Warning: Spoilers ahead.
The pair of Hanafuda earrings that Tanjiro Kamado, the main character in Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba), wore. This earring was first shown in the first episode while he was carrying his sister, Nezuko, who was the sole survivor when their family was massacred.
What Do Hanafuda Earrings Mean?
The controversy of the earrings rose to fame when flashbacks of Muzan recalling a person wearing the same pair of earrings. This person wearing the same pair of earrings is seen as overpowering Muzan. He even ordered the Kizukis to bring him the head of the Demon Slayer, who wears the Hanafuda earrings.
Various speculations started to spring from then, and conspiracy theories started to rise. The pair of Hanafuda earrings is one of the most talked-about ornaments in anime. The controversy and intrigue it brought the show have fans still discussing it.
Is It Okay To Wear Hanafuda Earrings?
The controversy over the use of Hanafuda is not only about how it impacted the characters in the series but its significance in Japanese culture. Discussing how this symbol came about and caused such a ruckus is good.
What Is a Hanafuda?
Hanafuda is a deck of Japanese playing cards that combines the number deck and symbols. How did this card come about? When a French missionary, Francis Xavier, arrived in Japan during the 15th century, he introduced games using cards. Since then, playing cards have been popular until 1633, when the government banned foreign playing cards.
Playing cards were still popular; the Japanese started designing playing cards made of local design. Several decks had been popular, and whenever government would ban certain designs, another set of decks would emerge.
What Does Hanafuda Mean?
Different symbols were used for the deck of cards. Number cards are the only ones that got banned, so painters and designers of cards would create designs and use symbols representing numbers to use them still. The government would catch up with the representation of the symbols and drawings in cards and ban the deck.
The Japanese would create a new deck of cards when this happens. Popular drawings used for these cards are things found in nature that have significant meaning in Japanese tradition. Some decks feature Chinese warriors, armor, and weapons.
Until the 17th century, the cycle of number cards getting banned repeatedly and new decks emerging continued until the government gave up since nothing was happening. Hanafuda playing cards then emerged. It is mainly Japanese design cards. The deck had been popular for a few decades until it faded out. It was until Nintendo became popular and used Hanafuda cards’ designs.
The cards were printed on the bark of the mulberry tree by Nintendo creator Fusajiro Yamauchi. The legacy of Hanafuda lives on as some of its rules were adopted in some modern card games, such as blackjack. Surely the legacy of Hanafuda will continue as long as people play cards.
There have been other adaptations of the cards, such as when Hiroshi Yamauchi made a deal with Disney. There were Hanaruda cards that were made of Disney characters. That was in the 1950s, and the cards sold millions of the Disney edition. An electronic version of this famous card game can be played on Nintendo. These playing cards are still used in different parts of the world during family gatherings. Hawaii, South Korea, and Japan all still use this deck of cards.
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What Do Hanafuda Earrings of Tanjiro Mean?
The original design of the Hanafuda earrings of Tanjiro was the rising sun. This symbolized the Japanese military during World War II as they marched around the Asian countries. When the series was animated, there was an outcry from those who had suffered from Japanese occupation to change the symbol on the earrings. The producer of the series decided to change the graphics. Instead of the rays from the red half-circle, it was changed into horizontal lines.
The change of graphics was done for the audience of China and South Korea. This had been one of the greatest controversies of the series. World War II was painful for everyone and having the main character carry the symbol of oppression during that era upset many.
Are Tanjiros Earrings Offensive?
This kind of controversy is nothing new to anime, but with how adaptive producers and creators are, it was good so the anime would stay on-air and could avoid being canceled. The Hanafuda earrings had indeed opened controversies because of the symbol on the earrings, but that was not the author’s intention.
What Is The Secret of Hanafuda Earrings?
The manga’s creator, Koyoharu Gotouge, said that the earrings do not have any symbol other than what transpired in the anime. The Hanafuda earrings of Tanjiro are a symbol of inheritance from his father. This shows his ancestry. This shows that he is a Breath of Sun user. This earring holds so much meaning in the struggle of Tanjiro and his ancestors against the demons.
Although it had been seen that Tanjiro first learned the Water Breathing style, this technique is the easiest to learn, and most of the new members of the Corps would learn this. Later, they would change their breathing techniques. The journey of Tanjiro to learn the Sun Breathing Style started with the loss of his family and friends. Tanjiro had lost so much for him to be the heir of the Sun Breathing Style that could defeat Muzan.
The Connection Between The Hanafuda Earrings and Breath of The Sun
The earrings were first seen as Tanjiro Trudged on the snow while carrying his sister, Nezuko, who had been turned into a demon. He had to fight Giyu, and when he got defeated, her sister fought the hashira. Pitying them, Giyu sent them to his master so Tanjiro could learn the water-breathing style and he could be a member of the Corps and fight demons. His journey to being part of the Demon Slayer Corps was not easy, and when he became part of the group, his trials did not end.
