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Get to know the true villain behind all the evil in Demon Slayer, along with his motives, fears, and final fate.
Demon Slayer, unlike most other Shonen, begins with a crime committed by its main villain. The main protagonist. Tanjiro Kamado, finds out that his family has been brutally killed by a Demon, and his sister Nezuko has been turned into one herself. While at first it is not clear who did this, viewers learn of the name Muzan Kibutsuji along with Tanjiro from the former water hashira, Urokodaki
Muzan Kibutsuji is the main villain of Demon Slayer. Tanjiro is introduced to Muzan only by name at first. He has no idea who Muzan is at the beginning or how sinister this demon truly is. Muzan’s reclusive tendency also adds to the mystery surrounding him. Not to mention, other demons refuse to speak of him, to the extent of trembling in fear upon the mention of his name. Just who exactly is Muzan Kibutsuji? This guide highlights Muzan’s backstory, his ending, and other things to understand his character as the main villain in Demon Slayer.
- Muzan’s origin story
- His conflict with Tanjiro, the main protagonist
- Muzan’s final fate
- And other major villains in Demon Slayer
Muzan’s Origin Story in Demon Slayer
Muzan Kibutsuji is the main villain throughout the story of Demon Slayer. As the King of Demons, he is more powerful than any other wicked creatures Tanjiro and the Demon Slayer Corps have ever slayed. Not only that, Muzan is the sole reason why demons exist. Any human who comes in contact with his blood will go through a transformation if they can endure the process.
Muzan’s story begins in the Heian era when he was still a human. He contracted an unknown disease which doomed him to a short lifespan. In an attempt to heal Muzan, a doctor suggested a cure that involves the blue spider lily as a crucial ingredient. However, because of no apparent immediate results and impatience, Muzan murdered his doctor. This decision backfired, though. Muzan’s body slowly regained strength, but he would burn under the sun as a side effect of the incomplete treatment.
From then on, Muzan has been hunting this flower for centuries. Of course, he keeps reinforcing his entourage to help him in this search. And most importantly, to fight off the emerging Demon Slayer Corps sworn to eradicate all demons. This led to the massacre of Tanjiro’s family. At first, the anime didn’t explicitly explain the real reason for this event.
But, considering what Muzan’s blood can do, it is implied that Muzan tried to turn them into demons, with Nezuko as the sole survivor. She, however, was turned into a demon Muzan had been trying to create, a demon who can withstand the sun. Her transformation later drives Muzan’s conflict with Demon Slayer’s protagonists.
Muzan’s Conflict with Tanjiro
After becoming a Demon Slayer, Tanjiro is informed that the demon behind his family’s death is none other than Muzan. So, his search for vengeance begins. Their first encounter happens in the town of Asakusa. Tanjiro follows the same scent he smelled all over his bloodied house, and he finally sees Muzan eye to eye for the first time.
Muzan is strong, but he is cunning as well. He disguises himself as a human, posing as a husband with a wife and a daughter strolling around Asakusa. While Tanjiro is left in shock by Muzan’s choice of camouflage, this first contact also leaves Muzan dumbfounded for one specific reason, Tanjiro’s earrings.
Tanjiro wears a pair of earrings with a hanafuda pattern. This is a specific pattern worn by a swordsman who almost killed Muzan, Yoriichi. Yoriichi is the founder of the breathing style techniques, a variation of swordsmanship wielded by the Demon Slayer Corps. All breathing styles are derivations of Yoriichi’s technique. The hanafuda pattern itself was handed by Yoriichi to Tanjiro’s ancestor, who was a close friend of his.
Muzan’s conflict with Tanjiro is not only about him wanting to get rid of another demon slayer. It is also about his past, and his near-fatal fight with Yoriichi. Both sides want the other gone, and they have strong reasons for that to happen. However, it is revealed in the manga that Muzan is eventually cut down.
Muzan’s Final Fate in Demon Slayer
In the manga, Muzan’s fate has been sealed at the end of the Infinity Castle arc. This is the arc right after the Hashira Training arc, which is the latest part of the story covered in the anime. After Muzan falls into the plan laid out by Ubuyashiki, all the Hashira and Tamayo gather to defeat Muzan once and for all. Restrained, wounded, and outnumbered, Muzan resorts to plunging himself along with all the Demon Slayer Corps into his infinity castle.
The infinity castle is an alternate dimension and the blood demon art of the Upper Moon four, Nakime. On Muzan’s command, she changes and manipulates the unending rooms. This arc begins in chapter 140 of the manga. What follows is a clash between all members of the Demon Slayer Corps, Muzan, and all of his demons.
The climactic head-to-head itself is something Demon Slayer fans anticipate. The Infinity Castle arc is set to be adapted as a trilogy instead of the traditional twelve-episode format. By the end of the arc, Muzan defeats Tamayo and once again reemerges stronger. However, knowing the death of Tamayo, Yushiro takes control of Nakime using his blood demon art and forces Muzan to the surface. After an hour and a half battle until dawn, Muzan is defeated by the sun.
Other Major Villains in Demon Slayer
Other than the demon king himself, Demon Slayer has other impactful villains. For starters, there is Gyutaro and Daki, the Upper Moon Six of the twelve Kizuki. Gyutaro and Daki are the main villains in the Entertainment District arc. What sets them apart from other demons is their similarity to Tanjiro and Nezuko’s. That’s right, they are siblings! Gyutaro and Daki lived in poverty as humans, until Doma found and turned them into demons.
Another prominent villain in Demon Slayer is Akaza. He is the Upper Moon Three and mainly uses his martial arts to fight. What’s interesting about Akaza is his enigmatic character. On one hand, he is the demon responsible for Rengoku’s death, a fans’ favorite hashira. On the other hand, Akaza’s backstory is regarded as tragic and brings more nuance to his character.
Conclusion
Although Muzan is regarded as unbeatable by his underlings, he finally meets his ends as most other demons do, slain by the sun. His pursuit of creating a demon who is unaffected by the sun led him to become the most feared being in the story. Even among the demons, Muzan is regarded as a figure who must be feared and not to be admired. However, the sheer threat he poses makes him a popular character among Demon Slayer fans. There are still a lot of nuances behind Muzan’s character to uncover.
Throughout the story, Muzan’s character goes through themes of mortality, and perfectionism. Muzan’s impatience led to the loss of his doctor, who was close to curing him. His cold-blooded and obsessive approach to acquiring the blue spider lily, and later on, Nezuko makes him willing to do anything no matter the damage. From the audience’s perspective, his story is of the fall of a great, looming threat behind the seemingly normal world.
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