Every Shounen needs a compelling villain. In this case, Kimetsu no Yaiba went with the unstoppable force trope. Muzan is a huge threat whose presence could be felt in the entire series! Each demon the gang fought was a demon indirectly made by him. With such a hulking juggernaut, it made sense for him to have the biggest fight in the series. Which certainly did happen! Spanning multiple chapters, the Demon Slayers fought him tooth and nail. In each bout, Muzan always seemed to have the upper hand. He was unkillable, a great demon that made even the Hashira quiver!
Sadly, this was a Shounen series. Great villains like Muzan will inevitably fall at the hands of the protagonist. We see this happen in other series, but there is something that made Muzan’s defeat all the more satisfying. In this article, we will be talking about who kills Muzan. Or, more precisely, the people responsible for killing Muzan!
Who is Muzan?
Since I talked about the Hashira in their death articles, it makes sense I do the same for Muzan! Kibutsuji Muzan is the strongest demon in existence. He was the ruler of all demons, the progenitor, the one solely responsible for mankind’s suffering. In pursuit of his twisted goal, he would step over other people’s lives. His insensitive and cruel nature made him the perfect demon!
However, was Muzan always like this? Yes, yes, he has! Ever since he was young, he was already sick in the head. And body! He was frail as a child and was diagnosed with a disease. The latter was said to kill him before he could even reach the age of 20. A doctor would prescribe medicine to him to turn him into a demon.
At first, nothing happened. Enraged by the lack of results, he killed the doctor. He showed no remorse for his actions. Even after the medicine worked, he only regretted that the doctor was unable to administer the full treatment. Not that he took the doctor’s life. He lamented being unable to walk under the sun. That he, a now perfect being, had a glaring weakness. Since then, he infected other demons in his pursuit to finish the cure.
Does Muzan Die in Demon Slayer?
Muzan was immortal in Demon Slayer and couldn’t die. Not until Tanjiro’s efforts put him to rest. He finally dies near the end of the series.
Who Kills Muzan?
It is hard to answer this question. After all, it wasn’t a singular person who killed Muzan. Multiple people chimed in to make sure that Muzan finally dies! The names of these people are as follows:
- Tamayo
- Tsugikuni Yoriichi
- Yushiro
- Nakime
- Kocho Shinobu
- Ubuyashiki Kagaya
- Kamado Tanjiro
- Tomioka Giyu
- Agatsuma Zenitsu
- Hashibira Inosuke
- Tsuyuri Kanao
- Himejima Gyomei
- Shinazugawa Sanemi
- Iguro Obanai
- Kanroji Mitsuri
- And multiple unnamed Demon Slayer Corps members!
What Chapter Does Muzan Die?
Muzan’s death happens in Chapters 200 and 203 of the manga. His physical form is destroyed by the sun in Chapter 200. Meanwhile, his psyche is put to rest by Tanjiro in Chapter 203!
How Does Muzan Die? The Full Story!
There are multiple elements to how Muzan was killed. It wasn’t just a one-and-done fight to make sure he was down for the count. In this case, Muzan’s death started in the past.
The First Encounter with the “Demon”!
The encounter that snowballed Muzan’s death is his “battle” against Yoriichi. This is displayed in the latter part of Chapter 186 and the early bits of Chapter 187! Muzan thought of Yoriichi as a nuisance. In his own words, he found no interest in swordsmen who used breathing. As the two characters fought, Yoriichi realized his calling. Completing the Sun Breathing form, he was able to strike at all of Muzan’s vital areas.
This caught the demon completely by surprise. Muzan was unable to form the words out of sheer anger he felt for Yoriichi. In the demon’s struggle for survival, he blew himself up into tiny pieces. The tiny pieces were able to escape and reform his head. However, the damage has been done. The wounds Muzan received would form permanent scars that he could never heal.
It was also here when Tamayo discovered that there is hope after all. That Muzan can be killed! Through Yoriichi’s efforts, Tamayo escaped and was able to start her plan. To develop a drug that can kill Muzan once and for all!
Tamayo’s Drug Development Plan to Kill Muzan!
The drug Tamayo developed had taken generations to develop. With the help of Yushiro and Kocho Shinobu, she finally perfected it. Across multiple chapters, we discover what it does. The drug had four stages:
- The first stage was to turn Muzan into a human.
- The second stage was an aging potion. Its potency is said to make Muzan age 50 years in one minute.
- The third stage was division prevention. Tamayo has seen firsthand how Muzan could survive by dividing himself. Thus, she added this to make sure he doesn’t do it again!
- The fourth and final stage is cell destruction. With this, Muzan is unable to regenerate and dies a slow painful death!
Ubuyashiki Kagaya’s Foresight
It should be said that Muzan’s demise itself wouldn’t have been possible were it not for Kagaya. The man possessed incredible foresight. He could know what would happen in the future. With his eyes, he was able to realize that Muzan was going to come for him. For his last remaining days, he planned his death and hoped to take Muzan down with him.
He collaborated with Tamayo on the plans in case it doesn’t work. Most of the Hashira are left out of the actual plan, but they were invited to join. Here was Kagaya’s plan:
- Kagaya would use him and his family as bait for Muzan. During this time, Tamayo and Gyomei should lie in wait.
- After the explosion, Tamayo would charge in and inject Muzan with her drug. As the drug turns Muzan into a human, Gyomei decapitates him.
- If that doesn’t work, then it was time to stall him to dawn. Use any means necessary.
Now, it was just a matter of execution.
Muzan’s D-Day: Nowhere Left to Run and Hide!
