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Demon Slayer: Was Akaza Ever Truly Evil? Here's What Redeems His Character
Akaza is a complex character with a tragic backstory, showcasing empathy and a sense of honor despite his demonic nature.
Demon Slayer is an action-packed shōnen series where humans battle powerful demons for survival. The Demon Slayer Corps has worked secretly for centuries to eliminate all demons, with a group of demons that even the strongest Demon Slayer, the Hashira, cannot defeat alone. This group of demons ranks above the other dangerous foes featured in the series.
Akaza, the Upper Moon 3 of the Twelve Kizuki, is a hated character in Demon Slayer due to his powerful killing of Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku. However, his backstory reveals his depth, and fans may start to like or less hate Akaza.
Exploring Akaza's personality and powers
Akaza, a stubborn demon, respects the strong and despises the weak. He challenges powerful fighters and demon slayers, and in the Infinity Train Arc, he takes a liking to Rengoku and asks him to become a demon. Akaza asks for opponents' names and introduces himself as a form of respect, remembering every opponent he has fought against throughout his life as a demon.
Akaza, a member of Muzan's Twelve Kizuki, is a strong demon who views his peers as rivals and is hostile towards Kokushibo and Doma, the Upper Ranks One and Two. Despite being one of the strongest demons, Akaza has certain values that he adheres to, such as not devouring women or causing harm to them. Doma once suggested that if Akaza agreed to devour women, he would surpass the Upper Rank Two. His strength stems from his humanity and his refusal to stoop to power.
Akaza was extremely overpowered when he was a human, and was transformed into a demon by Muzan, resulting in an impressive arsenal of strength, stamina, agility, endurance, and sensory perception. His ability to sense auras and calculate their powers allows him to predict enemy movements and avoid attacks, unlike Tanjiro's nose-snapping ability.
Akaza is a former martial artist and uses physical attacks with his two hands, a form of the Soryu Style. His Blood Demon Art, Destructive Death, is based on this style, but surpasses most human capabilities. Akaza's ability to defeat Flame Hashira is attributed to his skill. In the manga, he faces Tanjiro and Giyu's combined attacks.
Akaza was the first Upper Moon Demon introduced in Demon Slayer, and faced off against Hashira. He attacked Tanjiro, who was already downed, but Rengoku saved him. Akaza explains that he despises weak humans and attacked Tanjiro because he would have obstructed their conversation. He believes that Tanjiro would have been a hindrance to their conversation.
Akaza wanted to make Rengoku a demon so that they could fight for hundreds of years and continue to grow stronger. Akaza genuinely admired Rengoku's strength and was impressed with the Hashira's skills. He even uses his trademark "snowflake tattoo" technique, the Compass Needle.
And yet, he knew that Rengoku wouldn't realistically be able to defeat him as a human. Akaza can regenerate in seconds, while Rengoku's injuries inevitably overtook him. The fight between the two was fair; Akaza never disrespected Rengoku, nor did he resort to underhanded tactics.
Akaza's backstory is very tragic
Hakuji, a human form of Akaza, was raised in slums and had a sickly father. Unable to afford medicine, Hakuji stole from townspeople, getting punished by beatings and criminal tattoos. After being informed of his father's suicide, he left a letter expressing his desire for Hakuji to live a full life and not to receive medicine earned through immoral activities.
Hakuji, banished from Edo, began fighting with strangers. He met Keizo, a local dojo owner who taught him martial arts. After two years, Hakuji improved his skills and fell in love with Keizo's daughter, Koyuki, who would later marry Akaza. However, his happiness ended when a rival dojo poisoned his home, causing Keizo and Koyuki to die. Hakuji fought against the rivals, pulverizing their bodies, and Muzan offered to turn Hakuji into a demon.
Was Akaza really evil?
Akaza faces Tanjiro and Giyu in Demon Slayer's final fight. He admires Giyu's strength and asks him to become a demon. Giyu refuses, like Rengoku. Despite their combined strength, the duo is greatly injured, whereas Akaza remains unfazed. As the fight goes on, Akaza witnesses Giyu protecting the unconscious Tanjiro.
Giyu, severely injured, is focused on protecting Tanjiro, risking his own life. Akaza, preparing to attack Giyu, is stopped by his deceased fiancée's cry. His memories of his life become overwhelming, and Tanjiro wakes up to see Giyu in danger. Akaza questions his actions and regrets sullying what Keizo taught him. Ultimately, he uses his last strength to sacrifice himself, reminiscing about his past and his life with Koyuki.
Akaza was never truly an evil antagonist. On the contrary, he is a well-written adversary; in fact, Akaza's backstory adds depth to his tragic character arc. Even after forgetting his memories as a human, his feelings of empathy and remorse are still present.
The reason he's so obsessed with fighting and becoming stronger is a characteristic of his human self. Also, Akaza's unwavering love for his fiancée likely explains why he has never harmed or consumed women.
These characteristics, though subtle, prove that Akaza was a deeply sympathetic and morally ambiguous antagonist, as opposed to being traditionally evil. Akaza's death comes with a hefty dose of redemption, although some Demon Slayer fans may never stop hating him.
ALSO READ: Demon Slayer: What Is Nakime's Role In Muzan Kibutsuji's Plan? Explained
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