Demon slayer portrays three different kinds of demons. For instance Muzan, who is a cold-blooded serial killer, the duo of Daki and Gyutaro, who are victims of their circumstances and finally Hantengu.
Hantengu paints a bigger picture of what it truly means to be a demon. He is not just a demon who craves for blood thirst but intricacy of his character questions boundaries between human and inhumane.
He has two polar personality. He is constantly afraid of uncertainties that lies beyond him. However, that fear is just a façade which swaps when he is in brink of death. Hantengu’s powers manifest various forms of emotions. However, anime focuses on dichotomy of love and lack of love within him. His blind love for himself is his strongest emotion and root of his atrocities. But his actions results in lack of love from society which instigates fear within him. The crippling emotion of fear causes resentment towards others. Resentment led to hatred for people and Hantengu finds joy and pleasure in harming others. When people refuse to believe and sympathize with him, he feels sorrow and gets furious. However, each and every emotions stems from his love for himself. Tanjiro and Love Hashira Mitsuri along with Nezuka and Genya together defeated Hantengu. Ironically, they represent selfless love, empathy and forgiveness for people.
During the final showdown, Hantengu’s character as a demon and human merges into one. When his past flashes before us and we realize that Hantengu’s human nature mirrors his demonic self. His past life is precursor to his present. The transition from present to his flashback is same as Hantengu was a demon before he became a demon. Hantengu’s love for himself transcends his humanity when he murders the judge who gave him death sentence. He punishes the ones who are against him. Accountability is out of question as he does not find faults within his actions. He loves himself to the extent that murdering others is justifiable. His mask of innocence tears apart when viewers see his true face of remorselessness, and absence of empathy.
Hantengu reminds us that one need not to look like demon to be a demon.
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