Demon Slayer brings a host of brilliant characters, each unique and memorable. Of these, one of the most intriguing personalities is seen in the Progenitor of all demons, Muzan.
Despite living a thousand years, he fears death above all. Be it the running out of his lifespan or the risk of falling in battle, both terrify the Demon King, leading to violent outbursts of his temper, making him highly unpredictable.
Muzan’s goal is to achieve immortality and eternal life, and escape his terminal illness. As the origin of almost all the demons and the first demon, he is absurdly strong and sits at the top of the demon hierarchy.
Demon Slayer introduces Muzan as an irrational antagonist
Demon Slayer portrays Kibutsuji Muzan as an irrational and insecure villain, ruled by fear and impulse rather than logic and principle. He is obsessed with perfection and wouldn’t tolerate the slightest hint of weakness. Not only does he fail to consider the broader picture, but he often seems to be plotting his own downfall.
Muzan is shown to be extremely unpredictable, killing his demons for trivial mistakes without giving them a chance to explain themselves, making him an extremely terrifying existence. He commands power through fear and brute strength, rather than loyalty, which is his inability to build connections and a lack of trust in his subordinates.
Living for a thousand years, Muzan is expected to be extremely intelligent, but is not exactly shown as such in the series. His actions are driven by impulses and paranoia; his intense fear of the demon slayer corps and the Sun Breathing Technique makes him cower and hide, instead of playing to his strengths.
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Muzan is also shown to bestow immense power to emotionally unstable individuals, knowing full well that the consequences could be disastrous. These inconsistencies show a lack of judgment and irrational behavior, making him a weak antagonist.
The entire narrative is affected by Muzan’s actions
Muzan’s irrationality doesn’t just shape his character but warps the whole setting of the narrative of the show in many ways. He is shown to be paranoid and extremely violent, leading to a chain of tragedies starting with the massacre of Tanjiro’s family and turning Nezuko into a demon.
This also acts as a motivation for the Demon Slayer Corps to fight harder and persist. This creates an eerie atmosphere filled with dread and urgency, but also causes the true abilities of the main cast to not shine. Muzan’s choices not only sow chaos in the world, but they also force them into a step-by-step development.
Muzan can be considered to be self-destructive. He doesn’t form any constructive relations with his subordinates, not even the strongest Upper Moons, leading to a lack of clarity and a lot of strategic failures. This allows the Demon Slayer Corps, who are weaker in power, to outclass and beat the demons through unity and trust.
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inKimetsuNoYaiba
Muzan’s unreasonable and volatile behaviour became the reason for his ruin. His stagnant behaviour is the reason that the character development arcs of Tanjiro, Nezuko, and the other Hashira, who go through immense sorrow and pain, feel somewhat lacking and hollow.
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byu/Rude_Ad3342 from discussion
inKimetsuNoYaiba
Muzan’s untenable traits don’t just define him but also serve as an upper limit. The story seems to feel that no matter how wise or smart they might be, no demon slayer should completely outclass Muzan, or it would render the narrative meaningless.
You can currently stream Demon Slayer on Crunchyroll.
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