Demon Slayer is a dark fantasy shonen anime where sword-slinging demon slayers risk their lives to kill demons. On the outside, this looks like a classic clash of good vs. evil, and true enough, demons prey on humans and contribute nothing to society. However, as Tanjiro Kamado quickly learned, most demons are vulnerable, needy victims deep down. Even Rui, the hand demon and Daki were like that.
The exception is Muzan Kibutsuji the demon king, who hasn’t demonstrated a shred of humanity, no matter his human disguises in Tokyo. He is the one demon that Tanjiro will never forgive or feel empathy for, likely because Muzan is evil by nature rather than by circumstances. Tanjiro feels sure that Muzan is evil because he’s Muzan, not simply because he’s a demon.
Why Muzan’s Evilness Doesn’t Stem From His Demon Nature
Demon Slayer, despite showing humans as prey and demons as predators, blurs the line between these two sides. These demons aren’t embodiments of fear like Chainsaw Man’s devils or even spirits like Bleach’s Hollows — demons look human because they once were human themselves. With Muzan being a likely exception in the Demon Slayer anime, all demons were once people who became supernatural creatures thanks to Muzan’s influence. Often, this process warps the person’s personality and buries their good side deep within, and the demon starts identifying more with their hunger and power instead.
Still, even the grotesque hand demon was once a sympathetic human who was close to his brother, and Rui just wanted a found family to ease his loneliness. These demons’ evil sides stem from their intense hunger and the arrogance that comes from their superhuman strength, which actually humanizes them somewhat. They are people who got carried away with their new powers, and once humbled in defeat, they show their human side again. They can be redeemed, but evidently, Muzan Kibutsuji himself cannot.
Muzan’s evil likely stems from his true nature and personality, not his demonic strength. Put another way, Muzan is evil because he is Muzan, and it’s his nature to be cruel, exploitative and selfish, demon or not. As the creator and king of all demons, all demonic evil traces back to him, and he knowingly turns people into abominations. Unlike Rui, Daki and the hand demon, Muzan didn’t need someone to save him with demonic powers. Creating demons and preying on humans was his own idea, which strongly suggests that he is evil by nature. Nothing about this was forced upon him, nor did he need someone to transform him into a demon to become a villain. He was likely born that way, the perfect progenitor for all of Japan’s evils.
How Muzan’s Evil Nature Might Stunt His Character Growth
If Muzan was born evil and his wicked nature doesn’t derive from his demonic essence, he may prove impossible for even the empathetic, forgiving Tanjiro Kamado to redeem. Given Muzan’s cold-blooded actions toward humans and demons alike in Demon Slayer, Tanjiro won’t even try to find Muzan’s good side, likely because there isn’t one at all — and this may make Muzan a relatively weak shonen villain in terms of plot.
The best anime villains are defined by more than their power and ambitions. Memorable, compelling villains have their insecurities, flaws and even slightly sympathetic or noble sides. Berserk’s Griffith wishes to unite the fractured Midland Kingdom under his rule to protect the citizens from the Kushan Empire, for example, and Vinland Saga’s Askeladd is desperate to protect the Welsh people from Viking aggression while seeking the fabled Avalon and King Artorious/Arthur. Even MHA’s Tomura Shigaraki is still a vulnerable, frightened kid deep down, and Izuku is sure that he can bring back Tenko Shimura and redeem him.
By contrast, Muzan has no semi-sympathetic goals or desires. So far in the Demon Slayer anime, Muzan’s origins and motives are partially shrouded in mystery, but there’s no sign that he is redeemable. He is evil through and through, and whatever his end goal is, it’s something Tanjiro can’t allow to happen. If Muzan ever had a human side, it’s long gone, and he is now nothing but a scourge on Taisho-era Japanese society. Muzan isn’t just an antagonist — he is the source of all evil in Demon Slayer’s world, and destroying him will stem the tide of darkness for good. Along the way, Tanjiro might learn from Muzan how to turn Nezuko back into a human — a secret that Muzan won’t give up easily. Tanjiro must therefore fight Muzan to the finish, and he owes it not just to Nezuko but absolutely everyone, even the demons he fights along the way.
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