As Demon Slayer progresses, increasingly terrifying opponents threaten the demon slayers, with the recently animated “Swordsmith Village” arc introducing two Upper Moon demons for fan favorites to counter. Tanjiro and Nezuko Kamado, Genya Shinazugawa, and the Love Hashira Mitsuri Kanroji struggled when battling the unruly Upper Moon 4, Hantengu. He is one of the series’ most intriguing opponents to date, as all he preached directly opposed what the Demon Slayer Corps strives to maintain.
The Corps practice values such as self-mastery and stoicism, and while Hantengu claims to do the same, he is ignorantly blinded and convinced of his own self-righteousness. He believes himself to be the voice of reason to a god-like extent, but the reality is the opposite. His personality traits and self-serving beliefs make the demon one of the most despicable in the entire series, and one of the few enemies without a single redeeming factor.
Demon Slayers Practice Self-Mastery and Control
Throughout their challenging and harrowing training, one thing the Demon Slayer Corps strives to perfect is samurai-style virtues and beliefs. Self-mastery, stoicism, and inner peace all aid in the mastery of Breathing Styles, as many of their abilities stem from mindfulness. Letting passions run unchecked is what brings out the demon any person has the potential to become, so to avoid this, demon slayers must ensure they are self-aware of what could derail them and have the power to keep themselves on track.
The Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku seemed to have best mastered these virtues and was very at peace with himself. He was clearly a person with various joys and passions but managed to keep everything balanced and muster strength from them. He witnessed first-hand how his father’s passion for being the Flame Hashira burnt him out, and to avoid the same fate, Rengoku maintained his inner balance by recognizing and accepting the harsh truths of his situation. He overcame his shortcomings and put effort into maintaining his passion for being a worthy Hashira.
Meanwhile, Hantengu’s reckless abandonment of self-control made him demonically powerful. He let his emotions get so far from him that they manifested into their own uncontrollable physical forms, and even then no single one had enough power to be sustained for long periods. The Upper Moon is consistently spawning new things based on whatever frenzy he gets himself into, lacking any amount of peace or self-control—thus making him the polar opposite of the demon slayers.
Hantengu’s Evil Stems From His Ignorance
While he is one of the most heinous demons to date, Hantengu is only this way through his own volition. He made himself into a self-serving enemy because he is convinced by his own lies about his helplessness. This complete lack of self-awareness plunged him deeper into his ways and he grew out of control as, ultimately, Hantengu is selfish. Among other demons who were just victims of poor luck or circumstance, the ignorance of his actions and beliefs landed him in his position. This means that no demon slayer can find any empathy for the Upper Moon.
Hantengu’s final manifestation, Zohakuten, is undoubtedly the worst of his unchecked and unbalanced forms. Instead of rising above his shortcomings or trying to amend his past, he has become a deeper concentration on his uninhibited passions, making this form the most unhinged of all. Throughout the battle with Tanjiro, Nezuko, Genya, and Mitsuri, Zohakuten preached and protected Buddhist precepts while playing God, threatening those who defy him and claiming he is just.
From an outside perspective, Tanjiro was doing the right thing by attacking the tiny, helpless Hantengu, because if he didn’t, the demon would continue to kill innocent people. However, Zohakuten focused on how the strong were attacking the weak and called the demon slayers unjust, berating Tanjiro to the extent that he questioned himself. All the while, he is so ignorantly convinced of his self-righteousness that he fails to see he himself opposes his teachings.
Other Demons Have Reason for Redemption
While demon slayers and Hashira are adored for their dedication to their virtues, many demons also exhibit admirable traits. For instance, Upper Moons Akaza and Kokushibo have striven just as hard as any member of the corps to improve themselves, even praising opponents who present them with a challenge. Likewise, the siblings Daki and Gyutaro may have had a disregard for others, but they always stood up for themselves and fought to improve their circumstances.
Even the most loathsome of demons are self-aware enough to recognize their faults. Douma is quick to acknowledge his lack of passion, and the Train Demon Enmu was ashamed of his interests and lost his upper hand as a result. Gyokko was an artist who wanted to be appreciated, and even Muzan himself is perfectly at peace with who he is and what he wants.
Meanwhile, Hantengu has not a single redeeming feature. He is insidious, self-righteous, and ignorant, and is content with being this way. He has no desire to improve himself as his fellow Upper Ranks have, shows no impulse to improve his circumstances, doesn’t acknowledge his faults, and is utterly lacking in desires. In a lineup of demons the audience can empathize with—or even admire—Hantengu finds himself in a unique position. He is one of the very few demons unworthy of empathy or redemption.
The Demon Slayer Corps, and particularly the Hashira, have human faults but can remain righteous due to their virtues. They could easily succumb to their own emotions, but they choose not to, despite the trauma they regularly experience. Instead, they strive to better themselves and perfect self-mastery for the sake of their convictions. On the other hand, Hantengu lets his emotions run wild, even physically manifesting them. He has no values but claims to be the voice of justice and reason, destroying those in his path who oppose him. The Demon Slayer Corps represent all that Hantengu believes himself to be, but in reality, he is as evil as a demon can get without being Muzan.