Demon Slayer: Muzan’s Final Form, Explained

Muzan Kibutsuji was the Demon King and the primary antagonist of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba up to the series’ finale, who remained almost invincible during the whole show. Since the introduction of the character, he has been depicted as a being that possesses invincibility, a character who had been training for centuries and getting rid of all that posed a threat to his existence. However, he was cornered during the final fight and unveiled his final form, which was the final addition to his arsenal.

This form, ugly as it is, was a last-ditch act to make him clinch the victory over the Demon Slayer Corps. It made him physically so powerful, but at the same time, it portrayed the extent of his hopelessness. Regardless of the amount of power that he accumulated, the demon king could not achieve his goal. Finally, the Demon King was defeated, which means nobody or anything is immortal, including the strongest demon.

How Demon Slayer Humanized Demons

Demons might be the antagonists in Demon Slayer, but the series always does a good job of humanizing its villains.

Muzan’s Final Transformation—The Demon King’s Last Resort

A Form Born From Desperation and Thirst For Power

Muzan has always been the one who was in charge of ruling not only the demons but most of Japan from the shadows. He fooled demons, instilled fear in his underlings, and did not engage in anything that was actually dangerous for centuries. Finally, he was defeated like an ordinary person during the last stage of the battle—not by force but by wit. That is why the Demon Slayer Corps had a strategy that could decrease his strength and the Anti-Kibutsuji Drug made by Tamayo and Shinobu began to work. This caused aging in his body of over 9000 years within a short span or period, thus making him a weak man.

As Muzan felt his gradual loss of regeneration and his foes closing in around him, he had no choice. It developed into a large and monstrous creature with a few remnants of red, fleshy tendrils covering the entire body and having several large and fang-lined mouths. This was not for intimidating by power—it made him quicker and stronger and made him almost unstoppable in close combat. He was gigantic and bulky too and appeared to strike indiscriminately on the battlefield, thereby rendering it impossible for the Demon Slayers, even the strongest of them, to strike regularly.

In his final form, Muzan had a monstrous appearance that was the most powerful of any demon they ever faced. He started to become more aggressive and scatter shots and blows at his enemies so that he could hit enemies in large numbers at once. His resilience, even when he had been worn down, was still something that was rather frightening and dangerous. The man also transformed to having no traces of any human feelings or emotions and would only operate just because of survival instinct.

Muzan was not only extremely powerful, near invincible even after the effects of the drug, but also quick, even in his weakened state, which was sufficient to overwhelm most demon slayers. All of his moves were extremely fast and unpredictable at first, which sometimes made it hard for the demon slayers to even keep up with, let alone overpower him.

The Power and Weakness of Muzan’s Final Form (Tamayo and Shinobu)

It’s Downsides—A Double-Edged Sword or Drug In His Case

As strong as it may look, this form of his was not without its flaws. Firstly, it was quite an exhausting and tiring procedure for his body. The more they fought, the weaker his body became because of the Anti-Kibutsuji drug, until there was no strength left. The aging effect was dynamically progressing and his body tissues began to degenerate at a much faster pace. What was once seen as his endless rebirth was slowly starting to deteriorate.

Although his huge final form was frightening, he was also vulnerable, a factor that could also explain why he was easily targeted. The Demon Slayer Corps didn’t fight him alone—every available Hashira, along with Tanjiro and his allies, worked together to exploit any weaknesses. This caused Muzan’s attacks to become even more dangerous as he became more desperate, which led to him making more risky moves.

Muzan’s Ultimate Downfall—A Battle of Endurance

Sun, The Strongest of Them All

It is true that Muzan’s final form is a pure form of power, but he did not foresee that they had a plan to stall the fight till sunrise from the beginning. The Demon Slayer Corps realized that they could not kill him that easily and promptly changed their tactics to slow him down until it was sunrise. Despite the numerous losses, their foes only stood as the Demon Slayers never stopped charging towards him, and this strategy worked and, in the end, the Demon King met his end due to the sun.

Just like the time when Muzan escaped from death by splitting into smaller pieces at the hands of Yoriichi, he tried to escape once again, but Tamayo knew this would happen and already countered that with the drug; the demon king could not escape this time. Though as a last-ditch effort, Muzan made a very surprising decision and decided to transfer the remaining power to Tanjiro, thus turning him into a demon. This was the final attempt to pass on the legacy in the event that he could not do so himself. Nonetheless, Tanjiro, with the support of his friends and the last of the drug used by Kanao, fought the demonic influence and, in turn, ensured that Muzan’s era of domination disappeared forever.