Why Akaza never uses a weapon in Demon Slayer, explained

Akaza is one of the primary antagonists of Demon Slayer and he has also been one of the most well-written characters with a fleshed-out backstory. He is the Upper Moon 3 demon that was responsible for the death of Kyojuro Rengoku. As a result, anime-only fans detested this demon for what he had done.

However, those who have read the manga know his tragic backstory, as he is often considered one of the best villains in the series. While most Upper Moon demons in the series utilize a weapon, Akaza is the only one without one. So why does Akaza refuse to use a weapon when fighting against demon hunters?

Although the answer has not been explicitly by the mangaka, important clues could lie in his backstory. Reading the respective manga chapters should help us understand why this the case.

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

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Taking a look at Akaza’s past in the Demon Slayer series

Before he became an Upper Moon 3 demon, he was known as Hakuji. He was born to a father that suffered from a sickness. Owing to their poverty, they couldn’t afford the medicines, and Hakuji often pickpocketed to provide for his father. He was caught on three different occasions and was marked with tattoos. However, one day, his father committed suicide upon hearing about his son’s thefts since he wanted his son to lead a fulfilling life on the right path.

Enraged, Hakuji often instigated fights and beat people up. One fine day, he came across a martial arts dojo owner who was always happy and outgoing. Hakuji hated his attitude and challenged him to a duel. Hakuji lost immediately. Keizo, the dojo owner, took Hakuji under his wing and made him tend to his sickly daughter. In exchange, he put a roof over Hakuji’s head and provided him with food. Hakuju not only got better as a combatant, but he was also quite good at nursing Keizo’s daughter, Koyuki.

Hakuji killed al 67 disciples of the rival dojo (Image via Koyoharu Gotouge/Shueisha)

Koyuki eventually recovered, and Keizo offered the two the option of marrying and giving the dojo to Hakuji. A rival dojo had heard about their marriage, and the leader challenged Hakuji. Not only did the latter beat the rival dojo’s leader, he also beat other disciples that challenged him.

Things were going great for Hakuji in the Demon Slayer series. However, his happiness was short-lived when he was informed of Keizo and Koyuki’s death. The rival dojo had apparently poisoned the well that Keizo and Koyuki drank from. Following this, Akaza went on to kill all 67 members of the rival dojo, which caught Muzan’s attention. The Demon King then offered Akaza his blood and made him an Upper Moon demon.

If readers take a look at the Upper Moon demons and their backstories, their weapons were always objects that they used as human beings. Gyutaro used a sickle, Douma used a fan when his parents made him the head of a cult, and so on.

In Akaza’s case, he took on fighters equipped with swords using his bare hands. He even used Keizo’s Bell Splitter technique to break swords using his fists. So why didn’t Akaza use a weapon in the Demon Slayer series?

The answer is - Akaza didn’t use a weapon because his fists and legs were just as effective as a weapon. This is the same reason why Akaza’s Blood Demon Art in the Demon Slayer series utilizes only his fists. He perfected martial arts to a point where he killed 67 skilled martial arts practitioners with his bare hands. This could be the reason why Akaza never used a weapon in the Demon Slayer series.

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Stay tuned for more Demon Slayer anime and manga news as 2023 progresses.