Some fans say that protagonists of MHA and Demon Slayer are similar.
There are many similarities between the two.
The similarities are mostly the general tropes of the battle shounen genre.
If you watched both Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba) and My Hero Academia (Boku no Hero Academia), you might have noticed that their protagonists are actually pretty similar.
You wouldn’t be alone in that opinion, and there is some truth to it. However, explaining why it is like that is not that easy.
They Are Indeed Similar
At first glance, it’s fairly obvious how the two characters are similar. Both Tanjiro Kamado and Izuku Midoriya are extremely kind — in fact, kindness is the defining trait for both — and both develop throughout the series from an underdog into a classical shounen hero.
In fact, both of them were also criticized for their extreme kindness — they often feel empathy even towards irredeemable villains. For both, though, this is also relevant to the anime thematically, and it might seem that the two are copies of each other.
The reality is different, though, and comparing the two directly serves little purpose.
Do you think Deku and Tanjiro are similar?
These Are Battle Shounen Tropes, Not Unique to MHA or Demon Slayer
Both My Hero Academia and Demon Slayer are battle shounen manga (and later anime). They’re both inspired by the same works, published in the same magazine and follow largely the same tropes.
Even if the settings and the plot are totally different, there are many key similarities between the two — and there’s a lot of overlap between the fandoms.
Character tropes listed above are not unique to Deku or Tanjiro — they can often be seen in battle shounen manga and anime in general. A huge example is Naruto, where Naruto himself, too, is kind, empathetic, and is an underdog working his way up.
Saying They Are Generic Is an Unfair Criticism
Saying that MHA or Demon Slayer is unoriginal because their protagonists are similar is missing the entire point of the genre. After all, you can say something like that for any established genre, but that would be a pointless criticism.
In these cases, the execution is what matters. Both Demon Slayer and MHA are very good at what they’re doing, and while they aren’t beyond criticism, just calling the protagonists generic accomplishes nothing.
Both Tanjiro and Deku are extremely likable characters by themselves. While some say that they cry too much, that’s actually not a fair criticism — they show emotions, and this proves that despite the burden of saving the world, they are still human.
It’s because they’re inspired by the same works.
Summary:
Some fans say that protagonists of MHA and Demon Slayer are similar.
There are many similarities between the two.
The similarities are mostly the general tropes of the battle shounen genre.
If you watched both Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba) and My Hero Academia (Boku no Hero Academia), you might have noticed that their protagonists are actually pretty similar.
You wouldn’t be alone in that opinion, and there is some truth to it. However, explaining why it is like that is not that easy.
They Are Indeed Similar
At first glance, it’s fairly obvious how the two characters are similar. Both Tanjiro Kamado and Izuku Midoriya are extremely kind — in fact, kindness is the defining trait for both — and both develop throughout the series from an underdog into a classical shounen hero.
In fact, both of them were also criticized for their extreme kindness — they often feel empathy even towards irredeemable villains. For both, though, this is also relevant to the anime thematically, and it might seem that the two are copies of each other.
The reality is different, though, and comparing the two directly serves little purpose.
Do you think Deku and Tanjiro are similar?
These Are Battle Shounen Tropes, Not Unique to MHA or Demon Slayer
Both My Hero Academia and Demon Slayer are battle shounen manga (and later anime). They’re both inspired by the same works, published in the same magazine and follow largely the same tropes.
Even if the settings and the plot are totally different, there are many key similarities between the two — and there’s a lot of overlap between the fandoms.
Character tropes listed above are not unique to Deku or Tanjiro — they can often be seen in battle shounen manga and anime in general. A huge example is Naruto, where Naruto himself, too, is kind, empathetic, and is an underdog working his way up.
Saying They Are Generic Is an Unfair Criticism
Saying that MHA or Demon Slayer is unoriginal because their protagonists are similar is missing the entire point of the genre. After all, you can say something like that for any established genre, but that would be a pointless criticism.
In these cases, the execution is what matters. Both Demon Slayer and MHA are very good at what they’re doing, and while they aren’t beyond criticism, just calling the protagonists generic accomplishes nothing.
Both Tanjiro and Deku are extremely likable characters by themselves. While some say that they cry too much, that’s actually not a fair criticism — they show emotions, and this proves that despite the burden of saving the world, they are still human.
