Look, let's be honest—when Seven Knights Re:BIRTH collaborates with Demon Slayer, you expect a bit of spectacle. Well, limited characters Kamado Tanjiro and Agatsuma Zenitsu arrived on October 1st. Tanjiro steps into the ring as the protagonist, packing the peculiar breathing technique known as Hinokami Kagura. The character brings iconic moves straight from the original series and theatrical releases right into the kit, complete with the lore-accurate See-Through World as a signature buff. KookminTree has put Tanjiro under the microscope to see how the Demon Slayer lead actually performs in Seven Knights Re:BIRTH.

Q. What kind of hero is Tanjiro?
A. A main dealer who deals additional damage based on the number of enemy buffs and debuffs.

The core of Tanjiro's kit lies in the passive skill, Hinokami Kagura. Tanjiro boasts a baseline survivability thanks to All Damage Nullification [3 hits] and Indomitable [8 hits] upon death. Once Indomitable kicks in, the See-Through World buff and Critical Damage Increase for 3 turns activate, pushing performance to the next level. On top of that, permanent effects apply Physical Vulnerability to all enemies, while granting Delay Buff [2 turns] and increased Effect Accuracy to Attack-type allies. Detailed buff stats are broken down below. Every single transcendence effect triggers through the passive. Reaching Transcendence 2 recharges the Indomitable hit count by 2 upon an enemy's defeat, while Transcendence 6 shifts the condition so that the See-Through World buff activates right at the start of battle.

Skill 1, Hinokami Kagura Waltz, deals defense-ignoring damage twice to 3 enemies. It packs extra physical damage scaling with the number of buffs the target holds, capped at 8 buffs. Each strike also carries a 55% chance to inflict Burn for 2 turns. Skill 2, Hinokami Kagura Waltz Flash, deals 3 hits of damage to all enemies while simultaneously applying Block Rate Reduction for 3 turns, dispelling 2 buffs, and rolling a 30% chance for a 2-turn Burn. Much like Skill 1, there is a condition for extra physical damage, though Skill 2 scales off the number of debuffs rather than buffs. Furthermore, if an enemy falls to this skill, the cooldown resets instantly.

The Awakening skill, Hinokami Kagura True Form, lifts techniques straight from the fierce battle against Akaza in the original work and theatrical film. Akaza even makes an appearance in the skill animation, which is a nice touch. The effect deals 4 hits of damage to a single enemy, and if the target is eliminated, it re-triggers consecutively at 100% power. Upgrading the skill grants all Attack-type allies All Damage Nullification for 3 turns and a Delay Buff for 2 turns. While the target is single, the real kicker is that this is the very first Awakening skill to feature consecutive activation.

Q. What are Tanjiro's core buffs?
A. See-Through World, Effect Accuracy Increase, Indomitable, and Delay Buff.

The aforementioned See-Through World grants a Pierce effect to all of Tanjiro's attacks alongside a 100% boost to Weak Point Attack probability. Below Transcendence 6, this effect only kicks in once Tanjiro enters the Indomitable state, but hitting Transcendence 6 triggers it right from the opening bell. Therefore, players aiming to pack a punch in early skirmishes are strongly advised to push for Transcendence 6, which also eases the gear-farming headache.

The Delay Buff shares a similar mechanic with Omok's Guardian Spirit. Once 2 turns pass and the buff expires, Tanjiro gains All Damage Nullification [3 hits] and a 25% boost to Physical Attack for 2 turns. If the buff gets dispelled before those 2 turns are up, the effect fails to trigger, though getting caught by Turn-Based Buff Reduction will successfully proc the follow-up.

Q. How should I set up Tanjiro's gear?
A. We recommend Tracker before Transcendence 6, and Assassin afterward.

Because of how See-Through World operates, Tanjiro's gear sets differ depending on whether Transcendence 6 is unlocked. If relying on Indomitable procs, the Tracker set is recommended; if running permanent uptime, go for Assassin. Below Transcendence 6, players need to focus on Weak Point Attack probability. Once Transcendence 6 is reached, completely drop Weak Point Attack options and stack Critical Rate, All Attack (%), Speed Attack, and Critical Damage instead. While the Tracker set isn't terrible at Transcendence 6, binning the set bonus for Weak Point Attack probability makes it less optimal compared to the Defense-Ignoring damage offered by Assassin.

Slapping Effect Resistance onto armor main stats is also a solid play. Tanjiro comes loaded with Indomitable and All Damage Nullification, but remains vulnerable to status ailments. Consequently, surviving via Indomitable means nothing if a stray stun locks Tanjiro down before landing a single blow. If the offensive stats are already looking healthy, prioritizing Effect Resistance on the main stats is definitely worth considering. Best of luck out there, mate.