Saturday, 23 April 2022

Death Battle Predictions: Tanjiro Kamado VS Jonathan Joestar 2022

 


Tanjiro Kamado, the Child of Brightness and Sun-breathing Demon Slayer.


Jonathan Joestar, the Hamon-charged progenitor of the JoJo bloodline.

 

Breathing. It may seem innocuous, but the simple act of inhaling and exhaling can help reduce stress, lower anxiety and blood pressure, and aid in clearing the mind of intrusive thoughts. But, what if we told you it could also grant unbelievable power to those disciplined enough to undergo intense training? Only in the world of anime, of course. Sorry to disappoint, but hey, breathing exercises are still worth doing, especially in times like these.


This time around, we’re looking at a bout between two noble swordsmen who take it upon themselves to protect the innocent from bloodthirsty creatures of the night. They may be immensely skilled in battle, but these warriors truly stand out in the kindness they display for others. Kindness that, unfortunately, will be unable to prevent one of these combatants from meeting an honorable end in battle. Take a deep breath, then, and hold on tight: it’s about time to see whether the Kamado or the Joestar family will claim victory in a DEATH BATTLE!


Note: The G1DBFB have already done a blog on this matchup before, however, this blog was done from the ground up with new information and calcs that have appeared since the first blog. As a result, this blog will generally be more in-depth then our previous blog - you can check out our original blog if you wish, but generally speaking, this one will be better.

Background

Tanjiro Kamado

“The strong should aid and protect the weak. Then, the weak will become strong and they, in turn, will aid and protect those weaker than them. That is the law of nature.”

 

Taisho Era, Japan. While short-lived, this period of Japan’s history stands out for ushering in the process of westernization in culture and technology, seeing the widespread expansion of universal education, and planting the seeds for modernizing women’s rights in society. While many men would hang up their swords for good alongside their fancy new business suits, there remain those that would continue to wield the blade for the sake of protecting this blooming, yet fragile country. From what, you may ask? Why, none other than horrific, grotesque creatures of the night, Demons.


And yet, young Tanjiro Kamado lived a normal, happy life with his family in the mountains. As the eldest of his five siblings, Tanjiro took it upon himself to provide for his family as a humble charcoal seller. All seemed well, until one fateful day when Tanjiro’s calling as an anime protagonist came knocking at his metaphorical - and literal - door. The worst had come to pass: all of his family, murdered in cold blood while he was away and unable to protect them. All, that is, except his sister Nezuko, whose body now resembled that of a bloodthirsty beast. 


Ordinarily, such a demon would be felled by the plural anime title, but Nezuko miraculously displayed a shred of humanity, rather than full on bloodlust. Her would-be assassin, the Hashira known as Giyu, opted instead to show her mercy.


In Tanjiro’s mind, the best chance he had at saving Nezuko would be to learn anything he could about reversing a Demon back into a human. And who would know better about the workings of a Demon than those whose entire goal is to kill them? Thus, he set out to join the Demon Slayers.


After training under the former Water Hashira, Sakonji, Tanjiro successfully joined the corps. With his newfound skills, Tanjiro fought to protect the innocent from Demons preying on the innocent. Along the way, he came across the man responsible for his family’s murder, the catalyst for his sister’s transformation, and the ringmaster of every Demon haunting the land: Michael Jackson Muzan Kibutsuji. With their leader in his sights, Tanjiro Kamado swore to claim the Demon’s life, and in doing so, embarked on a journey that would surely give him the means to save his sister as well.

Jonathan Joestar

“I strive to be a true gentleman! There are times when a gentleman has to be courageous and fight, even when his opponent is bigger than he is and he knows he's going to lose!”


The Joestars, a bloodline that’s spanned generations of wealth, misfortune, attitude, and far too many absolutely bizarre events, and people. But I feel we should go back to where things all began, to the start of it all, which started with a rich ass family. In 1868, in Victorian England, a storm was approaching, and a carriage housing the Joestar family was involved in an accident. This led to the death of Mary Joestar, the wife of George Joestar I, who had seen the person they had encountered, Dario Brando. George had thought Dario saved his life, and wanted to repay their debt for “saving” his life, which would ultimately spell a terrible fate on the Joestars. Throughout that all though, was a very particular baby, who in this encounter would have their life changed forever. His name was Jonathan Joestar.


We now jump forward, to around 12 years later, at which point Jonathan had become an aspiring Gentleman, and regularly performed acts of kindness as a show of his respect. But upon returning home one day, the scars of his past would start to appear again, as he met the son of Dario Brando, Dio, whose father’s death had led to his adoption by Jonathan’s father. Dio went on to make Jonathan’s life a living Hell for him, trash talking him around his peers after winning them over, showing better manners than him, and even outperforming him in studies. At this time, Jonathan encountered an old girl he met in his childhood, Erina Pendleton, who he would later fall in love with. As Dio saw this happen, he decided to force a kiss onto her, leading Jonathan to confront him after he found out. This led to a brawl between the two, during which Dio’s blood landed on a weird ass stone mask. Before too much could happen, though, both got sent upstairs by George. Dio’s a petty bitch tho, so in revenge, he ended up killing Jonathan’s dog Danny, trapping him into a furnace to burn alive.


