| “ | Since the day I was born I've never lied... not even once! I'm a good natured weakling! I deserve pity, but no one has any sympathy for me. |
” |
— Hantengu about himself in Get it Together, Moron!
|
Hantengu (
Over two centuries ago, Hantengu was once a prolific thief and murderer, whose victims comprised of people who condemned his duplicitous actions. He was sentenced to death as an elderly man but was visited by Muzan Kibutsuji whilst awaiting his execution, who transformed him into a demon and gave the criminal a new life.
Guide[]
| Hantengu's Manifestations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Body/Hantengu (怯 Fear) |
Sekido (怒 Anger) |
Karaku (楽 Pleasure) | |
| Aizetsu (哀 Sorrow) |
Urogi (喜 Joy) |
Zohakuten (憎 Hatred) | |
| Urami (恨 Resentment) | |||
Appearance[]
Hantengu was a short, frail man with a very thin and skeletal body, covered with veins and wrinkles, and is usually seen crouching. His most noticeable feature is a large bump on the top of his head, accompanied by two curved horns and a prominent brow ridge that lacks eyebrows. His face was thin with a sharp chin along with a sharp nose, and he constantly wore an expression of terror and fear with a rictus grimace. He had brown skin and his forehead was also noticeably shrivelled and discolored reddish-purple. His eyes are narrow and often appear to be squinting, obscuring his miotic pupils, mostly showing a red sclera on his eyes. He has golden irises, with the kanji of Upper Rank (
He had dark, shoulder-length, disheveled and wavy hair with a low hairline, only growing out from the back of his head and ears, which themselves are sharper and longer than normal humans. His nails were long but not sharp like most other demons and retain their natural unkempt form.
Hantengu wore an asymmetrical kimono that was split in the middle, the right half being black and covered in a wavy yellow lines pattern, with the left half being a dark red and lacking any detailed features. He also wore a pair of brown zōri with purple straps, and a violet obi.
As a human, Hantengu was nearly identical to his appearance as a demon, with the exception of any obvious demonic features and discolored forehead. In addition, from the brief glimpse shown of his eyes, his pupils were small black dots. He wore a very similar kimono, although his right half was simply pin striped instead of having any elaborate decor. Moreover, a colored model sheet revealed that his kimono was a dull purplish-gray color, with the left half being darker than the right.[9]
Sekido (
Sekido wore the same asymmetrical kimono as Hantengu along the same split color, as he was formed from Hantengu's headless body. He also wore the same pair of zōri and obi as Hantengu does. and was always seen carrying around a Khakkhara (
When he was first formed, Sekido took the appearance of a slightly older man; he had unkempt wavy hair, narrower eyes, and a sharper nose, similar to Hantengu. It isn't until Aizetsu forms from his severed head that he is rejuvenated.
Karaku (
Karaku wore nothing but dark green hakama pants tied with a red obi sash, accompanied by a dark Yuigesa harness with white pom-poms, along a rectangular pattern on the harness. Karaku was always seen carrying around a fatsia leaf-shaped Uchiwa (
When he was first formed, Karaku took the appearance of a slightly older man; he had unkempt wavy hair, narrower eyes, and a sharper nose, similar to Hantengu. It isn't until Urogi forms from his severed head that he is rejuvenated.
Aizetsu (
Aizetsu wore a navy-blue kimono with periwinkle bows, and long, tracksuit-like white lines running through his thin sleeves. He had matching navy-blue baggy tikka pants with long, tracksuit-like white lines running through his legs, and a nio dasuki (
Urogi (
Unlike the rest of Hantengu's humanoid manifestations, Urogi possesses an avian physiology, possessing two large, brown wings on his back, featuring light brown feathers, with dark brown-and-light brown striped feathers on the lower part of his wings, along with yellow raptor-like feet armed with sharp talons that take the place of his hands and legs; additionally, Urogi had a thick coat of brown feathers around his legs, reaching down to his knees, and he only wore a chain of gold colored pearls around his waist along with purple tassel ornaments hanging from four pearls.
Zohakuten (
Zohakuten's attire appears to be an eclectic blend of elements from Sekido, Karaku, Aizetsu, and Urogi's styles. He wears dark brown tobi pants, cinched at the waist with a flowing white sash. He also wore long, brown morokode sleeves with white lines that bear a resemblance to Aizetsu's striped kimono. On the back of his head hung purple tassel ornaments similar to those found on Urogi's pearl belt and the end of Karaku's fan. Finally, he donned two pieces of golden armor: a gorget covering only his upper chest and a tasset protecting his groin, with the faulds on both sides being black adorned with a yellow wavy lines pattern, reminiscent of Sekido's kimono, along with two sets of thinner golden rings on both wrists.
Zohakuten had a series of five drums connected to each other in a wooden circular frame that inexplicably floated behind his back. Each drum had the kanji of "hatred" (
Urami (
.png "Hantengu profile (Urami).png (419 KB)")
.png "Urami (Anime).png (1.59 MB)")
Personality[]
Hantengu's constant state of fright and cowardice.
Hantengu's primary form has a persona of extreme cowardice and agitation. He was easily frightened by what occurred in his surroundings, showing traits of paranoia, fear, and emotional distress. He was always shown to cry out in fear at even the most insignificant things, such as the number of years since the last meeting of the Upper Ranks being 113. Moreover, during said meeting, Hantengu spent most of the situation crying out and cowering in fear over everything around him, from Muzan reprimanding them, to the in-fighting between Akaza and Doma. This extreme paranoia was especially evident in the fact that when in his regular form, he always chooses to crawl instead of walking up straight, and was often shown to quake in fear. Even in combat, Hantengu was shown to be extremely cowardly and afraid, crying when he was slashed by Muichiro Tokito and when he was hiding from the Demon Slayers throughout most of the battle, trying to calm himself by hoping that his clones would kill them off, and becoming frightened when his main body was spotted.
Despite his anxious and near-pantophobic behavior, Hantengu was a severely delusional narcissist at his core. He had a pathological belief that he was a completely innocent, honest, and virtuous man despite the obvious evidence pointing toward his numerous immoral actions. He refused to take any accountability and had a habit of deflecting the blame towards anything but himself, even at one point proclaiming that his hands were guilty and acted on their own. As a human, he felt entitled to material wealth and showed no remorse when he was called out for theft. Even as a demon, killing and eating scores of innocent people, as well as the fiendish actions of his own emotional manifestations, which range from sadistic to sociopathic, he stubbornly and erroneously maintained that he was innocent and claimed that he deserved the sympathy of others.
"I never told a lie!"
Hantengu had an extremely prevalent victim-complex where he believed himself to be the victim of unfair treatment, with the people “wronging” him being unjust villains. When not crying out of fear, he instead cried that he was denied the sympathy he felt he deserved. Two of his emotional manifestations reflected his stubborn claim of persecution; his hatred, Zohakuten, acted as a defender for Hantengu's "innocence", and his resentment, Urami, was a more aggressive voice that shared Hantengu’s beliefs.
As a human, Hantengu's delusions were evident even as a child, and only got worse as an adult, due to a surprisingly violent and maniacal side to him. In his youth, he had a habit of settling down with a wife and having children, only to murder them all in a rage when his duplicitous nature was called into question, still believing that he was in the right and being oppressed. He would show this treatment to a man who threatened to report him to the magistrate shortly before his last murder trial.
A human Hantengu murdering a man who threatened to report him for theft.
Moreover, Hantengu was a nefarious and deceitful pathological liar, as evidenced in his constant thievery as a human and his tendency to come up with alibis. He either feigned blindness to elicit pity from others or claimed that his crimes were the work of his hands, which acted autonomously. In addition, presumably to escape the law, he would change aspects about his identity so frequently that he eventually forgot his true one. This shows that while Hantengu did have the genuine belief that he was an innocent man, he was not above lying to give himself more credibility, making his insistence of innocence even more ludicrous, and completely contradicting his claim that he never uttered a lie.
In death, when he remembered his final murder and trial before becoming a demon, he showed no repentance towards his crimes, with his only reaction being confusion and realization that his life was flashing before his eyes, a sign that his death was imminent. His final action was a futile attempt to push Tanjiro off by using Urami's giant arm.
