Both are capable fighters in their own right, but who’s the quickest of them all? Is Tanjiro faster than Inosuke?
Yes, Tanjiro is faster than Inosuke. Tanjiro is nearly able to decapitate an Upper Rank demon by himself, closing an incredible gap in the blink of an eye.
Although Inosuke does decapitate an Upper Rank demon as well, he needs the assistance of other Demon Slayers to get the job done.
Tanjiro proves he’s faster than Inosuke
In chapter #82, Tanjiro squares off against the Upper Rank demon Daki. She has incredibly fast sashes that pierce through the air, cutting Tanjiro and keeping his movements to a minimum. He’s able to keep up despite being a low rank in the Demon Slayer Corps.
Tanjiro realizes that in order to strike her cloth, he needs to tighten them up. It’s impossible to cut a fabric that has so much give.
From a distance, Daki unleashes 13 high-speed fabric sashes in Tanjiro’s direction. A sure sign of his improvement, Tanjiro is able to perceive the intense sashes as slow moving. This provides the opportunity to parry the slashes and lump them all together on one side of his blade.
Tanjiro slams his sword down into the gathered-up fabric, tightening it out as Daki pulls back.
“He wants the obi pulled taut so they can’t flex,” Daki thinks to herself. “But I can move them with a thought, and he’s so far away.”
Amazingly, Tanjiro is able to close the gap and cut the tightened sash the instant he pulls back his sword. Daki lacks the reflexes to soften the fabric before Tanjiro cuts them. He approaches Daki with ease, nearly decapitating her before a collapse. Tanjiro was so invested in the battle that he forgot to breathe.
So where does that leave us with the question? Well, Tanjiro is fast enough to nearly defeat an Upper Ranked demon by himself. He is able to close gaps with unbelievable speed and excels with amazing reflexes. Inosuke, on the other hand, can only catch up to Daki with Zenitsu’s assistance.
Here’s your answer. Tanjiro is indeed faster than Inosuke. He’s displayed an ability to close incapable gaps of distances with relative ease, whereas Inosuke needs assistance to attack an Upper Ranked demon.