was listed on Crunchyroll and Netflix in the USA when we last checked, in October 2026. Catalogues change by country and by month, so check the service where you are.