Demon Slayer: The meaning of Kimetsu no Yaiba explained

Although the series is commonly known as Demon Slayer, its full name is Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. Here’s what it truly means.

Demon Slayer is a popular anime series based on the manga of the same name. The story is set in a world where demons and demon slayers constantly fight each other. Tanjiro’s family becomes victims of those man-eating demons, and everyone is slaughtered except for his sister Nezuko who is turned into a demon. 

Upon meeting a mysterious swordsman, Tanjiro swears to become a demon slayer and find a cure for his cure. From then on, he trains relentlessly and gradually becomes a powerful slayer, all the while keeping his sister safe.

The franchise has three seasons and one movie under its belt, with the fourth season currently being in production. Delve deeper to find out the meaning of Kimetsu no Yaiba.

The meaning of Kimetsu no Yaiba

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For a good understanding of the meaning of this phrase, one must first understand how the Japanese language’s Kanji script works. It is a logographic script that borrows characters from the Chinese script. It was later adopted by Japanese writers. 

The first character, “ki” (鬼) in Kimetsu, can also be interpreted as “oni” (demon). The next character, “metsu” (滅), can be interpreted as “horobosu.” It means to slay or destroy. Finally, the word Yaiba (刃) refers to an edge, blade, or sword.

Therefore, the phrase “Kimetsu no Yaiba” translates to “The Demon Slaying Sword.” The reason for selecting “Demon Slayer” as the anime’s English title is unclear, but it could be because the phrase is short and has a pleasant ring to it. 

Demon Slayer can currently be streamed on Crunchyroll. In the meantime, check out more anime coverage below:

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