The stage for Muzan’s death has been set. Now, all that’s needed is his arrival. When he did, Ubuyashiki put his plan into action. After one last conversation with Muzan, the man had blown up his mansion. After the explosion, Muzan is left with grievous wounds. He was having difficulties regenerating. The explosion even included spikes to hamper him as much as possible! During the time he was distracted, Tamayo charged in to stick her fist in his stomach. The drug she had developed for generations was injected directly into Muzan.
The Arrival of the Hashira
The plan happened according to how Kagaya expected it. This section starts with Chapter 140 in the manga. Multiple Hashira arrived in an attempt to kill Muzan but failed. Thanks to Upper-Rank Four, Muzan was able to survive for a long time. All the Demon Slayers were separated, leaving Muzan alone with Tamayo. The man created a cocoon around himself to be able to break down the substance. Tamayo is unfortunately caught within it. This meant that no one would be able to stop Muzan if he escaped the cocoon.
It would be some time before anyone discovered it. Kagaya had not planned for this to happen, so no immediate action was taken. However, that didn’t mean he didn’t expect anything else! Kagaya had passed down his responsibilities to Kiriya. Through the latter, he helped the Demon Slayer corps group together. They would soon find the cocoon, but it was too late.
Bursting from the Cocoon, Worse than a Moth!
Muzan still managed to have enough time to get break down the drug. He was able to stay a Devil and came out looking more demonic. Mouths scattered across his body as did tough hide. In the small time he was out, he managed to kill all the demon slayers around him. Through the help of Upper-Rank Four, Muzan was shifted to where Giyu and Tanjiro were. Here, the true final battle commenced.
The Battle Until Dawn!
The battle against Muzan would prove to be a long grueling fight. They had to find a way to bring Muzan outside the Infinity Castle while keeping him occupied. While the first problem is solved by Yushiro, the latter isn’t. There was only three Hashira in Muzan’s area! Giyu, Iguro, and Mitsuri did what they can to stall Muzan. Tanjiro contributed by distracting Muzan before he could harm them. This song and dance repeated until Yushiro pulled through. At last, their efforts would reward them! Yushiro was able to pull everyone outside.
Now that the two objectives are done, there was only one left. Kagaya’s final phase of the plan: keep Muzan fighting until daybreak.
Things weren’t going to be that easy though! Muzan had increased his strength to regenerate faster. His attacks were swifter and deadlier. Those who weren’t at Hashira level are easily killed. Tanjiro is among the casualties. However, he wasn’t dead yet! Through tough grit and determination, Giyu and the other two pulled through. Sanemi and Gyomei would arrive to back up the group but even five Hashira isn’t enough. Eventually, there would be losses. Mitsuri would fall first from exhaustion and be forced aside to recover.
Receiving that Second Wind, Stop Muzan!
The loss of Mitsuri would fuel Hashira to strive further. During the battle, they would uncover their strengths. Their marks would develop to push Muzan back. Through ingenuity and will, they created their red nichirin blades to stop Muzan from regenerating. Muzan would be beset by all sides and even attacked by Inosuke, Kanao, and Zenitsu. Through their efforts, they were able to push Muzan to his limits.
However, Muzan’s limit proved to be too much. With a strong shockwave, he’d blown everyone back. The Hashira were grievously wounded and no one had the strength to fight. That was until our main character joined the fray!
Tanjiro, after having an entire flashback session, came back to join the fight. His newly-found mastery of Sun Breathing would push Muzan further. This would frustrate the demon. After all, a boy who was slower than him, and he couldn’t kill him? Inconceivable! That was when he made a startling realization: he was slowing down. He was getting tired!
The second stage of Tamayo’s potion finally kicked in and Muzan realized it immediately. During the three hours he digested the drug, he has aged for 9000 years. His body was diverting strength to stop his aging. This sapped his strength immensely which included his regeneration. Eventually, his body wouldn’t be able to keep up.
Shining Bright, Bring Him Down!
Slowly but surely, the Hashira was recovering. Iguro was the first to recover and fight alongside Tanjiro. Together, they were successful in keeping Muzan occupied. They even managed to score a few hits on him. The exertion of effort left Muzan unable to fight back his aging and it showed. This time, it was Yoriichi’s contribution that appeared. All across Muzan’s body, the scars of his previous bout against the man appeared!
Tanjiro immediately knew this and took advantage of it. With each attack and hit Tanjiro and Iguro made, Muzan was getting weaker and weaker. On the other hand, the opposition was getting stronger. As more Hashira returned to stall him, the lesser his chances of surviving. He attempted to divide himself, but that didn’t work. This is when Tamayo finally disclosed to Muzan the full effects of her potion. Now, he was going to die, and die awfully he would!
And so, they fought. It was a long battle with previously downed Hashira returning. They all pitched in, even the regular demon slayers. Together, they stopped Muzan from escaping until the sun rose. Finally, the ruler of demons was dead! Well, at least, physically.
Muzan’s Last Gambit, but He Chose Poorly!
While Muzan’s body disintegrated in the face of the sun, it didn’t mean it was over. Before his death, he injected some blood into Tanjiro’s body. This made it possible for him to turn Tanjiro into a demon and possess his will. For a moment, Tanjiro had lost himself and became Muzan’s host.
However, this would prove to be his fatal mistake. Tanjiro’s trust and love for his companions overwrote Muzan’s will. With relative ease, he pushed back Muzan’s influence and destroyed his blood. Now, Muzan was officially dead and gone. The only demon left was a demon he had no influence on, ending his reign of terror.
