Diving through this week's readings, especially Walsh et al's post "Beauty and the Patriarchal Beast", reminded me of a post I saw while scrolling on Instagram the other day. It showed a collage of four different images of one of my favorite characters, Tanjiro, from my favorite anime Demon Slayer with the caption: "not a drop of toxic masculinity in this boy." It's true. Tanjiro perfectly takes on the "common" roles of a man (works, cooks, supports his family, is a protector, etc.), but he is also very respectful of women. Even with his fellow women comrades, he admires their power and strengths, trying to use his own power to compliment theirs. He doesn't diminish them or treat them as lesser, nor as a damsel in distress. He treats them as capable, strong, and will aid them if they need it, even though he is very protective of those he loves (including his demon sister, whom he is trying to find a cure for).
In one episode he and his friends, Zenitsu and Inosuke, disguise themselves as little girl workers to search for Tengen's (a fellow Hashira) wives who went missing in the Entertainment District. They have to stay in three different houses and work for the owner all while spying. Tanjiro is the only one of the three boys who doesn't mind at all wearing makeup and having his hair styled.
In another episode, Tanjiro and his other comrades are training under each of the Hashira (higher ups), one of which is a woman: Mitsuri Kanroji. She has them practice flexibility and wear leotards, which aid in flexibility. Tanjiro does not mind. He takes her advice and does everything he can to be stronger for his sister.
Hey Jessica,
ReplyDeleteI really love the way you used Tanjiro to show how masculinity does not have to be loud, aggressive, or emotionally shut down to be powerful. You are right that he is such a refreshing example of a male character who leads with empathy and respect, and it connects so well to what Walsh et al. were saying about how gender roles are shaped rather than natural.
What stood out to me in your examples is how comfortable Tanjiro is with things traditional masculinity tries to police. Whether he is wearing makeup, taking flexibility training seriously, or learning from a woman without feeling threatened, he never treats femininity like something he has to avoid to prove himself. That alone challenges so many of the expectations boys grow up with.
To your question about where else we see this shift, The Woman King immediately comes to mind. That film puts women, especially Black women, in roles usually reserved for men. They are warriors, strategists, and leaders, and the movie does not strip away their emotional depth to make them believable. It shows that power and vulnerability can exist together, which pushes back against the old idea that strength has to look a certain way.
Characters like Tanjiro and stories like The Woman King show that media is slowly widening the lens on what gender can look like. And honestly, it is overdue.