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“For over a hundred years, I committed pointless acts of carnage. It is a horribly sad…laughable…and ridiculous story.”
Demon Slayer is a simple story about a young boy trying to turn his demon younger sister back into a human being. It does not have a complicated plot. A typical Shonen Demon Slayer is as simple as it needs to be. But even with a straightforward storyline, it has captured the heart of millions. In Japan, Demon Slayer has become a part of their culture. Everyone, young and old, is a fan of the youthful Kamado Tanjiro’s adventure.
One endearing part of the manga is the enemies. Although demons are the contemptible enemies who eat guiltlessly and devour humans, they were once human. The progenitor of the demons, Muzan, destroyed families to create his spawn.
But when demons die, they remember the lives they once had. Remorse and regret attach a human element to these deadly beasts. The same can be said of Akaza. He is the fourth-strongest demon and the first of the Upper Six introduced in the series. The following guide is a deep dive into everything you need to know about Akaza.
Akaza: The Upper-Rank III Demon
Appearance And Physical Traits
Akaza is a tall demon with a muscular physique. Like other demons, he has light pale skin. The color of his hair Is bright pink, and it is spiky. His eyebrows and eyelashes have the same colored hair. As far as his eyes are concerned, they are yellow with a dark sclera around them. On the iris, the kanji for Upper-Rank Three is inscribed.
The whole body of Akaza is covered in tattoos in the shape of thick dark lines. Three of these tattoos in half-circles extend from his forehead to his jaw on his eyes. A single straight line runs from the top of his head to the end of his nose. Similarly, there are tattoos over his whole body.
A pattern extends from the circular marks around his neck, with a centerline continuing to his abdominals. Two other lines branch from the neck as well and reach his biceps. His fingers are dark, and the color of his fingernails is dark red.
Akaza wore the clothes of a martial artist. He wore a thin sleeveless jacket-like cloth that exposed his chest and abdominals. For the lower part of his body, he wore baggy white pants tied with a blue-colored rope belt around his waist. Around his ankles, he had bead anklets tied. Akaza did not use to wear any shoes.
Character And Personality
Akaza is one of the strongest demons. To become an Upper Rank, you need to have a strong desire for something in life. For Akaza, this was the need to become strong. His one goal was to keep perfecting his technique to reach the ultimate state of combat mastery.
For this, he was enthusiastic about fighting troubling opponents. In fights, Akaza was reckless, and he only showed prudence when it came to his neck, as losing the head means death for the demon. He aggressively smashed his opponents since he knew he could renew every part of his body and had endless stamina.
He detested the weak, considering them a waste of their time. But when he faced off with formidable foes, he was often intrigued even to admiration. Even against his allies, he had the urge to dominate them in a fight. However, when Akaza was a human, he did not seek strength for the sake of itself.
He cared for the humans close to him, even allowing himself to be injured in their stead. To protect them, he wanted to become stronger. But when he failed to achieve that, he lost interest in life itself. A peculiar aspect about Akaza was that he did not injure or eat women as a demon. This was due to his fiancé, who subconsciously affected his tastes even when he became a demon.
Abilities And Powers
Colossal Strength
All demons are more powerful than an average human. But an upper rank is multiple times stronger than the average demon. Akaza is one of the strongest demons. The immense strength that he possessed allowed him to easily shatter the bones and bodies of his opponents. A direct punch from him can leave even the toughest Hashira reeling.
Exceptional Reflexes
Because Akaza was a martial artist, he developed excellent reflexes to overpower his opponents. Even when he is moving at great speed, he perceives an incoming attack through his senses. This is due to the unique perception that he develops called Combat Spirit. He can smell any violent intent directed his way and reacts quickly.
Speedy Regeneration
Whether it is a tiny cut, or a whole limb flying off, Akaza can regenerate instantly. The quick regeneration also suits his fighting style as he is reckless in his aggression. Akaza’s regenerative powers are unique in terms of demons too. He managed to obtain the ability to regenerate even his head at the end. Another unique feature about him is that he can control the speed of his regeneration.
Inexhaustible Stamina And Endurance
Akaza does not feel any pain even when his limbs are cut off. In his fights, countless slashes are quickly regenerated without bothering him. Akaza is also indefatigable like other demons. His mental and physical abilities are always at peak condition. Combine this with his strong will, and Akaza becomes an absolutely formidable opponent to face at night.
