Akaza

Akaza (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^?).^[3]

Over a century ago, Akaza was a human by the name of Hakuji (狛 (はく) 治 (じ) , Hakuji^?)^[4], a prodigious martial artist who trained under Keizo^[5] while nursing his daughter, Koyuki,^[6] who would later become Akaza's fiancée.^[7]

Appearance

Akaza was a very muscular young man of average height with skin so fair it appeared bright green-tinged white, decorated by a pattern of thick blue lines, which resembled 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 somewhat resembled cracked glass. The kanji for "Upper Rank" (上 (じょう) 弦 (げん) , Jōgen^?) and the daiji for "Three" (参 (さん) , San^?) were 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 ran 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 also repeated around his waist. On his arms, lines were running down the front of his shoulders that ran into two more, which went around his biceps before continuing to run down to his wrists, below which each of his fingers was also dark blue with an orange fingernail, his toes also sharing this unusual appearance.

Akaza wore little and only sported a short, sleeveless dark purple-pink haori cut off at his waist, left open to expose his chest, and 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 preferred to go barefoot but wore a pair of chains of large, round, pink pearls around 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 bore three black criminal tattoos on each forearm. He also wore a dark blue-gray yukata.

Gallery

Akaza's appearance as a human at the age of 11.

Akaza's appearance as a human at the age of 18.

Personality

Akaza was a headstrong, stubborn, and battle-crazed Social Darwinist who enjoyed fighting, especially against strong Demon Slayers. He purposefully drew out fights to savor every moment of it, always complimenting his opponents when they unleashed powerful techniques or landed blows on him, usually remarking that their techniques and swordsmanship were 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 found out; he remembered all the names of strong opponents of the past and committed them to memory as a tribute to their strength.

Akaza also presented an opportunity for those he recognized the strength of to become demons, believing that preserving their refined techniques and skill was right and feeling pain watching the deterioration of those blessed with extraordinary gifts as they age, and going so far as to kill them to preserve their magnificent skill himself should they decline his offer to become a demon. He also did not discriminate against strong warriors who 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 believed strongly in Social Darwinism, believing that the law of nature dictates that all weaklings shall be eliminated.

Akaza had a deeply rooted psychological need to become stronger and did not get along with his fellow Upper Ranks, seeing them as his rivals. ^[8] He was especially antagonistic towards and somewhat jealous of the two Upper Ranks above him, Doma and Kokushibo, lashing out at Doma^[9] and vowing to kill Kokushibo.^[10] 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.^[11] 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 possessed a deep hatred for his past life as a human, believing he was absolutely worthless, and hating anyone or anything that reminded him of it, such as Tanjiro's view of how the strong should help the weak and Giyu's unwavering resolve reminding Akaza of Keizo. During both instances, he reacted negatively due to his own grief of not being strong enough to protect Keizo and Koyuki despite his heartfelt promises that ultimately "amounted to nothing", which led to his obsession with becoming strong.

Akaza exemplified a stubborn and resilient personality as a human. However, he also possessed a noble, kind, and even honorable side. The crimes he committed were only driven by sheer desperation to obtain money for his father's medicine. Despite enduring numerous beatings, Akaza remained resolute, expressing his willingness to endure them for a hundred years if it meant his father's recovery. This unwavering determination showcased his deep prioritization of his loved ones' well-being over his own. Furthermore, his selflessness extended to his care for Koyuki, whom he nursed without any prior connection, declining her offer to attend the fireworks display in favor of tirelessly tending to her.

Even after becoming a demon and losing his memories of his human life, parts of his human memories still influenced his decisions; he refused to eat or kill women, despite knowing it would make him stronger if he did so.^[12] 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 targeted hatred of weak people and belief in Social Darwinism stemmed from a corruption of his human memories, where a rival dojo poisoned his dojo's well because they were never strong enough to beat him.^[13]

After recalling the entirety of his past, Akaza began regretting his actions both as a human and a demon. He realized he had never respected his father's words to live an honest life and tainted Keizo's precious Soryu Style by using it to murder others. He realized he hated himself for all of the times he was not there to save or protect those he loved, and that he really wanted to kill himself all along. Knowing that the people he wanted to protect had long since died, Akaza lost the will to continue fighting as his pursuit of strength was already for naught, and he decided to end his own life. In his final moments, Akaza showed that he still had a lot of humanity left in him, remarking that Tanjiro's technique was magnificent and that he had lost fair and square, even smiling and feeling gratitude towards him for reminding him of his past.

