[Demon Slayer/12Gwi-Wol Ha-hyun] Kyogai, who dreamed of becoming a novelist, was ignored and even Tsuzumi ignored him, so he ended up becoming a Blood Demon.

Source : https://i.pinimg.com/736x/d4/54/12/d454122930327905924cac771bcebfcd.jpg

 

Demon Slayer, Former 12 Gwi-Wol Ha-Hyun 6 Kyogai Analysis

 

1) Profile of 12 Gwi-Wol Ha-Hyun Kyogai

 

Former 12 Gwi-Wol Ha-Hyun 6 Kyogai appears as one of the key demons in Demon Slayer. Here's his basic information: As a human, he dreamed of becoming a novelist, and even after becoming a demon, he continued to yearn for recognition for his hobbies and talents. You can see Kyogai's detailed profile in the table below.

Item	Content
Full Name	Unknown
Gender	Male
Age	Unknown
Race	Human → Goblin
Affiliation	12 Gwi-Wol (formerly)
Rank	Former Ha-hyun 6 (Lower Land)
Blood Demon Magic	Tsuzumi
Hobbies	Novel Writing
First-Person	Living (Living)
Voice Actor	Japan - Junichi Suwabe / South Korea - Seunghan Shim / USA - Steve Blum

 

Source : https://i.pinimg.com/736x/78/e3/88/78e388a6776fd09fcb82ab580372a689.jpg

---

2) Kyogai's Appearance

 

Kyogai is a demon residing in the Namnam-dong mansion, possessing a unique appearance. He possesses a kotsuzumi, a traditional Japanese hand drum, fused to his abdomen, shoulders, and thighs. These kotsuzumi are significantly smaller than standard drums. He originally had a tsuzumi fused to his back, but lost it in a fight with other demons before Tanjiro and his party invaded the mansion. He was formerly the sixth of the Twelve Demon Moons, and was nicknamed the "Drum Demon." His appearance and nickname are closely related to his blood demonic arts, as these drums serve as a medium for activating his abilities. He possesses a massive stature and a remarkably muscular physique, suggesting that he possesses not only exceptional manipulative abilities but also physical strength. Kyogai's mansion was quite large and filled with ornate furniture and decorations, suggesting he likely grew up in a wealthy family as a human. He considers this mansion his domain, and he is often seen reacting angrily to intruders. His mansion itself could be considered a crucial stage for demonic magic and a space that embodies his identity.

Source : https://i.pinimg.com/736x/c6/57/ce/c657ced3c9eaf939e068fd84a48d8234.jpg

 

---

 

3) Kyogai's Past

Source : https://i.namu.wiki/i/t_Ui8lj3gGx9FuSYxPZhddNEHgZ0hE8dfq16eRLT0HRP04q9Vn1ekMhL-G6FN1Py51cN0Az7aeQUsDo3mmLDYFKXtXbFn8sqOlMnlR0ZDihbdCr1I0h5dij74jXJTAEZl-BozwtkFw06k56EVNOdZQ.webp

Before becoming a demon, Kyogai was a young man who dreamed of becoming a novelist. However, his dream was completely unrecognized by those around him, and he was instead stigmatized for his lack of talent. Even his personal hobby, playing the tsuzumi, was ignored, leading to a humiliating life. This lack of recognition likely caused him deep frustration.

Even after becoming a Blood Demon, he couldn't completely give up his dream of becoming a novelist. He showed his manuscript to an editor, who harshly criticized it as "a waste of pen and paper," and trampled it underfoot. This traumatic experience triggered Kyogai's inner rage. He ultimately killed the editor by striking the tsuzumi, which had been fused to his body. This incident marked a decisive turning point in Kyogai's complete loss of humanity and his choice of life as a demon, demonstrating the twisted manifestation of his artistic aspirations and his need for recognition. Judging by the size of the mansion he lived in and the ornate furniture, it's assumed he came from a fairly wealthy family even in his human days. Despite this, he appears to have been thirsty for social recognition, a desire that persisted even after he became a goblin. He was able to read and write during the Taisho era, a time when illiteracy was high, and he wielded a fountain pen, suggesting he became a Blood Demon relatively recently.

---

 

4) Why didn't Kyogai eat humans anymore?