The Art Of Soryu
Soryu is a type of karate that originated in Japan. It makes use of fists and aggressive combat stances. The master who took him in taught Akaza Soryu. He was a formidable master even as a human. But becoming a demon evolved his techniques. Furthermore, living for many years, his fighting style became more refined.
Battle Techniques And Special Moves
Akaza is a master of many techniques that uses his numerous abilities in consonance. The following is a brief description of some of his prominent attacks:
Compass Needle
The senses of Akaza are at their peak when using this technique. A snowflake-shaped compass manifests itself underneath his feet. This diagnostic technique also allows him to precisely assess and predict his opponents’ movements. Lastly, Akaza pinpoints the weak part of his opponent’s body through the compass needle.
Kushiki (Air Type)
Akaza possesses tremendous strength and technique. So if he concentrates his punches, he can send powerful shockwaves through the air. For a person adept at close combat, the Kushiki is an excellent long-range technique.
Ranshiki (Disorder)
One punch of Akaza is already deadly. But what about a constant barrage of them? The Ranshiki has Akaza create a tsunami of shockwaves to overpower his opponents.
Messhiki (Annihilation Type)
This is one of Akaza’s go-to techniques. To perform this, he extends both his arms to the side. With a forceful step forward, he brings together his arms to create a massive shockwave to overpower his opponents.
Saishiki: Manyosen Yanagi (Crushing Type: Ten Thousand Leaves Flashing Willow)
A smooth technique to affect the footing of one’s opponents. The ground is punched with an extreme force that creates a strong shockwave that expands in all directions.
Shushiki: Aogin Ranzanko (Final Form: Blue Silver Chaotic Afterglow)
This is Akaza’s most powerful technique. In all directions, Akaza sends out a hundred blows consecutively. The blows consist of numerous shockwaves, and this technique can break down the strongest of defenses.
The Tale Of The Upper-Moon 3 Demon: Akaza
Akaza makes his appearance later in the series. Nevertheless, he was a colorful character, to say the least.
His Origins
As a human, Hakuji (the human name of Akaza) was born poor to a sickly old man. His father could not provide for Hakuji due to his illness, but Hakuji still loved him. To buy medicine for his father, Hakuji resorted to thievery. He used to steal and pickpocket the people in his town. But he was caught three times.
The punishment for stealing was a beating awarded by the magistrate. Each time he was beaten, a circular tattoo was etched on his arms. When the offense was repeated for the third time, the magistrate threatened to cut off his arms the next time he was detected.
Hakuji did not want to relent to the magistrate. Nevertheless, Stealing was the only way he could provide for his father. Still, unfortunately, when his father learned of this, he committed suicide to let Hakuji think about himself.
Hope, Once More
Despondent and banished, Hakuji started beating people. But soon, men came to attack him in retaliation for his rampage. Hakuji easily beat them. A man who heard of his tremendous strength came, and he handily rendered him unconscious.
When Hakuji woke up, he took him to his dojo. The man was Keizo, and he taught him the Soryu style. In exchange, he asked Hakuji to look after his sick daughter, Koyuki. When Koyuki convalesced and became older, Keizo asked Hakuji to marry her and inherit the dojo.
But the other dojos were envious of the Soryu dojo. They unscrupulously challenged them, but Akaza and Keizo easily defeated them. To take their revenge, they poisoned the well of the dojo when Hakuji was out visiting his father’s grave. However, both Keizo and Koyuki fell victim to their scheme.
Becoming Akaza
Filled with rage, Hakuji slaughtered the sixty-seven members of the rival dojo to the point where it was difficult to discern whether it was done by a human or a demon. When Muzan heard of this, he visited Hakuji in hopes of turning him into a powerful subordinate.
Hakuji did not care anymore, and he lost everything he cared for. His only regret was not strong enough when Muzan started pumping his blood into him. This regret formed his personality as a demon. As a demon, Akaza lost his memories, and he only knew that he had a desire to have unmatchable strength. Due to his memories as a human, he subconsciously did not harm women. But he was still a very loyal demon to Muzan.
