The end of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train left many heartbroken. It featured the death of one of KNY’s most beloved characters. Rengoku Kyojuro was a character many looked forward to seeing more of. Unfortunately, he was chosen as the victim to ground the series’ realism and raise the stakes. His death came swiftly and unexpectedly, leaving the audience and Tanjiro reeling! In place of Rengoku was a demon that many would come to despise. Akaza is an interesting character who would seldom appear in the series. That is until the final arc.
In this article, let’s talk about Akaza. Here we shall discover the short history behind him and determine who killed Akaza. Spoilers ahead, and I do mean mega spoilers ahead!
Who is Akaza? A Summary of the Upper Three Demon!
Let’s go over a quick recap of what we know! Akaza is a demon with the rank of Upper-Rank Three among Muzan’s demons. He is one of the strongest demons to ever exist and is responsible for Rengoku’s death. During his first appearance, his strength proved to be too much for Rengoku and Tanjiro. At the time, Rengoku was already a strong Hashira, yet he was killed. This demonstrated how strong Muzan’s demons were and introduced the needed tension to the story!
We don’t see him again until later on. We discover more about him during the Infinity Castle Arc. During this time, we see how he lived and how he died. Here, we find out that Akaza wasn’t as bad as we thought him to be. From an initial battle and power-hungry maniac, he turned out to be a lost lamb. He once valued human life and deeply cared for those he loved. Akaza was selfless and sacrificed his own needs and wants. All to make sure his father and fiancé would recover.
When they all died due to sickness, he lost his way due to grief. He lamented his weakness and that he wasn’t strong enough to help them. He met Muzan and was turned into a demon during his grieving process. Muzan’s blood intensified his worse aspects and negative feelings. His desires were distorted, and he developed a disdain for the weak. Thus, we got the Akaza we see today.
Who Killed Akaza? Tanjiro’s Revenge… But Not Really!
If there’s one thing we should know about Tanjiro, it’s that he is a kind soul. Even towards his mortal enemies, he couldn’t help but try to see the good in them. This would factor in Akaza and lead to the man’s demise. Through Tanjiro’s words, he was able to convince Akaza to stop. The latter realizes the sins he committed as a demon and chooses to atone by death.
How Does Akaza Die?
The story of Akaza’s death is a short one, but the process of getting there is long. In the series, it spanned from Chapters 146 to 156 as part of Muzan’s invasion. He was the one to come across Tanjiro and Giyu when the two characters were trying to find Muzan. A fight ensues as Tanjiro and Akaza engage with heated motivations. On Tanjiro’s side, a chance finally came to him to avenge Rengoku! On the other hand, Akaza was pissed that Tanjiro was still alive. To his eyes, a weakling like Tanjiro should’ve died a long time ago.
The Grand Battle Part 1 – Establishing Strengths!
Akaza would be proven wrong when Tanjiro cut him by surprise. The attack made him acknowledge the boy. He wasn’t that weak after all! Unfortunately for Tanjiro, this meant that the kiddie gloves must come off. Akaza engaged Giyu and Tanjiro with his Technique Development activated. His killing intent filled the room and added more to the pressure of facing an Upper-Rank. It would be a hard-pressed battle for the demon slayers. With every technique they pulled off, Akaza was able to reply in kind. He weaved through Giyu’s Water Breathing and Tanjiro’s Hinokami Kagura.
Giyu would not be able to stand the onslaught. After all, he is not the main character in this battle! Yet anyway. Akaza kicked him away and left only him and Tanjiro left. The two engage in trash talk, but it mainly was Akaza spouting his philosophy. His “strong over the weak” mindset enraged Tanjiro and caused the man to spill out. Borrowing the power of Naruto’s Talk-No-Jutsu, he was able to remind Akaza that he, too, was weak before.
This reeled Akaza into a memory of his mentor, Keizo, before shaking it off. However, Tanjiro already did his work. For the remainder of the battle, Akaza would be angered, and memories would flock to him aplenty. Giyu would rejoin the fight after Tanjiro’s attempt at decapitation.
The Grand Battle Part 2 – The Mark-ening!
The uphill battle would always push people’s limits. In this case, Giyu had his broken and experienced the Demon Slayer Mark phenomenon. Carried by adrenaline and anger towards Akaza, Giyu’s mark manifested. The previously hard-pressed battle turned even as he was able to get around Akaza’s attacks. The two would fight for a long time while Tanjiro watched from the side.
The oldest Kamado sibling wasted no time. During the battle, he analyzed Akaza’s techniques and pulled a very Shounen move. In his critical moments, Tanjiro recalled a technique his father taught him. Using the “Transparent World” technique, Tanjiro was able to swing the battle. While Giyu served as a distraction, Tanjiro’s Demon Slayer Mark manifested. With his Nichirin sword and techniques, he decapitated Akaza.
You’d think Akaza would be dead by then, but no! Through Akaza’s sheer will to live, he was able to survive decapitation. He moved to reattach his head back to his body while fighting back. The demon’s spirit would win the battle of attrition between the three fighters. Tanjiro was too exhausted after using his Demon Slayer Mark. This forced Giyu to switch priorities to protect him instead.
The Grand Battle Part 3 – Finale!
However, there wasn’t any need to. Watching Giyu do his hardest to protect Tanjiro forced more memories on Akaza. He remembered his fiancé and his master’s lessons. Realizing that he had sullied his master’s name and techniques, he grieved and regretted it. Through the memories of his loved ones, Akaza did the right thing. Turning his techniques against himself, he chose to end his life. He passed away peacefully with his father, Keizo, and fiancé Koyuki, escorting him to the afterlife.