Why the only man Kokushibo truly feared was Yoriichi

Summary

• Kokushibo, Upper Rank One of the Twelve Kizuki, is feared and nearly equals Muzan in power.

• His fear of death led him to abandon his humanity and become a demon.

• Despite achieving immortality and power, Kokushiba's ultimate fear was the failure he faced in his battle with his brother.

WARNING: The following text contains spoilers for the Demon Slayer manga.

Of the Twelve Kizuki, Kokushibo, the top rank is the most feared and feared in the world. Demon Slayer. In terms of strength, he is almost equal to Muzan Kibutsuji, the strongest demon ever. He was part of it Demon Slayer corps along with his twin and was a remarkable swordsman before becoming a demon.

Kokushibo was challenged three times to gain the position of the upper moon, yet no one could defeat him. When he was still human, he used the Moon Breathing Technique, which was a derivative of his brother's Sun Breathing Technique.

The Origin of Kokushibo In Demon Slayer

What made him abandon his humanity

Kokushibo's real name was Michikatsu Tsukigini. Michikatsu and his twin brother Yoriichi were born in the Sengoku period, when the birth of twins was considered bad luck. Because his twin brother Yoriichi had a strange mark on his forehead, their father announced that he would be killed, but their mother intervened. Both Yoriichi and Kokushibo were raised very differently, as Yoriichi was only confined to his room, separated from the rest of the house, while Michikatsu trained to become a samurai.

One incident where Yoriichi managed to land four devastating blows on a man-child made Michikatsu extremely jealous of his younger brother's natural talent. He became a samurai when he grew up and soon after joined the demon slayer corps where he trained with his brother.

How Kokushibo became a demon

While still a samurai, he married a woman and later had two children. One night, Michikatsu and his fellow samurai were attacked by a demon that killed them all. Luckily, Michikatsu was able to survive when Yoriichi came to his aid. After joining the Demon Slayer Corps, Yoriichi invented a powerful Sun Breathing style that he tried to teach everyone, but no one matched his potential. This gave rise to other breathing styles such as wind breathing and moon breathing.

Eventually, Michikatsu also gained the Demon Slayer mark similar to that of his younger brother. However, instead of being proud of his achievements, he became increasingly frustrated and also did not want to die because everyone who inherits the mark of a demon slayer only lives up to 25 years. When Muzan Kibutsuji offered him the chance to become a demon, he gladly accepted.

The path I've walked is nothing but an endless search for strength. I have no regrets – Kokushibo

Changing his name from Michikatsu to Kokushibo, he became one of the most powerful demons and became an Upper-Rank One of the 12 Kizuki, with no one ever being able to replace him.

he trembled greatly in his presence, and it is evident from the fact that even when Muichiro Tokito, the mighty Hashira, first met Kokushibo, he froze in fear. Also, during the meeting at Infinity Castle when he was first introduced, all 12 Moon Kizuki were very afraid of him.

Do you think you can beat me? I am an existence beyond human understanding – Kokushibo

In addition to his amazing swordsmanship, he is also able to use his blood demon art where he can manipulate his blade into any form he wants. It can be said that facing Kokushibo is nothing short of a nightmare. Despite his power, he is still afraid of a few things that may have escaped the audience.

So what actually scared Kokushibo?

Even The Upper Moon One Kizuki had to deal with nightmares

It's hard to believe that a powerful demon like Kokushibo himself could be intimidated by anything. After analyzing his character, Kokushibo seems to be very afraid of death. The whole reason he left the Demon Slayer Corps and became a demon was to avoid the curse of the Demon Slayer brand. Although he knows that becoming a demon would not only result in the loss of his humanity, but also his loved ones, he still sees it as a necessary step.

The only one I fear… is him (Yoriichi) – Kokushibo

Now that he had achieved immortality, he spent all his time training, consistently honing his sword skills as well as the blood demon arts. Even though he finally got what he wanted, he couldn't escape the feeling of emptiness inside him. Furthermore, his insecurities that stemmed from his younger brother's talent remained strong even after his transformation.

He could never escape his twin brother's shadow and his hatred only grew worse. When Muzan Kibutsuji went to fight Yoriichi, he realized how powerful Yoriichi was as he barely escaped with his life. So if Muzan couldn't defeat Yoriichi, Kokushibo wouldn't stand a chance against him.

Yoriichi and Kokushibo's complicated relationship

Thus, Kokushibo feared not only death but also failure, and perhaps this was the main reason why he decided to abandon his humanity and gain power by any means possible to surpass his younger brother. After his transformation, his fear of death was more or less gone. Even after being decapitated in a single moment, he managed to regenerate his head, making him a formidable opponent for the Demon Slayer Corps.

However, despite having such immense power, he could not avoid the one thing he feared, perhaps more than death, which was failure. When Kokushibo and Yoriichi meet for the last time, the latter is extremely old. Yoriichi, seeing how his brother turned out, is very heartbroken, but still holds no hatred towards him. The two then engage in a sword fight and Yoriichi lands a powerful blow, snapping Kokushibo's neck.

This proved that even with his poor physical health, he was easily able to kill Kokushibo. His swift strike to the neck was perhaps the most terrifying thing the demon had ever seen. He barely survived the attack and knew that the next one would definitely kill him. However, at that very moment, Yoriichi died on the spot due to his old age. Seeing this, Kokushibo felt the greatest defeat of his life.

Once, the children who are being born now will surpass us and rise to even greater heights – Yoriichi

Even after sacrificing his humanity in pursuit of power, he could not defeat his younger brother even in his old age. Yoriichi left behind a legacy and inspiration for generations of Demon Slayer Corps to come. This is why, despite very few mentions of him in the anime and manga, he is considered one of the most famous characters Demon Slayer universe.