Demon Slayer: Each Upper-Rank’s Fate at the End of the Series

As the ultimate villain in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Muzan Kibutsuji didn’t get personally involved in the battle between demons and the Demon Slayer Corps until the manga’s final arc. Before that, the six Upper-Ranks of the Twelve Kizuki served as the primary antagonists for much of the series. The defeat of Enmu, Lower-Rank One, during the “Mugen Train” arc marked the last time Tanjiro Kamado would fight anyone other than the strongest demons around. However, considering the Upper-Ranks were no more than Kibutsuji’s henchmen, it should come as no surprise that none of them lived to the end of the series. Let’s look at each Upper-Rank’s fate by the end of Demon Slayer — anime-only fans beware, major spoilers lie ahead.

Upper-Rank Three: Akaza
Akaza smiles and gets in a battle stance
After his debut in the “Mugen Train” arc, Akaza didn’t see action again until Demon Slayer’s “Infinity Castle” arc. Squaring off against Tanjiro and Giyu Tomioka, Akaza proved himself to be genuinely unbeatable. His Compass Needle ability allowed him to predict his opponent’s moves, and even when Tanjiro neutralized the Compass Needle and decapitated him, Akaza’s headless body continued fighting while his head regenerated. The exhausted Tanjiro and Giyu would’ve died at Akaza’s hands if being decapitated hadn’t triggered Akaza’s memories of his human life.