Facing Off With The Flame Hashira: Kyojuro Rengoku
When Enmu was defeated by Kyojuro, the Flame Hashira, and his allies, Akaza appeared. Akaza commended the strength of Kyojuro and offered him to become a demon. Of course, Kyojuro rejected the offer. The two then engaged in a fierce battle.
Akaza kept getting cut, but he was unbothered due to his demonic abilities. On the other hand, Kyojuro was at his peak initially, but he kept losing his strength as the battle progressed. However, the Flame Hashira held his ground, even against the third strongest demon.
Although, the minor injuries kept adding up. Akaza managed to deliver a deadly blow to the solar plexus of Kyojuro. But at the same, he is deeply slashed from his torso to his neck. Akaza punched with his free hand that the Flame Hashira caught. The sun begins to rise, and Akaza attempts to escape.
In haste, he ripped his arm stuck inside Kyojuro’s body. Inosuke attacked but was sent away by Akaza by the shockwave created by his stomp. Soon he is free and runs towards the woods. As he was running, Tanjiro threw his sword at him piercing his chest and calling him a coward for running away. Akaza is irritated and vows to take revenge on the brats later on.
Entertainment District Arc
When Akaza reported to Muzan that he had defeated a Hashira, Muzan reprimanded him for not doing enough. He implied that Akaza failed. This angered Akaza heavily, and he vowed to crush Tanjiro’s brain the next time they met.
After some time had passed, Muzan held a meeting among the Upper Moon Demons as Gyutaro had died. Muzan showed disdain that the Upper Moon Demons had become worthless. Akaza felt the disappointment heavily and took his frustration out on Doma. However, Kokushibo reprimanded him. Feeling annoyed, Akaza rushed out of the castle.
The Final Battle Of Akaza
Giyu and Tanjiro were running into the castle to find Muzan. But Akaza intercepted them. Both the demon slayers heard that one of their comrades had died. Akaza also had a history with Tanjiro, so he was fiercely attacked by him.
Akaza noticed that Tanjiro had considerably grown since the last time they met. Both Giyu and Tanjiro threw everything they had at Akaza. But Akaza overwhelms their attacks one by one. Akaza’s strategy was to separate the two so that they did not overwhelm him. He sent Giyu flying with a punch to face Tanjiro alone and exact his revenge.
Throughout the fight, Akaza felt something wrong with Tanjiro. A sort of discomfort seemed to be in his chest. He wanted to end the battle with Tanjiro as soon as possible. Through his abilities, he overpowered the young demon slayer. When Giyu made his return, Akaza chipped away at the strength of Water Hashira too.
During the struggle, though, Tanjiro discovered a new method. He went blank and turned off his homicidal desire. Tanjiro was invisible to the Compass Needle behind his back. Using a skillful attack, Tanjiro separated Akaza’s head from his shoulders.
But Akaza’s indomitable will refused to surrender. He stood on his feet and attempted to regenerate even as his head was chopped off. This was a feat only achieved by Muzan. But due to the severance of his head, memories of his life as a human rushed back.
He realized that he had lived a pathetic life. Even though he reached a new stage of demon hood, he forsook it all. Akaza wanted to obtain strength for the sake of someone else. And that someone else was no longer alive. Akaza let go of his life and soon faded into dust.
Characters Who Had A Deep Impact On Akaza’s Life
His Late Father
When human, Akaza was close to his father. Even though he was always bedridden, Akaza never hated his father. But due to his poor health, he needed medicine. Akaza became a thief to buy his father the required medication. But his father hated seeing his son beaten up.
He knew Akaza was strong, and he could become so much more if he was not a burden on him. To allow Akaza to live his own life and focus on himself, his father committed suicide. This harmed his mental health, and he became depressed with life. Akaza wanted to tell his father about his good fortunes as happiness began to sneak back into his life. Akaza apologizes for not having enough strength and becoming a demon in the hereafter.
Koyuki
Like his father, Koyuki was a sickly young woman. She could not even get herself dressed. But Akaza nursed her back to help. He also gave her hope for a future life where she would be healthy, creating intimate feelings within Akaza. Even after becoming a demon, his feelings for Koyuki remained within his subconscious. This is why he did harm or eat women. This could also be why he and Doma did not get along well, whereas the latter ate only young women.
