Gotouge Koyoharu Tanpenshuu

Gotouge Koyoharu Tanpenshuu (吾峠呼世晴短編集, lit. Stort Stories by Koyoharu Gotouge) is a collection of one-shots drawn by Koyoharu Gotouge, the author of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba and published from 2013 to 2015.

The four stories included in the volume are the following:

• Kagarigari (2013). Considered as the pilot for Kimetsu no Yaiba, it earned Gotouge an honorary mention in the 70th Jump Treasure Rookie Manga Award.
• Rokkotsu-san (2014).
• Monjuroushi Kyoudai (2015)
• Haeniwa no Zigzag (2015).

Tropes used in Gotouge Koyoharu Tanpenshuu include:

• Adaptational Villainy: Sort-of. Tamayo and Yushiro were firmly on the side of good, but in Kagarigari they're much more antagonistic.
• Anti-Hero: The protagonists from Kagarigari and Haeniwa no Zigzag, in their own ways. The unnamed Boy is a cold young man who started as a Street Urchin, was taken in by an Old Master, and quietly hunts vampires to protect humans; Zigzag Saitou is a snarky youth who complains about his curse-handling job that will kill him if he misuses or neglects his powers but does genuinely care for his neighbor, the Cool Old Lady Hana.
• Art Evolution: Compare the style in Kagarigari to that of Zigzag.
• Curse: In the Haeniwa no Zigzag world, people can use magic to curse others. In the story itself, the antagonist curses people into killing themselves (he does it to a friend of Hana and then to a local girl) and Zigzag, a Curse Remover, goes chasing after him after Hana asks him to.
• Enemy Civil War: The vampire-like antagonists from Kagarigari (Tamayo, Yushiro and "Muzan" vs. the unnamed blond vampire) are seen heavily feuding between themselves. The first three manage to out-gambit the last one by tricking him into hanging out and fight them until The Boy appears and slays him. (Though they also see themselves forced to go into hiding)
• Expy: Inverted by the charas of Kagarigari, who'd become the blueprints for some KnY ones:
  • The Boy has Tanjiro's role, but personality-wise he's much more similar to Giyu. He's raised and trained by an Old Master who can be seen as a proto-Urokodaki.
  • Yushiro and Tamayo are basically the same, but quite more ruthless.
  • Tamayo's mysterious informant and ally is totally not Muzan, but somewhat less evil.
  • The Big Bad and unnamed Blond Vampire may be the template for Douma, due to his very uncommon looks and sadistic behavior.
• Evil Is Petty: In Zigzag, the one who hired the Psycho for Hire against the girl the protagonist saves did it because... her pet dog was super loud. The almost victim herself lampshades how damn petty the person is.
• Geas: Zigzag is a Curse Remover because he got one on him - it'll kill him if he either uses his powers to kill someone or uses them for his personal gain. (And "kill someone" does include knowingly letting other people die as an effect of a curse.)
• Green Thumb: Zigzag can use his Curse Removing powers like this.
• Handicapped Badass: The Boy from Kagarigari lacks an arm and had his eyes slashed and permanently damaged as well, but there's no one better than him regarding vampire hunting. It's later explained that he got said injuries during the story's Final Selection, where he slayed six demons on his own.
• Humiliation Conga: Zigzag deals these to the Psycho for Hire and to the person who sent him to kill the girl.
• Imperial Japan: Not unlike Kimetsu, Kagarigari is set in the Japan from the Empire days (in this case, likely the late Meiji or early Taisho eras)
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Zigzag complains a lot about his Curse Remover deals and is mostly on it because he'd die if he turned away from it, but he does clearly care for Hana.
• Pimped-Out Dress: The girl Zigzag saves from the antagonist is seen wearing a very elaborate kimono, since she's supposed to attend a wedding. It's probably a furisode.
• Posthumous Character: The Old Master from Kagarigari, who's seen in a flashback afflicted with an Incurable Cough of Death.
• Psychic-Assisted Suicide: The antagonist from Zigzag is a Psycho for Hire who's hired to pull this on people via telling them to hang themselves and forcing them to go through with Curses. He did it offscreen to an old man and then does it on-page to a young woman who's saved by Zigzag.
• Red Right Hand: "Muzan" from Kagarigari has a demonic arm, plus Femme Fatalons
• Shonen Demographic: All of these stories were published in Shonen Jump or associated mags.
• Street Urchin: The Boy from Kagarigari was found by his Old Master under a huding spot, and lured out with some onigiri.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Tamayo, Yushiro and “Muzan”
• Vampire Hunter: The Boy from Kagarigari.
• Yamato Nadeshiko: Downplayed with Tamayo Tokikawa from Kagarigari, who looks like one but is more ruthless