During his adulthood, Jonathan would attend Hudson University with Dio, hoping to get a major in archeology. By this point, he had actually ended up on good terms with Dio, but this would not last. When Jonathan’s father had fallen ill and Dio was supposedly giving him medicine, Jonathan found a letter that Dario Brando had written while he was on his deathbed, leading Jonathan to realize that Dario and his father had the same symptoms. Seeking to find evidence of Dio poisoning his father, Jonathan headed down to London, where he was attacked by gangs, but befriended Robert E.O. Speedwagon. Eventually, he managed to expose Dio’s plan to poison his father and steal the fortune. But hey, remember that mask that Dio’s blood landed on that one time? Dio slapped it on, and became a monstrous vampire, far more dangerous than ever before. The two fought, and although Jonathan then seemingly burned Dio alive in their mansion… nope, Dio lived, he was under some rubble.


Jonathan was then nursed back to health with his love, Erina Pendleton, and instructed in the ways of Hamon by a new mentor, Will Antonio Zeppeli. Zeppeli demonstrated how Hamon can heal, conduct through materials and weaponize them, and just look cool. Armed with a new power to rival Dio’s monsters, Jonathan set out to fight his nemesis’ newly made zombie minions, learning more about Hamon on the way, though also losing plenty of allies. Eventually, he confronted Dio with his crew (losing a few more lads), overcoming Dio’s new freezing powers with Hamon, and seemingly killing Dio for good this time… but nope, he cut off his head and still lived. 


Jonathan then married Erina, and set off on a honeymoon to America, but like everything else, that got ruined by Dio, as a severed head in a jar, and his minion, Wang Chan. Dio, despite his hatred, had gained respect for Jonathan, and decided he must steal his body, as he felt that it was the only worthy body he could take. Dio fatally wounded Jonathan, and ordered Wang Chan to rip off his head. Seeing his life coming to an end, Jonathan used the last of his Hamon to destroy Wang Chan’s head, and got him to obstruct the ship's engines to explode the boat they were on. Jonathan embraced Dio, giving Erina time to flee in an explosion proof coffin. Dio tried to convince Jonathan to accept his advances, but Jonathan at that moment died, and the two were engulfed in the explosion. Erina survived, carrying a child she had saved from the explosion, and pregnant with Jonathan’s son. Jonathan Joestar lived a tragic life, but one that would allow his bloodline to live on, and he was honorable the whole way through, in spite of the tragedy placed in front of him.


…Now, if only Dio had died for good! Well he did eventually, but his legacy went on anyway an- LET'S MOVE ON ALREADY!

Equipment

Tanjiro

Nichirin Blade

The Demon Slayer's weapon of choice. Composed of Scarlet Crimson Iron Sand and Ore, the blades are capable of absorbing sunlight, making them effective weapons against, you guessed it, demons. In the heat of battle, the Nichirin sword has rarely been known to adopt a crimson red form. While difficult to achieve, the blade becomes searing hot, enough to burn demons on a cellular level and continually suppress their regeneration even centuries later. Perhaps most impressively, Tanjiro has proven through the power of breathing, willpower, and ufotable’s budget that even breaking the sword down to near its hilt does little to hinder the potency it packs.

Demon Slayer Uniform

Naturally, the Demon Slayer Corps outfits its members with only the finest of fabrics. The uniform Tanjiro wears offers resistance to freezing temperatures and scorching heat, as well as protection from the fangs and claws of an average demon. Combine this with Tanjiro’s checkered green cloak, and you’ve got a recipe for iconic anime posterboy drip. What’s not to love?

Medicine

Given to him by his master, Tanjiro carries some really awesome medicine with him! Useful for soothing painful wounds upon application, though seemingly not much else.

Jonathan

Luck & Pluck

A European knightly sword originally belonging to Bruford, it was offered to Jonathan as he defeated Bruford by melting his arm and restoring his human soul, out of a sign of respect and honor. With Bruford’s remaining blood before his death, he wrote a “P” beside the “LUCK” engraved onto the sword, thus changing the name to “PLUCK.” Jonathan can use the sword to conduct his Ripple, being able to slice undead monsters like butter with its affects imbued by the glorious sun energy. Oh yeah, this thing totally belongs in Devil May Cry or Castlevania, let's be real.

Gun

A revolver that Jonathan may or may not have swiped off a police officer. 

Abilities

Tanjiro

Enhanced Sense of Smell

Since birth, Tanjiro has had an excellent sense of smell that would later become a strong tool for him as a Demon Slayer. Whenever Tanjiro smells something for the first time, he’ll be able to recognize and remember it similar to a photographic memory. As a result, he’s able to identify and track people through their scent, just like how he was able to track down the demon Muzan in a large city after picking up his scent from the dead remains of his family. After becoming a demon slayer, Tanjiro has used his sense of smell to tell apart a demon from a human as well as identify their location. He can even smell a demon’s presence from within his own dream… somehow.


