Muzan’s Hidden Cowardice: The Truth Behind His Fearful Tactics

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Summary

  • Muzan’s cowardice stems from his fear of death due to childhood struggles, leading to hiding among humans.
  • Muzan employs disguise, telepathy, and curses to control demons and avoid confrontation.
  • Muzan’s control methods reveal his insecurity and fear, relying on demons for his bidding.

In the captivating anime saga of Demon Slayer, I’ve always found myself questioning the bravery of Kibutsuji Muzan. Despite being the creator of demons and undeniably a formidable adversary, Muzan has an uncanny knack for delegating tasks to his minions while he himself remains hidden in the shadows.

Despite numerous leaders choosing to avoid direct combat, Muzan harbors an intense dread of death, possibly stemming from his hardships in childhood that transformed him into a demon. After a narrow escape with Tsugikuni Yoriichi, Muzan opted for a life shrouded in secrecy. He blends into human society by assuming different guises, all while directing his minions. Although his tactics are discreet, Muzan uses various strategies to maintain his concealment and expose his cowardice. Can you elaborate on these techniques?

Muzan’s Personality at Its Core

Selfish to His Core, Muzan Puts His Needs Above Others

In the Asakusa arc, we initially encounter Kibutsuji Muzan not in a hidden lair or during a fight, but rather at night amidst the bustling society, accompanied by his wife and daughter. Muzan is adept at camouflaging himself, possessing the ability to seamlessly integrate into human society without raising suspicion that he’s the creator of demons, a secret known to only a few. This disguise serves Muzan well, as many people are unaware of the existence of demons.

As a dedicated and well-informed character, I, Muzan, often resort to instilling fear and exerting my authority over those who follow me. Yet, beneath this polished exterior lies a vulnerable side, for I harbor deep insecurities about fitting seamlessly into society. My unusual pale complexion, one that many perceive as a sign of sickness, further complicates matters for me. Though I possess the ability to manipulate my appearance, my unchangeable pallor consistently stirs up anger whenever it’s brought up – a fact vividly depicted in Chapter 14.

That man is but a coward. He’s always afraid.

Muzan sees himself as an almost flawless being, showcasing his obsession with perfection. Yet, despite this self-image, Muzan is haunted by fear and cowardice, opting to conceal himself among humans and produce demons to serve as a distraction for the Demon Slayer Corps. With demons scattered across the nation, the Demon Slayer Corps is continually busy protecting humans, while Muzan lurks in heavily populated regions.

Muzan’s lifelong struggle involves confronting death on numerous occasions. Even before birth, his heart stopped multiple times inside his mother’s womb, leading people to believe he was stillborn due to the absence of a pulse and breath. Throughout his existence, Muzan yearns for life above all else. He managed to evade cremation, and despite transforming into a demon, he outlived his illness. Yet now, stepping into daylight could bring him face-to-face with death.

Despite having a weak and sickly body that threatened to claim his life before his 20th birthday, Muzan yearned for nothing more than to survive. This fear of death might explain why he chose to hide himself from the world. Yet, this desire for mere survival transformed into a hunger for perfection as he sought to transform into an ideal being.

How Muzan’s Cowardice Reveals Itself

Utilizing Various Methods, Muzan Protects Himself from the Corps

First Appearance Asakusa arc
Season 1 Episode 7

Muzan’s cowardice becomes evident in various ways. Prior to encountering Tsugikuni Yoriichi, Muzan held the belief that he was invincible and frequently walked alongside Tamayo when she was still under his control. However, this changed after their meeting, as Yoriichi wielded Sun Breathing and bore a Demon Slayer mark. This fateful encounter caused Muzan to vow to hide himself from then on, out of fear of being slain.

After soothing the agitated young lady, she hurriedly shared some information with me concerning the man. In her haste, she mentioned that the originator of demons, Kibutsuji Muzan, was unlikely to expose himself to me in the future.

It’s been noted that Muzan skillfully adapted to society by assuming various forms. Primarily, Muzan has presented himself as a male because that was his original form and he married multiple women for this disguise. Interestingly, Muzan also took on a child and female form when needed. In Chapter 51, Muzan showcased his female form to the Lower Moon demons, leaving many bewildered and in awe of the demon they hadn’t even realized was among them. As Lower Moon Six put it, Muzan’s female form was an “exceptionally convincing disguise,” making even the demons oblivious to his presence until he chose to reveal himself.

In my observation, Muzan, the creator of all demons, has taken significant steps to conceal his true identity within human society by altering his physical appearance. Yet, it’s not just his disguise that betrays his cowardice – Muzan’s long-lived existence and mastery over his demonic offspring are clear indications of this. Over the centuries, he has cultivated various techniques and abilities to dominate his followers, making him a formidable figure indeed.

One method used by Muzan for maintaining dominance over demons is a powerful curse. If any demon accidentally mentions his name, this curse springs into action. Once active, the demons can no longer heal themselves, and the cells of Muzan housed within them will perish. This fear has led many demons to refer to him as “Lord” or “Master,” feeding his arrogance even more.

  • The Infinity Castle, a Blood Demon Art of Nakime, serves as a lair for Muzan as it exists in an alternate realm that Demon Slayers cannot access.
  • Muzan uses telepathy to read the minds of his underlings and communicate.
  • He uses his demons to do all his bidding, never wanting to engage in battle himself.

Muzan freely dispenses his blood to demons, yet won’t hesitate to eliminate them if they become useless. Flattery, which inflates his belief in being almost flawless, is something Muzan appreciates greatly. As the originator of all demons, Muzan has strategically developed powers that safeguard him, and his ability to manipulate demons is a given. Although his dominion over the demons is restricted, he mainly achieves desired outcomes through fear and intimidation.

Mentioned earlier, Muzan frequently employs telepathy to sense the thoughts of his demons and promptly eliminates those who defy him, also nullifying their demonic power and regeneration in the process. This power serves two purposes for Muzan: maintaining loyalty among his followers towards his agenda and locating them. However, as the distance increases, this ability becomes more challenging to employ effectively. Notably, Nezuko and Tamayo, who have managed to break free from his control, remain unscathed by this power.

This fact also underscores Muzan’s distrust towards his subordinates, as figures like Kaigaku and Kokushibo were once Demon Slayers who rebelled against him. Over time, Muzan has operated covertly, hiding his true identity, and using demons to locate the Blue Spider Lily and defeat the Demon Slayer Corps, who serve under the Ubuyashiki family. However, it wasn’t until Nezuko gained the ability to walk in daylight that he no longer dreaded the Demon Slayers and made an attempt to reclaim Nezuko himself.

Demon Slayer is now available to stream on Crunchyroll.

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2025-02-11 21:36