In the fight between the demon slayers and the upper moon demons, who dies and who survives in the Infinity Castle arc of Demon Slayer?
Now that the Infinity Castle movie trilogy has been announced, the stakes are higher, as lives will be lost regardless if they are an upper moon, a hashira, or a fan-favorite Demon Slayer character.
Spoiler Warning: This article includes spoilers for the Demon Slayer manga series, so proceed with caution.
Who Dies in Demon Slayer’s Infinity Castle Arc?
With the level of danger each character faces in the Infinity Castle Arc, lives will be lost to ensure the victory of either Muzan or the Demon Slayer Corps.
Here are all the tragic deaths in Demon Slayer’s Infinity Castle Arc, excluding those who died in the Sunrise Countdown Arc based on the manga:
Doma Absorbs Shinobu
Shinobu Kocho finally encounters Doma, the Upper Moon Two, who had killed her beloved sister Kanae in the past.
As much as Shinobu wants to behead Doma, she doesn’t have enough strength to do it, so she turns to her specialty as her last resort.
It turns out that Shinobu intentionally wants Doma to absorb her. It is the only way she can think of to defeat Doma by herself and get revenge for Kanae.
True enough, Doma successfully absorbs Shinobu after breaking her back, leaving only her butterfly-shaped headpiece behind.
Zenitsu Kills Kaigaku
Who would have known that Zenitsu could kill an upper moon demon by himself?
The death of Jigoro Kuwajima fuels Zenitsu’s motivation to confront Kaigaku with a new form of thunder breathing that the latter never imagined Zenitsu could master.
In the fight against Kaigaku, Zenitsu unleashes the seventh form of Thunder Breathing, Flaming Thunder God (Honoikazuchi no Kami in Japanese), to defeat Kaigaku, who fails to harness his new techniques and abilities in time after becoming an upper moon.
It remains unclear how Zenitsu developed this technique, as no one expected him to surprise Kaigaku with a brand-new finishing move.
Akaza Kills Himself
Giyu and Tanjiro almost killed Akaza in the Infinity Castle in their effort to attack and defend together.
It was a crucial fight, with Giyu exhausting all forms of Water Breathing and Tanjiro being able to see the "Transparent World" to defeat Akaza once and for all.
Despite Akaza’s head being decapitated from his body, he still gives Giyu and Tanjiro a hard time until he sees vague memories of his deceased master Keizo and his fiancée Koyuki, who want him to stop regenerating and die.
In the end, Akaza decides to kill himself with his technique, pulverizing himself in the process and dying for good despite Muzan's attempts to convince him to continue fighting.
Shinobu’s Poison Kills Doma
Unbeknownst to Doma, Shinobu’s poison slowly affected his body while fighting against Kanao and Inosuke.
Kanao had anticipated the poison would affect Doma at some point, and true enough, it started to melt Doma’s face. It also snapped one of the demon's arms.
With Kanao and Inosuke’s collective effort to cut Doma’s neck, they succeed in decapitating him until he begins to disintegrate.
It was a pathetic defeat for Doma, who recalled his past as a human and his inability to feel emotion before dying.
Kokushibo, Muichiro, and Genya Die
Kokushibo faced Genya, Muichiro, Sanemi, and Gyomei together in the Infinity Castle, all by himself.
Despite this, he was a force to be reckoned with thanks to his unique breathing forms. He was able to overwhelm his opponents until Muichiro and Genya died after their bodies were split in half.
However, Kokushibo also dies in the end, thanks to the collective effort of the demon slayers.
He failed to regenerate until the only thing that was left of him was the flute he made for his twin brother, Yoriichi.
Muzan Crushes Tamayo’s Head
Tamayo did everything to reject Muzan and his ambitions. She hid from Muzan for a very long time, trying to concoct a drug that could turn demons back into humans, and she finally succeeded.
However, with Muzan absorbing her arms during the Infinity Castle Arc, there’s no going back to Yushiro and the only way is to face death at the hands of the man who turned her into a demon.
Before dying, Muzan decapitated her and crushed her head. Her death was felt by Yushiro, who did everything to help the Demon Slayer Corps against the upper moon demons.
Her death wasn't in vain, though, as Tamayo was successful in weakening and aging Muzan, unbeknownst to the latter.
Muzan later discovered the effects of Tamayo's drugs after he realized his moves had reduced in speed and he couldn't defeat the severely wounded demon slayers easily.
Do Tanjiro and Nezuko Survive?
Yes, Tanjiro and Nezuko survive the Infinity Castle Arc, including the Sunrise Countdown Arc of Demon Slayer, despite everything they have been through against Muzan and the upper demon moons.
In addition to Tanjiro and Nezuko, more characters, including Zenitsu and Inosuke, lived to see another day even after Muzan had been defeated.
Although a lot of lives were lost, many moved forward, carrying on the legacy of the Demon Slayer Corps.
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