A Brother, a Monster, and the Life That Failed Them Both.
Spoiler: Entertainment District Arc
Gyutaro may be the scariest demon in Demon Slayer. Not only because he is an upper moon, but all because of the visuals we get of him. Like his looks alone don’t make me scared. There are just certain scenes that stick out more than others.
This man had literally just formed from his sister’s back.
Gyutaro was the real threat.
Though he did have his weaknesses. Of course the usual demon ones being wisteria, decapitation, and sunlight.
His little sister Daki proved to be his greatest one.
He was only gentle with her. We knew right when he appeared that he was going to do anything to protect her. Shit in the first scene Gyutaro is helping Daki regenerate her head back onto her body. Every time after that he is racing to her rescue.
Then he meets Tengen and of course he listens to whatever Daki says. Coming to the conclusion that Daki was just trying to do her best and they just bullied her. Say that…
“I’ll have to massacre everyone who laid a finger on her. You could say I’m a firm believer in vengeance, So I’ll exact the same pain you inflicted upon her.”
-Gyutaro
He was envious of Tengen because of his bravery, looks, and the fact he has 3 wives. Though it was confused with being jealous because the only thing he could think about was tearing him to shreds.
Gyutaro was prideful.
Believing that even if Tengen could figure out how to defeat them the knowledge wouldn’t make a difference. They had killed slayers and hashira’s before therefore he was sure they were going to win.
Gyutaro might have been right if they were only fighting Tengen. He didn’t realize they still had Inosuke, Zenitsu, and Tanjiro to deal with as well. Though he thought their fate had already been sealed.
Gyutaro was the true upper 6 demon.
He smelt so much like Muzan to the point Tanjiro felt like his throat was closing up.
Then the fight begins and that gentleness that he had with Daki ceases to exist. Gyutaro turned ruthless, cruel, and might I add sadistic. Believing that everyone deserved the suffering that had been exacted on them and would kill anyone that tried them.
This is also when we see Gyutaro share his powers and consciousness with Daki.This helps coordinate attacks and is basically a way to locate her when she gets decapitated. This way they can split and go different ways.
Tanjiro smelled his bloodlust. Knowing the moment Gyutaro moved it was either strike or be slaughtered. He moved so fast that Tengen compared him to a Praying Mantis. While his attacks are specific and calculated.
For Guytaro, this is just another fight. These attacks are decades of practice. Being perfected time and time again.
For everyone else, one distraction could lead to one or multiple people dying.
Then the distraction happens. Hinatsuru (Tengen’s wife) shoots what looks to be about 100 Kunai at Gyutaro. After deflecting, Tengen evades while striking, and he flinches back right into a falling Kunai.
Now these aren’t just your normal Kunai.
They were coated with the poison that’s drawn from Wisteria. One of the key things that can basically paralyze, trap, and kill demons because its toxins are dangerous to them.
This trapped Gyutaro making it where he can’t regenerate fast enough. In all honesty this was child’s play to him. The paralytic had worn off and he was able to counter the attack. The rotating circular slashes: flying blood scythes had also created a diversion for him to slip away. But, of course not too far.
All of a sudden his hand is around Hinatsuru’s mouth. She had entered into the fight. He was ready to make her pay, Tengen was trapped, but Tanjiro was able to save her.
At first he wrote tanjiro off as a weak fleshling. Thinking that he really didn’t have to pay attention to him. At this moment his interest was piqued. Wondering how this boy was capable of such a lightning quick move and thinking he probably couldn’t move that fast again.
Gyutaro launched himself in between Tanjiro and Tengen, giving them the perfect opportunity to go for his head. It doesn’t go as planned though. He uses his sickles to deflect their blades, making it so they can’t move them.
Oh, and if you are thinking well, Tengen’s a dual wielder. Well yes, you are right, and yes, he should be able to decapitate him.
However nobody had taken into account or could have predicted that…
Gyutaro could rotate his head around to comp down on his other blade.
Then he sends himself and Tengen flying.
Now this is the point where I done got irritated, because why? Bro just keeps pulling out everything that is in his book. Like you just know something even crazier is about to come because we still got 2 episodes after this. Honestly this is where I start thinking everyone is about to die because this man is crazy.
Gyutaro was able to get away from Tengen.
He had cut off his arm.
The next time we see Gyutaro he is stabbing Inosuke through the heart from behind. Coming to Daki’s rescue. Also just imagine how mad he had to be. He did after all have to watch Inosuke saw his sister’s head off and then run around with it.
Then everything goes insane.
Everything is being engulfed into flames.
Just imagine being the only one still conscious and Gyutaro is standing over you. Looking every bit more terrifying and menacing, while looking at you almost like he admires you.
He stood over Tanjiro.
Not trying to kill him.
To Gyutaro, Tanjiro wasn’t strong. He was a pathetic, good for nothing, filthy kid that didn’t belong in this world. Someone who couldn’t protect his sister and was the only one to survive with such disgrace. Really just tearing him down. Even taking it far enough to ask…
“Why was trash like you even born to begin with?”
– Gyutaro
Then when Tanjiro goes to make some distance. He is still there laughing and taunting because how could he get even more pathetic than before.
Gyutaro even held back on his attacks.