Abilities

Overall Abilities

As the third highest-ranking member of the Twelve Kizuki, Akaza was 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 render grown men unconscious on his own.^[14] At the age of 18, after mastering the Soryu Style (素 (そ) 流 (りゅう) 式 (しき) , Soryū Shiki^?) from Keizo, he singlehandedly annihilated 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.^[15] Upon becoming a demon, his combat prowess only grew, eventually earning him the title of Upper Rank Three among the Twelve Kizuki, despite his growth rate being hindered by his refusal to eat women.^[16] Akaza was able to fight on par with the Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku and kill him, and had also claimed the lives of numerous other Hashira and Demon Slayers in the past.^[17]

Akaza displayed remarkable skill by engaging in combat with both the Water Hashira Giyu Tomioka and the Hashira-level Demon Slayer Tanjiro Kamado simultaneously. Despite being outnumbered and facing opponents utilizing their Demon Slayer Marks, Akaza dominated the majority of their battle. He only succumbed to them once Tanjiro accessed the Selfless State and Transparent World. Even though Akaza was unable to defeat Kokushibo when challenging him for the position of Upper Rank One, Kokushibo spared his life, finding the challenge entertaining.^[18] This suggests that Akaza was able to put up a good fight against Kokushibo, despite the significant power gap between the two.

Indomitable Will: Akaza demonstrated extraordinary willpower and unwavering determination. He defied death even after being beheaded by Tanjiro's Nichirin Sword, refusing to succumb and instead continuing to fight with his headless body.^[19] His powers of regeneration evolved to the point where he could regrow his head, driven solely by his refusal to accept defeat.^[20] Even before becoming a demon, he endured relentless attacks from much larger opponents and sustained numerous beatings, all in pursuit of healing his sick father.^[14]

Tactical Intellect: Akaza possessed over a century of combat experience and martial arts training, enabling him to fight with exceptional foresight and tactical intelligence. Even Giyu was astonished by Akaza's ability to instantly adapt and evolve, predicting and countering attacks with equal power.^[21] Even before becoming a demon, Akaza demonstrated natural aptitude in martial arts by defeating trained swordsmen from neighboring dojos while learning Keizo's Soryu Style, doing the same to grown men before he even started training.^[14]

Demon Abilities

Immense Regeneration: As Upper Rank Three, Akaza possessed one of the most extraordinary regenerative abilities as a result of assimilating a massive amount of Muzan's blood, giving him the capacity to instantly recover from both minor and severe slash wounds, and even regenerate lost limbs with minimal effort..^[22][23][24] During his intense battle against Giyu and Tanjiro, his regenerative powers reached new heights. Despite having his head cut off by a Nichirin Sword, he miraculously survived and grew a new head afterward,^[25][20] a feat typically thought impossible for demons aside from Muzan Kibutsuji. Even without a head, Akaza's regeneration speed remained nigh-instantaneous.^[26] Additionally, he seemingly had precise control over his own regeneration speed, as evident when he intentionally slowed down his recovery to display his sliced arm and chest inflicted by Kyojuro then promptly healed the injury,^[27] illustrating the futility of his opponents' attacks on a demon. Most notably, Akaza deliberately ceased his own regeneration after losing the will to fight and accepting defeat at the hands of Tanjiro.