Muzan and Tanjiro met in episode 7 of the anime, and Muzan was reminded of the same user who almost defeated him. It turns out that the Breath of the Sun user was Yoriichi Tsugikuni. While learning the Breath of Sun, Tanjiro had seen the memories of Yoriichi grieving over not being able to beat Muzan.
Before he learned this technique, we saw a glimpse of the Hinokami Kagura Dance when he fought against Rui. The animation of the dance was almost perfect. After the Mugen train, before Rengoku died, he told Tanjiro that there might be a book in his family’s home about the Breath of the Sun.
It was another loss for Tanjiro, and Rengoku’s death is one of the saddest. Imagine a Hashira can easily lose to a Kizuki. How can an ordinary demon slayer expect to survive? Tanjiro then traveled to see Rengoku’s father and get the book to learn the Breath of the Sun. In his journey, he discovered that the Hinokami Kagura has 13 forms, but the book was destroyed.
Is Yoriichi Tanjiro’s Dad?
He had a series of dreams and started remembering, and then he saw Yoriichi Tsugikuni, who is known as a legendary swordsman and creator of the Breath of the Sun. Yoriichi is also the third and last person that can be seen with the Hanafuda earrings.
Tanjiro is not directly related to Yoriichi because Yoriichi does not have an heir. By his death, he had left his Hanafuda earrings to Sumiyoshi. Despite his skills, he was not able to defeat Muzan. When Yoriichi died, Muzan and Kokushibo killed all Breath of Sun users.
Sumiyoshi, who is not a demon slayer, was not killed as he was not a Breath of the Sun user. The moves of the said style were interpreted as the Hinokami Kagura Dance. This dance is passed down to family members of Tanjiro, along with the Hanafuda earrings.
What Happened To Tanjiro’s Dad?
When Tanjiro was young, he thought that the dance was just the usual dance of the charcoal maker. Little did he know that his memories of his father dancing in the snow while telling him that if he learns how to breathe properly, he will be able to dance. Little did he know that combining the dance he saw from his father and the Flame Dance would form the ultimate 13th form of the Breath of the Sun style and would be the deciding factor when he meets Muzan for the last time.
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The Significance of Hanafuda Earrings in Demon Slayer
The earliest recollection of the Tanjiro on the Hanafuda earrings was when he was a child and watched his father dancing in the snow. He asked his father how he could dance in the middle of winter in the freezing snow. His father responded that there is a breathing style and that when he masters it, he will be able to dance forever. The young man did not understand it back then. He never understood what a breathing style is until he decided to be a demon slayer and join the Corps.
What Kind of Earrings Does Demon Slayer Wear?
Only three people were seen wearing the Hanafuda earrings: Tanjiro Kamado, Tanjuro Kamado (the father of Tanjiro), and Yoriichi Tsugikuni (the first user of Breath of the Sun). Tanjuro Kamado has the same appearance as his son. He is pale, has red eyes, and wears checkered kimono. He was not a demon slayer; he was an ordinary charcoal maker like his ancestors.
He was a frail man, as Tanjiro remembered him while fighting Rui. Tanjuro, despite being frail married Kei, Tanjiro’s mother, and later, he died. It was not specified what his illness was, but he was known to be sick. Before he died, he handed his son the pair of Hanafuda earrings.
Where Did Tanjiro Get His Earrings?
The pair of earrings had been known to be passed down to the firstborn male in every generation until the pair of earrings had been seen worn by Tanjiro. The one wearing this pair of earrings is known to be able to use the Breath of the Sun. When Senguko, the father of Renguko saw Tanjiro his first impression was that Tanjiro could use the Breath of the Sun.
Can Tanjiro Use Sun Breathing?
Sengoku later explained that the flame users were merely little inferior copycats of the Breath of the Sun. While the family of the deceased Hashira, Rengoku, later helped him find out about the perceived lost technique, Tanjiro finds it difficult to master. He had to rely on the memory of his ancestor to master the technique. The Hanafuda earrings were revered with respect and fear in the world of demon slayers.
Muzan feared its existence because it reminded him of Yoriichi. Despite Yoriichi’s brother being on his side, it could not be denied that Yoriichi was a better swordsman than his brother. The truth is, Yoriichi was the younger of the two.
He was deprived of education and rights. He turned out to be a better swordsman than his brother and even a better Hashira. He is known as a just, humble, and hardworking man. His brother, Kobushiro, only joined the Demon Slayer Corps when the demons slaughtered his men.
Are The Hanafuda Earrings Appropriate?
The symbol on the earrings showing the red ball of the sun and its rays is appropriate for those wearing it. The color red is the color of blood or war. Breath of the Sun was the ultimate style that could defeat Muzan. Although this style had not completely defeated Muzan in the past, that changed when Tanjiro performed the 13th form of the style.