Source : https://i.pinimg.com/736x/a1/0b/eb/a10bebc7592b1b6bf3621c8850b39232.jpg

After becoming a Blood Demon, Kyogai faithfully consumed humans, growing strong enough to become the 12 Gwi-wol Ha-Hyun 6. However, at some point, he reached a limit to his human consumption and gradually stopped eating them. Due to the nature of Blood Demons, they must constantly consume humans to maintain their strength and grow stronger, and this limitation meant that he could no longer grow.

Source : https://i.pinimg.com/736x/e1/38/d8/e138d87adbd434aeaeff5a73a2764147.jpg

Source : https://i.pinimg.com/736x/1e/0b/98/1e0b985d3e2cd4bc558df5ab29e34293.jpg

This weakening led to Muzan stripping him of the 12 Gwi-wol. While Muzan is known for his cruel nature, mercilessly killing his subordinate demons if he displeases them, Kyogai protested that he could when Muzan asked, "Can't I eat more?", demonstrating his continued will to grow stronger. There is speculation that Muzan, considering Kyogai's potential, instead of killing him, only stripped him of his 12 Gwi-wol status and released him. Given Muzan's emphasis on the "spirit of becoming stronger" among his subordinates, this could be interpreted as acknowledging Kyogai's aspirations and offering him a chance to rise again.

Source : https://i.pinimg.com/1200x/3d/3a/d2/3d3ad2161c07c6accd68b49fc35c61d3.jpg

For Kyogai, this "limit" signified his gradual weakening as his energy source from regular human prey dwindled. To return to the Twelve Demon Moons, he sought out humans with "rare blood," which provided far more potent nutrients than ordinary humans. He hoped to overcome his limitations and regain his strength through this rare blood, which contained the equivalent of the nutrients of dozens of ordinary humans. Against this backdrop, he kidnapped Kiyoshi, a boy with rare blood, and encountered Tanjiro and his group, who were attempting to rescue Kiyoshi. In essence, this "limit," which prevented him from effectively feeding on humans, fueled his obsession with rare blood, which ultimately led to his downfall and his fateful confrontation with Tanjiro.

 

---

5) Kyogai's Combat Power and Blood Demon Jutsu

Becoming a Former 12Gwi-wol, Kyogai possessed far more powerful combat power than typical Blood Demons. He was clearly stronger than 12Gwi-wol candidates Susamaru and Yahaba. However, as evidenced by his "limit" sentence from Muzan Kibutsuji, his potential for growth was clearly limited.

His Blood Demon Jutsu was activated by tapping the Tsuzumi fused to his body. This ability is so complex that it can be difficult to grasp unless one is quite intelligent. Tapping the Tsuzumi allows Kyogai to manipulate space, transforming the structure of the mansion into a maze or even moving rooms themselves. He created chaos within the mansion by transforming the floor into the ceiling and walls, confusing and preventing his opponents from leaving. He even demonstrated precise teleportation, separating people within the same space. Each Tsuzumi possesses different abilities, and he primarily utilizes the following three main abilities:

---

1. Ability to Flip a Room's Gravity

: By tapping the Tsuzumi on his shoulders and legs, he flips the room's gravity. The room feels like it's spinning, causing opponents to lose their balance and become confused. However, Kyogai himself is unaffected by gravity and can move freely even when the room is flipped. This ability forces enemies to attack from unexpected directions, making escape nearly impossible.

Source : https://i.pinimg.com/736x/78/24/92/782492f69933311eae4af034f80647dc.jpg

---

2. Ability to Scratch with the Invisible Claw on his Abdomen

: Using the Tsuzumi on his abdomen, he unleashes a powerful slash with these invisible claws. The destructive power is so great that it can easily split a human torso in half. Normally, it traces three trajectories, but when repeatedly striking the Tsuzumi, the trajectories increase to five. However, before each slash is launched, a musty smell is emitted, allowing Tanjiro to detect the attack. This was one of the few weaknesses discovered in Kyogai's Blood Demon Art.

---

3. The ability to teleport rooms

: Using the back tsuzumi, Kyogai teleports rooms. This can be used to trap opponents in a desired space or as a means of escape, quickly transporting oneself or an opponent. In fact, he split Tanjiro and Zenitsu's group into two teams and teleported them to different rooms, demonstrating his ability to precisely control not only the location of rooms but also individual targets to specific locations. Despite Kyogai losing his back tsuzumi during the fight, this ability remains a core part of his spatial manipulation, Blood Demon Jutsu.

