Temple Demon | Demon Slayer Kimetsu No Yaiba
This is my territory. If you enter my territory, I will make you pay!
Temple Demon to Tanjiro Kamado in the Sakonji Urokodaki Workshop
The Temple Demon (お堂どう鬼おに Odō Oni?) is the first Demon encountered by Tanjiro Kamado who took the life of a human.
Appearance
The Temple Demon was a muscular, medium-sized demon. His skin was a pale ash gray, with two green marks on his upper arms and legs. He had long, spiky, dark green hair parted down the middle of his forehead. He also possessed prominent fangs and sharp nails, attributes common to demons.
The Temple Demon was dressed in a sleeveless blue tunic, with a dark turquoise and white pattern highlighting his exposed chest. He wore pale colored bracelets around his wrists and ankles.
After being kicked in the head by Nezuko Kamado, the Demon grew two muscular arms from the sides of his head.
Personality
The Temple Demon, like most Demons, was cruel and ruthless towards humans, attacking Tanjiro Kamado without hesitation when he discovered he was human. He seemed to be very defensive of his territory as he was furious at Tanjiro and Nezuko’s intrusion into his domain. The Demon also showed a sense of superiority over Tanjiro when the two fought, bragging about his quick recovery after being punched in the chin.
Story
The Demon had previously attacked travelers who had taken refuge in a small temple hut on the way to Sagiri Mountain. When Tanjiro asked for directions, one of the villagers mentioned that it would be dangerous for him to travel at night as people had gone missing in the area.
Synopsis
Tanjiro and Nezuko pass by the temple the Temple Demon is feeding in and, smelling blood, the former rushes over and opens the door. He is shocked to find the Demon feeding on two dead men and, annoyed, the Demon turns to the Kamado brothers and warns them not to encroach on his territory. The Demon turns towards them, and as the last light fades, it lunges at Tanjiro.
Tanjiro quickly reacts by pulling out his hatchet and slitting the Demon’s throat. The man-eating demon staggers back, but it only takes a few seconds for the “scratch” to be fully healed. Meanwhile, Nezuko is distracted by the bloodied bodies of the victims.
The Demon pins Tanjiro to the ground before he can react. Tanjiro’s enemy easily surpasses him in strength and speed. The Demon tries to break the boy’s neck but Nezuko comes to her senses and rushes to her brother’s side. She kicks the Demon in the head, which scares Tanjiro.
The Demon’s body slowly tries to grab Tanjiro, so Nezuko pushes him back into a tree. The Demon’s head and body can move individually. The body attacks first, serving to isolate Nezuko. Tanjiro tries to help him, but the Demon’s head shoots off his arms and he jumps on Tanjiro’s hatchet. The body kicks Nezuko several times before throwing her deep into the forest.
Tanjiro recklessly headbutts the Demon and it proves effective. The Demon takes two blows to Tanjiro’s rock-hard head before being hurled with the hatchet into a tree, pinning him there. Tanjiro follows his sister to a cliff where she is pushed closer to the edge.
Tanjiro tackles the Demon’s body over the large cliff, but Nezuko catches him before he falls too far. The Demon’s body falls, and the head is knocked unconscious by the fall.
Tanjiro prepares a knife to finish off the Demon’s head. He finds it hard to accept taking another life and thinks it wasn’t the Demon that attacked his family. A man wearing a Tengu mask appears and tells Tanjiro that he cannot finish off a Demon using just a knife.
The masked man challenges Tanjiro to find another way. The boy thinks crushing the Demon’s head with a stone will suffice, but cannot bring himself to brutally finish off the creature. The Demon wakes up and curses Tanjiro until the sun rises and he disintegrates into ashes.
After the Demon’s death, Sakonji gives the Demon’s victims a proper burial.
battles
Final Selection Arc
- Tanjiro Kamado and Nezuko Kamado vs Temple Demon
Triviality
- Temple Demon is the first character in the manga to comment on Tanjiro’s extremely hard-headedness.
- Some Japanese fans also call him “Shrine Demon” (堂どう鬼おに Dō Oni?) or “Geodude”.