Kyogai | Demon Slayer Kimetsu No Yaiba

Kyogai (響きょう凱がい Kyōgai?), also known as Demon Drum (鼓つづみ鬼おに Tsuzumi Oni?) was the main antagonist of Demon Slayer’s Tsuzumi Mansion Arc: Kimetsu no Yaiba. He is a demon formerly affiliated with the lower ranks of the Twelve Kizuki, having held the position of Lower Rank 6 (下か弦げんの陸ろく Kagen no Roku?) before Muzan Kibutsuji excommunicated him for not being enough strong.

Appearance

Kyogai has the appearance of a large, muscular humanoid demon, with grayish skin, black hair, razor-like teeth, blood-red sclera, deep blue pupils, and hidden irises because they are wrapped around the back of his head. His right eye bore the Kanji for the number six, which meant he was the lower Rank 6 of the Twelve Kizuki, but as he was deemed too weak, he was kicked out of the group and the eye containing his mark was ripped out by Muzan. , leaving behind a white X-shaped scar covering the digit, signifying that he was no longer part of the Twelve Kizuki. Another of his unique physical features is that his stomach, shoulders, hips, front of his chest, and back all have drums protruding from them which he uses for his Blood Demon Art techniques. .

Personality

Kyogai is a relatively calm, nervous, and gentle person, despite being a bloodthirsty demon. Rather than screaming or roaring when annoyed, Kyogai quietly whispers what irritates him. He finds it rude for people to break into his house and will destroy them if they get in his way. If irritated enough, Kyogai will raise his voice about the nuisance and insult his opponents.

When he became a demon, Kyogai believed Kibutsuji’s blood would make him infinitely stronger. However, when his strength became limited after he was unable to grow stronger by eating humans, Kyogai was chased away by his master. Desperate to please Master Kibutsuji and prove the worth of his blood demon art, Kyogai became obsessed with consuming “Marechi”, rare-blooded humans.

In reality, Kyogai really wants to be recognized for his talent. He wanted people to like his writing and was devastated when he was told to give it up. To redeem himself from this humiliation, Kyogai tries to prove that he is a powerful demon within the Twelve Kizuki. That’s why he’s trying so desperately to get his place back. Upon his death, Tanjiro recognizes his talent and allows Kyogai’s soul to rest in peace.

Story

Some time after becoming a Demon, Kyogai was lectured by a stranger on the quality of his writing. This person commented that he had become boring, that he only beat his drum and did not leave his house, and that he lacked the skills to teach people. As he left, the individual stepped on one of the Demon’s papers, prompting a furious Kyogai to kill him.

While still a member of the Twelve Kizuki, Kyogai slowly lost the ability to eat humans. He was visited by Muzan Kibutsuji, who withdrew his number because the Drum Demon had reached its limit. Because of this, Kyogai began an obsessive quest to join the Twelve Kizuki.

At one point, Kyogai captured Teruko and Shoichi’s older brother, Kiyoshi, because he possessed ‘rare blood’, and took him to the House of Drums. Before he could eat him, he was attacked by two other Demons who were also after Kiyoshi’s Rare Blood, sustaining an injury that dislodged the drum from his back.

Synopsis

Tsuzumi Mansion Arc

As Tanjiro Kamado and his group tended to an injured boy thrown out of the Drum House, Kyogai drummed on his left shoulder. He walked past the room where Tanjiro and Teruko were, annoyed by the presence of all these intruders on his territory, hitting the drum on his right shoulder when the former tried to attack him, which changed the orientation of the room. With the arrival of Inosuke Hashibira, the Drum Demon struck his right shoulder again, then again, his opponent skillfully keeping his balance and using the other two as fulcrums. As Tanjiro and Inosuke argued, Kyogai punched his stomach drum twice, each time launching a sharp claw attack. He then hit his shoulder drums several times, sending his opponents flying into a disorganized mess. As he walked towards Inosuke, he and all the others were transported to different rooms.

Elsewhere, Kyogai was obsessed with obtaining “rare blood”, his right eyeball rolling back to reveal that he was once a member of the Twelve Kizuki. He came across Tanjiro during his wanderings, hitting a drum to flip the coin, hitting another to launch his claw attack, as well as a large number of others to confuse his opponent. He growled menacingly as Tanjiro stood up, despite the combination of new and old injuries.

Continuing to beat his drums to drive his demon slayer opponent away from him, memories of the past cracked Kyogai, initiating his rapid drumming technique and unleashing a maelstrom of effects. Other than a scratch on his chin, this effort was unsuccessful, with Tanjiro dodging a collection of manuscripts that fell from a shelf in the ceiling, which surprised the former Kizuki. Despite his relentless slash attacks and changes in orientation around the room, Kyogai’s opponent kept closing in on him using a certain water breath technique. Elder Kizuki was even more surprised when Tanjiro complimented his Blood Demon Art, before being beheaded. He asked the young man if he really thought his techniques were powerful, which was confirmed, but he was told that eating humans was unforgivable. Vanishing into oblivion, Kyogai reflected on how Tanjiro had seen the value of all his hard work, tears streaming down his face.

Powers

Blood Demon Art

Drum (鼓つづみ打うち Tsuzumiuchi?): Kyogai has 6 Tsuzumi Drums embedded in different parts of his body and each of them, when played, produces a certain effect on his surroundings. However, the range of his drums is limited inside his mansion.

• Right Shoulder: Rotates the room it is in to the right.
• Left Shoulder: Rotates the room it is in to the left.
• Right leg: Rotates the room it is in forward.
• Left leg: Rotates the room it is in backwards.
• Navel: Creates a 3 claw attack.
• Return: Teleports him or others to another room in his mansion.
• Kyogai himself is unaffected by the spinning of the room caused by his drum and remains standing on the ground as if nothing is happening no matter how much the room spins.

fighting style

Techniques

Technique Demonstrations, Fast Drum (尚しょう速そく鼓つづみ打うち Shōsoku Tsuzumiuchi?). By increasing the speed of his drum, all his techniques are reinforced and the number of claws increases from 3 to 5.

battles

Tsuzumi Mansion Bow

• Tanjiro Kamado v. Kyogai

Trivialities

• Kyogai was ranked 20th in the first character popularity poll with 130 votes.
• Kyogai’s blood demon art is similar to that of the new top Rank 4, Nakime, though his abilities far exceed his own.
• Much like Nakime, Kyogai uses a musical instrument for his Blood Demon Art, earning him his epithet.