Sekido's unyielding annoyance and displeasure.
As the manifestation of Hantengu's anger, Sekido was in a constant state of vexation, irritation, and rage, even towards his fellow clones, which could be seen when he easily got angered when they failed to meet his expectations and were subdued by the Demon Slayers. Sekido was also seen to care very little about his brethren. When they were injured by the Demon Slayers, such as Genya blasting Aizetsu's head off and Nezuko burning Karaku with her Blood Demon Art, Sekido was unsympathetic and berated the clones for losing to their opponents. His apathy towards the other clones was most exemplified when he forcibly absorbed them against their will to form Zohakuten, even as Aizetsu protested. He also showed himself to be the most dominant of the emotion clones and acted as the de-facto leader, as he was the one who barked orders at them and took charge at critical junctures when they were battling the Demon Slayers.[10] This is likely why he was the one to commence the formation of Zohakuten. In addition to his usual irate demeanor, he can be seen displaying hints of sadism when he has his enemies backed to a corner, as he showed a smile of satisfaction in seeing Tanjiro and Nezuko forced on the defensive.
Sekido was also shown to be a very barbarous demon who wished to execute his enemies swiftly and brutally. This was shown when he orders Aizetsu to split Genya's head in two after the Demon Slayer began to recite the Amida Sutra, and when Aizetsu later impaled Nezuko to a tree, Sekido demanded he hold the girl to still so he could crucify her. His bloodlust was part of the reason why he became aggravated at Karaku entertaining himself by wrestling Nezuko instead of killing her.
Sekido astutely recognizing Tanjiro's resemblance to Yoriichi.
Karaku's ceaseless ease and amusement.
As the manifestation of Hantengu's pleasure, Karaku showcased himself to be the most relaxed and laid-back of Hantengu's clones. The entire time he was battling against Genya, Tanjiro and Nezuko, he was constantly either praising or mocking them, and instead of taking the battle seriously, he saw it as nothing more than a game, seemingly to only take interest in the new experiences he was obtaining in the battle. This was demonstrated during his battle with Nezuko, when, instead of finishing her off immediately, he decided to tease and play with her despite being able to easily overpower her anytime he wanted. Later when Genya shoots off Sekido's hand, Karaku immediately takes an interests and decides to entertain himself by fighting Genya instead. This behavior easily got on the nerves of his fellow clones, such as Sekido, who constantly berated him for not taking on a serious outlook in battle, and Aizetsu, who was confused at why he was taking so long to kill Nezuko. He took no notice and instead told them to keep their hands to themselves to allow him to toy with and kill Nezuko.
Karaku's negative reaction to Tanjiro's powerful attack.
Karaku was one of the most outwardly sadistic clones, gleefully smiling whenever he got the upper hand or inflicted pain onto his opponents. In addition, after he and Sekido are beheaded by Genya, he cracks a wicked grin knowing that the Demon Slayer had inadvertently freed Aizetsu and Urogi. He also seems to display masochistic tendencies, evident when he happily expressed his interest in the new sensation of having his neck being severed by a gunshot from Genya, commenting that he had never been injured like that before. Despite this, he could lose his patience should his opponent prove too challenging to finish off, as seen when he gets angered at Tanjiro slashing his arm even when knocked to the floor. He notably did not enjoy being decapitated by Tanjiro using Sun Halo Dragon Head Dance with a blade enhanced by Nezuko's explosive blood, as he wailed in agony from the pain.
Similar to Urogi, Karaku was shown to be impulsive and arrogant. When witnessing Tanjiro gearing to attack them with a flaming sword lit by Nezuko’s Blood Demon Art, Karaku dismissed it as a cheap trick. Moreover, his voice lines in the game have him ignore Sekido’s warnings to be wary of the flames.[11]
Aizetsu's perpetual despondency and dejection.
As the manifestation of Hantengu's sorrow, Aizetsu was portrayed to be completely dejected, sour, and negative, constantly describing everything as depressing. Out of all the manifestations, Aizetsu was shown to be the calmest and most collected out of all five of them, as seen when instead of frivolously wasting time on entertainment as Urogi and Karaku or immediately getting agitated and enraged by anything like Sekido, Aizetsu was shown to calmly analyze his opponents to think out a strategy and figure out his opponents' abilities and weaknesses before attacking. Unlike the usually vicious and bloodthirsty attitude most demons possess when killing humans, or even compared to the rest of Hantengu's clones, Aizetsu chooses to kill quickly by striking vital areas, and he feels sadness should his opponent fail to die a quick death.
Aizetsu's uncharacteristic worry over Genya's inhuman durability.
Unlike the hedonistic Karaku who ignored Sekido's orders to kill Nezuko instead of toying with her, Aizetsu was shown to be obedient towards the demon of anger's wishes. When he witnessed Karaku disregard Sekido's demand, Aizetsu offered to finish the job, and later on he obeyed Sekido when he ordered him to split Genya's head when the Demon Slayer chanted the Amida Sutra, albeit begrudgingly due to being upset by the demon's yelling. Similar to Urogi and Karaku, Aizetsu's personality somewhat altered when he witnessed his opponent's extreme resilience. However instead of becoming agitated like the sanguine clones, the usually somber demon become genuinely disturbed and worried when Genya repeatedly survived normally fatal injuries and demanded the Demon Slayer to answer what "the hell" he was.
In Hinokami Chronicles 2, Aizetsu’s voice lines reveal a more sardonic side to the demon of sorrow. He mockingly calls Genya “interesting” and comments on how sad his “weakness” is. In addition, Aizetsu grows more impatient at his opponent’s resilience, frequently threatening to end Genya’s life eventually and believing his resistance to be futile.[11]
Urogi's constant glee and enjoyment.
As the manifestation of Hantengu's joy, Urogi was the most jovial and giddy of Hantengu's clones. Similar to Karaku, he seemed to view the entire battle against the Demon Slayers as nothing more than a game or as a source of entertainment, as seen when he happily complimented Tanjiro on his intelligence for correctly guessing that neither one of the four clones was the "real" body and constantly exclaimed that the entire fight against Tanjiro was delightful. He was also shown to very boastful of his avian abilties, as he brags to Tanjiro about the speed and strength of his talons. Despite this, he could lose his patience should his opponent prove too challenging to finish off, shown when he was angered when Tanjiro sliced off the top part of his head.
Like Karaku, Urogi was shown to be impulsive and arrogant. When witnessing Tanjiro gearing to attack them with a flaming sword lit by Nezuko’s Blood Demon Art, Urogi remained confident that he wouldn’t be harmed and was the first to rush towards. Moreover, his voice lines in the game have him ignore Sekido’s warnings to be wary of the flames by mockingly asking why he was scared.[11] However, he was able to recognize Tanjiro’s resemblance to Yoriichi like Sekido, although he did so while charging at him, gasping in fear when the realization set in.
Zohakuten's unrelenting animosity and spite.
As the manifestation of Hantengu's hatred, Zohakuten shared many personality traits with both Sekido and Hantengu himself, as he too was easily enraged and was incredibly spiteful and hateful towards his enemies, deeming them as evil and cruel villains. Despite this, Zohakuten was usually stoic and phlegmatic in his vindictive rantings, rarely raising his voice and instead speaking to the Demon Slayers frankly. Similar to Hantengu, he had a hypocritical sense of righteousness, as shown when he admonished Tanjiro and Genya for attempting to behead the “small and weak” Hantengu, referring to them with a degrading pronoun and calling their actions atrocious. When Tanjiro pressed that Zohakuten was the true fiend, the demon lost his composure and immediately sent his dragons on him. Like Sekido, he was also foul-mouthed as seen when he constantly insulted his opponents and referred to Mitsuri as a harlot, constantly calling her various degrading names in his thoughts.
Zohakuten was also shown to have a warped and unreasonable sense of justice and the human spirit. When Tanjiro pointed out Zohakuten’s high body count and vowed to defeat him, Zohakuten dismissively claimed that since he had not killed a relative of Tanjiro, his drive to behead the demon was unfounded. When Tanjiro retorted that Zohakuten’s victims did not have to be dear to him, as they were dear to someone else and that was reason enough to defeat him, Zohakuten once again disregarded his reasoning.[12]
Zohakuten begrudgingly analyzing his inability to quickly kill Mitsuri.