Because of his training, Tanjiro began using his sense of smell to directly fight demons aside from locating them. The most notable is the “line of interval”, where he finds an opening to strike his opponent after smelling a slight pause in their movement. Afterward, he visualizes a line towards his opponent to guide his sword for the finishing blow. In addition to that, his sense of smell can also be used to detect traps before they’re activated as well as detect surprise attacks from opponents, allowing Tanjiro to avoid them. It also helps that Tanjiro can use his sense of smell to identify the nature of a demon’s abilities, whether it’s to help predict their next attack or save people in trouble… somehow… again.


Lastly, after days of training without food or water, Tanjiro can predict a person’s movements by smell. In connection with his Transparent World ability (which will be explained below), Tanjiro was able to locate a small demon hiding inside a bigger demon’s heart. Interestingly enough, Tanjiro can even smell a person’s emotions such as anger and gratitude… somehow (yet again!).

Animal Communication

He may not sing to birds, but Tanjiro can actually speak to and understand these feathery friends. Just shy of claiming that coveted Disney Princess title, but more than impressive in its own right.

Hard Head

You've heard of "hard-headed", but Tanjiro takes that saying literally. The Demon Slayer's noggin is tough enough to stun demons. If that wasn't impressive enough, his dome of chrome composition is so dense that it doesn't even bleed when trading blows with stronger demons like Nezuko.


Not good enough? How about the fact that Tanjiro could give Inosuke a concussion, the same prideful pigman that could turn a train over with his own headbutts? Hell, even Akaza, one of the strongest Demons, had to give Tanjiro's sturdy cranium some respect.

Breathing Styles

In order to efficiently kill Muzan’s demons, the Demon Slayer Corps developed special sword styles where swordsmen can utilize specific and concentrated breathing patterns. These styles help increase the lung capacity and the amount of oxygen in a Demon Slayer’s blood, enhancing their physical capabilities and mental concentration to be on par with demons, and can even clot their wounds sustained from severe injuries as well as slowing down any poison that’s circulating within their bloodstream.


An advanced form is Total Concentration Breathing, where Demon Slayers can raise the limits of their physical and mental prowess by inhaling the maximum amount of oxygen as much as they can, temporarily boosting their combat capabilities for a decisive attack. However, some Demon Slayers can constantly maintain Total Concentration Breathing at all times throughout day and night and even during sleep. This type of training showcases an immense difference in strength, speed and stamina between those who completed it and those who haven’t. After maintaining this advanced form of training, Tanjiro could even destroy a large gourd by simply exhaling his breath.


Finally, while there are numerous breathing styles, most Demon Slayers stick to one style. However, talented demon slayers can use more than one breathing style at a time known as Breathing Hybridization, allowing them access to every advantage those styles have to offer. In his case, Tanjiro is capable of using both the Water Breathing and Sun Breathing styles simultaneously to not only increase his attacking power, but also his stamina. With enough focus on his breathing, Tanjiro can achieve all of this, some of the major ones which we’ll expand on:

Water Breathing

(Be formless, shapeless, like water)


The first breathing style Tanjiro learned, Water Breathing is a beginner-friendly fighting style specializing in adaptability and fluidity of water in combat. Despite not being the style most suited for his nature, Tanjiro still managed to master its ten main techniques:


Hinokami Kagura

Also known as Sun Breathing or Dance of the Fire God, as the name implies Hinokami Kagura was a special dance Tanjiro learned by watching his father practice it for years on end. This style is the progenitor of all Breathing Styles, weaponizing the power of the Sun directly. As Sun Breathing fits Tanjiro far better than Water Breathing, he is able to put much more power and speed into its attacks. This is weaponized directly through its twelve forms:


  • Dance - A single concentrated slash.

  • Flash Dance - Tanjiro pumps air throughout his body and focuses it into his legs, releasing it all to end with a flaming slash.

  • Clear Blue Sky - Tanjiro spins his body for a 360-degree slash

  • Raging Sun - Two horizontal slashes to defend against front and side attacks.

  • Fake Rainbow - An evasive technique using high-speed twists and rotations that creates after-images of Tanjiro.

  • Flame Chariot - A quick follow-up to Fake Rainbow where Tanjiro attacks distracted enemies with a leaping slash.

  • Burning Bones, Summer Sun - A circular slash that defends from imminent frontal attacks.

  • Sunflower Thrust - A single thrust attack.

  • Solar Heat Haze - Tanjiro charges towards his opponent with a flame-cladded blade to slash them.

  • Setting Sun Transformation - Tanjiro flips into the air to deliver an upended flaming sword slash.

  • Beneficent Radiance - Tanjiro spirals into the air to deliver a powerful slash to those caught in it.

  • Dragon Sun Halo Head Dance - Tanjiro moves in circles to avoid enemy attacks and makes multiple attacks at his target, resembling a dragon.

  • Flame Dance - A two-combo strike starting with a vertical slash and then a horizontal slash.

