This article is written by guest contributor Ichi, who is a member of VRSUS’ Upper Writer Moons and has dedicated his life to art, tabletop games, TCGs, and anime… and, unlike Kokushibo, hopefully hasn’t lost his humanity in the process of pursuing these hobbies.
With fans reeling after the nail-biting season 5 ender of Demon Slayer episode 8, UFOTable drops the announcement of the 3-part Demon Slayer movie entitled the Infinity Castle Arc as the series finale. Tanjiro and the Hashiras were given a once-in-a-lifetime chance to finally eliminate Muzan Kibutsuji with the aid of the demon Tamayo and the Ubuyashiki clan. Still, before they can, they will have to face the denizens of the Infinity Castle and the remaining members of the Twelve Kizuki, which still includes the three most powerful demons in the series – Akaza, Doma, and Kokushibo.
It goes without saying that Muzan Kibutsuji, the progenitor of the demonic hordes, still holds the title of Most Powerful Demon. Still, while this remains true, surely even the Demon King himself cannot be everywhere at once.
Kokushibo – History
Kokushibo is the Upper Rank 1 of Muzan’s Twelve Demon Moons. Before succumbing to the promises of godhood offered by Muzan, Kokushibo once lived as Michikatsu Tsugikuni, the older brother of Yoriichi Tsugikuni. At a young age, Michikatsu dreamed of becoming the strongest samurai that ever lived, and he dedicated his life to pursuing that dream. During this time, Yoriichi exhibited his natural gift of swordsmanship, which surpasses Michikatsu’s, despite having little to no training. Yoriichi shared with Michikatsu his unique gift: he could see his opponent’s internal organs (Transparent World) while in battle, allowing him to predict their movement, react with uncanny accuracy, and deliver devastating attacks. Despite having this natural gift, however, Yoriichi became uninterested in using his talents to become a samurai and left his family’s estate, aware that his newly discovered abilities would make him the clan successor, thus robbing Michikatsu of his birthright. Yoriichi’s sudden disappearance, along with their mother’s untimely death, would sooner cause envy and eventually hatred within Michikatsu, and he wished for his brother’s death.
Many years later, Yoriichi is reunited with Michikatsu after he saves him from a demon attack that slaughtered his entire camp. Michikatsu’s envy and jealousy would see him leave his wife and child to become a demon slayer and train with Yoriichi. Michikatsu, unable to master his brother Yoriichi’s techniques, created his own alternative breathing style that would later be known as Moon Breathing, derived from his brother’s Sun Breathing techniques. Frustrated that despite all his training and effort, he is still unable to best Yoriichi, Michikatsu was tempted by Muzan to become a demon with the prospect of finally becoming stronger than the Sun Breather himself. From then on, Michikatsu will take on the moniker of Kokushibo and forever relinquish his humanity.
What Are His Powers?
Absorption, Flesh Manipulation, and Regeneration – Second only to Muzan, Kokushibo’s regeneration allows him to regrow organs and limbs at an alarming rate compared to lower-ranked demons and makes it near impossible for his opponents to tire him out. Kokoshibu has even demonstrated that he can even survive decapitation by a Nichirin sword attack. As an extension of his body, his katana can also change its form and appearance, and it will often look like a multi-bladed katana with additional blades branching out.
Moon Breathing and Demon Blood Art – Kokoshibo has mastered his sword style, creating chaotic crescent moon-shaped blades as he swings his katana. Kokushibo can manipulate the said projectiles’ size, speed, and angle, making them wildly unpredictable and often impossible to defend against. In the Infinity Castle arc, Kokushibo is shown to have mastery of at least 16 different Moon-breathing forms that he uses to devastate his opponents.
Demonslayer Mark – Having trained with Yoriichi, Kokushibo also has access to his demon slayer mark, and he can use the Transparent World to see his opponent’s internal organs, much like his brother. However, unlike human demon slayers whose lifespan decreases exponentially with the use of their marks, his demon transformation has completely negated this side effect.
Can Tanjiro and the Hashiras overcome the seemingly insurmountable task before them without the Yoriichi, and can they even get to Muzan in time with Kokoshibu, the Moon Breather, in their own way?
You can watch Demon Slayer (though without Kokushibo in it) on Netflix.
Do you know Kokushibo’s journey is the complete opposite of Zenitsu Agatsuma? Check out our article on him!
