The conclusion of the Swordsmith Village Arc inDemon SlayerSeason 3 dropped massive revelations regarding the past life of the Demon King, Muzan Kibutsuji, and the sequence of events that lead to him becoming the first demon. Initially a fragile young man, whose life was marred by a terminal illness that threatened to take his life before he reached the age of 20, Muzan developed an intense fear of death, which he would carry in the centuries he spent as a demon. After being treated by a doctor with an experimentalmedicine derived from the Blue Spider Lily, Muzan killed the doctor in frustration, only to realize that he had been cured of his ailment, save for his vulnerability to the sun and intense craving for human flesh.
He would spend centuries seeking out the same flower that had seemingly cured him, in the hopes of eliminating the only thing left that could actually kill him. Now, with the reveal of Nezuko Kamado being able to walk in the sun, despite being a demon, followingthe battle against Upper Rank Four Hantengu, the main focus ofDemon Slayershifts to Muzan’s pursuit of Nezuko, who he now wants to absorb, in the hopes that she will aid him in his bid to become truly immortal and turn into a being that has evolved beyond the concept of death.
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How Is Nezuko Immune To Sunlight?
Among the rest of demon kind, Nezuko’s immunity to the sun is an anomaly that has never been seen before. Even in all the centuries since Muzan became the first demon,and turned innumerable others to his cause, no demon has been able to withstand the light of the sun without burning up and turning into ash. In the climactic finale of the battle against Upper Rank Four Hantengu, Tanjiro was faced with a difficult choice as the sun rose above the mountains surrounding the village.
Despite having decapitated Upper Rank Four, Tanjiro saw the headless body of Urami —one of Hantengu’s many formscreated to protect the main body — chasing after a group of helpless swordsmiths. He struggled to shield his sister from the incoming flood of daylight while at the same time, striving to save her from a certain demise. However, Nezuko took matters into her own hands and kicked Tanjiro away, sending him flying towards Hantengu’s enlarged and headless body. After dispatching the demon, he looked around to realize that his sister, was in fact, still alive, and somehow managed to regain some of her human traits, including the ability to speak. Freely walking under the sun, Nezuko moved to embrace her brother, who was overjoyed at her still being alive.
It has been theorized that one of the reasons behindNezuko’s invulnerability to sunlightstems from her incredibly rapid growth rate, due to the large concentration of Muzan’s blood she consumed during the attack on the Kamado family home. The conclusion of the Swordsmith Village Arc provided further grounds for this, as Tamayo revealed that Nezuko’s blood had been evolving at an alarming rate, such that it was even able to cure a man who had been turned into a demon in Asakusa. Additionally, it has also been speculated that Nezuko’s unique case is also due to her family lineage that included a number of Sun Breathing users in the past, as well as the fact that her mother was one of the few people in the world who knew where the Blue Spider Lilies bloomed. Additionally, she also refrains from consuming human flesh and recuperates on sleep alone, which could also have played a role in this development.
Why Is Muzan Targeting Nezuko?
Having sought to eliminate his one remaining weakness all his life, Muzan has grown even more desperate over the recent arcs ofDemon Slayer, now that three of theUpper Ranks of the Twelve Kizuki are now dead. Considering that these ranks had remained unchanged for centuries, it is fairly clear that the tide of the Demon Slayer Corps' battle against Muzan’s forces is finally turning against the Demon King.
Muzan’s efforts to attain the elusive Blue Spider Lily and finish his treatment have been all but futile for centuries, as the flower only blooms during the daytime at a select few instances over the course of a year. to find this rare and coveted flower, Muzan had been turning people into demons for hundreds of years, using them to do his bidding.His strength, natural charisma, and control over his underlings proved instrumental in this search, which would consume his existence.
Unfortunately for him, even after creating armies of demons to do his bidding, Muzan was unable to make any progress in his goal of overcoming the sun, which remains the biggest reason behind his immense fear of death. On discovering that Nezuko had somehow managed to perform this feat that even he had failed to do, while searching Hantengu’s memories, Muzan was overjoyed to find that there was now a demon who can finally aid him in his quest. In essence, he wants to absorb Nezuko and gain her power which will finally set him free from the burden of living in fear of the sun. This sets up an exciting finale for the series, one wherethe Demon Slayer Corpsnow have no choice but to confront Muzan head on to prevent Nezuko from falling into his clutches.
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