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Oct 12, 2019 · 170 side by side images of the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Japanese cast (Show). Gallery view of the seiyuu and their characters.
Thus, as there's 3 chapters dedicated to Akaza's past, they will probably become an episode all by themselves. Basically, during his duel with Tanjiro and Giyu, Akaza hears a girl's voice, one that the audience hasn't heard before, but one he cherished a long time ago-Koyuki's.
- Overview
- Appearance
- Personality
- Abilities
- Fighting Style
- Battles
- Trivia
- Quotes
- References
(猗 (あ) 窩 (か) 座 (ざ) , Akaza?) is a major supporting antagonist of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. He is a demon affiliated with the Twelve Kizuki, holding the position of Upper Rank Three (上 (じょう) 弦 (げん) の参 (さん) , Jōgen no San?).
Over a century ago, Akaza was a human by the name of Hakuji (狛 (はく) 治 (じ) , Hakuji?), a prodigious martial artist who trained under Keizo while nursing his daughter, Koyuki, who would later become Akaza's fiancée.
Akaza was a very muscular young man of average height with skin so fair, it appears bright green-tinged white, decorated by a pattern of thick blue lines, which resemble the criminal tattoos he had as a human. Akaza had short, bright pink hair that fluffed out around his head, and inward-tilting yellow eyes with pink eyelashes and blue sclera that looked somewhat like cracked glass. The kanji for "Upper Rank" (上 (じょう) 弦 (げん) , Jōgen?) and the daiji for "Three" (参 (さん) , San?) are etched into his irises as well.
The lines on his face curved through each of his eyes from below his ears to over his temples, another blue line running from the center of his hairline to the bridge of his nose, with two more lines running around his neck, three others branching off the lower one to his torso. The middle line runs directly down his chest to halfway down his stomach, and the other two branched off to the sides over each side of his chest to join the two other lines, this same three-line pattern there also repeating around his waist. On his arms, there are lines running down the front of his shoulders that run into two more, which go around his biceps, before continuing to run down to his wrists, below which it could be seen that each of his fingers are also dark blue with an orange fingernail, his toes also sharing this unusual appearance.
Akaza wore little, only sporting a short, sleeveless dark purple-pink haori that was cut off at his waist, left open to expose his chest, that was decorated by a square pattern on his back. Below this, he sported a pair of baggy white pants that he rolled to just below the knee with a blue rope belt to secure them at his waist. Akaza prefers to go barefoot, but wears a chain of large round pink pearls around each of his ankles.
During his human days as Hakuji, he had the same hair, just colored black rather than pink, and pale blue eyes with unusually-colored pink eyelashes. He was also very muscular as a human, and, on each of his forearms, he bore three black criminal tattoos. He also wore a dark blue-gray yukata.
Akaza is a headstrong, stubborn and battle-crazed Social Darwinist who enjoys fighting, especially against strong Demon Slayers. He purposefully drew out fights so as to savor every moment of it, always complimenting his opponents when they unleash strong techniques or land blows on him, usually remarking that their techniques and swordsmanship are magnificent and intriguing. Akaza looked down on anybody he deemed weak, so much so that his skin would crawl at the sight of them. He genuinely respected those who were strong in his eyes, demanding to know their names, and would not stop until he finds out; he remembers all the names of strong past opponents and committed them to memory as tribute to their strength.
Akaza also presents an opportunity for those he recognizes the strength of to become demons, believing that preserving their refined techniques and skill was right and feels pain watching the deterioration of those blessed with extraordinary gifts as they age, and going so far as to kill them in order to preserve their magnificent skill himself should they decline his offer to become a demon. He also doesn't discriminate strong warriors that were weak before, as shown when he praised and complimented Tanjiro Kamado despite initially attempting to kill him over how weak he was during their first encounter, even going so far as to thank Kyojuro for Tanjiro's growth. Akaza believes strongly in Social Darwinism, believing that the law of nature dictates that all weaklings shall be eliminated.