Out of all the clones, he was shown to be the most intelligent and insightful, aside from Sekido, as seen when he easily analyzed why the Love Hashira survived his powerful attacks and figured out the true source of her strength, that being her muscle density. Zohakuten recognized that consuming her flesh would increase his power, but decided to crush her skull first, showing that although tactical, Zohakuten could still show his trademark spitefulness. Moreover, he was not above admitting to his own weakness, as though he was infuriated at his inability to finish the Hashira, he determined that the best way to kill Mitsuri was to exhaust her endurance and strength through incessant attacks upon seeing that she was capable of evading and attacking his Blood Demon Arts successfully.
He also seemed to harbor an immense sense of loyalty towards Muzan Kibutsuji, as seen when he told Mitsuri that he only heeds and follows the orders of one man in the entire world. Strangely, during his death, he only shows mild surprise and viciously glares at the Love Hashira, who he had nearly defeated.
In Hinokami Chronicles 2, Zohakuten's voice lines displayed a sense of pride and presumption not shown in the main story. He arrogantly claims that it is inevitable and natural that humans lose to him and proudly flaunts his title as Upper Rank Four. Moreover, while he does acknowledge Mitsuri's talent for being a formidable opponent, he hurls insults at the Love Hashira and remains confident in his own victory. Zohakuten also shows shades of elitism towards his fellow demons; when Mitsuri proclaimed that she had never lost to a single demon before, Zohakuten insults her achievements by stating that the only demons she had ever slayed were weak and expendable pawns.[11]
Urami's indignant over Tanjiro's actions.
As the manifestation of Hantengu's resentment, Urami was shown to be just as hypocritical and delusional as Zohakuten and Hantengu, as he angrily told Tanjiro not to bully and hurt his "weak and innocent" self. He angrily asked why Tanjiro couldn't "see" his innocence and, true to his name, he has shown to be the embodiment of Hantengu's resentment due to him being punished and persecuted for crimes that he was "innocent" of. In addition, he was much more aggressive and quick to anger than his smaller counterpart, as he actively tries to seek out humans to replenish his regeneration and yelled at them when they tried to escape, and became enraged when Tanjiro vowed to decapitate him.
In Hinokami Chronicles 2, Urami’s personality is somewhat meshed with Hantengu’s fearful and self-pitying demeanor. While the demon of resentment was still much more confrontational than the cowardly true body, Urami whined that he was a weak and soft-hearted old man being victimized, frantically pleaded his innocence, and verbally stated Hantengu’s philosophy on his supposed "virtue" being ignored.[11]Abilities[]
Overall Abilities[]
Hantengu's primal emotions.
As the holder of the fourth highest title in the Twelve Kizuki, Hantengu was an extremely powerful demon. Although he himself was far too nervous and jittery to actually directly fight his opponents, through his Blood Demon Art, he was able to create four clones that were manifestations of his emotions, each of them possessing an Upper Rank demon's level of strength and having their own unique power, allowing him to outnumber and overwhelm the Demon Slayers that tried to slay him and giving him a wide arsenal. Most notoriously about Hantengu's unique power was that he takes advantage of the traditional method of decapitation to kill a demon, as beheading Hantengu's primary form will cause Sekido and Karaku to emerge and engage the threat. Beheading the first two manifestations further will then result in the release of Aizetsu and Urogi, and any subsequent decapitations of the clones will prove futile if Hantengu remains alive, or in Urogi's case, severed body parts can even use his Blood Demon Art to attack an opponent.
Hantengu's manifestations were able to hold off and overwhelm the combined efforts of Tanjiro, Nezuko and Genya, all of whom were powerful and seasoned Demon Slayers. Genya stated that Hantengu was particularly difficult to defeat as the Demon Slayers would have to play a cat-and-mouse game instead of a traditional confrontation, hunting the main body while being hunted themselves by four Upper Rank-level demons.[13] As another testament to their strength, when the four clones fused into one body, Zohakuten, he was once again capable of fending off all three Demon Slayers as well as the Love Hashira, Mitsuri Kanroji, one of the strongest Demon Slayers in the Demon Slayer Corps singlehandedly. As Zohakuten and Tanjiro had stated, Mitsuri would've run out of stamina and died if not for the sun rising and Hantengu being killed.[14][15]
Demon Abilities[]
Flesh Manipulation: Like all demons, Hantengu had the ability to manipulate his flesh in anyway he saw fit, and as an Upper Rank, his ability was presumably to a very high degree. However, due to his non-combative nature Hantengu used his flesh mainly for defense rather than offense.
- Size Alteration: Hantengu has the ability to change his size at will, as shown when he shrunk himself to a small enough size to fit into a wooden burl during most of Zohakuten's battle with the Demon Slayers, allowing him to stay hidden until the Demon Slayers began to actively seek him out.
- Flesh Puppet Similar to Enmu, Hantengu seems to have the ability to create a duplicate of himself able to utilize his Blood Demon Art, as shown when he encounters Muichiro and the Kamado siblings and splits into Sekido and Karaku after being beheaded by the former, despite his main body having already shrunken and hidden in a shrub before the showdown.
Physical Abilities[]
Hantengu's incredibly durable neck.
Immense Durability: Hantengu possesses a body so durable that not even Genya's Nichirin steel shot could leave a dent on his body,[16] the same bullets which tore of the necks of his clones with relative ease. Even when Genya tried to cut off Hantengu's body with his wakizashi, his blade broke before it could do any damage.[17] Even with the use of his bright red blade, Tanjiro was initially unable to make a dent in his neck.
Immense Speed & Reflexes: As an Upper Rank demon, Hantengu possessed incredible movement speed and reflexes, being able to evade both Muichiro's Mist Breathing technique and Tanjiro's Hinokami Kagura's technique with little effort.[18] This indicated to Tanjiro that despite his fearful demeanor, Hantengu was indeed an Upper Rank with a high kill count, and not a lesser demon. When he was in his smallest form, he could run fast enough that Tanjiro, Nezuko, or Genya, then enhanced with the flesh of an Upper Rank, could not keep up.[19]
Supernatural Abilities[]
Hantengu appears before Tanjiro and Muichiro, detected too late.
Enhanced Stealth: Due to his ability to shrink in size, Hantengu possesses immense skill in stealth, which can be seen when he managed to easily infiltrate the Swordsmith Village, one of the Demon Slayer Corps' most vital and well fortified bases, without any of the numerous Demon Slayers stationed there noticing. Hantengu later managed to sneak into Muichiro's and Tanjiro's room without any of them detecting him, despite the former possessing a heightened ability to sense the presence of demons and the latter possessing an incredibly acute sense of smell that would've sensed a demon's presences from extremely long distances. His stealth also enabled him to trick both Muichiro and Tanjiro into a false sense of security, as it was not until he got close to attack them that they realized Hantengu was truly an Upper Rank, also helped by his squinted eyes obscuring the rank engraved on his eyes.[20] His stealth was so versatile, that Muzan himself took notice and frequently assigned him on missions that required it.[3]
Cacophonous Scream: A strange ability of Hantengu's is releasing an ear-splitting scream when in pain, mixing his own screeching voice with raucous and high-pitched sounds similar to the scraping of metal. Tanjiro hears this when attempting to decapitate Hantengu and is discomforted by the unpleasant noise.
Overall Abilities[]
As a holder of the fourth highest title in the Twelve Kizuki, Sekido was an extremely powerful demon. His Blood Demon Art enables him to create bolts of lightning to incapacitate his opponents, making close combat against him extremely dangerous. In addition, as one of Hantengu's emotional manifestations, Sekido was effectively immune to decapitation from a Nichirin Sword, meaning his only weaknesses were sunlight and the possibility that Hantengu's main body should die, and the demon took extreme measures to make sure the latter did not happen.
Sekido incapacitating a full-demon Nezuko.
