Temple Demon

Temple Demon
Kanji	お堂の鬼
Rōmaji	Odō no Oni
Characteristics
Race	Demon Human (Formerly)
Gender	Male
Hair Color	Dark Green
Eye Color	Black
Personal Status
Status	Deceased
Debuts
Manga Debut	Chapter 2
Anime Debut	Episode 2
Portrayal
Japanese VA	Hikaru Midorikawa
English VA	Ben Diskin

“	This is my turf. If you break into my territory, I'll make you pay!	”
	— Temple Demon to Tanjiro Kamado in Trainer Sakonji Urokodaki

The Temple Demon (お堂 (どう) の鬼 (おに) , Odō no Oni^?) was the first demon Tanjiro Kamado encountered that has taken a human's life.

Appearance

The Temple Demon was a muscular demon of average height. He had pale, ash-gray skin with two green marks around both of his upper arms and legs and shoulder-length, spiky dark-green hair parted at the middle of his forehead. He also possessed prominent fangs and sharp nails, attributes common to Demons.

The Temple Demon was seen wearing a sleeveless, blue tunic with a dark-turquoise-and-white pattern outlining his exposed chest. He wore pale colored bracelets around his wrists and ankles.

After getting his head kicked off by Nezuko Kamado, the demon grew two muscular arms out of the sides of his head.

Gallery

The Temple Demon after being decapitated by Nezuko.

Personality

The Temple Demon, like most demons, was cruel and ruthless to humans, attacking Tanjiro Kamado without a moment's hesitation upon discovering he was human. He appeared to be very defensive of his territory as he was irate about Tanjiro and Nezuko intruding onto his domain. The demon also displayed a sense of superiority over Tanjiro when the two fought, boasting his quick recovery after getting hit in the chin.

History

The demon had already been attacking travelers who take shelter at a small temple hut on the pathway that leads to Mount Sagiri. When Tanjiro was asking for directions, one of the villagers mentioned that it would be dangerous for him to travel at night as people had been going missing in the area.

Synopsis

The Temple Demon encounters Tanjiro.

Tanjiro and Nezuko pass by the temple that the demon is feeding in, and, smelling blood, the former rushes over and opens the door. He is shocked to find the demon feeding on two dead men, and, annoyed, the demon turns to the Kamado siblings and warns them about trespassing on his turf. He turns to face them and, as the last light withers away, he pounces on Tanjiro.Tanjiro quickly reacts by drawing his hatchet and slashes open the demon's throat. The demon stumbles back, but it only takes a few seconds before the slice is fully healed.

The demon pins down Tanjiro before he has time to react. He easily overpowers him in strength and speed. The demon tries to snap the boy's neck but Nezuko comes to her senses and rushes back to her brother's side. She kicks the demon's head clean off his body, shocking Tanjiro.

Nezuko kicks the Temple Demon's head off.

The demon's body slowly tries to grab Tanjiro so Nezuko kicks it away into a tree. The head and body can move individually. The body attacks first, serving to isolate Nezuko. Tanjiro tries to help, but the head grows arms and leaps onto Tanjiro's hatchet. The body kicks Nezuko several times before throwing her deep into the forest.Tanjiro headbutts the head with reckless abandonment and it proves effective.

He suffers two blows Tanjiro's rock-hard head before getting thrown with the hatchet into a tree, pinning him there. Tanjiro tracks his sister to a cliffside where she is being kicked closer to the edge.Tanjiro tackles the body over the large cliff, but Nezuko grabs him before he falls too far. It falls to its demise, and the head is knocked unconscious as a result.

The Temple Demon is exposed to sunlight, killing him.

Tanjiro prepares a knife to finish off the head. He struggles to come to terms with taking another life and believes this is not the demon who attacked his family. A man in a Tengu mask appears and tells Tanjiro he cannot finish a demon off using a simple knife.The masked man challenges Tanjiro to figure out another way. The boy believes crushing the head with a rock will suffice, but can't bring himself to brutally end the creature. The head awakens and curses Tanjiro until the sun rises and he disintegrates into ash.

Abilities

Overall Abilities

The Temple Demon proved to be a troublesome adversary for Tanjiro and Nezuko. His inhuman physical abilities and inability to take damage from normal wounds made him extremely dangerous to any ordinary human. Tanjiro, despite his use of an axe and physical fitness, was completely overwhelmed and would have certainly been killed if it had not been for Nezuko's intervention as a demon. Even after getting decapitated, the Temple Demon's head and body remained unharmed and continued to fight back, forcing the Kamado siblings to fight him by defeat both parts separately.

Demon Abilities

The Temple Demon growing new arms.

Flesh Manipulation: After getting his head kicked off by Nezuko, the Temple Demon was shown to grow a new pair of arms from the stump of his neck, which allowed him to move and continue fighting Tanjiro

Regeneration: As a demon, the Temple Demon possessed regeneration that allows him to heal conventional wounds within seconds, easily repairing the slice from an axe on his neck without issue. Because he sustained damage not performed by a Nichirin Sword, he remained alive and kept fighting the siblings. However, he succumbed to the innate weakness of all demons, burning quickly once the sun had risen.

Physical Abilites

Enhanced Speed: The Temple Demon is faster than an ordinary person can see, easily blitzing Tanjiro's perception and appearing in front of him in a blur. Tanjiro, despite looking at him the entire time, could not see him move.

Battles

Temple Demon Battles

Final Selection Arc

• Tanjiro Kamado and Nezuko Kamado vs Temple Demon

Trivia

• The Temple Demon is the first character in the manga that comments on Tanjiro's extremely hard head.
• Some Japanese fans also call him "Shrine Demon" (堂 (どう) 鬼 (おに) , Dō Oni^?) or "Geodude".
• The Temple Demon makes an appearance in the Me & Roboco series' 7th chapter.