Demon Slayer: Akaza Was Never Truly Evil
Akaza is a demon from the Upper Three and is among the most dangerous demons of Demon Slayer. But is he a villain?
Demon Slayer is a shonen that is action-oriented, that lets humans fight powerful demons for their survival. Normal people aren’t able to fight demons since there are only certain ways to fight them. The Demon Slayer Corps has been working in secret for centuries to eliminate all demons from the earth. The Hashira is the most deadly of the demons in the story. Akaza is a Lower Three Demon with twelve Kizuki is an example of this kind of demon.
Due to his terrifyingly powerful and vile part in the demise of Rengoku Hashira Akaza is among the characters most hated of Demon Slayer. Akaza is, however, an incredibly deeply-felt character with a tragic history.
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Akaza’s Values and Personality
Akaza is a ferocious demon who is awed by the powerful and is averse to weaker ones. He is so determined, he will go to all measures to defeat strong demon fighters and slayers. He soon became enamored of Rengoku in the Infinity Train Arc and requested that he become a demon and continue their battle for the rest of eternity. Akaza was a great companion to Rengoku and often asked for their names. He even introduced himself to them whenever they were facing worthy opponents. He could recall the names of all his adversaries throughout his time as an undead.
He’s not a member however he doesn’t like his fellow members. He views them as enemies and is very antagonistic to Doma the Second-Rank demon. Akaza is among the most powerful demons. But, he has certain beliefs that are not going to alter, regardless of the situation. For unknown reasons, demons in Demon Slayer gain greater strength when they eat females than males. However, Akaza has never eaten women or caused harm to the women. Doma once stated that Akaza could be more powerful when he had the option of eating women. His humanity is apparent in his refusal to sacrifice his humanity in exchange for power.
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A deeper look at Akaza’s Duel with Rengoku
The power of an Upper Moon Demon surpasses anything a human could ever imagine. Akaza was the very first Upper Moon to be officially introduced in Demon Slayer, and was battling the Hashira. He was a tyrant to Tanjiro who had already been defeated. Rengoku intervenes to save him. Akaza responds to the question of why it is that he would target someone who was already defeated. Tanjiro would hinder their discussion. Akaza was determined to make Rengoku become a demon, which would let them battle for many more years to become stronger. Akaza was truly amazed by the strength of Rengoku and their admiration for his skills.
He was aware that Rengoku could not beat him as a human despite being capable of regenerating in a matter of minutes. Akaza can regenerate within a matter of seconds, while Rengoku is eventually wiped out by the injuries he sustained. Both were fair in their battle. Akaza did not disrespect Rengoku and did not use the tactic of submissiveness.
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Tragic Backstory of Akaza
Akaza, as a human being, was known as Hakuji. He was raised in the poor slums of the city with his dying father who he deeply loved. Hakuji was not able to pay for his medication, so he took it from the residents of the town. He was always caught. He was assaulted by the magistrate and was given tattoos of criminals. He was later informed of the suicide of his father by the magistrate when he returned home after his third beating. The father wrote a letter to Hakuji and stated that he would like Hakuji to live a long and joyful life. He also said that he would not accept any medication taken from illegal activities.
Hakuji is ultimately removed from Edo and starts picking up useless fights with strangers. Hakuji encounters Keizo the dojo owner who is willing to take Hakuji under his wing to teach him martial art. Hakuji began to develop his abilities after two years in the dojo. He ultimately was in love and got married to Keizo’s daughter Koyuki. However, his blissful days were short-lived after one of the dojos that were competing affected his home’s water supply. After drinking the poisoned water, Keizo and Koyuki both passed away. Hakuji was informed of the incident and then fought the dojo’s sixty-seven members with bare hands and smashed their bodies. Muzan learns of the incident and proposes the possibility of transforming Hakuji into an immortal demon.
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The Real Nature of Akaza’s death reveals his true Nature
Akaza’s final battle in Demon Slayer was against Tanjiro, Giyu. He is once more impressed by the determination and strength of Hashira. Giyu requests Rengoku to transform him into a demon. Giyu doesn’t think twice about the idea. The fight against Akaza was not easy, even due to the strength of Giyu and Tanjiro. Even though both were seriously wounded, Akaza was strong. Akaza was able to see Giyu defend Tanjiro during the battle. The latter later passed away due to his injuries.
Giyu suffered serious injuries He was severely injured, but Giyu was determined to defend Tanjiro regardless of the possibility that he would be killed. Akaza can recall a few details of his time as a human, and also his friendship with Keizo. Akaza is ready to launch an utterly devastating attack against Giyu but the spirit of his wife can stop him from crying and asks him to put down his weapons. He began to think about his life as a human, and it was too overwhelming. At this moment, Tanjiro awakens to be aware of Giyu at risk. Akaza is unsure of Tanjiro’s actions and is disappointed in the lessons he learned from Keizo. He was elated as he left and resorted to his final strength to give up his own life.
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Akaza was not an antagonist with a bad character. Akaza is an excellently written antagonist, with an eerie backstory that adds the character’s depth. The feelings of empathy as well as remorse and compassion were evident even after he had lost his human memory.
The human nature of his character was what motivated him to fight and grow stronger. His love for his fiancée likely was a factor in his inability to hurt or devour women. Though subtle, these traits indicate that Akaza was an antagonist with a sense of empathy who was morally sensitive and ambiguous and not evil.