Sekido, alongside the other primal emotion clones, were able to hold off and overwhelm the combined efforts of Tanjiro, Nezuko and Genya, all of whom were powerful and seasoned Demon Slayers. He notably was able to beat Nezuko who armed herself with Karaku's fan by using his Khakkhara as a melee, and pinned her down by impaling her through the neck. He later had the speed and stealth to nearly be able to kill Genya by ramming his staff through his head. Both instances would've resulted in the death of the Demon Slayers had it not been for Tanjiro's interference. However, like almost all of Hantengu's manifestations, Sekido was outclassed by Zohakuten.
Demon Abilities[]
Sekido forcibly fusing with the other clones to form Zohakuten.
Biological Absorption: Sekido displayed the ability to draw in and absorb the bodies of Karaku, Urogi, and Aizetsu, fusing to become Zohakuten. More over, he seemed to have the ability to instantly summon them after raising his arms, as Karaku and Urogi are drawn in the blink of an eye. However, it is heavily implied the process was incredibly painful for all parties involved, as Karaku and Urogi were shocked and horrifed when it occurred, and Aizetsu attempted to protest when it was his turn to be absorbed. It is also worth noting that being absorbed involved having their flesh be pulverized and their individuality erased in favor of Zohakuten. More over, when having absorbed everyone, Sekido collapes to the floor and lets an agonized hiss when finally morphing into Zohakuten.[21][22]
Sekido forming a new Khakkhara to fight Tanjiro.
Flesh Manipulation: Like all demons, Sekido possesses the ability to control and alter his flesh to a certain extent. Sekido uses this ability to shape his flesh into a Khakkhara which he uses as a means to channel his Blood Demon Art.[23] He was shown to be capable of creating more than one at a time.[24]
- Lightning Immunity: Sekido's cells are immune to the lightning he creates, an exceptionally useful ability, as unlike Karaku who was vulnerable to his own wind blasts, Sekido was not at risk of being harmed by his own electricity generation. This ability was shared amongst the other clones due to sharing the same cells, which both made them immune as well, and meant that their body parts could be used as shields to defend against Sekido's attack.
Immense Regeneration: As a member of the Upper Ranks, Sekido's regenerative capabilities were very advanced. During his manifestation, he grows his head in an instant, and after Aizetsu splits off from his decapitated head, he was able to grow a new one in a matter of seconds. However, his regeneration was delayed after Tanjiro slices his tongue in half, albeit only by a few seconds. In addition, after Tanjiro beheads him using his sword enhanced with Nezuko's Blood Demon Art, he was able to reattach his head and was the first to recover.
A beheaded Sekido telling Karaku they can regenerate after being beheaded by Tanjiro's Hinokami Kagura.
- Decapitation Immunity: As an emotional manifestation of Hantengu, Sekido was completely immune to decapitation via a Nichirin Sword, and unlike Gyutaro and Daki, not even the simultaneous beheading of all four of the primal clones will result in his death. His first decapitation results in the release of Aizetsu, and in the second he was the first to reattach his head.
Physical Abilities[]
Immense Strength: Sekido displayed incredible physical strength through the usage of his staff as a weapon, as he had the sheer brute force to impale the durable Nezuko Kamado through her neck by stabbing through it. Furthermore, he attempted to impale the heads of both Tanjiro and Genya, although he was thwarted in both instances.
Immense Speed & Reflexes: As an Upper Rank demon, Sekido possesses incredible speed and reflexes comparable to that of the Hashira. This was shown when he was fast enough to block the bullets from Genya's shotgun before they could reach him. He was also seen being able to absorb Karaku, Urogi, and Aizetsu in the mere blink of an eye to transform into Zohakuten, a feat only witnessed by the perception of the demon-enhanced Genya.
Overall Abilities[]
As a holder of the fourth highest title in the Twelve Kizuki, Karaku was an extremely powerful demon. His Blood Demon Art allows him to create powerful gusts of wind, which if blown straight could throw enemies over a large distance, and if blown downward would crush them with immense pressure. In addition, as one of Hantengu's many emotional manifestations, Karaku was effectively immune to decapitation from a Nichirin Sword, meaning his only weaknesses were sunlight and the possibility that Hantengu's main body should die, and the demon took extreme measures to make sure the latter did not happen.
Karaku disposes of a Hashira with ease.
Karaku, alongside the other primal emotion clones, were able to hold off and overwhelm the combined efforts of Tanjiro, Nezuko and Genya, all of whom were powerful and seasoned Demon Slayers. Karaku's first action after being split was to separate the Mist Hashira, Muichiro Tokito from the Kamado siblings by blasting him away, and he was shown to have the physical strength to wrestle with a fully demon Nezuko and keep her unable from attacking him. However, like almost all of Hantengu's manifestations, Karaku was outclassed by Zohakuten.
Demon Abilities[]
Flesh Manipulation: Like all demons, Karaku possesses the ability to control and alter his flesh to a certain extent. Karaku uses this ability to shape his flesh into a maple leaf-shaped Uchiwa. Similar to Sekido, Karaku can create more than one Uchiwa at a time, even creating an enlarged version of it to increase its area of effect.[25]
- Shared Biology / Lightning Immunity: Due to sharing the same cells, Karaku was immune to the lightning Sekido creates, an exceptionally useful ability as the demon could fight in the vicinity of Sekido's Blood Demon Art without risk of being caught in the crossfire, unlike himself who was vulnerable to his own wind blasts.
Immense Regeneration: As a member of the Upper Ranks, Karaku's regenerative capabilities were very advanced. During his manifestation, he was able to grow his body in a matter of seconds, and after Urogi splits off from his decapitated head, he was able to grow a new one almost instantly.
Karaku regenerates his jaw after being kicked by Nezuko.
- Decapitation Immunity: As an emotional manifestation of Hantengu, Karaku was completely immune to decapitation via a Nichirin Sword, and unlike Gyutaro and Daki, not even the simultaneous beheading of all four of the primal clones will result in his death. His first decapitation results in the release of Uorgi, and in the second he was able to reattach his head.
Physical Abilities[]
Karaku kicks through Nezuko's abdomen.
Immense Strength: Karaku displayed incredible physical strength as he was able to nonchalantly overpower Nezuko, pierce her durable body with a single kick, and ripped her hand off with ease.[26]
Unlimited Stamina & Endurance: Like all demons, Karaku possesses infinite stamina and endurance. When Genya shot off his head with his shotgun, leaving his head dangling on a piece of flesh and having his neck bones exposed, Karaku never showed any signs of pain but rather exclaimed in excitement over how he has never felt an attack like that and proclaimed that it was fun.[27]
Overall Abilities[]
As a holder of the fourth highest title in the Twelve Kizuki, Aizetsu was an extremely powerful demon. Through his Blood Demon Art, he was able to create powerful beam-like projections of his spear, so potent that they could cut straight through Genya's durable body. This makes his Blood Demon Art the most dangerous out of the original clones, as while extremely powerful, Sekido, Karaku, and Urogi's Blood Demon Arts were somewhat survivable, while Aizetsu's was an instant death for almost anyone who was hit. However, Aizetsu scarcely used his spear projections, instead having a more melee-based combat style with his Jumonji Yari, making close combat against him extremely difficult. In addition, as one of Hantengu's many emotional manifestations, Aizetsu was effectively immune to decapitation from a Nichirin Sword, meaning his only weaknesses were sunlight and the possibility that Hantengu's main body should die, and the demon took extreme measures to make sure the latter did not happen.
Aizetsu severely injuring Genya.
Aizetsu, alongside the other primal emotion clones, were able to hold off and overwhelm the combined efforts of Tanjiro, Nezuko and Genya, all of whom were powerful and seasoned Demon Slayers. He notably was able to impale Genya through the abdomen almost immediately after being split off, and later left several puncture holes in him using his Blood Demon Art after he stepped in front of Tanjiro to protect him. If it hadn't been for Genya's regenerative capabilities from eating demons, the young Demon Slayer would've certaintly been killed. However, like almost all of Hantengu's manifestations, Aizetsu was outclassed by Zohakuten.
Demon Abilities[]
Flesh Manipulation: Like all demons, Aizetsu possesses the ability to control and alter his flesh to a certain extent. Aizetsu uses this ability to shape his flesh into a Jūmonji Yari.
- Shared Biology / Lightning Immunity: Due to sharing the same cells, Aizetsu was immune to the lightning Sekido creates, an exceptionally useful ability as the demon could fight in the vicinity of Sekido's Blood Demon Art without risk of being caught in the crossfire.