It’s like he wanted to linger and let Tanjiro bathe in the tragedy that was occurring. Or maybe he was keeping him around because he liked him.
“I can’t help but like anything that’s pathetic, disgraceful, and filthy, you understand?”
-Gyutaro
Gyutaro didn’t fully understand why he was kind of attached to Tanjiro. They are parallels after all. He admired him so much that he offered to turn him into a demon. He wanted to see Tanjiro become strong. Even trying to say that becoming a demon would be the only way to protect his sister.
Though if the offer wasn’t taken then he would kill the both of them.
You know, I guess we could say he saw Tanjiro become stronger. Not understanding that he was determined to save everyone, not just his sister. Setting up the perfect chance to try and decapitate him.
Tanjiro even knew that in another life he could have turned out to be a demon like Gyutaro. Though that wasn’t the route he wanted to take.
Gyutaro was ready to take him seriously after almost being beheaded. He also didn’t realize everyone was still in the game; it was just the matter of when they were going to pop back into the fight.
Tengen had come back in fighting with only one hand. He had turned Gyutaro’s circular slashes into a song and was deflecting every one. Bro was absolutely done with not winning.
The fight becomes stronger, faster, and louder as ever.
He was still very sure that he was going to win the fight. Sure that he wasn’t going to be beheaded. Even trusting Daki to keep her head intact then everything would be fine.
Gyutaro is then decapitated.
His head goes flying in the air.
Now this part gets me every time. You are telling me that after Gyutaro’s head was severed from his body. This MF in the last attempt to kill everyone strikes again with his circular slashes. Has me sitting there shocked over and over again like it is my first time watching it.
It came exploding out of his body.
He had also just got the shock of a lifetime. Realizing that Daki had also been decapitated and there was no way to save them.
Gyutaro clearly wasn’t happy this happened. Feeling like he was the only one that did something to actually help them survive. Not believing that Daki would get beheaded by amateurs while he was fighting a Hashira.
Now this is the part where the humanity in Gyutaro really starts to show.
He was always protecting Daki. Though she just laid into him because he wasn’t able to save them this one time. Being called useless just because he ended up losing.
Gyutaro couldn’t take it. He was the one that saved her time after time. Feeling now like he had wasted his life to protect someone that wasn’t grateful at all. Then saying the one thing that we all know he didn’t mean.
“You should have never been born in the first place.”
-Gyutaro
Tanjiro stops him knowing that if he let him continue it would have turned into something that couldn’t be reversed.
Gyutaro didn’t mean anything he said and knew Tanjiro was right about stopping him. You could tell just from his facial expression. Cause the moment Daki started crying for him to save her. He remembered everything.
Their mother tried killing him one too many times while she was pregnant with him. He also grew up getting abused by her. His body was weak and it didn’t help that the lower class of the entertainment district saw children as mouths to feed.
Growing up in the entertainment district was even more rough for Gyutaro because he didn’t have the opportunity to bathe. Therefore people saw him as dirty. He also has these very prominent marks on his face that would revolt people. Which also would cause emotional scar. Some cut deeper than others.
Then Ume was born.
He quickly realized he was good at fighting and started working as a debt collector. He feared and revolted people. His ugliness had become his source of pride.
Though on one fateful night Gyutaro had come home to find Daki burnt to a crisp. The one person he loved the most was dying and there wasn’t really anything he could do.
He snapped. Killing the 2 people that turned his world upside down.
Gyutaro ended up carrying Daki’s burnt body around. With nobody offering to help them. They have had enough tragedy, pain, and suffering. Then the solution came: it may not have been ideal, but this was the only way.
Then Doma came along.
Gyutaro had to make a decision. Become demons or let his sister die. Daki was 13 years old, burnt alive, and she was dying in his arms every minute of every day. He was the only one that took care of her, protected her.
How could he let Daki just die?
He didn’t want to fail her like all of the adults in their lives.
Gyutaro decided for the both of them to live the rest of their lives as demons. He didn’t regret becoming one and would be happy being one in every lifetime.
The only thing he regretted was teaching Daki his way of living. He just wanted her to have a better life.
Then we see them together again in the afterlife. Though he didn’t want her to follow him anymore. He was ready to go to hell without her. In his eyes she never belonged in his world.
Not remembering the promise he made her so long ago.
“If we’re together, nothing can shake us… Cold or hunger doesn’t bother us at all. I promise you we’ll always be together. I will never leave your side. See? You’re not afraid of anything now, are you?”
-Gyutaro
Once he remembered, that was it.
He carried her with him, right into hell.
Could he really have been stronger without Daki?
Part of me thinks that he was able to get stronger because he didn’t want to see his sister get hurt. That he learned to keep them both alive. Which means he was stronger because of Daki.
Then the other part feels that Gyutaro could have been stronger if he was just thinking about himself. But, he would rather die alongside Daki. There was never a question with how much he loved his baby sister.
Muzan thought he would have been stronger alone. Even stating it during the upper moon meeting after they died.
“I knew Gyutaro would be defeated. As expected, Daki proved to be his weakness. Had he just fought alone from the start, he most assuredly would have won.”
-Muzan
I suggest reading Daki’s story next to understand a little bit more on the world that failed the both of them.
To catch up where Gyutaro arrives it’s on Crunchyroll.
