Demon Slayer: What is the mark around Tengen's left eye? Its meaning, explored

Tengen Uzui from the Demon Slayer series is one of the most popular Hashiras in the show. He received the lion’s share of screen time in the Entertainment District arc. One of the biggest reasons for his popularity among viewers is his personality. He is loud and brash and doesn’t shy away from showing his confidence.

However, fans seem to be interested in this character’s appearance. There is no doubt that he is a good-looking character, but fans seem to have a question about a certain facial feature. One can see a mark around his eyes, and some fans wish to know why he has that mark.

Disclaimer: This article is speculative in nature since the manga and anime have not provided an explanation for this.

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Demon Slayer: Understanding why Tengen Uzui has a mark around his eyes

Tengen Uzui as seen in the anime series (Image via Ufotable)

As we can see in the picture, Tengen Uzui has a mark on his left eye. One might confuse this mark with the Demon Slayer Mark. What we do know is that Tengen Uzui does not develop the Demon Slayer Mark during the course of the series.

He decided to retire after the outing at the Entertainment District, which means he never fought again in the series. The mark on his left eye could purely be an aesthetic choice, and there are a few clues that could support this argument.

Tengen Uzui in action (Image via Ufotable)

One thing that we know about Tengen Uzui is that he is someone who prides himself on being flamboyant. During his first interaction with Tanjiro Kamado, Zenitsu Agatsuma, and Inosuke Hashibira, he called himself a god.

Upon further questioning, he even claimed himself to be the god of festivals. Furthermore, we can also see that Tengen Uzui has nail paint. It is clear that Tengen is someone who likes to express himself and doesn’t shy away from bold choices.

Tengen in disguise while roaming in the Entertainment District (Image via Ufotable)

With this in mind, it is highly possible for the character to choose to have some face paint as a part of his makeup. Furthermore, the character also wore a headband that had gem-studded extensions. Therefore, the mark on his eyes could purely be a stylistic choice, and there is one more piece of information that could support this statement.

In the Entertainment District arc of the series, there was a point when Tanjiro Kamado and his friends dressed up as women to work in brothels. Tengen was also in disguise at that point, and it was quite hard to identify him. At this point, he removed the face paint and the headband. If the mark on his left eye had been there at birth, he wouldn’t have been able to remove it. Therefore, it is highly possible that Tengen Uzui’s mark on his left eye is a fashion choice.

Given that Koyoharu Gotouge created a character with a loud personality, they gave him over-the-top elements that made him stand out. This is something most mangakas do for their characters. That being said, neither the manga nor the author of the Demon Slayer series have confirmed or provided their views on this topic. We urge the fanbase to take this information with a grain of salt and keep a lookout for the author’s comments on the same.

Stay tuned for more Demon Slayer anime and manga news as 2024 progresses.