Demon Slayer has a lot of solid demons but of all these, the Twelve Kizuki or the Twelve Moons are the strongest of them all. They report directly to Muzan and can use Blood Demon arts to their utmost perfection.
They are the central antagonists of the series and the toughest enemies, Tanjiro faced in his journey. So strong are these demons that even Hashira appears marginal in front of them.
So you might be curious about how these powerful demons came to be and what’s their strength levels. Well here at MyAnimeGuru have made an elaborate article on everything related to the Twelve Kizeki.
So without wasting any more time let’s get on with it.
Twelve Kizuki Explained
Twelve Kizuki are the strongest demons in the world of Demon Slayer, second only to Muzan, the demon king himself, and are only challenged in strength by The Hashira. So let’s jump into the structure of the Twelve Moons.
Overview
As already mentioned, the Twelve Kizuki are the 12 strongest demons who were given blood directly by Kibutsuji Muzan which made them capable of handling all kinds of unique Blood Demon Arts as well as many favours and distinctions given to them.
The twelve kizuki are the main task force of Muzan and generally perform tasks that are important towards Muzan’s goals. These tasks could be anything between the killing of Hashira, finding the Blue Spider Lily or /and the killing he deems too dangerous to be kept alive.
The strength of the Twelve Kizuki is not the same and thus is divided into 2 subgroups. One is the Upper Moon and one is the Lower Moon.
The Lower moons while comparatively strong and having powers beyond any typical demon are still no match for Hashira-level Demon Slayers who are easily able to defeat them.
Lower moons just have one of the eyeballs marked with the Kanji of their rank. Even Lower moons of the twelve kizuki can use Blood Demon Arts.
Generally, the way to become a member means that a demon has to somehow get Muzan’s attention by either killing a lot of people or by being incredibly strong.
Sometimes even humans are directly promoted to twelve moons if they’re strong enough. A good example of this would be Kokushibo and Akaza, who were both humans and directly made into Upper Moon demons.
The more Muzan gives to a demon, the stronger they are. That’s why lower moons have less blood than Upper Moons.
As a testament to the Upper moon’s sheer strength, it’s been said that the Hashira have killed many lower moons over the years while the Upper moons have killed and eaten many Hashira over the years.
It’s been said that no Upper Moon was killed in over 113 years while numerous Hashira lost their lives in that period. The Upper moons also detest the Lower moons.
The members of the twelve kizuki are also given many privileges and are exempt from the typical expectations of the demonkind. These privileges are like when Akaza was exempt from consuming women as he hated it.
We can also see it with Lower Five Rui who was allowed to have a family despite Muzan not allowing demons to band together.
History
The start of twelve kizuki started with the conversion of Michikatsu Tsugikuni into a demon more than 500 years ago.
Michikatsu was the older twin of Yoriichi and after being scarred by him, Muzan decided that he needed subordinates to fight instead of him. Michikatsu blinded by his jealousy of his brother pledged loyalty to the demon king, Muzan.
This resulted in him being given the powers of his blood, thus in the process becoming the first Upper Moon. He is also the only human to directly become an upper moon other than Akaza.
Since then Muzan has given his blood to countless individuals who went on to become parts of the Lower and Upper Moons.
Generally, the members hold the position eternally but sometimes when a demon loses their favour with Muzan or gets killed in battle, they are eventually replaced.
One unique example of this is the former Lower Six Kyogai who reached his limit to consume humans and thus would no longer be able to grow stronger and was thus replaced by Kamanue.
Members
So now that we know about the history and origin of the twelve kizuki, let us divulge into the various members we witnessed over the series.
Upper Moon One – Kokushibo
Kokushibo is the Upper Moon 1 as well as the first of the group. He was a fierce swordsman who was also among the first group of demon slayers.
After failing to surpass Yoriichi, he gives up being a human and becomes a demon to pursue further heights as a warrior.
Upper Moon Two – Doma
Doma was the leader of the Paradise Faith Cult and led his group through which he eventually met Muzan. Muzan impressed by him made him into a demon.
He gradually used his influence to get more victims and eventually became an upper moon. He was once upper moon 6 when he made Daki and Gyutaro into demons before eventually becoming Upper 2.
Upper Moon Three – Akaza
Akaza is one of the strongest members of the Twelve Kizuki and a former martial artist. As a human, he was a skilled martial artist who killed 67 people at a rival dojo.
Muzan impressed by his prowess made him into a demon. As a demon, he was directly made into an Upper moon and since then has become a fav of Muzan. He is the one who Killed the Flame Pillar Rengoku.
He is also exempt from killing women cause of his privilege as an Upper Moon.