Aizetsu reattaches his head and heals his neck.
Immense Regeneration: As a member of the Upper Ranks, Aizetsu's regenerative capabilities were very advanced. During his manifestation, he was able to grow his body in a matter of seconds. Afterwards his head was blasted off by Genya's gun, hanging by the sinews, and he was able to instantly pull his head back to his neck and reattach it. It is also worth noting that after Genya shoots off his arm, he was able to grow it back during Zohakuten's formation, which was an extremely brief event in which Sekido summoned Karaku and Urogi in the blink of an eye.
- Decapitation Immunity: As an emotional manifestation of Hantengu, Aizetsu was completely immune to decapitation via a Nichirin Sword. He was beheaded twice by Genya, and both times he was able to recover.
Physical Abilities[]
Unlimited Stamina & Endurance: Like all demons, Aizetsu possesses infinite stamina and endurance. This was shown when he was able to engage in battle with Genya for an extended period of time without showing any signs of fatigue in the slightest. Aizetsu was also completely nonchalant when Genya destroyed his neck with a shotgun that fired Nichirin steel shot, even managing to attack without his head intact and heal his neck with ease.[28]
Overall Abilities[]
As a holder of the fourth highest title in the Twelve Kizuki, Urogi was an extremely powerful demon. Through his Blood Demon Art, he was able to create extremely powerful sound waves from his mouth, enough to cause tinnitus and even temporary deafness. He had one of the most impressive physical abilities of Hantengu’s primal emotions, as his avian biology gives him the ability to fly, making combat with a sword against him extremely difficult, as Urogi could easily dodge any attacks while using his flight and speed to sink his talons into his opponents. In addition, as one of Hantengu's many emotional manifestations, Urogi was effectively immune to decapitation from a Nichirin Sword, meaning his only weaknesses were sunlight and the possibility that Hantengu's main body should die, and the demon took extreme measures to make sure the latter did not happen.
Urogi's eagle-like attack.
Urogi, alongside the other primal emotion clones, were able to hold off and overwhelm the combined efforts of Tanjiro, Nezuko and Genya, all of whom were powerful and seasoned Demon Slayers. Against Tanjiro, they joy demon ended up slashing Tanjiro’s body several times with his sharp talons, leaving the Demon Slayer with deep scars still present even during Hashira Training. However, like almost all of Hantengu's manifestations, Urogi was outclassed by Zohakuten.
Demon Abilities[]
Avian Physiology: Urogi's unique body allows him to gain the attributes and abilities of avian creatures, namely his large feathered wings and razor sharp talons. These large wings grant Urogi the ability to fly at incredibly high speeds while his talons are powerful enough to cut through diamond.[29] He frequently fights in the same manner as how a bird of prey hunts, swooping down to a target to attack with his talons. A drawback to this ability was that his body has to be extremely light for him to fly, which gave an opportunity for Tanjiro to use Urogi's own flight against him.[30]
- Shared Biology / Lightning Immunity: Due to sharing the same cells, Urogi was immune to the lightning Sekido creates, an exceptionally useful ability as the demon could fight in the vicinity of Sekido's Blood Demon Art without risk of being caught in the crossfire. However, Tanjiro used this to his advantage by severing Urogi's foot and using it to both block an attack by Sekido's Khakkhara staff, and pull out a previous staff that he used to impale Nezuko through the jugular.
Urogi's speedy regeneration slightly slowed by his tongue's injury.
Immense Regeneration: As a member of the Upper Ranks, Urogi’s regenerative capabilities were very advanced. During his manifestation, he was able to grow his body in a matter of seconds. However, his regeneration was delayed after Tanjiro slices his tongue in half, albeit only by a few seconds.
- Decapitation Immunity: As an emotional manifestation of Hantengu, Urogi was completely immune to decapitation via a Nichirin Sword, and unlike Gyutaro and Daki, not even the simultaneous beheading of all four of the primal clones will result in his death. He was decapitated once by Tanjiro, but was able to reattach his head to his body.
Urogi's flesh puppets, formed from the halves of a head that grew from his leg.
- Endless Splitting: Urogi seems to have the ability to regenerate his severed body parts to create flesh puppets that are still able to use his Blood Demon Art. After Tanjiro slices off his leg, a head was able to grow from it, and after he cuts it in half, it splits into two malformed fleshy entities, both of which utilized Urogi’s sonic scream against him. Urogi seems to be the only one of Hantengu’s primal emotions to be able to do this, as not only do the others not attempt to split again when having their limbs severed, but Urogi was notably the only one of the four to not utilize a weapon in conjunction with his Blood Demon Art. However, as Tanjiro notes, the new splits will not get stronger infinitely, and the more Urogi splits himself, the weaker his attacks become.
Overall Abilities[]
Zohakuten's devastating lightning attack nearly kills the fleeing Demon Slayers.
As a holder of the fourth highest title in the Twelve Kizuki, Zohakuten was an extremely powerful demon. Through his Blood Demon Art, he was able to summon and manipulate wood made from his flesh to use for his liking, whether to protect Hantengu, create a podium for himself, or use offensively in form of giant dragon-like entities. He was also able to use the Blood Demon Arts of Sekido, Karaku, Aizetsu, and Urogi, essentially giving him five Blood Demon Arts all in one. In addition, the power of the Blood Demon Arts he shares with the originals had been amplified, making direct contact with them far more dangerous than they already were. As such, Zohakuten presents himself as the strongest of Hantengu’s emotional manifestions.
In addition, as one of Hantengu's many emotional manifestations, Zohakuten was effectively immune to decapitation from a Nichirin Sword, meaning his only weaknesses were sunlight and the possibility that Hantengu's main body should die, and the demon took extreme measures to make sure the latter did not happen.
He quickly overwhelmed the combined efforts of Tanjiro, Nezuko and Genya, all of whom were powerful and seasoned Demon Slayers. He notably was able to swallow Tanjiro using one of his dragons, and would’ve killed the young slayer had it not been for the Love Hashira, Mitsuri Kanroji rescuing him. Adding on from this, Zohakuten was able to fend off Mitsuri, one of the strongest Demon Slayers in the Demon Slayer Corps singlehandedly. Moreover, Zohakuten's most impressive feat was continuing to hold off Mitsuri even after the Love Hashira awakened her Demon Slayer Mark and gained a considerable boost in speed and strength; she could only evade and dodge Zohakuten's attacks and stall him until the Demon Slayers defeated the main body, Hantengu. His even struggle against Mitsuri highlighted his strength in comparison to Gyokko, the demon a rank lower who was heavily outmatched when fighting a marked Hashira, even when in his immensely powerful true form. As Zohakuten and Tanjiro stated, Mitsuri would've run out of stamina and died if not for Hantengu's death killing him by proxy.[14][15] This nearly came to fruition as Mitsuri eventually did lose the war of attrition and became too exhausted to continue fighting, and was only saved when Zohakuten was burned to ash from Hantengu's death.[31]
Up until his death, he notably sustained the least amount of damage from the Demon Slayers; whilst Urami and the original four clones were heavily injured by either Nezuko’s Blood Demon Art, Genya’s bullets, or Tanjiro’s sword, Zohakuten's only source of physical injury was having his neck slit by Mitsuri's failed attempt to decapitate him.[32] In the anime however, the demon of hatred isn't damaged at all.[33] Zohakuten was also the only one of Hantengu’s clones to never be decapitated.
Demon Abilities[]
Zohakuten creating his daggers from his flesh.
Flesh Manipulation: Like all demons, Zohakuten possesses the ability to control and alter his flesh to a certain extent. He primarily uses this ability to form the drums attached to his back to form his Blood Demon Arts and the bone-like daggers to beat said drums to control it.
Decapitation Immunity: Although never beheaded, as an emotional manifestation of Hantengu, Zohakuten was completely immune to decapitation via a Nichirin Sword if his main body was still alive.
