Demon Slayer has captured many hearts with its gripping story, stunning animation, and compelling characters. One of the key themes is the tragic nature of demons, who were once humans transformed by ingesting a demon’s blood.
While most of these demons are depicted as evil and menacing, a few were not cruel when they were humans and only adopted a new personality after becoming dwellers of the shadows. Some demons have a unique story that sheds light on the human experiences they still carry. Consequently, which demons from Demon Slayer were not inherently evil before their transformation?
8 Daki
Daki was turned into a demon by the former Upper-Rank Six Doma just before she died. Before then, she was just a little girl born into the slums of the Entertainment District. She had a mentally unstable mother and, as a result, was raised by her elder brother Gyutaro.
She grew to be one of the most beautiful women in the district and began working for a high-class brothel. She poked the eye of her customer, a samurai, out in a rage because he sullied her brother’s name, which was her undoing. He tied her up, and she was beaten, burnt alive, and left to die.
7 Gyutaro
This is the elder brother of Daki. His mother often beat him and tried to kill him because she could not afford to care for a child. He had a hideous face and, as a result, did not receive the favors his little sister Daki did.
He resorted to becoming a debt collector for the high-class brothel Daki was working for. He returned one day to meet his sister, half burnt and dying in a ditch. The samurai responsible for it snuck up on Gyutaro and slashed him, but Gyutaro quickly did him in. While searching for aid for himself and his sister, he met Doma, who turned them both into demons.
6 Tamayo
She was once a doctor who dedicated her life to helping others. Her life took a tragic turn when she got sick, and all efforts to find a cure were useless. Muzan came to her with false promises of finding one; little did she know his idea of a cure was turning her into a demon.
After her transformation, she went on a rampage and killed all her family members and was filled with instant regret when she came to her senses. She regained her human emotions after some time and vowed never to lose control again. She resorted to buying blood from willing donors rather than harming them.
5 Yushiro
He was once a frail and delicate boy diagnosed with a terminal illness. While he was under Tamayo’s care as a patient, she gave him the choice of letting his condition get the best of him or becoming a demon and living long.
He chose to become a demon for her sake and has stuck by her since, assisting her in her research and doubling as her bodyguard. He ends up developing feelings for her. Like Tamayo, he has also adapted to live with minimal blood consumption.
4 Nezuko
She is a deuteragonist of the Demon Slayer series and the younger sister of Tanjiro Kamado. She lived peacefully in a little house in the woods with her four siblings and their mom. Tanjiro goes out to sell firewood one day, and during that time span, Kibutsuji Muzan strikes their home, massacring everyone and turning Nezuko into a demon.
Though initially losing control, she does not harm anyone and eventually learns to live without consuming humans by taking deep slumbers. She surprisingly becomes more powerful than most other demons and earns the nickname “Chosen Demon” from Muzan.
3 Rui
Rui was a son of a wealthy family with overprotective parents. He was coddled because he had a fragile and delicate body; it was arduous for him to breathe and move. He spent most of his life indoors with his parents, who catered to his every need with love.
Muzan appears to Rui one day, promising to cure him, and transforms him into a demon. Rui’s happiness was short-lived, as soon after, his demonic urges took over, and he killed a man in his home. His parents found out later and planned to kill their monster of a son and kill themselves, too, to join him in the afterlife, but he struck first.
2 Akaza
Born to a father who suffered from a terrible sickness, Hakuji, now known as Akaza, had to resort to pickpocketing to afford medicine. When his father found out, he hung himself because he could not bear the thought of his child being a criminal. Hakuji was later exiled from Edo for his crimes.
Hakuji became rage-filled and picked fights with basically everyone he saw. He was later approached by a Dojo owner who challenged him to a battle and won. The owmer, Keizo took him in. Hakuji later became the head and married Keizo’s daughter, Koyuki. Keizo and Koyuki died at the hands of rival dojo members; Hajuki killed all sixty-seven of them and was approached by Muzan to become a demon.
1 Kokushibo
He was born during the Sengoku era. He was an excellent swordsman and one of the best demon slayers. He had a twin brother named Yoriichi, who he could never seem to surpass, no matter how hard he tried. Yoriichi was the first user of the Sun Breathing technique, which served as the blueprint for all other breathing techniques.
This drove him to invent his technique called Moon Breathing. After studying for years and with the help of his twin brother, he unlocked his demon slayer mark, which was both a blessing and a curse. It significantly increased his abilities but would also take his life when he turned 25. He accepted to become a demon to thwart the curse.