How to Draw Tanjiro Step by Step (Easy Demon Slayer Chibi)

Green and black squares on a jacket are all it takes for most anime fans to shout his name. This lesson shows you how to draw Tanjiro step by step as a chibi, the hero of Demon Slayer, the manga by Koyoharu Gotouge. Think big head, short legs and a friendly face. It's my own simple fan-art version for practice, so feel free to change little things as you go.

How to draw tanjiro step by step - finished colored Demon Slayer drawing — This is the Tanjiro you'll end up with: twelve short steps, one checkered haori.

Blue lines in the pictures below are the ones you add right now, and gray marks what you drew before. Pale blue shapes are construction helpers that disappear in step 11.

Quick overview
⏱️ Time: around 40 minutes, coloring included
🎯 Level: easy to medium, fine for ages 8 and up
✏️ Steps: 12
🟩 You'll draw: a standing chibi Tanjiro in his checkered haori, with earrings and sandals

Supplies That Make the Haori Squares Easier

A soft pencil such as an HB or 2B
An eraser that doesn't smudge
A black fineliner or felt pen for the final lines
Markers or colored pencils in green, black, dark red and dark blue
A peach or light skin tone, plus a light brown for the sandals
Plain white paper, a little heavier than printer paper if you have it

A ruler is optional; I draw the checks freehand because slightly wobbly lines look more like cloth.

How to Draw Tanjiro Step by Step

Step 1: Draw a head circle and a center line

Start near the top of your paper with a big, slightly wide circle. In chibi style the head is almost as tall as the whole body, so don't be shy with it. Run a straight line down through the middle to the bottom of the page, then add a short flat line there for the ground.

💡 Tip: Hold the pencil far back from the tip; it keeps guide lines soft.

Step 2: Add the eye line and body guides

Cross the circle with a level line a little below its middle, because chibi eyes sit low on the face. Under the head, sketch a trapezoid that is narrow at the top and wide at the bottom; that's the jacket. Two slanted lines on the sides mark the arms, and two short lines below show the legs.

💡 Tip: Keep the trapezoid shorter than the head, or he stops looking chibi.

Step 3: Shape the round face and the ears

Trace over the circle with a smooth face shape that has full cheeks and a soft, rounded chin. Small C-shaped ears go on each side, level with the eye line. I place them a touch low on purpose, since the earrings will hang from them and need room above the shoulders.

💡 Tip: Draw each ear as a little bump half hidden behind the cheek.

Step 4: Draw the spiky hair and bangs

Tanjiro's hair is a messy mop, not tall like a super-powered fighter. Go around the top of the head with short, uneven spikes pointing up and out to the sides. For the bangs, zigzag across the forehead with pointed locks hanging toward the brows. Leave a wider gap on his left side (your right) for the forehead mark. Erase the face line hidden under the hair.

💡 Tip: Make every spike a slightly different size; matching spikes look like a crown.

Step 5: Add the wide sleeves and mitten hands

A haori has big, loose sleeves, so each arm is a wide bell shape that starts at the shoulder and flares out toward the bottom. The inner side of each sleeve stays almost straight, which leaves room for the jacket front. Below each sleeve, draw a round mitten hand with a small curve for the thumb.

💡 Tip: Round hands read as cute; fingers at this size just look busy.

Step 6: Draw the haori front with collar and belt

Between the sleeves, draw two narrow front panels of the haori hanging straight down, with a gap in the middle. Inside that gap you can see his dark uniform, so add the top of a stand-up collar under the chin and a white belt as a short band at the waist. Close both panels with a flat hem.

💡 Tip: Leave the opening slightly wider at the bottom than at the top.

Step 7: Add the pants, leg wraps and sandals

Under the hem, sketch two short, baggy trouser legs with a small notch between them. Each leg ends in a white wrap that covers the shin, which you show with two slanted lines across it. Finish with rounded feet in white socks sitting on thin sandal soles, toes turned out a little so he stands firmly.

💡 Tip: Spread the feet apart; a wide stance makes him look confident.

Step 8: Draw big kind eyes and brows

Place two tall, rounded eyes on the eye line with about one eye's width between them. A thick upper lid line over each eye gives that anime look. Inside, draw a large iris, a small pupil and two shine circles in the same corner of both eyes. Short brows sit just under the bangs, almost flat, which keeps his expression gentle.

💡 Tip: If he looks grumpy, lift the brows a little higher above the eyes.

Step 9: Add the smile, the mark and the earrings

A tiny curve makes the nose, and a small open smile with a little tongue goes right under it. Oval blush marks sit on the cheeks. In the gap of the bangs, draw a small flame-like mark; keep it simple and soft. Then hang a short string from each ear with a white rectangle and a circle near its top for the sun.

💡 Tip: Keep the smile narrower than the space between the eyes.

