Introduced in the Swordsmith Village Arc of Koyoharu Gotouge's Demon Slayer, Gyokko is a demon affiliated with the Twelve Kizuki, holding the position of Upper Rank Five. As the demon ranked directly above Daki and Gyutaro, Gyokko is an incredibly powerful demon among the elite forces of the Demon King Muzan Kibutsuji, whose strength has few equals. Having made his entrance during the meeting between the Upper Ranks at the Infinity Castle, Gyokko was subjected to the wrath of the Demon King, as he was swiftly decapitated and made an example of in front of the remaining Upper Ranks. Despite this, Gyokko managed to survive the ordeal, and even reveled in being so close to his master, which provided some insight into his mentality and approach to both life and combat.
As each of the demons introduced in the series makes use of a specific type of ability derived from their personality and the level of strength they attain, based on the number of humans they have consumed over their time living as a demon. In Gyokko's case, his Blood Demon Art is fairly unique among the antagonists that have been shown so far in Demon Slayer. Tied to his self-image as an artist, Gyokko's Blood Demon Art is centered on his flair for pottery, allowing him to channel a multitude of different techniques that make his abilities some of the most unique ones showcased in series. Gyokko is exceptionally skilled at crafting and decorating vases, so much so that his master Muzan, and Upper Rank Two Doma, have taken a liking to his work, which is said to be sublime in its aesthetic value and detailing. In spite of this, the techniques Gyokko invokes with the aid of his vases are wide-ranging and devastating, capable of overwhelming Demon Slayers at the level of a Hashira.
What Is Gyokko's Blood Demon Art?
Beginning with his face and body structure, Gyokko's physiology is quite distorted and bizarre, defying the norms of what a normal human or even demon would look like. Pale and white, with no arms on hs muscular upper torso but many undersized appendages sprouting from his head, neck, and torso, Gyokko resembles a djinn in many respects, with his lower half concealed inside the vases he emerges from. His face takes on an even more warped layout, where he has two mouths occupying the space where his eye sockets should be. One of his eyes is perpetually open and placed beneath his nose in place of a mouth bearing the daiji for "Five," whereas the other one is embedded into the center of his forehead and has the daiji for "Upper Rank" inscribed into it. In combat, Gyokko can exit his vases completely to reveal his true form, which is glaringly reminiscent of a merman, with a more humanoid body covered in scales, and a long tail in place of legs.
Like all other demons, Gyokko can manipulate his flesh, which he uses to create his vases, as seen in how he is able to materialize them in the palm of his hand at will. In fact, with his Blood Demon Art, Gyokko primarily moves across a battlefield through his vases, and he is able to spawn as many as necessary at any given location. This permits him to teleport almost instantly between points to evade attacks and take up more advantageous positions when required. He can also modify the sizes of each porcelain vase to suit his need, which permits him to use them either as conduits for his attacks, or as a means to imprison or seal opponents. This is done by compressing the target within the vase, after which, Gyokko can manipulate their bodies inside the pots to create grotesque forms that he views as art. For instance, while fighting the Mist Hashira Muichiro Tokito and Kotetsu, Gyokko drew out a sculpture composed of multiple swordsmiths impaled upon a set of swords, their mangled bodies contorted into unnatural positions to fit his ideal of beauty. The swordsmiths in question were still partially alive at the time he displayed their bodies, such that some of them were still able to scream whenever he inflicted even more pain on them.
Besides this, the vast majority of Gyokko's Blood Demon Art techniques revolve around the aquatic themes or creatures, such as the hordes of different kinds of fish he can summon as underlings to dispose of weaker enemies. He used this to terrorize the residents of the Swordsmith Village, who were left confused and helpless when confronted by fish-like creatures of varying sizes. Gyokko can also use other sea creatures such as octopi, or even manifest large quantities of water which he then manipulates to execute his techniques, leaning further into the aquatic motif of his abilities which stem from his obsession for fish. This is further solidified in his true form, which has a layered, nigh on impenetrable skin that is said to be as hard as diamonds.
What Are The Various Techniques He Uses?
With his Blood Demon Art, Gyokko can create anything he likes within his porcelain vases. At the time of the attack on the Swordsmith Village, Gyokko used his vases to spawn swarms of demon fish that were virtually indestructible, and the only way to dispose of them was to break the pots that were housed on their backs. Each of these fish demons had unique characteristics such as claws, humanoid legs, or extremely large jaws and teeth. Most of the Demon Slayers charged with guarding the village perished while fighting them, and it was only the intervention of Hashira such as Mitsuri and Muichiro that turned the tide of the battle.
Certain varieties of the fish he creates from his vases can shoot out poison needles (Poison Needle Fish Kill), use scythe-like appendages, or secrete acid after their deaths to inflict severe damage upon his opponents. Octopus tentacles (Octopus Vase hell) are another favorite of his, and he draws them out from the vases to attack or restrain targets since they are less vulnerable to cutting attacks by virtue of their elasticity. Finally, Gyokko's manipulation of water that he summons from his vases ranges from using it to perform devastating slashing attacks or creating a solid prison with the liquid (Water Prison Pot), which was so strong that even the likes of Muichiro struggled when confronted by it. While the Hashira's initial use of Total Concentration Breathing failed, he was only able to escape the technique after awakening his Demon Slayer Mark.
Gyokko's most devastating attack in his normal form is perhaps the Ten Thousand Gliding Slime-Fish, where he summons a grand total of 10,000 slime fish from a number of different pots to swarm towards his opponent and eat them. After falling victim to this attack, the target will be reduced to mere bones. The fish themselves secrete a poisonous liquid that can be absorbed through the skin, making the act of killing them even more deadly. Although this is his most powerful attack in his base form, Gyokko's true form, which he assumes after molting from his normal form, permits him to deliver an even more devastating barrage of physical offensives, in a move known as Killer Fish Scales. This attack was so strong that it was able to damage nearby trees, signifying the immense magnitude of Gyokko's power in comparison to the ranks below him.