Physical Abilities[]
Immense Strength: Unlike the primal clones, Zohakuten is a ranged fighter who doesn't physically fight his opponents. However, the demon of hatred is implied to have immense brute strength like Sekido and Karaku, as shown by his attempt to crush Mitsuri's skull with his bare hands, which was only thwarted because of the Kamados and Genya moving her out of the way. His appearance as a playable character in Hinokami Chronicles 2 further supports this, as apart from his Blood Demon Art, Zohakuten is also shown beating his opponents with his fist when attacking.
Supernatural Abilities[]
Zohakuten's paralyzing aura.
Overall Abilities[]
Although not much is known about Urami, as a holder of the fourth highest title in the Twelve Kizuki, Urami was an extremely powerful demon. However, Urami’s only known advantages over the Demon Slayers are his large size, allowing him to manhandle the usually smaller humans with ease, and his ability to utilize Urogi’s sound waves. In addition, Urami has the debilitating weakness of having to share his power with Zohakuten, and since the demon of hatred was disproportionately stronger, Urami was sapped of his strength. As such, Urami was likely the weakest of Hantengu’s manifestations, an afterthought last resort in the extremely rare case when Zohakuten is occupied and Hantengu found himself backed to a corner.
Demon Abilities[]
Biological Absorption: Similar to Sekido, Urami had the ability to absorb through his arms, although he did so with the purpose of consuming humans. This was shown when after being beheaded by Tanjiro, Urami continues chasing Tetsumotonaka, Tetsudoji, and Tetsutani with the intention to consume them. Since Urami didn't have a mouth at the time, it was likely he would've absorbed them without Tanjiro's interference, as he grabbed Tetsudoji and Tetsutani by their heads shortly before the swordsmiths were rescued.
Size Alteration: As Hantengu's last ditch attempt to escape from the Demon Slayers, Urami has the ability to greatly increase his size in order for Hantengu to hide in his heart.[15]
- Hollow Heart: Urami seemingly had no need for his heart, as it was hollowed out for Hantengu to hide in while Urami engages threats.
Urami unable to heal.
Regeneration: Like all demons, Urami could heal his injuries with ease. However, his regeneration speed was never shown to be on the same level as his fellow clones since Nezuko used her Blood Demon Art to hamper it, and he shares power with Zohakuten, who took up more of their shared strength due to currently battling against a marked Mitsuri Kanroji. After Urami’s arms were ripped off by Genya Shinazugawa his regeneration slowed down, and the demon was forced to look for humans to consume in order to replenish himself. When Urami was later beheaded by Tanjiro, Urami converted the energy to regenerate his arms but not his head and continued to chase the swordsmiths.
- Decapitation Immunity: As an emotional manifestation of Hantengu, Urami was completely immune to decapitation via a Nichirin Sword. After he was beheaded by Tanjiro, Urami continues his pursuit of three swordsmiths with out bothering to reattach his head.
Physical Abilities[]
Urami's extreme resistance to sunlight.
Immense Durability: As Upper Rank Four's largest manifestation, Urami proved to be incredibly durable. He was able to shrug off the effects of Nezuko's fires with little trouble and has the notable feat of being able to endure the effects of direct sunlight for an extended amount of time, due to Hantengu still being alive and hidden inside him. Tanjiro noted that though his death in sunlight was inevitable, it would have taken enough time to cost the lives of the swordsmiths he was pursuing and forced him to take immediate action.
Immense Strength: Due to his large size and muscular physique, Urami was immensely strong and hard to take on in a physical fight. He uses this in an attempt to strangle Tanjiro, with a demon-enhanced Genya struggling to pry Urami's hands off. Urami proved so physically potent, Nezuko was forced to use her Blood Demon Art in order to simply weaken him to the point they could continue attacking.Fighting Style[]
Spear Proficiency[]
Aizetsu's proficiency with a Yari.
While Hantengu's clones mainly fight using their overwhelming Blood Demon Art, Aizetsu was the exception as he used a melee-based combat style. The demon of sorrow displayed mastery in wielding a Jumonji Yari, having the dexterity and strength to maneuver it with ease. In addition, due to his merciful tendency to give his opponents a quick death, he aims for vital areas in order to instantly kill enemies with his spear. Against an agile and seasoned Demon Slayer like Genya, he was able to impale him almost immediately after being manifested, as well as prevent a full demon Nezuko from attacking Sekido by swiftly impaling her. Aizetsu could also use the pole of the Yari to strike the chests of opponents, like he did with Genya, knocking them back and breaking ribs. It should also be noted that only time Aizetsu uses his Blood Demon Art was when he was at long range, implying that Aizetsu had scarce use for it in melee-range, in which Aizetsu could fight and kill enemies with his Yari with ease.
Blood Demon Art[]
Hantengu's primal emotions.
Emotional Demon Clone Manifestation: Hantengu's Blood Demon Art allows him to manifest his emotions as younger clones of himself, which can be identified by a kanji on their tongue. These clones all have different appearances, abilities, and weapons, with their individual strength being at least Upper Rank caliber. The emotions shown are anger, pleasure, sorrow, joy, hatred, and resentment, with Hantengu himself having the kanji of "fear" etched onto his tongue. It is implied that Hantengu can control these clones however he sees fit, as seen when he took control of Urami's body to kill a group of swordsmiths after he was beheaded.[36]
Hantengu splits into his anger and pleasure clones upon decapitation.
This Blood Demon Art was activated when a decoy of Hantengu's head is cut off, where his head and body turn into two separate clones, one that personifies his anger, and the other which personifies his pleasure. After these two clones are decapitated, they split off into two more clones, personifying his sorrow and joy. One notable trait about these manifestations is they cannot be killed when Hantengu himself is still alive. Damaging the clones' tongues has shown to slow their regeneration speed momentarily.[37]
If need be, Sekido, the personification of Hantengu's anger, can absorb the three other clones present to form an even stronger clone, Zohakuten, who is able to use all of the four clone's Blood Demon Arts along with his own.
Sekido paralyzing Genya mid-attack with waves of electricity.
Electricity Generation: Sekido's Blood Demon Art allows him to generate electricity that flashes blue and red from his Khakkhara by stabbing it onto a surface, typically the ground.[38] His electricity was extremely potent, instantly paralyzing targets, even if they are in mid-air, and causing them to lose consciousness in a short period of time. His Blood Demon Art has a wide area of effect, allowing him to subdue multiple targets at once.[39][40] He can also summon electricity in the form of lightning that strikes his targets from above. One drawback to his electricity was that it cannot pass through anything made from his own cells, such as the body parts of any of Hantengu's clones, which Tanjiro utilized to avoid getting shocked.[41] Another limitation is that unlike true electrokinesis like Kaigaku, Sekido could not manipulate the randomly striking and fluctuating lightning, making it easier to dodge in more open spaces.
Due to Sekido's electricity being spammable and requiring minimal effort, Sekido was the least physically active of the primal clones. He usually spent his time standing still while using his Blood Demon Art to subdue his enemies, sometimes as support for his fellow clones, or as area denial.
Karaku blasts Tanjiro and Nezuko out of a building.
Wind Blasts: Karaku's Blood Demon Art allows him to generate powerful, green gusts of wind using his maple leaf-shaped Uchiwa. By simply swinging his Uchiwa down, Karaku can generate a gust of wind strong enough to blow Muichiro into a distant forest in an instant,[42] leave gigantic maple leaf-shaped craters, level an entire building,[43] and crush Demon Slayer and demon alike under its immense pressure, even knocking them unconscious.[44]
Nezuko turns Karaku's weapon against him.
Aftermath of Aizetsu's spear projections.
Spear Projection: Aizetsu's Blood Demon Art allows him to create multiple jagged blue-to-red projectiles out of thin air by simply thrusting his Yari, and instantly launch them at his targets from afar. Additionally, its potency has been shown to be enhanced, shown not only through it's penetration of tree trunks, but Genya, in his attempt to shield Tanjiro, was left with numerous circular puncture wounds all over his body. Since Aizetsu primarily fights in close combat where simply killing his enemies with his spear was an easy task for him, his spear projections were useful for ranged attacks.[47]
During his appearance as a boss battle in Hinokami Chronicles 2, Aizetsu seemingly uses his Blood Demon Art to enhance attacks from his spear in general, as him swinging his Yari creates large energy bursts that have ludicrously massive range and glow blue-to-red just like his projectiles.