When Tanjiro decapitated Akaza, he regenerated his head. He would have become a more powerful demon, but Koyuki echoed inside his head. It was enough for Hakuji, and he could let go now. In the afterlife, the two embrace each other, and Hakuji is accompanied by her to hell.
Keizo
Keizo was the master of the young Hakuji. When the latter had lost all hope in life, the always smiling Keizo came to his rescue. Hakuji thought he did not deserve a second chance, and Keizo disagreed with him. He gave him a roof and dignity and taught him his Soryu style.
The two shared a kind of father-son bond. When Hakuji was older, Keizo asked him to take over his dojo and marry his daughter. This shows how much he respected and trusted Hakuji.
Muzan Kibutsuji
Muzan is the series’ main antagonist, and he is responsible for unleashing armies of demons across the globe. To him, nothing is sacred, and even the subordinates he spawns are tools to achieve his ultimate goal of immortality. But due to the demon’s blood, Akaza was loyal to Muzan, and he also feared him tremendously.
But at the end of his life, Akaza broke the hold of Muzan. Muzan wanted Akaza to evolve and defeat his opponents. However, Akaza had had enough, and he only wanted to die then.
Tanjiro Kamado
Tanjiro is the protagonist of the series. He is a straightforward child that does not wish ill even upon his opponents. At first, Akaza thought of Tanjiro as a weakling. But Tanjiro grew considerably in a short time to rival the strength of Akaza.
More than his strength, the words of Tanjiro affect Akaza. A faint glimmer of his memories returns due to the kindheartedness of the young man. This disturbs Akaza. So he wants to destroy Tanjiro as soon as possible. But he fails. And in the end, it was Tanjiro who killed Akaza.
Trivial And Fascinating Facts About Akaza
Why is the Compass Needle technique in the form of a snowflake?
That is not entirely clear. Most theorize that the fiancé of Akaza, Koyuki, had snow in her kanji. This theory is further given weight by the snow-shaped hairpins that she used to wear. Another theory is the marks on his body that resemble a snowflake. Still, some say it is only for aesthetic purposes.
What do the tattoos of Akaza symbolize?
As a human, tattoos were etched on his arms to show his crimes of stealing and pickpocketing. When he became a demon, his tattoos grew with each crime he committed against a human and eating them. In the end, however, for his evil deeds, Akaza went to hell.
What does the name Akaza mean?
The name Akaza reflects part of his personality. It consists of kanji meaning, admiration, hiding, and constellation. The admiration comes from him respecting formidable opponents. Hiding as he runs away after facing Kyojuro when the sun starts to rise. And constellation, as he is loyal to Muzan.
FAQs
Question: What other Hashiras can Akaza beat?
Answer: There is no doubt that Akaza is one of the most powerful demons. Throughout his time as a demon, he had defeated numerous Hashiras. He holds back Giyu and Tanjiro, both at Hashira level in the series. This means that in a one-on-one fight, he can beat every Hashira, as long as the sun does not come out.
Question: Why was Akaza introduced so early?
Answer: The author wanted to create steaks. He also wanted to develop emotions against Akaza and demons in general. The Flame Hashira had proved himself to be a respectable fellow in the Mugen Train arc. Demons’ cowardice was evident when they fled after defeating him. His strength also starkly contrasted with the weakness of Tanjiro.
Question: What would Akaza be like as a Demon Slayer?
Answer: Supposing that demons had killed Koyuki and Keizo instead of rival dojos, Hakuji would have attempted to hunt down Muzan. But he would not use typical swords. Most probably, knuckles with Nichiren blades would be his preferred weapons. As far as his breathing technique is concerned, he used the Rock Breathing Technique.
Akaza Demon Slayer Character Guide: Final Thoughts
Demon Slayer has a simple story. But this tale has resonated with millions. A culture has revolutionized in Japan due to the popularity of Demon Slayer. To put it into perspective, it is the 9th highest-selling manga of all time with only 23 volumes.
Its average sale per volume is 6.52 million, the highest by far. There are many reasons for its popularity, and one is the fascinating villains and their abilities. Akaza is one of those villains. Most people hate Akaza at the start. But as his tragic backstory is revealed, it tugs at many’s heartstrings.
He plays a vital role in the story development. The regret after dying also demonstrates the simple element that evil is punished in the end. Such simplicity is why many adore Akaza: the Upper-Rank III Demon.