A Shonen anime where one or both parents aren’t missing or unknown? That sounds impossible. It’s just one of the many tropes of the genre and Demon Slayer is no different. However, while we do know what happened to the main protagonist’s family, witnessing the Kamado family massacre firsthand, it’s Inosuke’s father that’s the real mystery. 

A lot of fans have speculated that Doma is Inosuke’s biological father, considering the relationship with his mother, Kotoha Hashibira. But that’s not true. At most, Doma is a step-father figure, one who came into their lives when Kotoha ran from her unknown abusive husband with Inosuke in tow and found refuge in the Paradise Faith cult, who worshiped Doma. 

But Doma was a Demon, and a cult is just another form of abuse. And so, while things were okay for a little while, everything eventually came crashing down and led to Inosuke going through what he did. But considering how things went down, why do people assume that Doma was Inosuke’s actual father? Let’s discuss that and more in another round of Lore Analysis!

Doma: A Fake God And His Cult

So, how did Doma end up becoming a Demon Lord? Well, it all starts with even more bad parenting! A hundred years ago prior to the events of Demon Slayer,  Doma was born to  parents who took one look at his peculiar rainbow eyes and pale hair and decided that their son was a secret oracle that could commune with the Gods. You know, normal parent stuff.

And that’s when they placed him at the head of the Paradise Faith, a cult that believed Doma had the power to alleviate human suffering. He would get regular visits from devotees, who would turn to him for problem solving and helping them with their wishes. He was their salvation, their Messiah, a Demigod made flesh. And throughout it all, Doma felt nothing. 

Because maybe putting a little child as the prime center of worship isn’t the greatest idea? All it did was make Doma an apathetic human with no regard for life. He didn’t understand why all these people believed a child could help them, when said child didn’t even believe in the idea of spirituality. Even when his own mother suffered and killed his father in cold blood for sleeping with the female apostles in the cult, he didn’t care much beyond being annoyed at the blood.

However, everything changed when he met Muzan Kibutsuji, the Demon King who turned Doma into one as well. And Doma started believing again. To him, Paradise became a reality that he could help his worshippers attain, and that it was his job to do so. How? By devouring them, of course. Because all pain ends when they are dead, and that is achieving Nirvana. And so, he continued the Paradise Faith cult with a newfound ambition, slowly eating his devotees alive.

Doma And Inosuke’s Strange Past

Inosuke Hashibira has his own demons to deal with, but they do involve Doma to a great deal. The thing is, Inosuke was born in an unhappy family, with only his mother to keep him safe. And at 18 years old, it’s not like she could do much either. Between being hurt by her abusive husband and tortured by her mother in law, Kotoha could only handle so much. 

That’s when she decided to run away from the violent household, holding Inosuke all the while and promising to protect him no matter what. That’s when she landed at the Paradise Faith cult, with her in-laws hot at her heels. Seeing all this, Doma decided to kill Kotoha’s husband and from there on, Kotoha became part of the cult. 

Of course, Doma only did it because he was tired of all the noise. But Kotoha didn’t know, and she was just grateful to have a second chance at life. The cult took care of her and she was clearly in Doma’s favor, thanks to her soft beauty and talent of singing. Inosuke was also doted on after and, for a while, it seemed like things had turned out for the better. But then, she stumbled upon the fair Doma eating his disciples, and it all came crashing down. 

See, Doma actually liked her enough. To him, she was dimwitted but he cared for her enough to just let her live her life in peace. But Kotoha didn’t want to stay a minute longer after learning the truth and she ran with Inosuke once again. However, Doma caught up to them and Kotoha had to sacrifice herself to give her son a fighting chance, dropping him into the river to escape. 

But not before Inosuke had to witness Doma mocking him for his weakness, and seeing him violently rip into his mother, cleaning the flesh straight off her bones. This man who had been the only male figure in Inosuke’s life, a pseudo-father figure who treated his mother and him right, suddenly became a monster. 

No wonder Inosuke turned out the way he did. I mean, who can even blame him, at this point?