Daki: Spotlight

Living in a world that proved they wouldn’t protect her.

Spoiler: Entertainment District Arc

As I’m rewatching the Entertainment District I am starting to question why and how Daki came to be one of my favorite upper ranked demons.

At first we don’t know who she is or what she looks like. All we know is there are these belts, that we all assume is a part of their Blood Demon Art. This is what stores their food source (humans), along with being a spy to gather intel from the other brothels. We see this when the belts are interrogating one of Tengen’s wives, Makio. 

When we finally see who is behind the belts, she is disguised as an Oiran of the Yoshiwara, Tokyo Kyogoko House. This role was often more respectable. 

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But, I swear Daki probably became an Oiran because everyone was completely terrified of her.

They were all scared into respecting her.

Daki was straight up arrogant, dismissive, manipulative, and just a cruel person to really everyone. You know, your typical mean girl that thinks they deserve the world to be handed to them on a silver platter. 

Well she pretty much ran that house because she was the one bringing in most of the earnings. Having the girls clean her room, while the real owners turned the other way making sure no one would disobey her. Anyone that didn’t obey would get punished. Some were worse than others. 

For instance, one of the old homeowners knew a woman that told tales about Oirans that were just like her. That would get irritated, cock their heads, and stick their noses up. It was unique enough and instead of looking the other way. She confronted Daki.

The woman later was killed. Daki didn’t eat her, not wanting to waste her time eating someone that wasn’t beautiful. It was made to look like a suicide. As if she jumped on her own, instead of being dropped to her death. 

Zenitsu at least had a chance after “disrespecting Daki”. He was only trying to protect the younger girls in the house. Though Daki had taken that as a threat. 

He was punished in a way. By getting thrown across the room by her. That was only because the homeowner of the house begged Daki to be ready for when guests started to arrive. They needed their best girl to be ready. That night though the belts went and kidnapped Zenitsu to store for food.

Sometimes the best thing you can do is mind your own business. 

Other girls would just disappear and everyone would just think they committed Ashinuke. That’s when they break free from a contract or situation. It’s about prostitutes (Oiran/Yujo) who fled a brothel without paying their debts. If the women got caught they would be punished for it. 

Daki had all the advantages.

Perfect location. A city that operates at night.

Perfect disguise. Being an Oiran.

Perfect cover up when girls went missing. “Girls that commit Ashinuke”.

Everything was perfect until it wasn’t.

Muzan did warn Daki after the death of the one homeowner. That a Demon Slayer would be able to recognize her quicker than the normal eye. He believed she would be able to get stronger. Where if they were to realize she would be able to take them down.

Zenitsu knew by how quiet she was. 

Tanjiro could tell by the scent in the air. It shifted to a sweeter note when she was close. 

That’s when the fight finally began. 

She was able to keep her ground against Tanjiro for the most part. That wasn’t good enough though. Daki is cocky though she doesn’t have much to account for if she were the real upper moon. 

He proves that he has the ability to possibly cut off her head. Even though she can turn her neck into the belts which makes it harder to cut because of the flimsiness. That was the only flaw when it came to Tanjiro possibly beating Daki. 

And Oh GOD…

Don’t even get me started on Nezuko. She doesn’t play around about her brother and will back him up. Daki was almost beaten to a pulp by a demon who has never consumed a human. Fighting as if she was an upper moon like Daki. 

Daki brought the worst out of Nezuko.

Nezuko brought back the worst memory Daki had. 

Being burned alive. 

If there wasn’t that human temptation. I am pretty sure we would have seen Daki fall by the hands of Nezuko.

Then she gets beheaded by Tengen. Not having a chance at all against the Hashira that was standing right in front of her. 

Somehow she was still alive, not starting to disintegrate into thin air. This is where her demeanor started to change. Girly starts wailing over how she is upper moon 6. That she is stronger than Tengen can even comprehend (now that statement may be true at first). Considering the fact that she calls out for her brother.

Cause did anyone expect Gyutaro to just form out of her back like that? 

Daki would have died and everyone would have been able to go home without coming close to being dead themselves. I believe that she realized she wasn’t winning that fight on her own. Then there she was being consoled by a man that formed out of her back. 

