Muzan may not be responsible for his defeat in Demon Slayer (& neither are the Slayers)

With the conclusion of the Demon Slayer series in the manga, fans have explored many possibilities regarding what could have happened in different scenarios. One such scenarios sparked by the boom in the series' popularity, focuses on Muzan's defeat.

While the series largely followed the monotonous concept of protagonists defeating antagonists, it was the in-between sequences that made Demon Slayer unique. Based on the climax of the series, Muzan's defeat might not have been all his own doing, but some other instances might have changed the course of the story. Here's a scenario on what other factors could have avoided Muzan's defeat in the way it happened.

Disclaimer: This article contains speculative theory and reflects the author's opinions based on the Demon Slayer anime/manga. This article also contains spoilers from the Demon Slayer manga.

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A few Upper Moon demons might be responsible for Muzan's defeat in Demon Slayer

During the final arcs of the Demon Slayer series, particularly the Infinity Castle arc and the Sunrise Countdown arc (neither of which has yet to be seen in the anime), the story shifted to the final fight between Muzan and the Slayers. The most anticipated clash between humans and demons concluded with the humans coming out on top and Muzan's defeat.

While the defeat was straightforward, with the narrative aligning perfectly with the outcome, some factors in the plot came into play that may have eased the Slayers' path to victory. When the Hashira and the demon slayers were teleported inside the Infinity Castle, Muzan relied heavily on his decorated and elite Upper Moon demons to play their roles in defeating the Slayers.

However, some of the Upper Moon demons' defeats seemed out of line compared to the strength and powers they hold, shown throughout the series. Among them, the Upper Rank One—Kokushibo, Upper Rank Three—Akaza, and Upper Rank Four—Nakime had the most underwhelming end to their storylines, based on their powers.

Kokushibo, Akaza, and Nakime- three of the Upper Moon demons from Demon Slayer (Image via Ufotable)

To begin with, the Upper Rank One demon, Kokushibo, faced off against Muichiro, Sanemi, Genya, and Gyomei. He overwhelmed them with his power to the extent that it led to the death of Muichiro and Genya. However, his later defeat was a result of his going into a flashback of his former encounters with his brother Yoriichi. Had he stayed focused, the Slayers could have been defeated.

Coming to Akaza, the Upper Rank Three, he posed the most threat against Tanjiro and Giyu. Even after being beheaded by Tanjiro, Akaza was still standing, which shocked Giyu, as it was the first time he had witnessed such a phenomenon. While Akaza was still determined to fight, his memories of Koyuki and his past life intervened, and he eventually let go of his desire to fight, falling into his defeat.

Nakime, the Upper Rank Four, was blindsided by Yushiro, despite her possessing an ability like Eye Detachment, which allowed her to spy and track others from a distance. Fearing that Yushiro might take control of Nakime, Muzan killed her himself, which led to the collapse of the Infinity Castle, a creation of Nakime's Blood Demon Art.

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Final thoughts

While Kibutsuji Muzan from Demon Slayer can be considered as one of the most well-thought-out and illustrated antagonists in the world of anime, his storyline ended in the same monotonous way as many other anime. The popularity of his character has given rise to concepts of possibilities, like the one discussed above, as fans search for something new.

While the manga has concluded with his defeat, certain changes in the anime might be seen, as this is a recurrent theme in several modern anime adaptations. The only way to spot the differences is to keep an eye out as the anime series moves towards the climax, starting with the Infinity Castle arc.

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