  • Thirteenth Form - Tanjiro continuously performs all twelve forms of Hinokami Kagura in repetitive succession to increase the accuracy and agility of his movements.

Thunder Breathing

While Tanjiro himself has never had training in Thunder Breathing previously, he has shown to use it (albeit in a limited way) in the form of Thunderclap and Flash which boosts the users speed to be comparable to that of "lightning ripping through the air", only by simply remembering the words of his fellow companion Zenitsu. Thunder Breathing in itself works by focusing and channeling strength on the practitioner's legs, then concentrating every muscle to circulate oxygen into the blood vessels to move at blinding speeds in one direction.

Healing

As mentioned above, after maintaining Total Concentration Breathing, Tanjiro was skilled enough to stop a hemorrhage, and recover during combat with just a single breath. He even can strengthen the muscles around his broken bones with simply short rapid breaths.

Demon Slayer Mark

Not to be confused with Tanjiro's existing scar, the mysterious Demon Slayer Mark is indicative of a powerful Sun Breathing user. Only by surviving a near-death experience, such as a searing fever and incredibly high heart rate, can the Mark manifest, making it a rare but powerful reward for the battle-worn Demon Slayers. 


In combat, the Mark grants Tanjiro a considerable boost to his physical capabilities, possibly (though not confirmed to be) a hundred times greater than his average. The Mark enables its user to wield a dire red Nichirin Blade, and grants the user access to the See-Through World. 


The only drawback? Most that bear the Mark will die by the age of 25 (oddly specific), an inexorable reminder of the price that comes with power.

See-Through World

After awakening his Demon Slayer Mark, Tanjiro gained an ocular ability to perceive the inner workings of a being’s body as if they were transparent. Regardless of whatever creature he’s looking at, Tanjiro can see their blood flow, breathing, muscular contractions, and joint movements in slow motion. In terms of combat, Tanjiro can look inside an enemy’s body with enough focus to predict and evade their attacks while also finding new openings for attacks. While using the See-Through World, Tanjiro’s movement speed and reflexes increase dramatically due to being able to perceive everything in slow motion. In addition, this state conceals any battle spirit or bloodlust Tanjiro would have from enemies who could sense them.

Jonathan

Athleticism

Being a true gentleman that he is, Jonathan got accustomed to gentlemanly sports such as boxing at a fairly young age, being competent enough to become a popular and famous figure in his local circles. As well as being an extremely proficient rugby player in his college years, no doubt thanks to his massive stature.

Academic Knowledge

As expected from a JoJo, Jonathan has proved himself to be a very intelligent individual, graduating from an upper-class university and writing a celebrated thesis in archaeology, as well as being a smart combat strategist, whose wit and quick thinking got him out of life or death situations more than once. His gentlemanly kind heart and positive outlook on life should not be mistaken for naivety, since he was the only one who managed to put the pieces together and see through Dio’s facade, ultimately dooming his long-term plans.

Hamon

Alternatively known as Ripple, Hamon is an energy identical to that of the rays of the Sun that is harnessed through respiration, which manifests as soothing ripples throughout the body. This is the very stuff used for hunting the undead, and is fatal to the likes of Vampires, Zombies, and even Pillar Men. It is also typically done in a Martial Arts style called Sendo (meaning Way of the Hermit). It requires some precise breathing and willpower in order to utilize it properly, can practically make anything into a weapon you desire, delay the onset of various bodily functions such as hunger and the need to pee, as well as being able to interact with Stands. It has many other unique applications, which we are going to go over now:

Overdrive

Overdrive is a fighting style Jonathan developed as a result of his Hamon training. This fighting style involves attacks where Jonathan imbues his limbs with Hamon, literally giving himself the power of the Sun in the palm of his hands. As a result, he can easily kill vampires just by punching the living daylights into them. However, Jonathan can also choose to transfer his Hamon energy through walls or weapons whenever he pleases.

Zoom Punch

Whenever an opponent is out of punching range, but Jonathan still wants to punch them, he can strike his fist forward and extend the length of his arm unnaturally by dislocating and stretching its joints. It sure sounds painful, but Jonathan can dull the pain thanks to Hamon. Therefore, Jonathan can punch his enemies before they can attack as much as he can.

Sendo Ripple Overdrive

Because the utilization of Overdrive allows the transfer of Hamon energy through walls and other objects, Sendo Ripple Overdrive is a technique that turns the concept into an attack. If an opponent is hiding behind a wall or is using something to shield themselves. Jonathan can punch that thing, allowing the Hamon energy to travel through the object and into the target. It’s really useful if the target is a vampire.

Scarlet Overdrive

By charging Hamon energy into a single concentrated point, Jonathan can create literal fire based on Hamon energy that he can transfer to any part of his body. And just like actual fire, touching it or getting touched by it will result in someone or something getting burned.

Overdrive Barrage

Utilizing his Overdrive fighting style, Jonathan delivers a flurry of jabs with his fists infused with Hamon energy.

Turquoise Blue Overdrive

Conducting hamon through the water, Jonathan can send thrusts of hamon infused water to blast his foes away.