Physical Abilities

Immense Durability: As an Upper Rank demon of the Twelve Kizuki, Akaza possessed exceptional durability due to the extremely high concentration of Muzan's blood in his body. Even the powerful Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku, had difficulty inflicting significant damage on Akaza during their intense battle. Despite using a katana and exhibiting superhuman strength, Kyojuro struggled to effectively cut through Akaza's body, demonstrating the demon's immense durability.^[22] Notably, Akaza's neck, like that of all demons, was particularly tough, making it especially challenging to inflict fatal injuries. Despite a severely injured Kyojuro managing to sever two-thirds of Akaza's neck during their encounter, the Upper Rank demon managed to escape.^[28]

Immense Speed & Reflexes: Akaza's incredible speed was prominently displayed during his battle against Kyojuro. He moved so swiftly that even Tanjiro and Inosuke Hashibira could not perceive his movements, with Inosuke even remarking that Akaza seemed to be in "a different dimension."^[29] Akaza was able to move at such burst of speeds that he appeared to teleport, even managing to surprise Tanjiro, who had heightened sensory abilities.^[30] He demonstrated the ability to keep up with and outpace the Hashira, the most powerful fighters in the Demon Slayer Corps, including matching the speed of Giyu Tomioka, one of the fastest Demon Slayers, despite Giyu awakening the Demon Slayer Mark just moments prior.^[21]

Immense Strength: Akaza possessed incredulous physical strength, which had been showcased multiple times, most notably when he punched or kicked, which were strong enough to break the ground and easily kill people. Every one of his strikes was strong enough to cause cuts, shatter ribs, smash eyes, and later pierce the body of Kyojuro Rengoku,^[31] a Hashira who possessed above-average durability. Akaza also easily broke Giyu's sword in half with a single side punch^[32] and completely shattered Tanjiro's Nichirin Sword with a flurry of punches.^[33] He was also shown to be capable of destroying the head and jaw of Upper Rank Two,^[34] 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 was further increased, allowing him to cause craters in the ground by simply punching it.^[35]

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.^[36] At the age of 18, even before he became a demon, he was easily able to overpower, dismember and mutilate 67 armed adult kendo masters on his own with his bare fists,^[37] to the point that even Muzan thought that it was a demon who performed these feats.^[15]

Unlimited Stamina & Endurance: Like all demons, Akaza possessed infinite stamina and vitality, never tiring and remaining in optimal physical and mental condition indefinitely, enduring 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.^[38] Akaza's immense resilience to pain and endurance was 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.^[39] Additionally, throughout all his battles, he had 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,^[22][23][24] 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 was one of the only ones to withstand Tanjiro's headbutt without any signs of pain afterward, even complimenting it.^[40]

Before 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 moniker of "Demon Child."^[41]

Supernatural Abilities

Extrasensory Perception: Akaza possessed supernaturally enhanced sensory abilities that allowed him to perceive things beyond the normal range of human perception. In addition to sensing the auras of demons and humans, Akaza could also detect what he referred to as "Fighting Spirit (闘 (とう) 気 (き) , Tōki^?)", which encompassed a person's will to fight and their intent to kill.^[42] With this ability, he could assess the strength or weakness of individuals with just a glance,^[43] anticipate his opponents' attacks and weaknesses,^[44] and sense their presence within the environment, enabling him to react to attacks from unexpected angles and blind spots.^[45] According to Giyu, this ability enabled him to instantly evolve and adapt to any attack or technique, even allowing him to predict his opponents' movements and how to counter them with equal power.^[21] He was even able to locate Giyu and Tanjiro from a considerable distance.^[46] Akaza's senses were so acute that he could effectively fight and determine his opponents' locations even without a head, effectively making him deaf and blind, and overpowering Giyu in the process.

Fighting Style

Master Hand-to-hand Combatant: As his most notable attribute, Akaza possessed exceptional prowess in hand-to-hand combat and martial arts, both as a human and a demon. Even prior to his transformation, Akaza demonstrated exceptionally prodigious abilities in unarmed combat, effortlessly overpowering several grown men at the young age of 11, despite lacking any formal martial arts training.^[36] As a young adult, he singlehandedly annihilated 67 adult kendo masters with his bare fists, brutally mutilating their bodies until they were mangled piles of flesh with his bare fists.^[37]

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^[47] while fully utilizing his bare-fisted martial arts skills for both offense and defense against the most powerful of Demon Slayers. Furthermore, combined with his Blood Demon Art and potent physical abilities, every one of his punches and kicks became extremely lethal, with each blow capable of shattering the ground or breaking ribs, making him an extremely dangerous opponent. That, combined with his centuries' worth of martial arts experience, made Akaza nearly unparalleled in hand-to-hand combat.

