This blog post will discuss Akaza’s backstory in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. Akaza is the Upper Moon Rank Three among the Twelve Kizukis. He displays immense skills in martial arts and super demon art abilities.
Akaza also shows two of the series’ most intense battles. One with Rengoku, the Flame Hashira and another with Tanjiro and Giyu, the water Hashira.
Even after being one of the most prevalent villains in the anime and manga series, you will easily sympathise with Akaza when you learn about his backstory. Akaza has one of the saddest stories of a human.
Akaza’s Backstory as a Human
Akaza’s human name was Hakuji. Hakuji was born in the slums and raised there by a sick father he loved very much. Hakuji stole from people in town to get money for medicine, but he was caught three times.
The judge beat him and put tattoos on him. He called him a “Demon Child” and said he would cut off his arms the next time he was caught.
Akaza’s Father Killing Himself
When Hakuji went home after his third beating, a villager told him that his father had killed himself after hearing that Hakuji had been arrested. In the letter he left behind, he said that he wanted Hakuji to live a full life and that he didn’t want to take medicine that was made by lying.
Hakuji was finally kicked out of Edo because he had criminal tattoos and no place to go back to. He got into fights and beat up people because he was sad that his father had died and angry that he couldn’t buy his father’s medicine in the society they lived in.
Turning Point for Akaza
One day, after almost killing seven grown men in a village, Keizo, the owner of a nearby dojo, came up to him. Hakuji didn’t like how happy the man seemed, so he challenged him to a fight but was easily beaten.
Then Keizo took him in so he could help take care of Keizo’s sick daughter, Koyuki. Her mother, who used to take care of her, killed herself because of stress, and Keizo had to do odd jobs as a handyman to keep the family going, so Hakuji was put in charge of taking care of her.
Since he was used to taking care of his father, he didn’t have much trouble.
However, he found it strange when Koyuki started crying for no apparent reason. One of those times, he didn’t know it, but he indirectly got her to go to a local fireworks show by telling her, “there will be the next year.”
The Troublesome Nearby Dojo
One day, he found out that Koyuki had been forced outside and left there by the heir of the nearby kenjutsu dojo, who wanted Keizo’s land for themselves and stopped him from getting any students before Hakuji.
Keizo and Hakuji fought the dojo because they were angry. After they beat nine people, Hakuji made them promise never to work with the Soryuu dojo or Koyuki again.
The heir of the rival dojo got angry and swung a sword at Hakuji.
Hakuji used his Bell Splitter technique and punched the side of the sword, breaking it. The other members of the dojo were so moved by the beauty of this technique that they accepted their loss and apologised for the heir’s rudeness.
They then left the Soryuu dojo in peace.
Koyuki Getting Better (Things are finally good for Akaza..)
Two years later, Koyuki’s health had improved enough that she could stand and do chores. Hakuji kept training in the Soryu style with Keizo, and the dojo started to grow. One day, Keizo told Hakuji he could take over the dojo and marry Koyuki, which surprised and embarrassed Hakuji.
He said that he would protect them both, even if it cost him his own life.
At a festival, Koyuki told him about her past and asked if he was still okay with the proposal. He told her he was, and she asked if he would protect her for the rest of his life, which he promised to do.
Things are Good, But for How Long?
When the heir of the other dojo heard that Hakuji had married Koyuki, he got some angry students together, and they fought Hakuji, but they lost.
Sad to say, this victory didn’t last long. Hakuji went to his father’s grave to tell him he was getting married, but when he got back, he knew something was wrong.
A student from the dojo told him that the water well where Koyuki and Keizo got their water had been poisoned by a student from the other dojo. While Hakuji was away, the two drank that water and died soon after.
The Tragedy Starts Again
Hakuji was so angry that he killed all 67 members of the competing dojo with his bare hands.
He crushed their bodies so much that they could no longer be identified. This event caught the attention of Muzan Kibutsuji. He was disappointed to find out that a human, not a Demon, had done such a horrible thing, but he still chose to make Hakuji one of the Twelve Kizuki.
Hakuji agrees to become the demon Akaza because he has nothing left to protect and has lost the will to live.
Akaza’s Backstory as a Demon and Twelve Kizuki
After becoming a Demon, Akaza forgot what it was like to be a human.
He only wanted to get stronger, but he didn’t know why. Even so, Doma said that he would never eat or hurt a woman.
Muzan liked him because he was strong, loyal, and wanted to get stronger. He only sent him on special missions, like looking for the Blue Spider Lily.
Akaza Battling With Hashira But Not Understanding Them
Akaza said that during his hundreds of years as a Demon, he had met and fought with several Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps. During these meetings, Akaza asked every single Hashira to become a Demon.
He did this because he liked how strong, smart, and skilled the Hashira were and wanted to keep fighting them forever. But all of them said no to Akaza because they wanted to stay human. This made him very confused because he didn’t understand why they wanted to stay human.
Even though he didn’t say it exactly, Akaza has said that none of the Hashira he fought used Flame Breathing. This means that his fight with Kyojuro Rengoku was the first time he had met a Flame Hashira.
He even fought with a Water Hashira and complimented Giyu when he fought with him. He said that he is very much skilled.
Why Does Akaza Never Eat a Woman?
During Akaza’s backstory, we learn that Akaza promised to protect his master’s Dojo and her daughter forever. Subconsciously, he is still on this mission to protect any women who are weak, and he strives to become stronger to accomplish this task.
Final Thoughts – Akaza Backstory
Akaza had one of the most complicated childhood of all the characters in Demon Slayer. He had to endure beating, taking care of his sick father and even facing his death. After doing so much, losing a parent wasn’t something a child should endure.
Akaza, in the middle part, becomes happy with his life, but this happiness doesn’t last long when his master and promised wife are murdered. He had one purpose after becoming a demon – To become stronger and kill anyone who wasn’t strong.
Akaza thought that being strong was everything that mattered in this world.