Though once he made his entrance that is when her demeanor fully switched from someone cocky and thinks she has everything under control. To somebody who is whining and complaining that there are people bullying her. When in reality….

SHE’S THE BULLY!!!!

From this point on Daki just seemed to be in the way, while not really being in the way. Though she was able to hold her own in a fight for a good minute. Or so we thought.

Her belts though were being used for distractions and obstacles to get through without getting hit. I’m pretty sure that if you were to get hit by those belts you are getting very wounded. They also don’t really have a pattern that they are following therefore you need to be paying the utmost attention to your surroundings. 

She does seem slightly more powerful and more giggly. When she isn’t whining about getting her head cut off. Though why is this?

Does anyone remember Gyutaro’s eye being in Daki’s forehead?

Yea well, that was to share their consciousness, enhance HER powers, along with practically having her brother on speed dial to protect her at any moment. 

How else do you think he was able to find Daki when Inosuke was running around with her head after he had just sawed it off?

Almost like a whole tracking device.

We can all pretty much say that we thought Daki and Gyutaro had won. Especially when her belts covered the sky and ripped through the rest of what was standing. Everyone is down and at their limits. They shouldn’t have been able to push anymore. Though apparently that should have been the last thought.

Daki wasn’t ready for most events that happened from this point on. 

The moment came. 

Of course, Daki thinks that they are going to win though. Even though she was about to be decapitated, surely her brother will be able to pull through again and save her. Her head is cut off by Zenitsu and Inosuke. 

Little did she know Gyutaro was getting his head decapitated at the same time by Tengen and Tanjiro. 

They have fallen. Their heads flying in the air to go rolling to each other.

She was shocked, confused, scared, and frustrated. The emotions being high because of the realization of where they had ended up was too much. This is where Daki starts to lay in on Gyutaro.

If we are being honest, this was just heartbreaking to watch. 

Saying they couldn’t possibly be siblings cause how could an abomination like him ever be her brother. Claiming that his strength was the only thing he had going for him and that he was useless in every other way. Not realizing that Gyutaro loved her so much that he would do anything at all to keep her with him. Though she was throwing every insult, everything that made him feel insecure. 

Don’t get me wrong either her brother didn’t say the nicest things back. In the heat of the moment, we all tend to do and say things that we will regret. 

Tanjiro stopped them mid fight, right before they passed. 

Daki wasn’t too happy with a “little brat” like him telling them what to do. 

Though she recognized that nothing was going to change that outcome. She was in fact going to die. Gyutaro wasn’t going to be able to save her this time. Daki starts to plead with him. To save her. You could tell she wasn’t ready to die, that she wasn’t ready to leave the life they had built for themselves. 

Then floods of memories come rushing back to Gyutaro..

She wasn’t named Daki, her name was Ume.

Though at the end it all comes back to why I love Daki or shall I call her Ume. 

Ume was born in Rashomon Riverbank of Yoshiwara, the lowest class of the Entertainment District, where kids are just viewed as extra mouths to feed. So growing up really wasn’t ideal. The house she was a part of would have her take clients. Though when the home owners failed to pay the right amount of attention, Ume found herself having to defend herself against one of the men. 

The moment the word got out, it had become a bigger deal than it was. So when her brother found her later that day she had already been burnt alive. Mind you Ume was only 13 years old when this happened. 

All the adults in her life had failed to protect her. Her brother tried everything to keep her safe. 

Leading up to when he made the decision to turn them both into demons. 

When Daki finally passed, in her final breaths begging for her brother to save her. Being scared to die, frustrated, sad, and maybe a little confused with memories flooding back. She returned to that 15 year old girl before she got burned. 

The slice of innocence that never got the chance. 

Not meaning anything she said while they were dying.

Having the opportunity to go to Heaven, but choosing to be with her brother in Hell. Not wanting to be alone in a place unknown and always choosing to be his sister in whatever timeline they are born into. She really was grateful to be his sister and that he had tried to protect her. 

Choosing the only one that truly protected her. 

Choosing to keep the promise of staying by each other’s sides forever. 

If you want to read more about Demons that will make you cry. I recommend Akaza: The Demon That Stole The Hearts Of Everyone. 

And if you’re going back through the Entertainment District arc after this, this is where Daki’s story starts