Metal Silver Overdrive  

MetalSilverOverdrive.gif

As Hamon can conduct through metal like it was electricity, this can be used to his advantage as seen when he melted Bruford’s arm by sending Hamon through his sword.

Life Magnetism Overdrive

By using the faint magnetic traces of the human body, Jonathan is capable of magnetizing objects and sticking to them, as shown above. His only application in series of this was on leaves, which he used to float down with.

Sunlight Yellow Overdrive

His strongest and most iconic technique, Jonathan unleashes a barrage of Overdrive punches imbued with the energies of the Sun to disintegrate vampires and zombies with ease.

Body Control

Similar to other Hamon users such as Dire, Jonathan has mastered such a great amount of body control to be able to cast afterimages with his movements. Also, by sending Hamon through someone’s mind, Jonathan is able to control the movement of their body. Examples being when he used Hamon on Wang Chen, causing him to forcefully hold onto the ship’s screw shaft or causing Dobbie’s snakes to devour their master.

Water Walking 

While it's certainly not perfect, Jonathan has been shown to use Hamon to somewhat repel the water beneath him like the same poles on a magnet.

Ripple Detection

By transferring Hamon through a liquid, it will pass through his body and into the environment allowing him to detect the vibrations of life even through obstructions like walls.

Healing

Hamon isn’t called the miracle energy for no reason, with it, Jonathan has the ability to heal his body or others in multiple ways. He is capable of reviving a dead flower with just a touch, removing the pain in his broken arm, fixing his own broken neck, and forcing poisons out of his own body.

Purification 

As mentioned literally above, Hamon isn’t called the miracle energy for no reason, with enough of it he can restore someone’s “humanity” after being zombified as seen with Bruford and use it on himself such as when he ​​rejected a small amount of extract that causes zombification with Ripple. He can also casually send enough Hamon to release people from Dio's hypnosis. 

Feats

Tanjiro

Overall

  • Through sheer willpower alone, overcame the sleep-inducing, dream manipulating powers of Lower Rank 1 Demon, Enmu.

  • Assisting in defeating Upper Moon 4, Hantengu.

  • Killed Gyutaro and Daki, the 6th Upper Moon pair.

  • Attained the Demon Slayer Mark and access to the See-Through-World.

  • Defeated Akaza, the 3rd Upper Moon alongside Giyu.

  • Instrumental in the battle against Muzan, whose defeat ushered in an era of peace.

  • Overcame the Sun as a demon.

Strength

Speed

Durability

Jonathan

Overall

Strength

Speed

Durability

Weaknesses

Tanjiro

As anyone who has ever seen or read Demon Slayer can tell you, being a Demon Slayer is far from a substitute for being untouchable, and Tanjiro is no exception. While he can make broken blades work in his favor if absolutely necessary, it's not like the sword itself is especially resistant to being shattered by a stronger foe. Not to mention that Tanjiro is proficient in swordplay, not so much hand-to-hand kerfuffles.


Additionally, Tanjiro’s breathing techniques require, well, breathing. While it’s not uncommon for Demon Slayers to manage their own even in fights where breathing is incredibly dangerous, Tanjiro obviously performs at his best when his breathing is uninhibited, and taking too much damage to his lungs can severely hamper his techniques.


At the end of the day, Tanjiro is just a human, a distinction that the Demon Slayer Corps were forced to accept many times while facing their demonic, superpowered foes. For all the rage and stamina a Demon Slayer can expend, sometimes their bodies are just unable to keep up, even in the most crucial of moments.


And, of course, Tanjiro is a good, honest (to a fault) boy with a strong head and stronger heart. He’s just about the last person on earth who would resort to trickery or deceit to gain an upper hand, even against the foul, irredeemable demons he fights on the daily. This disparity in honor is shown time and time again in Demon Slayer to cost Tanjiro and co. gravely against foes that have no qualms taking shortcuts and using sneaky tactics to gain an upper hand.

Jonathan

Despite Jonathan’s overwhelming strength and versatility with Hamon, he is not without his own fair share of weaknesses. Any sort of disruption to his breathing can prevent the circulation of Hamon in his body, leaving him unable to utilize it. This also applies if Jonathan loses too much blood or if his blood can't pass through his body due to being frozen. He also can only channel Hamon through his hands and feet which is a problem if he’s bounded or tied up. Jonathan is also still human, unable to regenerate anything beyond minor injuries or broken bones.

Summary

Tanjiro Kamado

“Even so, I will do whatever I can to the best of my ability. Set your heart ablaze. Do not lose. Do not waver.”


Advantages:

  • Better-trained swordsman

  • More experienced overall

  • See-Through World could give Tanjiro a solid visual of how Jonathan’s Hamon works

  • Unlimited Budget Works

  • Not Bri’ish


Disadvantages:

  • Slightly weaker and less durable

  • Slower

  • Less skilled in hand-to-hand combat

  • Any form of contact will allow Jonathan to conduct Hamon through him, possibly throwing his breathing off

  • Less versatile

Jonathan Joestar

“How my heart resonates! I'm pulsing with heat and life! My very blood is a symphony within me!”