Urogi unleashing sound waves that momentarily knock Tanjiro out.
Zohakuten summons dragons made of wood.
Wood Manipulation: Zohakuten's main Blood Demon Art grants him the ability to take control of the trunks of surrounding trees and manipulate it by striking the drums at his back.[49] Zohakuten mainly shapes the wood into massive snake-like dragon heads that can stretch up to twenty meters in length,[50] though he can also create dragon heads within the main dragon heads in order to increase its length and reach.[51] Using Countless Striking Trees (
Other than his wooden dragons, Zohakuten also displayed the ability to shape wood into a twisted trunk-like burl which he uses to protect and hide Hantengu's main body. Like his dragons, Zohakuten can move this burl at will to conceal it or to attack those that get too close to it. This trunk can also create branch to act as whips to deter targets.[53]
His ligneokinetic defensive capabilities were extremely beneficial as other than the glaringly obvious threat of the dragons, Zohakuten could also create a bundle of wood to use as a podium, keeping him out-of-range, thus ensuring that close combat against him was essentially impossible. Moreover, his drums shown to release a vibrating red light whenever he strikes it.
Zohakute's wooden dragons using each of the primal clone's abilities.
Techniques[]
- Weeping Spears (
激 涙 刺 突 Gekirui Shitotsu?)[56] - Aizetsu thrusts his Yari, creating multiple long-ranged projections of the spear attack. These projectiles travel at high speeds and have an extremely penetrative potency.
- Crazed Cry of Thunderdeath (
狂 鳴 雷 殺 Kyōmei Raisatsu?)[54] - Zohakuten strikes a drum, commanding two wooden dragons to unleash Sekido's electricity and Urogi's sound waves respectively.
- Countless Striking Trees (
無 間 業 樹 Muken Gōju?)[57] - Zohakuten incessantly strikes his drums, unleashing numerous wooden dragons to create a wide-ranged attack.
- Compressed Sound Waves (
狂 圧 鳴 波 Kyōatsu Meiha?)[58] - Zohakuten opens his mouth and unleashes extremely loud and powerful sound waves that were able to knock even a Hashira unconscious. In the game, Zohakuten is also shown to compress the waves into a thinner beam-like shape.
Game Exclusive Techniques[]
- Lightning Strike (
雷 撃 Raigeki?)[11] - Zohakuten strikes his bottom two drums and summons several large bolts of Sekido's lightning to strike his target.
- Thunderbeast: Violent Gust (
石 竜 子 ・突 風 Tokage - Toppū?)[11] - Zohakuten strikes a drum and summons a wooden dragon which tracks the target and emits a large downwards gust of Karaku's wind, crushing them and leaving a leaf-shaped crater.
- Thunderbeast: Ultrasonic Waves (
石 竜 子 ・超 音 波 Tokage - Chōonpa?)[11] - Zohakuten strikes a drum and summons a wooden dragon which fires Urogi's sound waves in a straight direction.
- Countless Striking Trees, Echoing Thunder (
無 間 業 樹 ・雷 鳴 風 刺 Muken Gōju - Raimei Fūshi?)[11] - Zohakuten strikes a drum and ensnares his target in wooden coils. He then rapidly strikes drums to unleash an alternative version of Countless Striking Trees, summoning eight dragons which slither around and point their heads at the target from different angles. One final strike of his drum makes two of each dragon charge up a blast of either Sekido's electricity, Karaku's wind blasts, Aizetsu's projectiles, and Urogi's sonic soundwaves all directed at the helplessly trapped target, before releasing the energy in an omnidirectional and colorful explosion.
 (Aizetsu) .gif "Crazed Cry of Thunderdeath (Anime).gif (7.96 MB)") (Zohakuten) .gif "Countless Striking Trees (Anime).gif (6.54 MB)") (Zohakuten) .gif "Compressed Sound Waves (Anime).gif (8.4 MB)") (Zohakuten)
 (Aizetsu)  (Zohakuten)  (Zohakuten)  (Zohakuten)
 (Zohakuten)  (Zohakuten)  (Zohakuten)  (Zohakuten)  (Zohakuten)  (Zohakuten)  (Zohakuten)  (Urogi)  (Zohakuten) |
Equipment[]
Khakkhara: Sekido wields a Khakkhara fashioned from his flesh. It serves as his main tool in combat when used in conjunction with his Blood Demon Art, allowing him to channel his lightning and strike at close and wide ranges to shock, paralyze, and incapacitate his targets. When fighting in close combat, Sekido can also use his Khakkhara as a melee weapon, which he does when Nezuko arms herself with Karaku's Uchiwa. Sekido has also been shown to create multiple Khakkharas at the same time, as he formed a new one in his hand to attack Tanjiro whilst his previous one was still imbedded in Nezuko's neck.
Coupled with Sekido's brute strength, the staff was also dense enough to impale through human bodies, making it a lethal weapon despite its unassuming appearance.
Gallery[]
Uchiwa: Karaku wields a maple leaf-shaped Uchiwa fashioned from his flesh. It serves as his main tool in combat when used in conjunction with his Blood Demon Art, allowing him to generate powerful gusts of wind to launch his enemies a far distance and to level any battlefield and turn it into one full of torrents of wind, making it extremely difficult for his opponents to fight or even move. However, this Uchiwa can be used by anyone, which makes Karaku susceptible to having his wind Blood Demon Art used against him by his opponents.
Gallery[]
Jūmonji Yari: Aizetsu wields a Jūmonji Yari fashioned from his flesh. It serves as his main melee tool in combat, being used to unleash close to mid-ranged thrusting or slicing attacks as well as allowing Aizetsu to block and parry attacks from his opponents as a traditional weapon. He also occasionally uses the pole of the weapon in order to stun enemies. His Blood Demon Art works in conjunction with his Yari, allowing him to project and lengthen the spear's attacks to strike his targets from afar.
Gallery[]
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Battles[]
Trivia[]
- The alias "Hantengu" contains the On'yomi reading of the kanji for "half" (半 han?), "heaven" (天 ten?) and "hound" (狗 gu?). The last two kanji in his name means Tengu (
天 狗 ?), a winged yōkai that uses fans in battle. "Han" likely refers to his mismatched kimono. The aspects of the Tengu are shared between three of Hantengu's four basic emotions: Urogi's wings, Karaku's fan and Yuigesa harness, and Sekido's khakkhara staff which the Tengu is often presented as carrying.- Sekido’s name consists of the kanji for “volume”, “to pile up” (
積 seki) and “anger” (怒 do). - Karaku’s name consists of the kanji for “able”, “permit” (
可 ka) and “pleasure” (楽 raku). - Aizetsu’s name consists of the kanji for “sorrow” (
哀 ai) and “cease”, “discontinue” (絶 zetsu). - Urogi’s name consists of the kanji for “sky”, “emptiness” (
空 uro) and “joy” (喜 gi). - Zohakuten’s name is made up of the kanji for “hatred” (
憎 zō), “amber” (珀 haku) and “heaven” (天 ten). - Urami has no canonical name and is referred to as the ’’’Resentment Demon’’’ (
恨 の鬼 Urami no Oni?) in official material.}[1][59]- The prefix "Han" may also refer to a hannya, a mask used in Noh theater which heavily resembles Hantengu's horned head, and fearful expression. Although hannyas are usually worn by female demons born of jealousy or obsession, they are also often associated with the complexity of human emotions, which ties in with Hantengu's main demonic ability.
- Sekido’s name consists of the kanji for “volume”, “to pile up” (
- Hantengu's strange lump may be a reference to the Japanese folktale "Lump-Taken Old Man" (
こぶとりじいさん Kobutori Jiisan?) where an old man's lump on his cheek is removed by a group of demons as a reward for entertaining them, while a second and much more greedy old man gets a second lump on his other cheek as a punishment for his hubris. In addition, some variations of the folktale have the old men encounter a group of tengus. - Hantengu's first four emotions are derived from the "Yojijukugo (four-character idiom)" (
喜 怒 哀 楽 Kidoairaku?), which can be used to describe the range of human emotions people (rather demons in this instance) feel as a whole. All his manifestations (including Hantengu himself), have the kanji for their respective emotion in their names. - The drums behind Zohakuten's back represent the lightning drums of the Shintō kami "Raijin" (
雷 神 ?). Whenever Raijin strikes the drums levitating behind his back, lightning strikes upon both the human world and the underworld. This is likely referenced in Zohakuten's ability to utilize Sekido's lightning: either from striking a drum to command a wooden dragon to do, or summoning it himself out of thin air. - Alien hand syndrome or Dr. Strangelove syndrome is a real neurological disorder where a person's limbs act involuntarily, similar to Hantengu's claims that his own hands act on their own. However, given Hantengu lying about being blind and AHS symptoms tending to be simple and innocuous actions, it's more than likely that Hantengu was also lying about his hands autonomously committing murder.