Akaza has a deeply-rooted psychological need to become stronger, and did not get along with his fellow Upper Ranks, seeing them as his rivals. He is especially antagonistic towards and somewhat jealous of the two Upper Ranks above him, Doma and Kokushibo, lashing out at Doma and vowing to kill Kokushibo. Even after being beheaded during his fight against Tanjiro and Giyu Tomioka, he stubbornly held on and continued to fight, remarking that he must become the strongest no matter what, to the point of overcoming all demons' shared weakness of decapitation by Nichirin Swords through nothing but sheer willpower and resolve. It was later revealed that Akaza's desperate and stubborn pursuit of strength was to heal his sick father and to protect the ones he loved and cared about, namely his fiancée Koyuki and his teacher Keizo.
Akaza also possesses a deep hatred for his past life as a human, believing that it was absolutely worthless, and hated anyone or anything that reminded him of it, such as Tanjiro's own view of how the strong should help the weak and Giyu's unwavering resolve reminding Akaza of Keizo, both instances which he reacted to negatively.
As a human, Akaza possessed the same stubborn and resilient personality. However, as a human, his personality was also much more noble and kind, and even somewhat honorable. The only reason he committed crimes was out of sheer desperation, as he needed money to buy medicine for his father. Even after receiving countless beatings that would make a grown man go numb, Akaza's resolve never wavered, further declaring that he would endure those same beatings for a hundred years just for his father to heal, showing how much Akaza valued the well-being of his loved ones more than himself. This was also shown when he nursed Koyuki despite having no connection to her before, never even feeling that it was a burden before and declining her offer of going to see the fireworks instead of tirelessly nursing her.
Even after becoming a demon and losing his memories of his human life, parts of his human memories influenced his decisions; he refuses to eat or kill women, despite knowing it would make him stronger if he did so. Koyuki's name and hairpin influenced the shape and design of his Compass Needle technique, the martial arts style he uses as a demon was mainly inspired by the Soryu style Keizo taught him, and the naming of his attacks were based on fireworks, a reference to Akaza's promise to take Koyuki to see the fireworks after she was healed. His hatred of weak people and belief of Social Darwinism stems from a corruption of his human memories, where a rival dojo poisoned his dojo's well because they were never able to beat him.
Overall Abilities
As the third highest ranking member of the Twelve Kizuki, Akaza is an exceptionally powerful demon and the fourth strongest in existence, after Doma, Kokushibo, and Muzan Kibutsuji. Even as a human child without martial arts training, Akaza could defeat and knock grown men unconscious on his own, and at the age of 18, after learning the Soryu Style (素 (そ) 流 (りゅう) 式 (しき) , Soryū Shiki?) from Keizo, he was capable of singlehandedly annihilating 67 trained adult swordsmen with his bare fists, to the point where Muzan initially thought it was a demon who had killed all these men. Upon becoming a demon, his combat prowess only grew, eventually obtaining the title of Upper Rank Three among the Twelve Kizuki despite his growth rate being hindered by his refusal to eat women. Akaza was able to fight on par with the Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku and kill him, and has also killed numerous other Hashira and Demon Slayers in the past. Akaza was also able to simultaneously combat both the Water Hashira Giyu Tomioka and Tanjiro Kamado, a Hashira-level Demon Slayer, despite being outnumbered by the two and both of them utilizing their Demon Slayer Marks, dominating the majority of their battle and only losing to them once Tanjiro had accessed the Selfless State and Transparent World. Although Akaza was unable to defeat Kokushibo when he challenged him for his position of Upper Rank One, the latter decided to spare his life due to finding his challenge entertaining, suggesting that Akaza was at least able to give Kokushibo a decent fight despite the power gap between the two. Indomitable Will: Akaza possesses an immense willpower and an undaunted spirit. Despite being beheaded by Tanjiro's Nichirin Sword, he refused to disintegrate and die, instead forcing his headless body to keep fighting. He pushed his regeneration to evolve to the point where he could regrow his head, all because he simply refused to allow himself to lose. Even before he became a demon, he would relentlessly take blows from opponents way bigger than him and receive countless beatings all because of his goal to heal his sick father. Tactical Intellect: With over a century of combat experience and martial arts training under his belt, Akaza is able to fight effectively with foresight and tactical intelligence. This even surprised Giyu, who stated that Akaza could instantly evolve and adapt to any attack or technique that he uses, predict when his opponents will strike and how to counter them with equal power. Before he became a demon, Akaza has displayed natural aptitude in martial arts, shown when he was capable of beating up trained swordsmen from neighboring dojos while still in the midst of learning Keizo's Soryu Style. This is further exemplified when he could fight and defeat grown men without martial arts training.