Advantages:

  • Slightly stronger and more durable

  • Faster

  • More skilled in hand-to-hand combat

  • Any form of contact will allow him to conduct Hamon through Tanjiro and likely throw his breathing off

  • More versatile

  • SONO CHI NO SADAME


Disadvantage:

  • Less experienced 

  • Not as skilled with a sword

  • Tanjiro can likely get a solid visual of how Hamon works

  • Dead

Verdict


Due to the majority of people who worked on this blog going for one character, we will be focusing on one larger verdict rather than two smaller ones. However, we will address the counterarguments from the other camp in Addressing Key Questions. 

Stats

Between Jonathan and Tanjiro, both have a decent showing of their own feats and scaling. So to compare the two fully to show how this actually plays out, I’ll go over feats Jonathan has performed himself and scaled to, then compare them to Tanjiro’s stats.

To start off with just Part 1 itself, Jonathan on his own has lifted rocks and overwhelmed the undead, such as Jack the Ripper. Jack’s feat of destroying a tunnel with a cart gets just below a ton of TNT (0.28 - 0.903 tons of TNT). For the sake of consistency, Tarkus also performed the feat of splitting apart cliffs. Such a feat would get 1.4 tons of TNT. To wrap up what Jonathan should scale to in just Part 1 alone, we have Dio’s Space Ripper Stingy Eyes. The attack itself gets 32.5 tons of TNT for splitting a cloud formation. However, this does lead into the question. Why would Jonathan scale, since it pierced him and was actually the reason how he died. There’s a simple answer to that.

Numerous times through that same fight, Jonathan was able to overwhelm and physically scale to Dio such as cutting off his arm and cutting him in half without the use of hamon. There is no reason for him not to scale, since Dio’s body would have to be strong enough to withstand the force from his Stingy Eyes. So Jonathan should be fine scaling to it. With strength out of the way, let’s move over to speed.

Speed in just Part 1 alone isn’t close to Part 3’s, but would still be comparable to something on Tanjiro’s end. When working off the scaling for SRSE, the attack was moving at Mach 1.57 to split those clouds. While not insanely impressive compared to Tanjiro’s lightning timing and scaling to characters like Zenitsu, Jonathan does have his own upscaling to characters like Zeppeli, who can react to debris that is launched as fast as an explosion. Such a feat gets around Mach 379.5 which would be above Zenitsu’s lightning feats being around Mach 362.473.


Wrapping up just Part 1 feats, we can compare Jonathan and Tanjiro. Comparing strength, the greatest Jonathan would be getting is around 32.5 Tons of TNT in comparison to Tanjiro’s best non-anime only feat being upscaling 70.1 - 458.382 tons of TNT from Doma’s ice statue. So Tanjiro would have the advantage there. However in speed, Jonathan would have a slight edge from Mach 379.5 against Mach 362.473. This speed gap is enough for Jonathan to use his Hamon abilities to win against Tanjiro (This will be explained in the abilities section).

Moving on to later Parts such as 2 and beyond… things become a lot clearer even without Hamon. DIO being able to react to and overpower stands such as Hierophant Green. Hierophant Green has shown itself to be capable of harming Star Platinum and even reaching Polnareff before the Emperor’s bullets could. Since Part 6 Star Platinum (Which is weaker than the one DIO scales to) could keep up with and scale above Jolyne’s Planet Waves feat which gets 4.56 kilotons, then Part 3 Star Platinum should be upscaling this by a good margin. As for speed, in Part 2 we have Joseph dodging a beam of light from the Red Stone of Aja (Which reflects like numerous times within itself before firing it out) which gets over 2c. In the same Part, Kars before becoming the ultimate lifeform was able to react to and block a point blank beam of Ultraviolet Light from Stroheim which should sit comfortably around 40.37c. The biggest feat Jonathan’s 100 year old corpse would upscale from is Polnareff cutting Hanged Man while it was a beam of light which can range from 184.84 - 851.53c.


So, in the end when you include only Part 1, Jonathan should take it via a slight speed advantage and his abilities from Hamon. However, including what Jonathan would fully upscale from, it becomes a lot clearer who takes stats. Even if you use the anime-only feat for Tanjiro, it would only get about 2.405 kilotons of TNT which would still leave him at a strength disadvantage. So regardless of how you slice it, Jonathan is plucking this category right out of Tanjiro’s grasp.

Arsenal and Abilities

In terms of arsenal Jonathan doesn’t really have much outside of the sword he obtained from Bruford, but despite his limited arsenal he can cover many bases with just Luck and Pluck in a fight against Tanjiro. Due to Tanjiro mainly fighting with his Nichirin sword, Jonathan can very easily conduct Hamon with Metal Silver Overdrive through Luck and Pluck to reach Tanjiro from his own sword. This gives Jonathan a huge advantage in sword fights despite being far less skilled in said form of combat, forcing Tanjiro to land attacks or dodge Luck and Pluck entirely to avoid Hamon’s effects from Metal Silver Overdrive. But even if Tanjiro dodges Metal Silver Overdrive, he still must deal with the plethora of ways Jonathan has to conduct Hamon outside of that, and the effects Hamon brings to regular humans like Tanjiro.

