Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen were the biggest hits of 2019 and 2020-2021 respectively, with neither of these anime showing any signs of slowing down. This is not surprising, seeing how shonen is the most popular genre of anime out there.
Of course, with so many shonen shows being released almost every season, overlaps are bound to happen. There are many clichés and tropes anime use in order to create specific images of characters in the minds of fans, but the real question is: do the two most popular shonen heroes, Tanjiro and Yuuji, fit in the same molds?
10 Same: The Death Of A Loved One Pushed Them To Become Fighters
In Tanjiro’s case, it was the slaughter of his family by an unnamed demon and his sister Nezuko being left to die, that eventually pushed him onto the path of finding a cure for Nezuko as well as becoming a demon slayer.
In Yuji’s case, it was the words of his deceased grandfather that encouraged him to fight for the lives of his friends, due to which Satoru decided to make him a sorcerer.
9 Different: The Varying Approaches In Their Training
Tanjiro’s sensei loved him but was also strict with him. He left the young boy alone on a mountain that was covered in deadly traps and told him to survive long enough to see the sunrise. This shaped him to become a physically stronger fighter.
With Yuji, it was more about controlling his emotions (as opposed to bringing out his fighting abilities) that resulted in him being plopped in front of a television for several hours.
8 Same: Both Are Underdogs Who Become Some Of The Strongest Fighters In Their Universes
Of course, both these things aren’t explicitly mentioned or even portrayed in their respective anime, but that is because both shows are ongoing.
In the manga of both anime, Tanjiro finally manages to kill Muzan, while in Yuji’s case, it is expectedly his ability to kill the King of Curses, Sukuna, that will make him the best sorcerer out there.
7 Different: Tanjiro Does Not Have Super-Human Or Regenerative Abilities
With Sukuna’s powers at his disposal, Yuji showed an immense increase in strength, speed, and regeneration, going so far as to bring a dead Yuji back to life.
Tanjiro wields great power through his Nichirin Blade which helps him cut through the bodies of most demons, and unlike Yuji, he can choose when to use and when not to use his powers.
6 Same: Both Are Willing To Die In Order To Save The Lives Of Innocent People
Tanjiro and Yuji are both naïve and idealistic young boys who have little to no faith in their own selves and abilities. This is why they can always be seen risking their lives to save the lives of their loved ones, and sometimes, even for complete strangers.
While part of this stems from their desire to do good, part of it is because of the low self-esteem they possess which forces them to put little to no value on their own lives.
5 Different: Yuji’s Sensei Remains By His Side Throughout The Show
Sakonji Urokodaki plays a minor role in the anime, with his primary purpose being to train Tanjiro and introduce him to the world of the demon slayers. He disappears soon after.
However, Satoru Gojo stays by Yuji’s side practically since the day the two first meet. He plays an active role in Yuji’s sorcerer activities, his training, and field missions and can often be seen being more of a friend and less of a sensei to him.
4 Same: They Have A “Never Give Up” Attitude
Tanjiro never gave up on Nezuko and successfully appealed to her humanity. He also made up his mind to look for a cure for her, something he promises to find even during later episodes of the anime.
Yuji always finds something good in people, as he did in the case of Junpei and even sometimes his opponents, even when there is nothing good to find in said people.
3 Different: Yuji Was A Physically Superior Boy Pre-Sukuna, Unlike Tanjiro
Even without Sukuna, Yuji had physical abilities far greater than that of the average human. Right from covering 50 meters in 3 seconds to hitting a ball hard enough to bend a metallic goalpost, Yuji is an extraordinary young boy.
However, Tanjiro is an ordinary human being without his blade, whose only "superpower" is his ability to smell demons and blood from a long distance.
2 Same: Blind Belief In The Goodness Of People, Including Their Opponents
While possessing empathy is considered a good trait, both these young boys take it to extremes. Tanjiro hesitated to kill his first demon (the Temple Demon) and even after killing multiple demons he always felt bad about killing them.
It’s the same in Yuji’s case who hesitates to kill cursed humans simply because they’re humans, or even killing cursed spirits because it goes against his beliefs.
1 Different: Tanjiro Has No Hesitation In Killing His Enemies
With the passage of time, Tanjiro makes peace with his duties as a demon slayer and in later episodes of the anime, he goes out of his way to hunt for demons and kill them in order to save the lives of innocent human beings.
Yuji shows no such change due to which Megumi gets irritated with him and asks him how he’d feel if his decision to not kill cursed spirits resulted in a murderer going scot-free, who would eventually kill hundreds of people.
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