- When he was human, Hantengu bumped into a menacing-looking guy and pretended to be blind. Seeing how everyone would pity him and treat him gently, he continued to fake his blindness, while also robbing and committing other crimes in the process.[60]
- Muzan views Hantengu with a neutral opinion, but sometimes he can be so annoying, he becomes intolerable.[60]
- Even as a child, Hantengu lied to make those around him look bad and gain sympathy.[3]
- Hantengu lied about his name, age, and background so much that he forgot about what his real name, age, or background really is.[3]
- Hantengu has married and had children several times. This didn't last though as whenever he would be accused of dishonesty, he would feel as if he was mistreated and kill his wives and children in anger.[3]
- His appearance was described to look like an 87-year-old man.[3]
- Hantengu’s hobby is burglary.[3]
- Muzan sends him on important missions because of his excellent stealth.[3]
- Zohakuten was initially colored by Gotouge on the cover page of Chapter 125 to have golden irises with white sclera, but in Shounen Jump's promotional material, he is shown to have golden sclera with golden irises. The anime adopts a third scheme, with Zohakuten sporting Sekido's red sclera (as he was the one who absorbed the other clones), while still having golden irises.
- Ironically, the punishments Hantengu was sentenced to by the magistrate would come to fruition in his final battle, as Urami's hands were severed from him by Genya and he was decapitated in the end by Tanjiro.[61]
- The floral pattern on Hantengu's kimono, which is also used by Sekido, Urami, and is present in Zohakuten's cloth, are changed to simple wavy lines in the anime, possibly to make it easier to animate. However, the original kimono design was seen in Episode 30 when Enmu envisions challenging an Upper Rank to a duel to usurp them, and a silhouette of Hantengu can be seen.[62]
- In the cover for Chapter 23 of Kimetsu Gakuen!, Hantengu's kimono is colored in the anime color scheme, but the flowers on the right half are colored purple.
Hantengu's cameo in in the Witch Watch anime.
- Hantengu is referenced twice in Witch Watch.
- He makes an appearance in the 9th chapter of the manga and the 4th episode of it's anime adaptation; he is said to be the favorite character of Kakuraibo Ashizukayama, despite the character's hatred of demons (called ogres in the series).
- Later, when the otaku teacher Yuri Makuwa is startled by one of her students, she exclaims she is turning into Hantengu and imitates his trademark cowardly crouch and shriek.
- Hantengu and Mukago are the only members of the Twelve Kizuki with horns, with also holding the same position among their respective ranks.
- In Jumputi Heroes Urogi is shown to be able to utilize Compressed Sound Waves, a technique that only Zohakuten used in the main story.
- In Kimetsu Academy, he is known as Crawling Old Man in the Hallway. The old man who crawls around the hallways while crying fails to look like a human and constantly grumbles about grudges. When he sees people who are smaller than him, he lunges at them and steals their stuff. He has a swelling on his head, because Tokito from the junior high drop-kicked him. He resents the middle schoolers for showing off their youthful spirit and demands they give them their youth or something valuable. He himself is able to split himself into the incarnations of his anger, pleasure, sorrow, joy, and hatred.
Quotes[]
- (To himself) "Since the day I was born I've never lied... not even once! I'm a good natured weakling! I deserve pity, but no one has any sympathy for me."[63]
- "Quickly, quickly! We must kill every one of them. Anyone who opposes my lord must be eliminated!"[64]
- (Sekido to Karaku) "There's nothing fun about it. I am just angry. Angry about being mixed in with you too, Karaku!"[38]
- (Karaku to himself) "Ohhh... That was enjoyable... fun, even... I've never felt an attack like that before!"[65]
- (Urogi to Tanjiro) "Ha ha ha! How wonderful! It’s been so long since I divided!"[66]
- (Aizetsu to Genya) "You're so weak it's sad."[67]
- (Sekido to himself) "A burning blade. Bright red... based on Lord Muzan's memory... that blade belonged to the swordsman... who almost cut off Lord Muzan's head. They are becoming one!"[68]
- (Zohakuten to Tanjiro and Genya) "You brutes who torment the weak! Unpleasantness... Unhappiness... Extremity... You awful villains!"[69]
- (Urami to Tanjiro) "What gives you the right to bully and wrong the weak?! Answer me!"[22]
- (Aizetsu to Genya) "You may be strong, but you're still nothing more than a human. You'll run out of strength, and when your body fails, my spear will land true."[11]
- (Zohakuten responding to Mitsuri's claim that she never lost to a demon) "Foolish girl. You've slain naught but pawns-weak, expendable. Nothing that merits praise. It is only natural for you inferior humans to lose to me, Upper Four."[11]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kimetsu no Yaiba First Fanbook.
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Setting Book 8
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 Kimetsu no Yaiba Second Fanbook.
- ↑ Takumitsu Sugiyama's X account.
- ↑ Ayumu Matsuoka's X account.
- ↑ Shinji Kanazawa's X account.
- ↑ ASUKA's X account.
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 98 (Page 4).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Setting Book 8
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 113 (Page 13).
- ↑ 11.00 11.01 11.02 11.03 11.04 11.05 11.06 11.07 11.08 11.09 11.10 Kimetsu no Yaiba Game: The Hinokami Chronicles 2.
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Anime: Episode 51.
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 114 (Page 14).
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 124 (Page 9).
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 125 (Page 11).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 114 (Page 13).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 114 (Page 15-16).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 106 (Page 8-10).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 125 (Page 4-5).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 106 (Page 7).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 116 (Pages 10-12).
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Kimetsu no Yaiba Anime: Episode 55.
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 109 (Page 11).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 110 (Page 6).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 110 (Page 12).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 109 (Page 10-11).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 107 (Page 10).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 109 (Page 3).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 106 (Page 15).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 110 (Page 3).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 127 (Page 9).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 123 (Page 7-9).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Anime: Episode 54.
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 116 (Page 14).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 116 (Page 15).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga and Anime: Chapter 126 (Page 11-12) and Episode 55.
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 110 (Page 9).
- ↑ 38.0 38.1 Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 106 (Page 20).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 106 (Page 21).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 109 (Page 16).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 110 (Page 7-8).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 106 (Page 16-17).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 112 (Page 19-20).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga and Anime: Chapter 110 (Page 14) and Episode 49.
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 114 (Page 3).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 109 (Page 14-15).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga and Anime: Chapter 115 (Pages 16-17) and Episode 50.
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga and Anime: Chapter 107 (Page 12) and Episode 47.
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga and Anime: Chapter 116 (Page 13) and Episode 51.
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga and Anime: Chapter 122 (Page 8) and Episode 53.
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 122 (Page 12).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga and Anime: Chapter 122 (Page 13) and Episode 53.
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga and Anime: Chapter 124 (Page 13) and Episode 54.
- ↑ 54.0 54.1 Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga and Anime: Chapter 122 (Page 18) and Episode 54.
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga and Anime: Chapter 123 (Page 4) and Episode 54.
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga and Anime: Chapter 115 (Page 16) and Episode 50.
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga and Anime: Chapter 123 (Page 5) and Episode 54.
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga and Anime: Chapter 123 (Page 9) and Episode 54.
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Setting Book 8
- ↑ 60.0 60.1 Kimetsu no Yaiba First Fanbook.
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Anime: Episode 45.
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Anime: Episode 30.
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 124 (Page 18).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Anime: Episode 47.
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 107 (Page 4).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 107 (Page 8).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 107 (Page 9).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 113 (Page 6-7).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 116 (Page 8-9).