Subcultural Imagination against the Myth of Meritocracy: Solidarity and Care in Demon Slayer

What is the source of emotion in Demon Slayer? This phenomenon of Demon Slayer may be a response to the era of neoliberalism and meritocracy. This paper attempts to analyze the meaning of tears and emotion in the context of Jean-Luc Nancy’s Finiteness and Judith Butler’s Vulnerability. The blood demons and demon slayers depicted in Demon Slayer are a group led by a few leader and there is a very powerful hierarchy. In that sense, are they all caught up in elitism and meritocracy? If not, where is the line which distinguish humans from blood demons? This problem appears most intensively in the movie version of Demon Slayer: Mugen Train (2020), especially in the scene where Akaza and Rengoku Kyojuro encounter and fight, and the conversation they have there. His response to Akaza, who praises Kyojuro’s abilities and recommends him to become a blood demon, is, “Human gets sick, grows old, and dies. That’s why human is beautiful.” It implies an awareness of human finiteness and vulnerability. What is important is that only here does the possibility of true solidarity arise. Could it be that the subcultural imagination of Demon Slayer provides comfort and solace to those who are exhausted by modern society’s endless competition? In this way, it becomes clear that Demon Slayer, especially Demon Slayer: Mugen Train, is able to succeed as cultural content of our time because it has deep relevance regarding the core issues raised by modern philosophy and shared them with the public.