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Demon Slayer: Could Kokushibo Have Beaten Muzan as a Human?

Published

22 seconds ago

January 12, 2025

Christoph Rediske

Summary

Table of Contents

Michikatsu, the second strongest Demon Slayer in history, never got to test his skills against Muzan, joining him instead.
Michikatsu created Moon Breathing, had the Demon Slayer Mark, and used Transparent World in battle.
Despite Kokushibo’s strength as a demon, no demon can defeat Muzan due to his power over their lives.

Quick Links

Could Kokushibo as a Demon Beat Muzan?
- He’s Stronger, but Is It Enough?

Warning: The following contains spoilers for the Demon Slayer manga. Demon Slayer is now streaming on Crunchyroll.

In Demon Slayer, about five hundred years before Tanjiro’s adventure, in the Sengoku Era, the demon known as Kokushibo was still a human Demon Slayer by the name of Michikatsu Tsugikuni. He was the older twin brother of the legendary Demon Slayer Yoriichi Tsugikuni. Yoriichi himself has shown that he can single-handedly kill Muzan in an encounter between the two. The only reason the latter survived is that he split himself into thousands of tiny pieces to escape.

Yoriichi is now known as the most powerful Demon Slayer in history. And the second strongest? None other than Michikatsu himself. Michikatsu never got the chance to test his skill against Muzan because he quickly turned to his side once he realized that becoming a demon was a path that could lead to his dreams of growing stronger than Yoriichi and surviving the Demon Slayer Mark. But would the second-strongest have stood a chance if he decided to fight Muzan instead of joining him?

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Michikatsu VS Muzan?

Just How Strong Was Kokushibo as a Human?

First, it’ll be useful to know who Kokushibo couldn’t beat, both as a human and as a demon. As a human, Michikatsu could never beat his younger twin brother, Yoriichi. Even as a child, Yoriichi immediately surpassed Michikatsu in terms of swordsmanship the second he held a blade in his hand. The gap between them probably only widened after that, because even after he became a demon, Kokushibo couldn’t defeat an elderly Yoriichi who was about to die of old age. As a demon, Kokushibo also lost to a group of Demon Slayers in the Infinity Castle Arc, with several of them being Hashiras. It should be noted though, that no one in that group could have beaten Kokushibo in a one-on-one match.

Now, what abilities did Michikatsu have before his conversion into a demon?

Michikatsu is the creator of Moon Breathing, a breathing style second only to Yoriichi’s Sun Breathing. No one other than him has been recorded using Moon Breathing, so it’s a style that could surprise anyone, even Muzan.
The Demon Slayer Mark manifested itself in Michikatsu during his training with Yoriichi. The Mark enhances its user’s speed and strength at the cost of a shorter life span. Of course, that cost is nullified after he becomes a demon, but since this match-up is about Michikatsu as a human, that doesn’t really matter.
Kokushibo has access to the Transparent World, also known as the See-Through World, and used it frequently in the Infinity Castle Arc. Although it wasn’t really specified, he probably learned it as a human while training under Yoriichi. Michikatsu would likely have actively sought to learn it because he was aware that Yoriichi had that ability ever since they were children, as shown in the Demon Slayer manga chapter 177, “Younger Brother”.

“It took a while for me to understand his words. Yoriichi could see through a living creature’s body. Just like with his mark, he was born with special vision as well.” – Michikatsu noticing Yoriichi’s Transparent World ability for the first time

What he didn’t have, is the Selfless State, which is an ability that allows the user to erase their Fighting Spirit. Yoriichi used Selfless State to fool Muzan into thinking he was a helpless human, but Michikatsu will have no such advantage.

Could Michikatsu Have Beaten Muzan?

When it all comes down to it, there is no chance Michikatsu can kill Muzan since even Yoriichi failed to keep him from escaping. Now, if you’re asking whether or not Michikatsu could force Muzan to retreat as Yoriichi did, the answer becomes a little trickier. However, a few signs point to it being unlikely.

Both Michikatsu and Muzan are weaker than Yoriichi, but at the very least, a young and healthy Yoriichi actually felt threatened by Muzan. In Demon Slayer chapter 187, “Innocent Person”, Yoriichi acknowledged that a single hit from Muzan could have brought him close to death, and that, for the first time in his life, he felt scared. On the other hand, Yoriichi could beat Kokushibo even when he was already old and dying, showing no sign of fear at all.

Another thing, Muzan managed to escape from Yoriichi on his own accord. On the other hand, Kokushibo was sure that he was going to die during his fight with Yoriichi, and already accepted his fate. Kokushibo only survived through pure luck, with Yoriichi succumbing to old age then and there. Evidently, Michikatsu’s gap in power to Yoriichi is wider than with Muzan and Yoriichi.

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Could Kokushibo as a Demon Beat Muzan?

He’s Stronger, but Is It Enough?

Ironically, now that he’s stronger as Kokushibo, the answer becomes a clear no, and it’s not even a matter of strength or skill this time. No demon, no matter how much they train or how useful their Blood Demon Art is, can defeat Muzan, because he holds their lives in his hand. Muzan is the progenitor of all demons, and with that title comes the ability to kill any demon he wants by literally just thinking it.

If Yoriichi, who is already stronger than Muzan as a human, were to turn into a demon, yes, his physical strength, speed, and durability would all drastically increase, but it would make him incapable of defeating Muzan. Turning into a demon is like selling your body and soul to Muzan, you belong to him now, and he can do whatever he wants with you, whether you want him to or not.

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Demon Slayer is now available to stream on Crunchyroll and Netflix. The release date for the next season of Demon Slayer, the Infinity Castle Arc, has not been announced yet.