Demon Slayer is a standout shonen anime, quickly becoming one of the most popular in recent years. Its widespread acclaim – including being named Anime of the Year in 2019 – is a testament to its impact on both fans and critics. A key reason for the show’s success is its compelling characters, who feel real and are full of determination and emotional complexity, bringing the story by Koyoharu Gotouge to life.
While Demon Slayer is incredibly popular worldwide, it does have some flaws. Certain characters detract from the story, leaving fans wishing they’d been developed differently. This article takes a look at those characters – from uninteresting villains to frustrating heroes – who negatively impacted the series.
Gyokko
Image via studio UFOtable.
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Gyokko stands out among Muzan Kibutsuji’s Upper Rank demons, but unfortunately not for positive reasons. Fans generally consider his backstory weak, his appearance odd, and his powers disappointing compared to the other Upper Ranks. Many viewers didn’t connect with his character, seeing him primarily as a tool to highlight the strength of a Demon Slayer when they unlock the rare Demon Slayer Mark.
Once Muichiro Tokito activated his demon slayer mark, he quickly defeated Gyokko. This made their fight in the Swordsmith Village arc surprisingly one-sided and brief, diminishing the threat that Gyokko’s high rank implied.
Zenitsu Agatsuma
Zenitsu is a polarizing character in Demon Slayer. Some fans love his powerful Thunderclap and Flash attacks, while others find his constant complaining and over-the-top reactions – especially when he’s scared or feels overlooked by Nezuko – very frustrating.
Zenitsu often overreacts to even minor threats throughout the series, frequently panicking and needing Tanjiro and Inosuke to rescue him. This can be annoying for viewers.
It’s easy to see how different Zenitsu is when he’s awake versus asleep. While awake, he’s quite different from the incredibly powerful and courageous fighter he becomes in his sleep, which is what fans love to see.
Doma
Image via UFOtable. Doma certainly fits the mold of a powerful villain in Demon Slayer, but he’s often criticized for his cruel actions towards the Demon Slayers. Many fans particularly dislike how he destroyed the families of Shinobu Kocho and Inosuke Hashibira.
While Doma is often presented as a captivating villain, some viewers find his sheer evil overwhelming. The show doesn’t offer any explanation or sympathetic side to his character, portraying him as consistently cruel right to the very end. Many fans also dislike that he lacks a tragic past, making his wickedness seem pointless and unjustified.
Kyogai
Kyogai, also called the Drum Demon, was one of the first major villains faced by Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke in the Tsuzumi Mansion Arc of Demon Slayer. He was a frightening demon with the ability to control the rooms of the mansion using his drums, making him a difficult and unpredictable enemy.
As more episodes of Demon Slayer came out, some fans began to see Kyogai as a less impressive character compared to Nakime, a newer and powerful villain. Nakime’s ability is very similar to Kyogai’s – she can manipulate the Infinity Castle using a biwa instead of drums. Because of this, many fans feel Kyogai became unnecessary, as Nakime essentially does what he does, but on a much larger and more impactful scale.
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Murata
Murata is a fan-favorite character in Demon Slayer, even though he’s often clumsy and messes up in important moments. In fact, his mistakes are part of what makes him so endearing. Fans love his comedic side, and there are tons of memes online poking fun at his made-up ‘galaxy breathing’ technique.
Some viewers aren’t enjoying Murata’s scenes, feeling he takes focus away from more important characters. They were particularly annoyed that he received more detailed background information than characters with larger roles in the overall story.
Daki
Image via UFOtable. Fans generally dislike Daki more than her brother, Gyutaro. This is because she comes across as self-absorbed, spoiled, and lacks significant character growth. Although her relationship with Gyutaro helped show their humanity, her negative traits ultimately made her a less appealing character.
Many fans feel Daki’s character could have been developed better. They’d like to see her as more self-sufficient, instead of always needing her brother, Gyutaro, to rescue her. They also wish she had kept her original, elegant Oiran outfit during the fight with Tanjiro and his friends, as it made her seem more powerful and striking.
Kokushibo
image via studio UFOtable. As a huge Demon Slayer fan, I’ve seen a lot of discussion about Kokushibo, and honestly, I get why some people find him a bit disappointing as a villain. Compared to the other Upper Rank demons, his reasons for becoming so cruel just feel…thin. It’s a bit of a letdown to learn that someone ranked as the second strongest demon, right after Muzan, was driven by something as simple as jealousy over his brother’s strength. It feels like a cliché, and not a very compelling one for a character of his power!
Some fans were even unhappy with Kokushibo’s impressive design, feeling he didn’t earn it. They also felt his death in the Infinity Castle wasn’t befitting a demon who fought the strongest Demon Slayer, and that he was defeated too easily, making the ending less impactful than they’d hoped.
Kaigaku
Image via UFOtable. Kaigaku is a frustrating character in Demon Slayer because he lacks any likable traits, making it difficult for viewers to feel bad for him, even when learning about his past. The fact that he used to be a demon slayer and trained with Zenitsu only makes his betrayal more upsetting.
While Zenitsu defeating Kaigaku felt good, it doesn’t excuse Kaigaku’s shallow character and unclear reasons for doing what he did. Ultimately, his death felt pointless, even though it did prove Zenitsu was a capable demon slayer.
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2026-02-23 20:06