Demon Slayeris arecord-breaking blockbuster anime showwith a large cast of villains. The demon slayers of the show have their hands full fighting scores of different demons that range in power from mindless zombies to sophisticated and skilled warriors. Some of the demons possess ultimate techniques called ‘blood demon arts’ that make them profoundly frightening opponents. Worse still, some demons are former demon slayers themselves, and are familar with the techniques that demon slayers use. This allows powerful demons to avoid their inherent weaknesses like sunlight and being decapitated.
Daki is one of the more unique and powerful villains inDemon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaaiba.She was the first upper-ranked demon introduced and the only one who shared a concurrent position with someone else. Her interesting personality and appearance also differentiate her from every other demon. Here are ten facts that you may not know about her.
Her Human Name Was Ume
Before becoming a demon, Daki was a young girl named Ume. As a human, she looked the complete opposite as she did now. She had white hair and bright blue eyes. She was quite tall for her age, possessing a slender figure as well as long eyelashes. These features made her attractive to those around her, in contrast to her brother, whose appearance was seen as quite ugly. She usually styled her hail in a full long ponytail, but also wore her hair forward with messy bangs. Her clothes were often torn, and she was often seen wearing the same pale pink kimono. The clothing inDemon Slayer is drawn with unique patterns to each character, and hers were drawn with misshapen square patterns with horizontal lines inside them.
Despite being poor and disheveled, everyone around her saw her as extremely beautiful. Before being turned into a demon, she had an honest and trusting personality. The name Ume refers to the Ume blossom in Japanese, which is used to ward against evil. Her name and personality point to how Muzan’s demonic influence has twisted her into the opposite of what she used to be.
She Is Extremely Prideful
While Daki expresses extreme devotion and submissiveness to her demonic master Muzan, she is also highly prideful to anyone she deems below her. This pride extends to the people that she eats as well. She will only eat beautiful people and kill them without eating them just because they annoy her. Her pride causes her to dismiss her opponent’s strengths constantly. Any demon slayer that is not a hashira is easily ignored.In an interview, the creator ofDemon Slayersaid he came up with the idea for the hashira based onBleach’sGotei 13.
Demon pride is not a unique thing to Daki. Many demons consider human beings to be cattle to be consumed, and underestimate their skills. This is not unfounded confidence, since even the strongest of regular humans can easily be overpowered by a low level demon. Tanjiro, the hero ofDemon Slayer, was easily overpowered by multiple weaker demons, even after he completed his training. It took Tanjiro a while to get used to fighting demons, and even then, the slightest mistake on the battlefield could cause him to get a permanent injury or risk the life of his friends.
She Is Over 100 Years Old
Even though Daki has a youthful appearance, she is actually over 100 years old. Many of Muzan’s demons look young, but it is especially surprising to learn that Daki is one of the oldest demons. She has survived by hiding in human society, similar to how theswordsmith in the swordsmith villagehave kept out of reach of demons. One would think Daki’s age would give her the extra experience she needed to be invincible, but demons often do not make full use of their extended lifespans. Instead, many demons like Daki choose to hyper-focus on one aspect of themselves or human culture. In daki’s case, she learned how to command respect as an Oiran, and control the Entertainment District.
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Daki Constantly Acts Like a Child
One might expect Daki to act her age once you find out about it, but it turns out this older demon also acts quite young. Her personality is very temperamental and childish. She will frequently let her emotions control her, which leads to bratty outbursts. Daki is prone to hysterical crying, temper tantrums, and pettiness. She will often lash out and the people around her, even her allies, in an abusive way. While hurting your allies is not unique to Daki, the childish angle she takes on it is wholly unique among Muzan’s upper echelon.
Her Loyalty to Muzan Is Absolute
With such a strong personality and little control over her emotions, you might think that Daki’s strong personality would clash with authority. On the contrary, Daki’s personality completely changes around Muzan. She speaks in a meek tone when talking to Muzan and is quick to bow and show respect to him. This behavior speaks to Muzan’s ability as a master manipulator. Muzan has told every demon exactly what they need to hear to follow him. Muzan’s ability to create feelings of fear, love, and respect from his subordinates despite his cruelty makes him a scary opponent for the demon slayers. The ability for Muzan to make any demon submit to him with unquestioning loyalty is an impressive feat, and one of the reasons why none of the Demon Slayers had even seen his face for hundreds of years. His hierarchy of demons carried out his orders with perfect precision, allowing Muzan to hang back in the shadows and accomplish anything that he wanted to do.
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Although She Rarely Shows It, She Cares Deeply for Her Brother
Daki is seen harshly ridiculing and insulting her brother on several occasions. Her brother Gyutaro is very different from Daki. He has an uglier appearance and does display many outward personality traits. Even when Daki is defeated, she still speaks cruelly of her brother and says that he couldn’t be her brother because he lacks. However, like many demons, Daki’s true feelings are distorted by her transformation. When Daki is defeated, she refuses to abandon Gyutaro and is willing to go to hell with him so they can stay together. Right before demons die, they get to feel their human emotions again for the first time as they are being purified. While in this state, Daki was able to express the true feelings she held without any restraint.
She Used to Have an Honest Personality
Daki’s brother Gyutaro makes remarks about Daki’s original personality as a human. He describes her as honest, straightforward, and naive. She was also impressionable and trusted too easily. These qualities led her to be a prime target for Muzan’s masterful manipulation. These pure traits were twisted by Muzan, and Daki learned to be selfish and only look out for herself. Muzan told her to take from someone before they could take from her. Her brother expressed the belief that if she had grown up in a normal household with caring parents, she would have retained her innocence.
She Has a Keen Intellect
While Daki’s onscreen presence is often childish, behind her emotions lies a cold intelligence. Daki became a master manipulator herself and could trap courtesans for decades without being caught by demon slayers. Daki received the best Oiran training that prepared her to rise in the ranks in the entertainment district. She also used this intellect in battle and displayed impressive feats. She could instantly tell her opponent’s level of strength after Zenitsu only once. Her education and deduction abilities undoubtedly served her well for many years.
Daki and Her Brother Share One Body
One of the more unique aspects to Daki is that she shared a body with her brother Gyutaro. It is a rare ability among demons, and even while sharing a body, her brother does not show any outward signs of being with her. This unique trait also allows her to avoid death by decapitation. Decapitation by theDemon Slayer’s colorful swordsis one of the primary ways of dealing with demons in the series. This shocking revelation makes Daki very intimidating to fight.
Her Blood Demon Art Is Wholly Unique
Daki’s blood demon art utilizes her unique position as an Oiran. She is able to manipulate her body and Obi sash to create devastating amounts of slashing techniques. The blood demon art is extremely flexible and can act as a whip or a sharp blade. She can trap people in her sashes and store them for consumption later. On top of this, she can create sentient sashes that can do simple tasks like guarding and attacking their own. Ufotable, the animation house for Demon Slayer, did an excellent job selling her blood demon art on screen. Hopefully their other series likeFate/Stay Night gets a good sequel.
