Akaza's tattoos in Demon Slayer tease his painful past in a way no one imagined

Modified Jul 03, 2024 19:30 GMT

Akaza is one of the strongest demons in Demon Slayer. Like every other demon, he was also a human before he felt despair and was offered an opportunity by the demon king to transform into a demon.

While fans expected his backstory to be animated in the Hashira Training Arc, things didn't go as they had predicted. But it is confirmed that the next installment, the Infinity Castle movie trilogy, would animate the demon's backstory.

However, some fans might have noticed the demon's backstory has already been hinted by his body tattoos. Akaza's body tattoos form the kanji of snow, which is also a part of the name Koyuki. Koyuki was the fianceé of the demon when he was a human.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from the Demon Slayer manga series.

Demon Slayer: Exploring Akaza's origins through his body tattoos

Rengoku versus Upper Moon Three as seen in the anime (Image via Ufotable)

Akaza (real name: Hakuji) is the Upper Moon Three Demon of the Twelve Kizuki, the strongest demons that work under the Demon King Kibutsuji Muzan in Demon Slayer. Akaza has made a few appearances in the series, with his first being during the Mugen Train movie.

Despite urging the Flame Hashira, Rengoku, to become a demon, Akaza had to kill him. He made another brief appearance during the Demon Slayer: Entertainment District Arc, where he had a conflict with the Upper Moon Two, Douma.

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The Upper Moon Demon has the body of a young man, as his body hasn't aged since he was transformed into a demon. Out of every feature of his body, one aspect is of key importance: his body tattoos.

The tattoos on the Hakuji's body form the kanji character Snow (雪). This kanji character is a part of the name Koyuki (恋雪). Koyuki was a big part of the Upper Moon Demon's past and became the reason why Akaza turned into a demon after her death. So, the Upper Moon Demon's past has already been teased.

The unfortunate tale of Koyuki and Hakuji

The first meeting between Koyuki and Hakuji (Image via Shueisha)

Koyuki was a weak child who could hardly leave her home. Her mother died because she couldn't see her child suffer, but her father was a strong man and raised her into a proper lady. One day, his father brought home a caretaker for her, whom he had defeated in a fight. This caretaker was Hakuji, the future Upper Moon Three.

Hakuji was used to taking care of his father, so he got used to Koyuki's situation. The hire of a dojo next door liked Koyuki, but he had no sympathy for her and often harassed her. Koyuki wanted to die because of this, but Hakuji never left her side. She eventually healed out of her condition and thanked Hakuji for everything.

This led to them getting engaged, something the hire of the dojo next door didn't like. Since Hakuji was strong, the hire knew going against him was futile. So, the hire poisoned the water where Koyuki lived, which led to her and her father's death. Hakuji was devastated and massacred everyone from the dojo next door. He was later appointed as one of the Upper Moon Demons by Muzan.

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Edited by Shreya Das