Tanjirou, as the protagonist of this shounen series, is honestly one of the best main characters we have seen in a long time. He is kind to everyone, even the demons he fights, and really cares about his family. Nezuko is equally as adorable, despite being limited in speech for most of the show. Each of the other characters we have been introduced to also has their own unique trait, making them stand out from many other anime characters that might simply follow along with the standard tropes.

Everything about Kimetsu no Yaiba is beautifully done, from the character design to the soundtrack! While the clothing remains fairly traditional to the time period of the anime, each character has specific colors of clothing that stand out brightly. That is not to say that the background is drab either—even the black, white and gray colors seem more vibrant. The animation is quite fluid and realistic, with Tanjirou’s water-combat style being one of the most beautiful parts of the show. Character design can easily flow from serious and dramatic to a silly, more chibi look, which provides much-needed moments of relief in episodes. And we could go on forever about the music in Kimetsu no Yaiba, which punctuates the different moments in the series well!

Beginning with the murder of Tanjirou’s entire family, Kimetsu no Yaiba starts off right away with one of the most heart-wrenching tales. It does have its funny moments of comedic relief, but for the most part, this story retains its serious and tragic nature throughout. Tanjirou’s struggle to hold on to the family he has left is something we can all identify with, no matter if your family is one important person or twenty! Combining his emotional tale with that of other characters’ stories he meets along the way gives the anime a cohesive world for viewers to be a part of. This is also one of the few shounen we have seen thus far that does not seem to have the intention of including filler episodes, as it has been very focused on the narrative at hand.

Some of the best series also have the most mysterious circumstances! Kimetsu no Yaiba has plenty left for us to learn about the world and the characters, with a ton of questions left unanswered. Of course, an anime would not be interesting unless it had some element of suspense to it! Kimetsu no Yaiba does well in this regard, allowing us to wonder about some elements of its setting while trying to provide answers to a few questions at a time.

While Kimetsu no Yaiba is set in a specific older period of time in Japan, it embraces a few fantastical elements as well. The entire story revolves around Tanjirou’s quest to make his sister human again, and as such, he has a lot of contact with the supernatural. Yet the world feels grounded because of its roots in ancient Japan. The time period is reflected quite well in this adaptation, from the way that the characters dress to how they conduct their everyday lives.