Ubume

Ubume
Kanji	姑獲鳥
Rōmaji	Ubume
Alias	Yae (弥栄, Yae?) (Human)
Characteristics
Race	Demon Human (Formerly)
Gender	Female
Hair Color	Black
Eye Color	Crimson Red
Affiliation
Affiliation	Twelve Kizuki
Personal Status
Status	Deceased
Relative(s)	Unnamed Husband Sae (Daughter)

“	I have abandoned that name ages ago. I am called Ubume. Other than this beautiful demon form of mine, that lord also bestowed me with this precious name.	”
	— Ubume to Masachika Kumeno in Signs from the Wind

Ubume (姑 (う) 獲 (ぶ) 鳥 (め) , Ubume^?) is the primary antagonist in the Third Light Novel of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. She was a demon affiliated with the Twelve Kizuki, having formerly held the position of Lower Rank One (下 (か) 弦 (げん) の壱 (いち) , Kagen no Ichi^?).

Appearance

Ubume is a petite woman whose long, black hair was styled in a braided bun. She had crimson red eyes.

Personality

When she was a human and a mother, Ubume was a kind parental figure who cared immensely for her loved ones, especially her only daughter, Sae. But after she became a demon, Ubume started becoming a more wicked and twisted person, displaying a kind and compassionate disposition on the outside, but an extremely merciless and cruel one when she fights.

History

Multiple decades ago, Ubume was a human by the name of Yae (弥 (や) 栄 (え) , Yae^?) and had an abusive husband and a young daughter named Sae. Her husband gambled often and planned to leave Ubume for another woman, so she killed him and staged his murder as an accident. Sae later became ill, however instead of nursing her to health, she physically abused and killed her. She was then turned into a demon personally by Muzan Kibutsuji.

Abilities

Overall Abilities

As Lower Rank One of the Twelve Kizuki, Ubume was the strongest Lower Rank at the time and the closest to matching the strength of the Upper Ranks. She was able to stand her ground against both Sanemi Shinazugawa and Masachika Kumeno (who were Kinoe-ranked at the time), two powerful Demon Slayers trained with their respective Breathing Style, Wind Breathing, even killing the latter before she died.

Physical Abilities

Enhanced Speed & Reflexes: As a member of the Twelve Kizuki, Ubume possesses excellent speed and reflexes which allowed her to dodge Sanemi's and Masachika's attacks with relative ease.

Manipulation: Ubame is seen to be very manipulative and persuasive with her "children". Part of this ability revolves her Blood Demon Art, but she is seen to easily talk herself out of a situation, showing her true nature.

Fighting Style

Blood Demon Art

Illusion Manifestation: Ubume can cast powerful illusions at will. She initially uses it to change a room in a mansion into fleshy walls of her stomach. The illusions are so powerful that even a Kinoe-ranked Sanemi failed to sense he was under its spell and continued to struggle against Ubume but to no avail. He only escaped this illusion through Masachika, who broke the demon-dispelling mirror, which greatly weakened her illusions.

Trivia

• Ubume is not Yae from Giyu Tomioka's Story, as the kanji for each of their names are completely different.
  • The timelines of the events that the two characters are too far apart for it to be the case as well.
• The name, Ubume, is composed of the kanji for "woman, mother-in-law" (姑, u^?), "to catch, to obtain, to harvest, seize" (獲, bu^?) and "bird, inferior" (鳥, me^?).
  • Her human name, Yae, contains the kanji for "distant, overflowing, full" (弥, ya^?) and "glory, honor, to flourish" (栄, e^?).
• She has stated that Muzan is the one who gave her this name.
• Ubume are mythical creatures in Japanese folklore that are believed to be the spirits of women that died during childbirth or before being able to properly care for her child. The spirit remains on earth, still concerned for the welfare of her child and seeking a proper caregiver.

Quotes

• (To Masachika Kumeno) "I have abandoned that name ages ago. I am called Ubume. Other than this beautiful demon form of mine, that Lord also bestowed me with this precious name."