Demon Abilities
Immense Regeneration: As Upper Rank Three, Akaza possesses one of the most incredible regenerative abilities ever seen, due to assimilating a massive amount of Muzan's blood. He was capable of instantly recovering from slash wounds both minor and severe and even limbs slashed off by his opponents with little effort. During his battle against Giyu and Tanjiro, his regeneration evolved even further as he didn't die even after having his head cut off by a Nichirin Sword and then completely regrew a new one afterwards, a feat considered impossible for demons except for Muzan Kibutsuji. Even without a head, Akaza's regeneration speed was still nigh-instantaneous. Furthermore, Akaza seems to be capable of finely controlling his own regeneration speed. This was shown on multiple occasions, such as when Kyojuro sliced Akaza's arm in two, where the Upper Rank slowed down his own recovery speed to show off his sliced arm only to heal the injury instantaneously, as well as when Akaza didn't heal a slash wound Kyojuro inflicted on his chest only for his regeneration to take effect as he placed his hand on it, as a demonstration that his attacks could never truly harm him as a demon. Most prominently, Akaza purposefully stopped his own regeneration after he lost the will to fight and accepted his defeat at Tanjiro's hands.
Physical Abilities
Immense Durability: As an Upper Rank demon of the Twelve Kizuki, Akaza's body is exceedingly durable as he harbors an extremely high concentration of Muzan's blood. During his fight with Kyojuro Rengoku, the Hashira had trouble cutting various parts of his body despite using a katana and possessing superhuman physical strength, showcasing Akaza's immense durability. Like all demons, Akaza's neck is much tougher compared to the rest of his body, so much so that Kyojuro only managed to cut two-thirds of his neck before the Upper Rank escaped, albeit Kyojuro was severely injured then. Immense Speed & Reflexes: Akaza is extremely fast, as shown during his fight with Kyojuro when he moves at imperceptible speeds, moving so quickly that even Tanjiro and Inosuke Hashibira couldn’t perceive his blisteringly fast movements, the latter even remarking that he was in "a different dimension." This is further exemplified from the fact that he could move in bursts of speed so fast that he appears to teleport, which he frequently displayed, managing to do so even for Tanjiro who can smell and discern future events. Akaza has shown to be more than capable of keeping up with the movements and reflexes of the Hashira, the most powerful and skilled combatants in the Demon Slayer Corps, and can even easily out-speed and overpower them. Even Giyu Tomioka, one of the fastest Demon Slayers, was instantly matched by Akaza in speed despite him awakening the Demon Slayer Mark just moments before. Immense Strength: Akaza possesses incredulous physical strength, which has been showcased multiple times, most notably when he punches or kicks, which is strong enough to break the ground and easily kill people. Every one of his strikes is strong enough to cause cuts, shatter ribs, smash eyes and later pierce the body of Kyojuro Rengoku, a Hashira who possesses above average durability. Akaza also easily broke Giyu's sword in half with a single side punch and completely shattered Tanjiro's Nichirin Sword with a flurry of punches. He was also shown to be capable of destroying the head and jaw of Upper Rank Two, Doma, despite the latter possessing higher levels of durability. Furthermore, Akaza could tear through the Infinity Castle with ease, even causing massive tremors in his wake. Combined with his Blood Demon Art, his strength is further increased, allowing him to cause craters in the ground by simply punching it. Even as an 11-year old boy, Akaza was able to completely knock several grown men unconscious in a fight with nothing but his bare fists and legs. At the age of 18, even before he became a demon, he was easily able to decapitate, dismember and mutilate 67 