The following contains spoilers for the ending of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.
Demon Slayer is an action-centered shonen in which humans fight against powerful demons for their survival. Since there are specific methods to succesfully fight demons, ordinary people cannot properly fight against them. That is why the Demon Slayer Corps have worked in secret for centuries to rid the world of all demons. Ranking above the many dangerous foes featured throughout the series, there is a group of demons that even the strongest of Demon Slayers, the Hashira, cannot defeat alone. One such demon is Akaza, an Upper Three Demon of twelve Kizuki.
Akaza is one of the most hated characters in Demon Slayer for being the terrifyingly powerful force that killed the fan-favorite Hashira, Rengoku. However, Akaza is a surprisingly deep character with a tragic backstory of his own.
Akaza’s Personality and Values
Akaza is a stubborn demon who respects the strong and despises the weak. So much so, that the demon goes out of his way to challenge powerful fighters and demon slayers. In the Infinity Train Arc, he quickly took a liking to Rengoku, begging him to become a demon so the two could continue dueling forever. Whenever Akaza would face off against oponents he deemed worthy, he would ask for their names and even introduce himself as a form of respect. He remembers the name of every opponent he has fought against throughout his life as a demon.
Though he is a member of the Twelve Kizuki, he doesn’t get along with his peers. He views them as rivals, and is exceedingly hostile towards Kokushibou, the Upper-Rank One demon, and Doma, Upper-Rank Two. Despite being one of the strongest demons, Akaza posseses certain values that he sticks to, regardless of the circumstances. For unknown reasons, demons in Demon Slayer gain more strength from eating females as compared to eating males, however, despite that, Akaza has never devoured any women, or causes harm to them in any way. Doma once mentioned that if Akaza agreed to devour women, he would be strong enough to surpass him. Akaza’s quality of not stooping to any means necessary for power stems from the clear remnants of his humanity.
Looking Deeper Into Akaza’s Duel With Rengoku
The strength of an Upper Moon Demon is far beyond what any human can ever comprehend. Akaza was the first Upper Moon to be formally introduced in Demon Slayer and face off against the Hashira. His first move was to attack Tanjiro, who was already downed, but Rengoku jumps in to save him. When asked why he would attack somebody who’s already been defeated, Akaza states that he despises weak humans, and Tanjiro would only get in the way of their conversation. Akaza wanted to make Rengoku a demon so that they could fight for hundreds of years, so that they can both continue to grow stronger. Akaza genuinely admired Rengoku’s strength, and was impressed with his skills.
Despite that, he knew that Rengoku wouldn’t realistically be able to defeat him as a human. Akaza can regenerate in seconds, while Rengoku’s injuries will inevitably overtake him. The fight between the two was fair, Akaza never disrespected Rengoku, nor did he resort to underhanded tactics.
Akaza’s Tragic Backstory
As a human, Akaza was known as Hakuji. He was born and raised in the slums, with a sickly father he cared for deeply. Being unable to afford medicine, Hakuji had no choice but to steal from the town’s people, continuously getting caught. The magistrate would punish him by beating him down and marking him with criminal tattoos. After returning home from his third beating, he was informed about his father’s suicide. In a letter left by his father, he stated that he wanted Hakuji to live a full life, telling Hakuji he didn’t want medicine that had been earned through immoral activity.
Eventually, Hakuji is banished from Edo, and starts picking meaningless fights with strangers. He meets Keizo, a local dojo owner who took Hakuji under his wing and taught him martial arts. After two years of staying at the dojo, Hakuji’s skills improved, and he eventually fell in love with Keizo’s daughter, Koyuki. Sadly, his blissful days didn’t last, as one of the rival dojos poisoned the drinking water in his home. Keizo and Koyuki died shortly after drinking the poisoned water while Hakuji was away. Upon hearing the news, Hakuji fought with all the sixty-seven members of the rival dojo barehanded, pulverizing their corpses. Muzan learns of this incident and offered to turn Hakuji into a demon.
Akaza’s Death Reveals His True Nature
Akaza’s second and final fight in Demon Slayer was against Tanjiro and Giyu. Once again, seeing the strength of a Hashira greatly impresses him. He asks Giyu to become a demon, and much like Rengoku, Giyu refuses without a second thought. Even with the combined strength of Giyu and Tanjiro, fighting against Akaza was extremely challenging. The duo was greatly injured, and Akaza was still standing strong. As the fight went on, Akaza witnessed Giyu protecting Tanjiro, who passed out from his injuries.
Though Giyu was also severely injured, he was intently focused on protecting Tanjiro, even at the risk of losing his own life. This gives Akaza vague memories of himself as a human and his life with Keizo. As Akaza prepares to launch a devastating attack against Giyu, he is stopped by the spirit of his deceased fiancé crying and pleading with him to stop. He started remembering his life as a human, which became too overwhelming for him. During this, Tanjiro wakes up and sees Giyu in danger. As Tanjiro jumped in to protect Giyu, Akaza questions his actions, and regrets sullying what Keizo taught him. In the end, he had a smile of gratitude on his face, and uses the last of his strength to sacrifice himself.
As it turns out, Akaza was never truly an evil antagonist. Akaza is a well-written adversary, and his tragic backstory adds depth to his character. Even after forgetting his memories as a human, his feelings of empathy and remorse were still present.
The reason he was so obsessed with fighting and becoming stronger was a characteristic of his human self. Also, Akaza’s unwavering love for his fiancé likely contributed to the reason he never harmed or consumed women. These characteristics, though subtle, prove that Akaza was an antagonist that was deeply sympathetic and morally ambiguous, as opposed to being traditionally evil.
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