Hamon has been shown to bring negative effects to humans as well, not just vampires or those with a weakness to sunlight. For example, Joseph, another Hamon user, was able to knock out a human pilot with only Hamon. With Hamon, Joseph was able to launch a bottle cap with so much force that it broke a cop’s finger. Caesar can harm Joseph with Hamon-infused bubbles, as well as mind control a human lady with Hamon. William Zeppeli was able to infuse Hamon with wine to make it sharper than scalpels. The properties of Hamon shown by other Hamon users like Joseph or Caesar should also apply to Jonathan, as there’s nothing saying they have some sort of different subtype of Hamon. So if Jonathan lands any Hamon attack on Tanjiro, he’d be able to use it to manipulate the fight towards his favor. Not like it’d be hard to land his Hamon attacks either. With the previously mentioned Metal Silver Overdrive, he can conduct it through his or Tanjiro’s own sword. With Turquoise Blue Overdrive, he can conduct it through water (Situational if Tanjiro’s water breathing isn’t real water). Jonathan can detect those beyond solid objects with Hamon and with Sendo Ripple/Hamon Overdrive he can conduct Hamon through said structures or solid objects to reach Tanjiro.

Hamon also still has many uses outside of ways to conduct it. Jonathan’s own healing would allow him to stay in the fight for even longer, being able to heal wounds inflicted to him by Tanjiro like broken bones and necks. Granted Tanjiro can do similar stuff with his own “healing”, it would still be a benefit to Jonathan in this scenario. He can dampen pain with Hamon and delay bodily functions such as thirst or hunger, granting him a great self-sustenance advantage. Nothing also stops Jonathan from simply mind controlling Tanjiro, granting Jonathan a shortcut to victory. Jonathan could also potentially use Hamon to disrupt breathing, aka Tanjiro’s main form of fighting, as it can stop biological functions. Although Jonathan himself has never done something like that, it’s still something that’s theoretically possible as Jonathan has sent Hamon to organs before and Caesar showcased that Hamon can stop organs from doing their job. Not something to solely base a win off, but still worth noting as a possibility.

Main point being, Jonathan’s Luck and Pluck as well as his Hamon abilities would grant him a huge advantage. He would have some sort of way to conduct Hamon no matter the environment and can end the fight the moment he lands Hamon onto Tanjiro. Combine that with his healing and self-sustenance, and any sort of outlasting would also be a no go. It would simply be too overwhelming for Tanjiro to deal with.

Cosmetics (Intellect, Experience, etc.)


In terms of intelligence, Jonathan has the field when it comes to book smarts. After all, he’s an aristocrat living in Victorian London. Being successful in academics is a must for him, and Jonathan accomplished those goals by graduating from an upper-class university with a highly-regarded thesis in archeology. Tanjiro, on the other hand, lived his whole life in rural Japan during the Taisho Era and spent his childhood helping his family rather than hitting the books. As a result, he’s shown to have no understanding of the urban side of the country.


However, they both appear to be on similar levels of intelligence when it comes to combat. In his battles with Dio, Jonathan has implemented numerous strategies against his adoptive brother. The first example is Jojo setting his family’s mansion on fire to negate Dio’s regeneration. Another is Jonathan throwing roses at Dio as a distraction to get into his blind spot. Another example is Jonathan setting his fist on fire to overcome Dio’s flash freezing ability. Of course, Jonathan’s strategies weren’t limited to Dio. Tanjiro himself has also performed a few strategies himself in his fights against Muzan’s demons. For example, he was able to learn the patterns of Kiyogai’s drum to give himself free movement for attacks. Another instance was Tanjiro using a part of Hantengu to block a blast of lightning, causing the blast to become ineffective since every part of Hantengu shares the same cells.


In terms of experience, it’s no doubt that Tanjiro has the bigger advantage. Before he became an official Demon Slayer, Tanjiro received two years worth of training. Afterward, he spent a year battling Muzan’s demons before facing the final boss. Meanwhile, despite mastering Hamon, Jonathan only had a short amount of training and only fought Dio and his minions for a couple of days.


Finally, in terms of skill, both combatants have their own advantages. Tanjiro is a much better swordsman since he's always been using a sword in battle even when it gets broken. After all, a Demon Slayer’s sword is made of the only material that can be used with breathing styles to kill demons. As for Jonathan, he gained his sword Pluck and Luck halfway on his journey and used it to defeat Dio. Other than that, he’s never been shown to wield it or another sword, even in his final battle with Dio.


However, Jonathan is a much better hand-to-hand fighter. After all, he doesn’t need a sword to use Hamon. Just his arms and legs. In addition, Jonathan is an experienced boxer, having learned the sport from a young age. It also helps that he developed the Overdrive fighting ability, which involves imbuing his limbs with Hamon energy for numerous techniques. They range from the Zoom Punch to Overdrive Barrage to Sunlight Yellow Overdrive. As for Tanjiro, he can throw a punch, but not on the same level as Jonathan.