• Soryu Style (素 (そ) 流 (りゅう) 式 (しき) , Soryū Shiki^?):^[5] A bare-fisted martial arts style taught to him by Keizo, a martial arts expert, when he lived with him and cared for Koyuki. The Soryu Style utilized a user's arms and legs to unleash swift and powerful strikes that targeted an opponent's neck and weapon. At the start of a battle, the user began by entering 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^[48] 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.^[49] After becoming a demon, Akaza used the Soryu Style as the main inspiration of his Destructive Death (破 (は) 壊 (かい) 殺 (さつ) , Hakai Satsu^?) martial arts.^[47]
  • Bell Splitter (鈴 (すず) 割 (わ) り, Suzu Wari^?): A technique where Akaza struck a sword from the side as it was descending to break it with little effort.^[50] 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 have required him to utilize that move many times to overpower them.

Blood Demon Art

Destructive Death (破 (は) 壊 (かい) 殺 (さつ) , Hakai Satsu^?): Akaza's Blood Demon Art revolved around martial arts, merging the manipulation of destructive shockwaves and the Soryu-style martial arts he mastered as a human. The shockwaves he controlled appeared in a striking blue hue and could manifest in various forms, such as nigh-invisible air pressure,^[51] circular energy-like shockwaves,^[28] or cannon-shaped spikes.^[52] He could generate them at will, from any distance, and seemingly any part of his body. In combat, Akaza infused his own punches and kicks with his shockwaves to amplify their destructive capabilities, enveloping his every strike in a faint blue light.^[22]

At the start of a battle, Akaza initiated his Blood Demon Art by deploying a special technique called Technique Development (術 (じゅつ) 式 (しき) 展 (てん) 開 (かい) , Jutsushiki Tenkai^?).^[48] Akaza started by going into a stance unique to the Soryu Style, which had two versions. He performed the first stance by bending his knees in a half-crouch position, extending his right arm with a half-clenched fist facing his body, and bending his left arm with an open palm; the second version was nearly identical, except he opened his palm on his right arm while fully clenching his fists in a downwards bend on his left arm.^[49]

Using the shockwaves of his Blood Demon Art and the Soryu Style, Akaza could attack his targets with destructive long-ranged barrages and precise short-ranged strikes. During his battle with Kyojuro Rengoku, he could keep the Flame Hashira at bay with his shockwaves, forcing him to close the gap and putting him in range of his bare-handed fighting style, which was to the Upper Rank's advantage. The shockwaves generated from his Blood Demon Art were extremely powerful, once being able to smash Kyojuro's ribs and even internal organs after he took a barrage of larger shockwaves head-on,^[53] the same Hashira who survived explosions being rained down upon him with insignificant injuries. Akaza could also use his Blood Demon Art in his kicks to generate additional destructive force to launch his opponents extremely far.^[54] More impressively, he could create countless shockwaves that surrounded his target with a hundred blows that struck them everywhere almost simultaneously.^[55]

His Blood Demon Art also included his crucial Compass Needle technique, essentially an advanced form of extrasensory perception that allowed him to sense a person's will to fight. With this information, he could instinctively aim for their vitals and weak points,^[44] determine their strength at a glance,^[43] predict his opponents' next moves,^[56] sense their location in his vicinity,^[56] enhance the lethality and accuracy of his punches and kicks, and evolve and adapt to their attacks over time.^[21]