armed adult kendo masters with his bare fists, to the point that even Muzan thought that it was a demon who performed these feats. Unlimited Stamina & Endurance: Like all demons, Akaza possesses infinite stamina and vitality, never tiring and always remaining in optimal physical and mental condition all the time as well as being able to endure waves of onslaught as if it were nothing. In his battle against Kyojuro, his arm was split open by Kyojuro's Rising Scorching Sun, yet he remained unfazed by the slash, even complimenting his blade. Akaza's immense resilience to pain and endurance is most evident when Kyojuro unleashed his most powerful form on him; this time, Akaza's arm and head were sliced open and his torso was slashed twice. Despite the intense attack, Akaza seemed more focused on marveling at Kyojuro's technique rather than the damage he sustained. Additionally, throughout all his battles, he has never showed signs of pain or agony even after getting his limbs sliced off or when he was inflicted with numerous slash wounds and injuries, even those caused by Tanjiro's Hinokami Kagura which are known to cause pain even to Upper Rank demons, such as Daki and Karaku. Furthermore, Akaza is one of the only ones to withstand Tanjiro's headbutt without any signs of pain afterwards, even complimenting it. Prior to being transformed into a demon, Akaza demonstrated superhuman endurance at the age of 11, as he endured 100 consecutive beatings that could make a grown man go numb, thus earning the title of "Demon Child."
Master Hand-to-hand Combatant: Akaza's most notable attribute, both as a human and as a demon, is his extraordinary skill in unarmed combat and bare-fisted martial arts. Even before transforming into a demon, Akaza has displayed prodigious abilities and skills in hand-to-hand combat, being able to completely lay waste to several grown men at the age of 11 without any prior martial arts training. As a young adult, Akaza singlehandedly annihilated 67 adult kendo masters, brutally mutilating their bodies until they were mangled piles of flesh with his bare fists.
After becoming a demon, his hand-to-hand combative prowess was further augmented to the point he could fight effectively at speeds faster than the eye can see while fully utilizing his bare-fisted martial arts skills for both offense and defense against the most powerful of Demon Slayers. Furthermore, when combined with his Blood Demon Art and potent physical abilities, every single one of his punches and kicks become extremely lethal, with each blow being capable of shattering the ground or breaking ribs, making him an extremely dangerous opponent. That, combined with his centuries worth of martial arts experience makes Akaza nearly unparalleled in hand-to-hand combat.
•Soryu Style (素 (そ) 流 (りゅう) 式 (しき) , Soryū Shiki?): A bare-fisted martial arts style taught to him by Keizo, a martial arts expert, when he lived with him and took care of Koyuki. The Soryu Style utilizes both a user's arms and legs to unleash swift and powerful strikes that target an opponent's neck and weapon. At the start of a battle, the user begins by going into a stance performed by bending their knees in a half-crouch position, extending their right arm with a half-clenched fist facing his body and bending his left arm with an open palm or a nearly identical stance except they open their palm on their right arm while fully clenching their fists in a downwards bend on their left arm. After becoming a demon, he used the Soryu Style as his main inspiration of his Destructive Death (破 (は) 壊 (かい) 殺 (さつ) , Hakai Satsu?) martial arts.
•Bell Splitter (鈴 (すず) 割 (わ) り, Suzu Wari?): A technique where Akaza strikes a sword from the side as it is descending to break it with little effort. When he was a human, Akaza was most proficient in this technique, likely due to having fought the neighboring dojo's swordsmen and murdering 67 of them when he was 18, which would likely require him to utilize that move many times in order to overpower them.