Step 10: Draw the checkered grid on the haori

This is the step that makes the drawing say Tanjiro. On each front panel, draw three lines across to split it into four boxes. On the sleeves, add two lines running down the sleeve and three across. Here's the trick: the lines near the outside of each sleeve sit closer together and the cross lines curve slightly, because the cloth wraps around a round arm.

💡 Tip: Curve the cross lines gently downward in the middle, like a soft smile.

Step 11: Ink the lines and erase the guides

Go over every keeper line with your black pen, including all the grid lines. Leave out the guide circle, the trapezoid and the stick limbs. I ink the face first, while my hand is steady. Wait until the ink is completely dry, then erase all the pencil underneath.

💡 Tip: Turn the paper so you always pull the pen toward yourself.

Step 12: Color your Tanjiro

Color the hair dark red and give each spike tip a brighter red. On the haori, pick a starting square and fill it black, then skip one and fill the next, so no two black squares share a side; the rest are green. The uniform and pants are dark blue. Leave the belt white, along with the wraps and socks; the eyes are red-brown and the sandals light brown.

💡 Tip: Fill the black squares first; green is easier to keep clean around them.

Why a Chibi Tanjiro Can Turn Into a Random Boy

Checks that are too tiny. Dozens of little squares turn into gray noise. Use about four rows per panel so each square stays bold.
Black squares touching side by side. That breaks the checker look. Check each square's neighbors before you color; only corners should meet.
Hair drawn as tall flames. Tall spikes make another anime hero. Keep Tanjiro's spikes short and close to the head.
Forgetting the earrings. They're small but very recognizable. Hang them low enough that they don't touch the face.
Stick arms. Thin lines look stiff in chibi style. Draw wide sleeves and round hands instead.

Giving Your Chibi Tanjiro a New Pose

Once the basic figure feels easy, try a closed-eye grin, a head tilted to one side, or the wooden box he carries on his back peeking out above the shoulders. You can also draw him as a head-and-shoulders portrait and spend more time on the eyes. Younger kids may skip the leg wraps and color the haori in simple stripes first. His sister makes a sweet partner piece with the Nezuko drawing tutorial, and the chibi drawing tutorial helps you practice the big-head style on other characters.

Tanjiro Coloring Page and Printable Steps for Free

The Tanjiro coloring page has a bold outline with the grid already drawn, so kids only need to fill every other square, plus a colored example and color key. The step-by-step guide PDF puts all 12 steps and tips on a few pages for Letter or A4 paper.

🎨

Free PDF

Demon Slayer Coloring Page

1 pageUS LetterColor key

Black outlines with a colored example and the color names at the top. Ready to print and color.

⬇️ Download Coloring Page

✏️

Free PDF

Step-by-Step Demon Slayer Drawing Guide

7 pagesA4All 12 steps

Every step picture with its instructions and tips, to keep beside your paper while you draw.

⬇️ Download Drawing Guide

📱 On a phone? Tap a download button, then open the file and choose Share → Save to Files or Print. On a computer, the PDF opens or saves straight to your Downloads folder.

A Tall Tanjiro Pin for Your Drawing Board

How to draw tanjiro step by step - all 12 steps on one page (Pinterest) — All twelve steps in one tall image, ready to save or print for your next drawing session.

Each of these opens a step-by-step tutorial with pictures for every stage, from dragons to Valentine cards.

Dragon Head Drawing: Green scales, purple frills and a puff of smoke grow from a plain circle in the dragon head drawing tutorial.
Hello Kitty Drawing: Learn how to draw Hello Kitty step by step in blue overalls, with the red bow on her left ear.
Music Note Drawing: One soft pencil wave becomes a purple treble clef and a ribbon of notes in this music notes drawing tutorial.
Chibi Drawing: The two-head chibi drawing tutorial uses the same big-head method as Tanjiro, with a cat-ear hoodie and a boba cup.
Love Drawing: Two bears hug under a floating balloon in the love drawing step by step lesson.
Joker Drawing: Draw a chibi Joker holding one card high with this Joker drawing tutorial.
Valentine Drawing: A card, a box of chocolates, a rose and a sneaky ladybug make up the Valentine card drawing tutorial.

Tanjiro Drawing Questions From Young Artists

How do you draw Tanjiro's checkered haori?

Draw a grid of lines over the jacket first, with the lines slightly curved to follow the body. Then color every other square black and the rest green, so black squares only meet at their corners.

What colors do I need to draw Tanjiro?

You need dark red and red for the hair, green with black for the haori, dark blue for the uniform, and white for the belt and earrings. Add a skin tone, a red-brown for the eyes and light brown for the sandals.

Is Tanjiro hard to draw for beginners?

The figure itself is simple. The checkered pattern takes patience, so go slowly on step 10. Most kids from about eight can follow along, and younger ones can do it with a grown-up's help.