Techniques

• Description
• Demonstrations

• Compass Needle (羅 (ら) 針 (しん) , Rashin^?):^[57] Akaza manifests a light blue snowflake-shaped compass underneath him with numbers ranging from 1 to 12. This technique allows Akaza to sense a person's "Fighting Spirit (闘 (とう) 気 (き) , Tōki^?)", a person's will to fight, which he uses to achieve numerous effects while in combat. Firstly, he is able to determine the strength of anyone at a glance, such as when he discerned that Kyojuro was a Hashira just by looking at him.^[43] Secondly, Akaza is able to detect the presence of his opponents in his immediate surroundings (even in his blind spots) and can use this to predict where and how his opponents will strike him.^[56] This technique also allows Akaza to tell where his target's weaknesses are located and instinctively aim for them.^[44] Furthermore, the precision of Akaza's attacks are greatly enhanced, to the point where Tanjiro stated that it was like magnets were pulling his fists towards his vitals, and even described them as having "unparalleled precision".^[44] This is hinted at when a slight scrape from his kick (even while his sword had blocked it) caused Tanjiro to bleed. Moreover, Tanjiro also stated that Akaza was able to pierce through any opening in his attacks without fail. Another trait of his Compass Needle allows him to reactively adapt to his opponent's attacks, learning to anticipate their techniques and attack forms and even strike back with equal accuracy over time.^[58] Additionally, the stronger a person's Fighting Spirit, the stronger the response of his Compass Needle. His Fighting Spirit detection is so accurate that he can find the location of Tanjiro in his surroundings^[59] and fight and overpower Giyu without a head, meaning that he is performing those feats while basically being deaf and blind.^[60]

• Air Type (空 (くう) 式 (しき) , Kūshiki^?):^[61] Akaza punches the empty air in front him while creating a shockwave that flies towards his target and hits them from afar. These airborne shockwaves can be created multiple times in quick succession and can be unleashed in the sky or on the ground.

• Disorder (乱 (らん) 式 (しき) , Ranshiki^?):^[62][63] Punching rapidly at the target, Akaza creates a barrage of large shockwaves, destroying anything in front of him. This attack was capable of matching Kyojuro's Flame Tiger technique.

• Annihilation Type (滅 (めっ) 式 (しき) , Messhiki^?):^[64] One of Akaza's most powerful techniques. Akaza crouches with both his arms at the side of his body poised to strike. He then lunges forward, creating two powerful circular shockwaves from the palm of his hands which he uses to strike his target with tremendous force. This technique was strong enough to rival through Kyojuro's most powerful attack, Rengoku.

• Leg Type: Crown Splitter (脚 (きゃく) 式 (しき) 冠 (かむろ) 先 (さき) 割 (わり) , Kyakushiki: Kamuro Saki Wari^?):^[65] A reverse, rising axe kick that produces a shockwave once it connects with the target.

• Leg Type: Explosive Flurry (脚 (きゃく) 式 (しき) 流 (りゅう) 閃 (せん) 群 (ぐん) 光 (こう) , Kyakushiki: Ryūsengunkō^?):^[54] A flashing flurry of powerful straight kicks so fast that they create afterimages, with each kick producing powerful shockwaves. This technique was powerful enough to launch Giyu an extremely far distance.

• Leg Type: Flying Planet Thousand Wheels (脚 (きゃく) 式 (しき) 飛遊 (ひゅう) 星 (せい) 仟 (せん) 輪 (りん) , Kyakushiki: Hyūsei Senrin^?):^[66] A kick that utilizes a flowing motion which strikes Akaza's target from below and launches them upward.

• Eight-Layered Demon Core (鬼 (き) 芯 (しん) 八 (や) 重 (え) 芯 (しん) , Kishinya Eshin^?):^[67] Akaza unleashes eight powerful punches, each strike creating large and strong shockwaves in a similar fashion to his Disorder technique.

• Crushing Type: Ten Thousand Leaves Flashing Willow (砕 (さい) 式 (しき) 萬 (まん) 葉 (よう) 閃 (せん) 柳 (やなぎ) , Saishiki: Manyōsen Yanagi^?):^[35] A powerful downward punch that delivers a large shockwave into the ground which expands outward.

• Final Form: Blue Silver Chaotic Afterglow (終 (しゅう) 式 (しき) 　青 (あお) 銀 (ぎん) 乱 (らん) 残 (ざん) 光 (こう) , Shūshiki: Aogin Ranzankō^?):^[55] Akaza's ultimate technique. Akaza unleashes an omni-directional barrage of countless thin and sharp shockwaves that deliver a hundred blows to his target coming from everywhere almost at the same time. This attack was so powerful that it could negate Giyu's Dead Calm technique, a move known for its immense defensive capabilities.