Mugen Train Arc
•Kyojuro Rengoku vs Akaza
Infinity Castle Arc
•Tanjiro Kamado and Giyu Tomioka vs Akaza
•Akaza's alias contains the Kan'yo-on'yomi reading of the kanji for "gentle, docile" (猗 (あ) , a?), "cave" (窩 (か) , ka?) and the Go-on'yomi for "position, status" (座 (ざ) , za?).
•His name as a human contains the Go-on'yomi for "komainu" (狛 (はく) , Haku?) and "cure/heal" (治 (じ) , ji?).
•Due to the first kanji being the On'yomi reading of the kanji for "Komainu", it is easily mistaken for the kanji of "White" (白 (はく) , Haku?) or others of the same radical '白' and Hepburn pronunciation.
•Akaza's Compass Needle technique forms the shape of a snowflake, possibly due to the influence of his fiancée (Koyuki's name contains the kanji for "snow", and she wears three snowflake-shaped hairpins).
•Akaza is ranked 17th in the second popularity poll with 1982 votes.
•Akaza is the only member of the Upper Ranks to have encountered the people he knew in life while fading into ash. There are two members of the Twelve Kizuki who have been shown experiencing this, the other being Rui.
•(To Kyojuro Rengoku) "Let me tell you why you can't enter the realm of the highest. Because you're a human. Because you're going to grow old. Because you're going to die. Become a demon, Kyojuro. Do that, and you can go on training for a hundred, two hundred years. You can become stronger."
•(To Kyojuro Rengoku) "There were never any Flames among all the Hashira I've killed until now. And no one ever took me up on my offer, either. Why do you think that is? As a fellow martial artist, I just don't get it. Not when only the chosen ones can become demons!... Watching the hideous decline of someone blessed with extraordinary powers... it pains me! I can't bear it! Die, Kyojuro... while you're still young and strong."
•(To Kyojuro Rengoku) "Even if you fight to death, you can't win, Kyojuro. Those impressive slashes you inflicted on me... have already healed completely. But what about you? A smashed left eye, shattered ribs and damaged internal organs... all irreparable. If you were a demon, you'd heal in the blink of an eye. Those would be mere scratches to a demon. You can struggle all you want, but a human can never beat a demon."
•(To Tanjiro Kamado) "You misunderstand, Tanjiro. I only despise the weak. I only spit on weaklings. Yes. Weaklings make me sick. It is the law of nature that they be weeded out."
•(To himself) "Are the poor not even allowed to live? Father... To Hell with this world! To Hell with every last one of them! Why do these rotten people get to live but my father had to die? He wasn't a bother. What did he have to apologize for? My father didn't do anything wrong! I could take the punishment. They could whip me savagely or break all my bones... but I could take it for even a hundred years for my father's sake![...] My father was rapidly losing weight. His ribs were beginning to show through his back. I wanted to feed him something more nutritious. I was sure I could heal him. Why did he hang himself? I would have been happy to die instead, if it were for my father's sake. For my father!!"
•(In regards to Koyuki) "I will cure you for sure. Help you. Protect. My life was worthless, filled with nothing but empty promises."
1.Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 63 (Page 1).
2.Kimetsu no Yaiba Second Fanbook.
3.Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 63 (Page 3).
4.Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 153 (Page 19).
5.Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 155 (Page 5).
6.Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 155 (Page 2).
Apr 27, 2023 · Akaza was killed in a fight against Tanjirō and Giyū Tomioka, both of whom he praised. After evading death at the hands of Kyōjurō Rengoku, Akaza faced the Demon Slayers once again later in the story.
Explore the filmography of Koichi Akaza on Rotten Tomatoes! Discover ratings, reviews, and more. Click for details!
Akaza's spirit then reverts back to his human form as he cries and apologizes to Koyuki for failing to protect them. Koyuki tearfully welcomes Hakuji with open arms and the two embrace, as Koyuki seemingly accompanies Hakuji to hell.
Dec 31, 2023 · Akaza's Blood Demon Art is Destructive Death, which is the manipulation of shock waves in order to create greater damage and have attacks at a longer range. This, along with his mastery of...
