Demon Slayer: Who is Koyuki?

As the Demon Slayer Infinity Castle Arc’s anime adaptation approaches, fans will be introduced to several new characters who play crucial roles in the lives of the primary cast. Among them, Koyuki stands out as one of the most memorable, leaving a lasting impact on the narrative despite her lack of screen time.

Koyuki was a kind, young girl who was Akaza’s fianceé during the time he was a human named Hakuji. She was dead before the main story began, but her influence on Akaza was always visible. Not only was she a guiding light during his life as a demon, but she also became the reason he was able to sever his ties with Muzan.

During the Infinity Castle Arc, when Akaza was beheaded by Tanjiro and Giyu, he began having visions of his past as a human. Demon Slayer then delved into the demon’s backstory when the time he was a human boy named Hakuji.

As the son of a sick father, Hakuji was forced into a life of crime, stealing from others to afford medicine. However, he was eventually caught and punished by the magistrate’s office. Feeling guilty over his son’s actions, his father killed himself.

This caused Hakuji to snap, making him go on a rampage and beating anyone in his path. Thankfully, before he went too far, Hakuji was stopped by Keizo, a laid-back martial artist. Keizo beat up the enraged boy and took him back to his dojo.

Here, Hakuji encountered Koyuki, a young and sick girl whom he was assigned to take care of. Ever since her birth, Koyuki had been unwell and weak. Not wanting to see her child die, her mother drowned herself, while her father also had little hope for her survival. Nevertheless, the bedridden child was immensely pure and kind-hearted.

As soon as she met Hakuji, she was concerned about his injuries and was constantly regretful that he couldn’t have fun due to his role as her caretaker. However, Hakuji cared little about this and spoke about how he would go to watch fireworks with Koyuki in the coming years.

Hakuji’s unwavering belief that Koyuki would live a long life touched the girl and even ended up making her fall in love with him. At the age of 16, she was healed from her condition, after which Keizo appointed Hakuji as the successor of his dojo and arranged for his marriage to Koyuki.

The young couple was deeply in love, and when they finally went to watch the fireworks display, Koyuki expressed how Hakuji’s caring attitude made her fall in love with him. In response, Hakuji vowed to protect her.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to keep his promise, as Koyuki and Keizo were poisoned by a neighboring dojo when Hakuji went to visit his father’s grave. The death of his loved ones made Hakuji brutally kill everyone in the rival dojo. Soon after, he was approached by Muzan and turned into a demon named Akaza.

How did Koyuki help Akaza die in Demon Slayer?

Akaza’s motivations in Demon Slayer were rooted in the memories of his past life, though he was unaware. His refusal to kill women and his combat techniques were connected to Koyuki and Keizo. At the same time, Akaza also persistently kept fighting and refused to die due to the rage he felt towards both humans and himself for the deaths of Koyuki, Keizo, and his father.

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This became evident in Demon Slayer during his battle against Tanjiro and Giyu, where he tried forcefully regenerating his head even while on the brink of death. Right when the heroes seemed destined for a grim fate, however, Akaza saw Koyuki, who told him that he had done enough and no longer had to carry the weight of his burden.

This allowed Akaza to remember his life as Hakuji and break free from Muzan's control. He finally accepted his death and faded away, reuniting with Koyuki and the rest of his family in the afterlife.

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