Sorry Sung Jinwoo Followers, However Tanjiro is Really 2025’s Greatest Anime Protagonist

2025 has been an thrilling yr for anime followers. Blockbuster anime releases corresponding to Demon Slayer: Infinity Fort, Solo Leveling, Bleach: Thousand-12 months Blood Conflict, Blue Lock, Dandadan, and The Apothecary Diaries have had a dramatic influence on the anime landscape. With the Fall 2025 season nonetheless to come back, it seems that this yr will likely be remembered as among the finest in anime historical past.

Whereas there have been fairly just a few good anime launched to this point, most conversations have primarily revolved round Solo Leveling and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. Sung Jinwoo’s heroic antics and ruthless evolution have made him one of the cherished modern-day anime characters. So it shouldn’t come as a shock that many really feel that he’s the most effective anime protagonist of this yr. Whereas Jinwoo is undoubtedly sensible and awe-inspiring, he’s sadly not as full as Tanjiro, and right here’s why that issues.

Sung Jinwoo: Humanity’s Weakest Soldier to Korea’s Greatest

Jinwoo’s Lonely However Transformative Journey is Inspiring

Sung is a Nice Anime Protagonist Whose Triumphs Really feel Private to Followers
Sadly, Jinwoo’s Lonely Journey Hinders His Progress Into an Superb Major Character

Solo Leveling’s Sung Jinwoo is launched to the viewers as a lanky and underpowered hunter who’s the butt of the jokes for his colleagues. Struggling to support his family and putting his life on the line to earn sufficient to maintain his mom alive, he usually appeared hopeless to alter his destiny. Due to the inflexible nature of the hunter rating system itself, his frustrations have been comprehensible, because it supplied little to no hope of escaping rank limitations and turning his life round. However even then, his struggles and self-sacrificial nature made him stand out and have been maybe one of many causes his struggles resonated with the followers, serving to him emotionally join with them.

When Jinwoo skilled a second awakening, his evolution was as dramatic as his journey as a hunter had been as much as that time. Sung rose to prominence and established himself as one among Korea’s greatest hunters in just some weeks. Those that knew him have been perplexed by his transformation as he grew to become unrecognizable and appeared to have an infinite potential for development. Even essentially the most established Korean hunters couldn’t make sense of the trail he had walked to outgrow them in such a brief span of time.

Jinwoo’s rise to energy was riddled with acts of heroism and selflessness that make him stand out as an incredible anime protagonist. Even earlier than his second awakening, he was placing his life on the road for his household and colleagues, regardless of his personal struggles. Upholding the spirit of heroism, regardless of one’s inherent powerlessness, is a typical trait shared by many nice anime protagonists, corresponding to My Hero Academia’s Deku. Jinwoo is nice on this regard, however he also struggles with an inner darkness that appears to grow in him as he evolves right into a stronger character. His lonely journey, although thrilling and full of adventures, usually makes his achievements much less fulfilling, as different characters are introduced as simply pawns and never his equals.

Tanjiro Kamado: A Particular Shonen Protagonist

Kamado’s Kindness For His Arch-Enemies and His Distinctive Bond With His Pals Make Him a Memorable Hero

As soon as upon a time, Tanjiro’s life was fairly peaceable. He lived along with his household and survived on his earnings as a coal burner. The Kamado household was not bold and leaned extra in direction of simplicity and concord. However following the tragic assault on them, Tanjiro’s life was by no means the identical. Having lived an remoted life, Tanjiro was blind to the skin world, however pushed by his want to turn his sister into a human being and avenge his family, he determined to affix the Demon Slayer Corps, a path that was set to place him by means of grueling trials.

Like Jinwoo, Kamado put his life on the road on fairly just a few events as he fought for the higher good. Even when he was not a demon slayer, he did his greatest to restrain his sister with out harming her and challenged a Hashira when he feared that he may harm Nezuko. Every battle he fought helped Tanjiro evolve into a greater model of himself, a somewhat similar transformation that Solo Leveling’s protagonist additionally underwent. Whereas there have been parallels between their journeys, Tanjiro’s development and achievements have been much more fulfilling, as his journey was not a lonely one.

In contrast to Jinwoo, who made ethically questionable selections on fairly just a few events, Tanjiro at all times led with empathy and forgiveness, even for his worst rival. His triumphs encapsulated his willingness to stroll the additional mile and assist demons reclaim their humanity of their final moments. This gave even the villains closure and helped Tanjiro retain the interior ethical consistency and peace to not give into his darkish instincts, one thing Jinwoo steadily did not do.

Tanjiro’s different nice trait is his ability to put his life on the line for others without ever thinking about himself. Now, Jinwoo has additionally fought for the higher good on fairly just a few events, however his lonely journey does an incredible disservice to him. Since Solo Leveling is so hyper-focused on Jinwoo’s evolution and triumphs, viewers barely ever join with different characters, which makes his sacrifices appear that rather more ineffective, because it’s exhausting to actually join with the emotional influence of even a few of his most selfless acts.

Tanjiro, then again, has made associates in his lengthy journey who’re an inseparable a part of his identification. They offer the story and Tanjiro’s character growth extra depth, permitting the viewers to really feel as if his failures and unhappiness have been private. There can’t be a greater instance of this than Kamado’s bond with Kyojuro Rengoku. The Flame Hashira was the central character within the battle in opposition to Akaza within the Mugen Practice arc. His demise was a painful reminiscence for Tanjiro and followers alike. It’s noteworthy that the sequence didn’t give viewers an emotional decision till a number of arcs later. This created the emotional pressure that made the protagonist’s journey as a demon slayer and his evolution really feel extra impactful.

When the battle finally turned to the Infinity Fort, Kyojuro’s selfless sacrifice and Tanjiro’s desperation for vengeance set the stage for an epic conflict with Akaza. As a super anime protagonist, Kamado fought valiantly in opposition to the Higher Rank Three and demonstrated the true beliefs of heroism alongside the best way. However perhaps the most beautiful aspect of it all was Tanjiro’s sympathetic nature towards his own enemy as soon as the mud settled. Whereas there have been fairly just a few nice anime protagonists who’ve formed 2025, Kamado has stood out as essentially the most memorable by displaying what a real hero is like and the values he stands for. Sadly, regardless of his brilliance, Sung Jinwoo falters as a protagonist in far too some ways to disregard.