Upper Moon Four – Hantengu/Nakime
Hantengu was a criminal when he was a human and had killed many people. He was eventually caught and given the death sentence but despite all this, he claimed that he was not guilty and it was his hands that were Guilty.
As he was about to die, Muzan came across him and gave him his blood to become a demon. He eventually became an Upper Moon. He also seems to be suffering from multiple personality disorder.
After the death of Hantengu, Nakime was eventually made the new Upper Four.
Related
Who is Biwa demon nakime in demon slayer ?
Upper Moon Five – Gyokko
Gyokko is the upper five and a human known as Managi had a strange obsession with fish carcasses and everything related to the dead. Part of his obsession came when he witnessed his parents dying in a drowning accident.
The villagers thought that he killed them and eventually killing he did. One day he killed a village boy and stuffed his body into a jar.
The parents retaliated by killing him but luckily for him, he survived for long enough for Muzan to notice him and give him his blood. He then became a demon and eventually a member of the twelve Kizuki.
Upper Moon Six – Daki & Gyutaro/Kaigaku
Daki and Gyutaro were brother and sister who used to run a racket in the pleasure district until one day the people they cheated eventually retaliated and burned Daki alive and stabbed Gyutaro.
Badly injured and just a breath away from death they were noticed by Doma, who gave them his blood and made them into demons. He told them to become a part of the twelve kizuki which they eventually dead occupying Dom’s former post as upper six
After the demise of Daki and Gyutaro, Kaigaku was recruited as the new Upper six. He was a former demon slayer and the senior of Zenitsu and also a user of the Thunder style. He was defeated in battle by Kokushibo and eventually made into a demon.
Lower Moon One – Emmu
After the death of Rui, Emmu was the only one of the twelve kizuki lower moons who was left alive after Muzan decided that he will dismantle the entire lower moons.
He was eventually spared after Muzan killed everyone else and was given some blood after Muzan told him to produce results.
he planned to use the Mugen train as a means to eat 200 people but his plan was foiled when Tanjiro and Rengoku defeated him.
Lower Moon Two – Rokuro
Rokuro was a part of the twelve kizuki and was only seen once when after the defeat of Rui, Muzan lost all his patience for the lower moons and decided to kill them all.
Rokuro was summoned to the Infinity castle where he was eventually killed by Muzan.
Related
What is the Infinity castle in demon slayer ?
Lower Moon Three – Wakuraba
Just like other lower moons we only see him during his death. Wakuraba was the lower moon Three and was summoned to infinity castle where Muzan decided to kill all Lower moons.
He was eventually beheaded by Muzan.
Lower Moon Four – Makugo
Not much is known about the lower moon four Makugo. She was among the 4 demons who lost their lives in the decimation by Muzan. She tried escaping but was eventually killed.
Lower Moon Five – Rui
One of the first members of the twelve kizuki to be shown in the anime. He was once a human with a frail body who was promised a healthy body by Muzan. He accepted his offer and became a demon.
Soon in his hunger for human flesh, he killed a man and his parents horrified tried to kill him and prevent him from committing any more sins. However, Rui killed them not believing that his parents loved him.
He eventually joins Muzan and was his fav among the bunch, and stated to be as strong as the lower one. he was allowed to have a family of demons and lived like that until he encountered Tanjiro and was eventually killed by Tomioka.
Lower Moon Six – Kamanue/Kyogai
The weakest member of the twelve kizuki, Kamanue was the lower six and was killed by Muzan in the infinity castle. He was also the replacement for the former lower six, Kyogai.
He was the former lower six, however after having reached his limit as a demon was demoted and removed from the twelve kizuki.
He inhabits a mansion and was eventually killed by Tanjiro.
Conclusion
So this was our complete article on the Twelve Kizuki and if you liked it, please keep following us for more such cool content related to Demon Slayer.
FAQ Section
Who is number 1 in Demon Slayer 12 kizuki?
Kokushibo was a demon slayer during the Sengoku Era. He became a demon and retained much of his swordsmanship skills. He combined his Breathing Techniques with Blood Demon Art, earning him the Upper Rank 1 position in the twelve Kizuki.
Who is the weakest Hashira?
Shinobu Kocho is a capable Demon Slayer whose worthy of being the Insect Hashira. That being said, she’s arguably the weakest Hashira when it comes to pure strength.
Who kills Akaza?
Tanjiro decapitates Akaza with the Hinokami Kagura: Setting Sun Transformation. Akaza was bewildered, wondering how Tanjiro did not have any fighting spirit, comparing this feeling to fighting against a plant. He acknowledges that Tanjiro surpassed his speed.
Source – Fandom
