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Who Is Daki In Demon Slayer? All About The Underrated Character Of The Popular Series
Demon Slayer has a collection of interesting characters but Daki stands out amongst them as both a villain and a victim of circumstances.
This article contains spoilers from Demon Slayer anime
If you are a fan of Demon Slayer, then you are familiar with the character of Daki aka Ume, who was one half of the villain duo from the story’s Entertainment District Arc. And even though the anime has quite a few interesting characters with colorful and fleshed-out backstories, Daki stands out as not only a cruel villain but also a little sister and young girl who was a victim from a very young age.
Although weaker than her older brother Gyutaro, Daki is an extremely strong demon who makes up Muzan’s Upper Moon Six along with her brother. This sibling duo appeared in the Entertainment District Arc and acted as a contrast to Tanjiro and his sister Nezuko, whom he is very protective of. Even though Gyutaro does take away the focus with his similarities to Tanjiro, Daki is a very complex character who adds depth to the story.
Daki’s hunting style sets her apart from most demons
One of the most noticeable things about Daki is the way she hunts humans. Most of the demons that we meet throughout Demon Slayer usually kill humans and consume them instantly or massacre the bodies. However, Daki takes a completely different approach to hunting altogether.
As an Oiran, Daki is well-respected in the Entertainment District. She used her position of power to gain respect and her beauty to allure her prey, and captured her victims viciously, with her obi, which had a razor-sharp edge. But afterward, instead of eating them, she kept them wrapped up in clothes in an underground lair. Inosuke Hashibara was the one who saw this lair and was astonished. Despite having no real animalistic theme to her character design like Rui’s spider family or Gyokko’s octopus-like design, Daki was like a cunning spider who used underhanded tactics to pull her prey into her lair and store them for later consumption. This gave her character a complexity that not many others had.
Daki takes the Himedere archetype to the next level
There are a lot of character archetypes in manga and anime, and the most popular ones are tsundere, yandere, kuudere, etc. However, there is another archetype that is a bit more complex and not used as often, and that is the himedere. A himedere character is usually a girl who can be described as a wannabe princess. These types of characters are often seen as bratty and have a notion of self-importance which stems from more deep-rooted trauma and insecurities. In anime, these characters are often met with a person or situation that forces them to take a hard look in the mirror and come to terms with their life in a more healthy way than running away.
When it comes to Daki, we see that she had a really bad childhood. She lived on the outskirts of the Entertainment District with her older brother Gyutaro and had a mother who did not care about them. Even though she was extremely beautiful, she never had the respect or love she wanted. After that, the sibling duo almost died and was saved by the Upper Moon Two Doma, who made them demons. After being granted demonhood, Daki shed her original name Ume, and became this powerful Oiran who had control over others to compensate for her childhood.
She became really angry and frustrated when her clash with Tanjiro and the others left her feeling powerless. Even when Gyutaro came out to protect her, she continued with her angry persona and in the end was forced to look at the heart of the matter before her death. Even though Daki appeared on screen for only a few episodes, her character was easily one of the most layered and complicated ones in Demon Slayer.
Daki’s relationship with her brother
One of the central plot points of the Entertainment District Arc is Daki’s relationship with her older brother and fellow Upper Moon Six Gyutaro. He only came out when his sister was in grave danger and the rest of his character arc let us know that a vast majority of his life has been dedicated to protecting his sister.
Even though Gyutaro and Daki’s relationship was parallel to Tanjiro and Nezuko, their personalities were completely different. Gyutaro has a tsundere personality and sometimes behaves badly with her and yet protects her with everything he has. Daki on the other hand, ridicules her older brother due to his ugliness, but still loves him deeply. Their backstory showed us how Gyutaro protected his beautiful little sister Ume from every harm that came her way and continues to do so even as a demon.
Daki’s relationship with his brother is a layered yet beautiful one. Much like Tanjiro, Gyutaro protects his little sister with his life, but the way they go about doing it is vastly different from Tanjiro and Nezuko. In the end, their death brings them closer together and we see a glimpse of them in the afterlife where Gyutaro carries Daki on his back like always.
Even though often overlooked in favor of characters like Muzan, Akaza, Doma, and even her own brother Gyutaro, Daki has to be one of the most fleshed-out characters of Demon Slayer. Everything from her personality, character design, and her love for her brother makes the audience feel for her.
ALSO READ: Demon Slayer: What Happens To Tanjiro In Wake Of The Final Battle? Explored
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