While Kyogai displayed his power through this Blood Demon Jutsu, it also had a fatal flaw. If the tsuzumi, the medium of his Blood Demon Jutsu, was stolen or dropped from his body, anyone or any demon who picked it up could use the Blood Demon Jutsu. Furthermore, his ability was heavily dependent on the mansion's internal environment, making it impossible to predict how it would work outside of it. Compared to his superior form, the Upper Stage 4 Nakime, Kyogai's Blood Demon Jutsu is often considered inferior to Nakime's ability, which creates its own unique battle space and portals infinitely. It was also estimated to be significantly weakened compared to other Twelve Demon Moons of the time, and some theorize that if its power hadn't been weakened by its number, it would have lived up to its reputation as Lower Stage 6.

In his battle with Tanjiro, he used a technique called the "Tsuzumi Strike," striking the Tsuzumi at high speed. This attack disrupted Tanjiro's vision, and the room continued to rotate, altering the direction of gravity, leaving him in a state of near-weightlessness, causing extreme confusion. However, during Kyogai's moment of inattention, Tanjiro, having learned an efficient breathing technique, ultimately decapitated him, killing him. His blood demon technique also caused great difficulties for Tanjiro, but Kyogai's weakened state and the spatial constraints of the mansion due to the nature of his blood demon technique combined to cause his defeat.

 

---

 

6) Comprehensive Evaluation of Kyogai

Source : https://i.pinimg.com/736x/16/b3/a2/16b3a22218a9682329358aa89a4f03e5.jpg

Kyogai is a complex character in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, transcending mere villainy. As a human, he suffered deep wounds and frustration when his dreams of becoming a novelist and his hobby of playing the tsuzumi were not recognized by others. This wound ultimately led him to become an Oni and murder his editor. Even after becoming an Oni, he remained steadfast in his desire for recognition for his artistic talent and power.

Source : https://i.pinimg.com/1200x/2b/d9/98/2bd9989357e10fdd502b4107842e6b0b.jpg

His Blood Demon Jutsu possessed a unique and powerful ability, spatial manipulation, making him a standout among the lower classes. Although Muzan sentenced him to his limit, stripping him of his number and weakening him, he demonstrated a desire to regain strength through rare blood. Some analysts suggest that even Muzan recognized his potential, giving him the opportunity to grow. His similarity to Nakime's spatial manipulation ability also raises interesting speculation about the possibility that Oni with artistic talent might also manifest spatial Blood Demon Jutsu. In his final battle with Tanjiro, he peacefully died, receiving recognition for his demonic arts and novels. Tanjiro's single comment, "Your demonic arts were amazing," finally granted him the recognition he had longed for, serving as a kind of happy ending for Kyogai. Compared to the other lower cast members who were brutally purged by Muzan, Kyogai's death was even more special in that he let go of his attachments and met his end with satisfaction. His end was not simply a defeat in battle against an enemy, but rather a profound exploration of a character's artistic aspirations and the recognition they deserve, leaving a profound impression on readers.

Source : https://i.pinimg.com/1200x/db/6d/3a/db6d3a233d8a59713e5740b537b65118.jpg

Furthermore, in the "Demon Slayer Gakuen" spin-off, he appears as a music teacher, where his talents are recognized and he lives a happy life. This contrasts with his tragic life in the main story, further highlighting Kyogai's charm and potential as a character. The fact that he only acquired the Space-type Blood Demon Art after being stripped of his number by Muzan Kibutsuji indirectly demonstrates the exceptional skill of his Blood Demon Art. Although Kyogai was a villain, his inner conflict and eventual demise make him a compelling character, reminding us of the crucial value of "recognition."

Thus, Kyogai possesses formidable fighting prowess and unique Blood Demon Art, but painful memories from his human days and a yearning for recognition significantly influence his actions, making him a complex character.

 

Source : https://i.pinimg.com/1200x/1e/4d/70/1e4d70bac06b41da9bd8e76e53d31191.jpg

 

 

Source : https://i.pinimg.com/1200x/74/90/82/749082170421022079a4ed36fb90a9f0.jpg

---

That's all

 

Thank you