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.
But, I swear Daki probably became an Oiran because everyone seemed to be terrified of her.
They respected her because they were more scared to get on her back side.
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.
She pretty much ran that house too. Having the younger girls clean her room, while the 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. Instead of looking the other way, she confronted Daki.
The woman later was killed. Daki didn’t eat her though, not wanting to waste her time eating some that wasn’t beautiful. It was made to look like a suicide. As if she jumped on her own, instead of dropping to her death.
Zenitsu at least had a chance after he “disrespected Daki”. He was just trying to protect the younger girl. Though Daki took that as a threat.
He was somewhat punished and that was because the owner of the house needed Daki to be ready for when guests arrived. That night the belts would go and kidnap Zenitsu to store for food. All because he was trying to protect the younger girls in the house.
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 warned her early on. A Demon Slayer would be able to recognize her quicker than the normal eye.
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.
The fight had finally begun.
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.
And Oh GOD…
Don’t even get me started with Nezuko. She doesn’t play around with her brother and makes sure he has the backup he needs. Daki was almost beaten to a pulp by a demon that never consumed humans at all.
Daki brought the worst out of Nezuko.
Nezuko brought back the worst memory Daki had.
If there wasn’t that human temptation when there was. I am pretty sure we would have seen Daki get beat by Nezuko.
Then she gets beheaded by Tengen. Not having a chance at all against the Hashira that was standing right in front of her.
If her older brother Gyutaro didn’t form from her back. Daki would have died and they all would have been able to go home without coming close to being dead themselves. There she was being consoled from this man that formed out of her back.
Though once he made his entrance her demeanor changed 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.
Does anyone remember Gyutaro’s eye being in Daki’s forehead?
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 get to Daki when Inosuke was running around with her head after he had just sawed it off?
Almost as if it is a whole tracking device.
After this we pretty much can all say that we thought that Daki and Gyutaro had won. Her belts covered the sky, ripping through the rest of what was standing. Everyone is down and at their limits. They shouldn’t be able to push anymore. Though apparently that should have been the last thought.
Then the moment came.
Daki while getting her head cut off is crying for her brother’s help. She wasn’t ready to die.
Little did she know he was also getting decapitated.
They have fallen. Their heads rolling to each other.
She was shocked, confused, scared, and frustrated. This is where Daki just lay in on Gyutaro.
If we are being honest, this was just so heartbreaking to watch.
She says that 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.
Don’t get me wrong either her brother didn’t say every nice thing back. In the heat of the moment though we all have things that we regret.
Tanjiro stops them mid fight, right before they both pass on.
Daki of course didn’t like a “little brat” telling them what to do.
Though when she realizes that she was in fact going to die. The moment she realized that Gyutaro can’t actually 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 or memories come flooding back to Gyutaro.
She wasn’t named Daki, her name was Ume.
Though at the end it all comes flooding 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 house 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 15 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.
