Masculinity in Koyoharu Gotouge’s Demon Slayer

Threaded throughout the violent chaos of Demon Slayer is an intriguing portrayal of modern manga masculinity, one that moves against the series’ historical backdrop whilst embracing the medium it operates in metatextually. #demonslayer 1/14

First and foremost, the gender roles are quite strong in Demon Slayer, with male characters often foregrounded at the expense of female characters who need to be sheltered and protected or whose power is subordinated to a male counterpart. 2/14

There are female Hashira (highest rank of slayers), for example, but one is underdeveloped, while the other is overdetermined by her sexuality (and lack of sexual agency) which then becomes the subject of a number of misogynistic tropes. 3/14

This does not, however, mean that Demon Slayer has nothing to offer on the subject of masculinity. Where the male-presenting characters are concerned, Demon Slayer shows a dense engagement with masculinist culture. 4/14

Beginning with the lead, Tanjiro is portrayed as an iconic example of “otaku masculinity” in which a manga features the “portrayal of an otaku as protagonist, thereby mirroring manga’s stereotypical consumer within the narrative.” 5/14

“This complicates shōnen manga’s representation of masculinity, as its typical purview has either been muscle-bound fighters or naïve boys on the way to becoming such muscle-bound fighters.” -Alec Sigley 6/14

The widespread adoption of otaku masculinity in manga thus signals a reader-surrogate effect that offers the promise of transition from manga fanboy to world-altering hero with nothing more than the right attitude and a bit of discipline. 7/14

To enable this fantasy, Demon Slayer portrays a world in which kindness, innocence, and a positive attitude are heroic virtues. Predictably, the hero is consistently rewarded by this world for such virtues, even in impossible circumstances. 8/14

Importantly though, Demon Slayer offers a wide cosmology of male-presenting characters with different masculine attributes and characteristics ranging from gentle giant (Gyomei) to actual sociopath (Sanemi), all united under a broader umbrella of heroism. 9/14

This cosmology, of course, makes the relationships between male-presenting characters all the more important and here’s where the shirtless, sword-wielding man with an actual boar’s head covering his face comes in. 10/14

Inosuke is a human raised by boars (the head is that of his adopted mom). This act is both hypermasculine and deeply Freudian and, in keeping with the tone this sets, Inosuke is portrayed as comic relief and as a foil to Tanjiro. 11/14

Where Tanjiro can be seen to exude otaku masculinity, Inosuke is the opposite: a primitive holdover from an earlier generation of manga, a relic from the past, here made laughable in contrast to a new manga order. 12/14

Inosuke’s refusal to perceive the obvious is likewise laughable. He claims to be the leader even as he follows Tanjiro. He refuses to even pronounce Tanjiro’s name correctly until the end of the series when he’s in a position of having to kill his friend. 13/14

In all of this, Demon Slayer offers a compelling perspective on modern manga masculinity. In its efforts to navigate different forms of masculinity in a historic space, there’s, simply put, a lot happening on the subject and much to discuss. 14/14