Summary
Muzan Kibutsuji’s reign of terror and violenceis enforced by theruthless members of the Twelve Kizukiwho have an unwavering devotion and loyalty towards the Demon King. But even none of them come close to Nakime, whose obedience and commitment get praised by Muzan himself.
Before she became a demon, Nakimewas once an unknown musicianwho was struggling to make ends meet. But a tragic incident turned her life around forever which in turn led to a series of events that shaped the human-demon conflict.
Nakime’s Life Before Turning Into a Demon
The Amateur Biwa Musician Who Became Muzan’s Most Trusted Underling
Once upon a time,the Upper-Rank Four Nakimeused to be an ordinary human being. She was married to a negligent man who didn’t love her and was disconsolately addicted to gambling. Because of his irresponsible and hopeless habits, he showed little to no interest in planning for the couple’s future. While he squandered the money, Nakime had to work extremely hard to make ends meet. As an unknown amateur biwa player, she did everything she could for her family but things took a horrifying turn as her husband refused to mend his ways and pushed Nakime to a breaking point.
Nakime used to perform wearing a kimono, but one evening she noticed that it was missing. She soon found out that her husband had stolen it and gambled it away. All the emotions that she had suppressed for so long turned into an uncontrollable rage. As her eyes fell on a hammer nearby, the torrent of torment and distress took over her body and she brutally murdered her husband with it. The savagery of the act filled her with horror but Nakime was expected to perform at the stage soon.
With no other choice, Nakime wore a ragged and shabby kimono to the stage instead. Taking her husband’s life naturally shook her to the core and she was extremely nervous. While her hands trembled as she was about to perform, the audience also gave her disapproving looks. But to Nakime’s surprise, the sound from her biwa was hypnotic and left the spectators in awe. She ended up making a lot of money for the performance and left a lasting impression on the stage owner as well.
Desperate to draw similar attention and praise from her next performance, Nakime killed again and it slowly became a habit. In no time, she became a highly sought-after biwa musician who played for large audiences and left everyone astonished with her captivating aura and ethereally beautiful melodies.
Nakime’s killing spree and performance continued until she accidentally ran intoDemon King Muzan Kibutsujijust before a sizeable musical gathering. She planned to kill him and her searching skills caught Muzan’s interest. Realizing that she had potential, the Demon King offered to turn her into a demon and she immediately accepted the proposal. From that day onwards, Nakime dedicated herself wholeheartedly to Muzan’s service and became his most trustworthy ally.
Nakime’s Life After Turning Into a Demon
Following Hantengu’s Death, Nakime Was Promoted to the Upper-Rank Four
After becoming a demon,Nakime developed her Blood Demon Artwhich allows her to manipulate an extra-dimensional fortress known as the Infinity Castle. She can control and influence every inanimate object in that space. This allows Nakime to even use the Infinity Castle for offensive purposes and take her adversaries by surprise. Her ability to instantaneously alter the positioning of any room in the fortress makes it incredibly complicated for anyone to even get close to her.
Nakime also holds the power tospawn portals in the Infinity Castlewhich facilitates the inward-outward movement in the demonic extra-dimensional space. While this could be used for offensive purposes, it is mostly utilised by Muzan and his underlings as a safe escape. To alter the rooms and other spaces in the Infinity Castle, Nakime only has to strum her biwa once. This creates a low barrier for unanticipated moves which in turn makes her an extremely unpredictable adversary.
Nakime is arguably the most loyal demon for Muzan as she follows his instructions without failing. Her unquestionable devotion to the Demon King, makes her stand out even among the members of the Twelve Kizuki. In the Rehabilitation Training Arc, Muzan asks Nakime to summon Lower Ranks following Rui’s death. He is furious and starts killing his minions one by one. Throughout the brutal murders, Nakime remains unperturbed and waits calmly for the Demon King’s next order. This demonstrates her lack of empathy for her comrades and unconditional loyalty to Muzan. It is her devotion to the Demon King that eventually helps her earn the Upper-Rank Four position in the Twelve Kizukiafter Hantengu’s death in the Swordsmith Village.
When Tanjiro and his comrades are busy in the Hashira training, Nakime becomes Muzan’s most useful pawn. With the help of her eyeball familiars,she sets out to track Nezuko Kamadoand the Ubuyashiki Estate. The Demon King’s eagerness to conquer the sun leads to this single-minded focus that hasn’t been possible in the past as Nakime is presumably preoccupied with the Blue Spider Lily. Nakime’s efforts soon bear fruits as she manages to track down the Ubuyashiki Estate which brings Kibutsuji one step closer to his life-long goal. But paying his arch-nemesis backfires for Muzan as Kagaya has already anticipated his arrival.
As an all-out war breaks out between the demons andthe Demon Slayer Corps, Nakime finds herself at its epicentre. In the Infinity Castle, she is confronted byObanai Iguro and Mitsuri Kanroji.Both the Hashiras struggle to land a blow on her despite the advantage.By the time Kokushibo dies, Nakime is the only surviving Upper-Rank demon. Muzan has also already started fighting against Tanjiro and his friends. He confidently asserts that Kanroji and Obanai have passed away fighting Nakime.
Muzan is soon shocked to learn thatNakime is being manipulated by Yushiroas Obanai and Kanroji suddenly attack him out of nowhere. The Demon King tries his best to take back control of her loyal servant but fighting against Tanjiro and his comrades at the same time makes it an almost impossible task. Eventually, Muzan realizes that if he does not make a tough decision soon, the Infinity Castle can be used against him. With his back against the wall, the Demon King kills Nakime bringing an end to her life of servitude.
Demon Slayer
Based on Koyoharu Gotouge’s shonen manga, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is an action anime set in Japan during the early 20th century. Seeking revenge for the murder of his family while also looking to save his sister, Tanjiro joins the Demon Slayer Corps as they try to eradicate Demons led by Muzan.