Are Tanjiro’s Earrings Bad?
Even though the pair of earrings is controversial, fans still buy it on any platform they can access. This has been extremely popular among fans, and even unauthorized sellers are selling it online. Wearing it is not considered inappropriate unless you go to Asian countries greatly affected by the Japanese occupation.
What Design Is On Tanjiro’s Earrings?
Despite the symbol of the Rising Sun during World War II, only in China and South Korea had the producers change the design of the earrings. There were no other countries where it had been reported to have raised concern regarding the design of the earrings. Now that season two has been completed, those still watching the anime are still in limbo about what the earrings mean.
Special Abilities of Tanjiro
Demon slayers may be known to be expert swordsmen. Breathing techniques are executed using their swords. For every hashira, there is a different sword. Even the color of the metal used for the sword is always different.
This was explained in the first few chapters of the manga when Tanjiro had to decide on the sword that he would be using. Even the lengths are different. Aside from the breathing styles he has, Tanjiro also has other skills.
He is no ordinary man, and that is for sure. Tanjiro had survived his first battle against Giyu Tomioka. Giyu was one of the strongest hashira. He is also kind. Being kind does not mean that he will tolerate demons.
When he first met Nezuko, his instinct as a hashira was to kill her, to which her brother, Tanjiro, jumped in to defend her. Surviving Giyu is no easy feat, but Tanjiro made it. At that moment, Giyu decided that Tanjiro could be one of the demon slayers.
Are Tanjiro’s Earrings Important?
There are many questions about what Giyu had seen in Tanjiro. It is not just Giyu but also his teacher, Sakunji Urokodaki, who has seen so much potential in Tanjiro. Like most of the main characters in anime, Tanjiro has a soft heart, but he snaps when a demon tries to harm other humans. He wants to protect the people they love. They know that their learned skill is not the only way for them to survive and be able to protect the people they love.
For Tanjiro, Nezuko is the only family he got. He needs to protect her at all costs and is willing to do anything to ensure he will be able to. Training under Sakunji was only the first step. He knows that to defeat the higher-ranking demons and eventually Muzan, he needs all the skills.
The extra skills of Tanjiro are to be expected of the main character. Seldom can you see the main anime character that is not overpowered. His extra skills were able to help him in surviving even before he learned the breathing styles.
Tanjiro is a humble boy who takes care of his family. He sells charcoal to the town. In the first chapter of the series, his family is massacred when he goes to town to sell charcoal.
Why Can Tanjiro Smell So Good?
When he returned from town, he was met with the smell of blood. He even smelled the faint smell of Muzan in the blood of his family, and he immediately knew that Muzan was the one who murdered his family. When they met in Episode 7, Tanjiro still smelled and even followed him until he lost his scent. Aside from their amazing swordsmanship of Tanjiro, his strong sense of smell was one of his trademarks.
He was known as someone with a strong sense of smell, which was shown early on in the series. Many started asking why he had such a strong sense of smell and where he got it. It can be considered as one of the gifts for Tanjiro. It is not inherited. His sense of smell is extraordinary, and when training with Sakunji, he could smell the traps he laid.
His sense of smell is one of the most useful, as this is evident during his fight. When he fought the demon eating the interns of Sakunji, he could smell him and saw his weak spot. He was able to anticipate attacks from his enemies.
This is proven an advantage since he would also know where the attacks would come from. In season 2, when they fight Daki, this skill will be proven effective as the Red Light District is full of people, but Tanjiro could easily identify the different smells.
Why Does Tanjiro Have A Scar?
Aside from his sense of smell, Tanjiro’s head is one of the hardest. This was proven evident every time Tanjiro bumped heads with Inosuke. The only way Inosuke would give in to Tanjiro was when they would bump heads, and Inosuke would lose to Tanjiro. Inosuke is known to be very hard-headed, literally and figuratively. For Tanjiro to win over him when they bump head is something else.
If you have watched the anime lately, you will see that when Tanjiro uses the Hinokami Kagura, black marks will come out of his forehead and neck. This mark would come out to anybody who is a practitioner of the Breath of the Sun.
This mark is only for those who are users. This is why other demon slayers, even the Hashiras, do not have this mark. The scar on his forehead also signifies that he is a user of the Breath of the Sun. It looks like a burned mark.
Is Yoriichi Tanjiro’s Dad?
At the beginning of the series, this was mistaken to be burned when he was making charcoal which is the merchandise of their family but later, it was explained that he has the mark because it is the mark of the use of the Breath of the Sun. These marks indicate that they are meant to be one of the best demon slayers. So yes, Tanjiro was chosen to wear the Hanafuda earrings and be one of the greatest demon slayers in history.
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