Overall, Jonathan has book intelligence while Tanjiro has more experience, but both of them have similar intelligence in combat. Tanjiro is more skilled as a swordsman, and Jonathan is more skilled when it comes to hand-to-hand combat.


Addressing Key Questions

1) Does Jonathan really scale to anything past his own Part even when he's dead?

Yes. The most clear example of it would be through DIO, who at the time of Part 3 performs all of his feats using Jonathan's stolen body. Feats such as reacting to and casually intercepting Stand's attacks, matching them in speed and taking direct hits from them. And this has nothing to do with DIO's vampiric influence over it, on the contrary, by his own words he states that JoJo's body refuses to fully succumb to him, requiring Joestar blood to fully synchronize, his left side specifically has a slower healing rate and he can't use it to its full potential, saying that it's currently weaker than his original one. The original one that Jonathan beats several times.

Not even going that far ahead, scaling to Joseph also has its merits. Joseph might've shown a wider array of Hamon abilities (due to him having more screen time and a longer journey) but he isn't necessarily a decisively better user of it. He needed several weeks to finally master the art, something his grandfather managed in a matter of days as well as receiving all of the Hamon of a dying Baron Zeppeli, a Hamon master with decades of experience. Not to mention the side material such as games (non-canon but will be used as supporting evidence) portraying them as comparable to each other, if not Jonathan being a superior one with Joseph being clearly intimidated by him. And seeing how some of his better feats were performed by a less experienced Joseph, it is not a stretch to say that Jonathan can match them.

2) But aren't JoJo characters physically more capable after receiving a Stand?

Nothing of this nature has ever been stated in the series. Once again, DIO in Part 3 says that his current body is weaker despite already having not one but two Stands. Characters like Joseph were able to dodge natural light long before he even learned what Stand is, as well as matching other characters capable of the same thing such as Kars and Caesar.

3) Can JoJo characters REALLY reach FTL to MFTL speeds?

"As determined in DIO VS Alucard and further discussion during the last 2 weeks"...Yes. We have created a separate google doc for the FTL JoJo Evidence based on what written down in Dio vs Alucard. Even if not using FTL Stand Scaling, there’s still the Red Stone of Aja feat, which means that scaling Jonathan to Joseph would give him much faster reaction speed than anything Demon Slayer has. 

4) Aren't Breathing Styles visual effects just for show and not actually happening?

...It's a bit complicated. As per word of the mangaka, the user isn't literally summoning the called element (water in this specific case) but everyone who sees the technique being utilized still visualizes and feels it as if it was actually happening. So in this roundabout way the techniques work pretty much exactly as they look. Not to mention several entries of the databook more-or-less confirm the solidity of each element causing real effect on the target, user or the environment.

5) Wouldn't Nichirin Blade's property of absorbing sunlight negate the usage of Hamon?

Unlikely. As you may have noticed, Hamon is not literally sunlight, it has the same properties, which makes it a perfect weapon against the supernatural, but it usually takes the form of a battle aura or an electrical discharge, something sunlight clearly doesn't do. If anything this might be a huge detriment for Tanjiro, since this property will make his blade extra accessible to conducting JoJo's Hamon through.

Conclusion


In closing, while Tanjiro holds plenty of advantages in his own right, such as skill, experience, and insight via See-Through World, Jonathan takes more boons overall, and important ones at that. Hamon is the X-Factor that allows Jonathan to completely control Tanjiro’s body, or even shut down his organs. Jojo can do this by conducting Hamon through Tanjiro directly, the conveniently sunlight-attuned Nichirin blade, or even the elements that Breathing Styles (arguably) produce. When considering where the two excel at (swordplay and fisticuffs, respectively), only one of them is drastically less capable without their sword. Tanjiro can try to use a broken blade or a gnarly headbutt as an absolute last resort, but Jonathan has no problem throwing Hamon-charged blades or blows, and would even hold a range advantage thanks to his Zoom Punch and Ripple blasts.


When it comes to stats, Jonathan clearly dominates Tanjiro in speed by every conceivable measure. There’s just no dancing around the gap between Jonathan’s faster-than-light scaling and Tanjiro’s iffy lightning-timing. Similarly, Jonathan takes the lead when comparing power, thanks to his body scaling to Dio and other Stand users. No matter how you slice it, Jonathan is stronger and much, much, much faster.


We’re left with a pretty clear picture. All in all, Jonathan Joestar has the speed, power, versatility, range, and gentlemanly honor to definitively defeat Tanjiro Kamado.

Final Tally

Team Tanjiro: None

Team Jonathan: Adam, Agent, Andrex, Dragonmasterxyz, eXoRy, MKF4, Mozza, Purple_Bizarre, SoMaShadow, TexasRoastingOnAnOpenFire, The Mad Gadfly, Time, Twicefold, VampyreNVRmore, Mal
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