Game Exclusive Techniques

• Collapse (崩 (ほう) 落 (らく) , Hōraku^?)^[68] - Similar to his Ten Thousand Leaves Flashing Willow technique, Akaza leaps into the air and delivers a downward punch that shatters the ground.

• Disorder, Shatter (乱 (らん) 式 (しき) ・砕 (さい) , Ranshiki - Sai^?)^[68] - Similar to his Disorder technique, Akaza unleashes numerous straight punches in front of himself before sending his target flying with a shockwave-enhanced punch.

• Annihilation Type, Punish (滅 (めっ) 式 (しき) ・戒 (かい) , Messhiki - Kai^?)^[68] - Akaza deploys his Compass Needle technique before rushing to his target and delivering a multitude of powerful shockwave-enhanced punches and kicks before unleashing his Annihilation Type technique.

— Akaza's Blood Demon Art — Anime Manga Games Compass Needle Air Type Disorder Annihilation Type Compass Needle Air Type Disorder Annihilation Type Crown Splitter Explosive Flurry Eight-Layered Demon Core Ten Thousand Leaves Flashing Willow Flying Planet Thousand Wheels Final Form: Blue Silver Chaotic Afterglow Compass Needle Air Type Disorder Disorder, Shatter Annihilation Type Collapse Annihilation Type, Punish

Relatives

Battles

Trivia

• 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.^[69]
• Akaza's Compass Needle technique formed the shape of a snowflake due to the influence of his fiancée (Koyuki's name contains the kanji for "snow", and she wore three snowflake-shaped hairpins).^[70]
• Akaza is ranked 17th in the second popularity poll with 1982 votes.
• Akaza was the only member of the Upper Ranks to have encountered the people he knew in life while fading into ash. There were two members of the Twelve Kizuki who have been shown experiencing this, the other being Rui.
• Akaza was one of Muzan's favorites since he was loyal and serious.^[71]
• Akaza was the only demon of the Upper Ranks that does not use a weapon in combat.
• Akaza was the only demon of the Twelve Kizuki who refused to eat or kill women, and was given special permission to do so.^[72]
  • Despite his loyalty, Akaza never felt respect nor awe for Muzan. He only saw him as someone who gave orders and saw himself as someone who must obey.^[2]
• Before becoming a demon, Akaza's favorite and most proficient move is the Bell Splitter though it was uncertain whether this was still the case after his transformation.
  • His proficiency and favoritism of the technique was likely because of his negative relationship with the swordsmanship dojo next door.^[70]
• Akaza retained most of his human features as a demon, including his tattoos. As his crimes grew more and more by killing and devouring people, the tattoos from his arms spread more to symbolize the amount of crimes that he has committed.^[70]
• Many of Akaza's attacks and techniques were named after fireworks, a reference to his promise to Koyuki to see the fireworks.
• Akaza once battled Kokushibo for his position as Upper Rank One but was defeated. Despite most challengers being absorbed by the victor after losing, he was spared because Kokushibo enjoyed the battle.^[2]
• In Kimetsu Academy, Akaza is a third-year student and a member of the handicrafts club. From the time they were kids, he has been promised to marry Koyuki Soyama. He is her neighbor and their parents agreed to it. Their nicknames are Hime and Hakuji-Dono.^[73]
• In Hinokami Chronicles, Akaza can perform his Crown Splitter technique by doing his upper neutral combo.

Quotes

• (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."^[74]
• (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."^[74]
• (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."^[74]
• (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." ^[75]
• (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!!"^[76]
• (In regards to Koyuki) "I will cure you for sure. Help you. Protect. My life was worthless, filled with nothing but empty promises."^[77]
• (In regards to himself) "I became a demon, lost my memories and again began seeking strength. There was nothing left I wanted to protect. I didn't even want to continue living in a world without my family. For over a hundred years I committed pointless acts of carnage. It's a horribly sad... laughable... and ridiculous story."^[78]
• (To his family) "I'm home, father. I'm back. Master. Koyuki. I'm home."^[79]

References

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