Daki - Demon Slayer

Daki, also known as Warabihime as Oiran, is one of the main antagonists in the Pleasure Quarter Arc of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. She is a demon affiliated with the Twelve Demonic Moons, being the secondary holder of the position of the 6th Upper Moon, a rank she shares with the primary holder, her older brother, Gyutaro.

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Apparence

Daki is a tall woman with light skin, lime green eyes and long eyelashes. Her hair is white and light green at the base which she ties into a long ponytail with kanzashi hairpins (three on each side) holding the ponytail together. The kanji for "Top Rank" (上じょう弦げん, Jôgen) is carved into her left eye and the one for "Top Rank" (陸ろく, Roku) is carved into the other. When not dressed as Oiran, she sports a pink flower-like demon crest on her face and wears a two-piece version of her kimono consisting of magenta pink panties tied with long black bows on the sides and with two pieces of magenta fabric covering her chest. She wears magenta stockings with black flower patterns and high geta shoes with black polish on the toes.

When she is first introduced as a Warabihime, she seems to follow the characteristics of oiran/tayû, her hair being the typical date-hyôgo style having many Ôgi bira kanzashi both decorating and supporting it, as well as wearing traditional makeup. She wears a multi-layered kimono with different flower patterns, keeping fragments of her Blood Power as obi.

Before turning into a demon, Daki was a young girl with long, white, disheveled hair with messy bangs and dark lipstick. She wore a light-colored, torn kimono with irregular square patterns and horizontal lines.

Personality

Daki is very proud and sadistic, who takes pleasure in torturing her victims before killing them. She seems to have a rather caring relationship with her brother, Gyutaro, although she was seen insulting and ridiculing him when they both fail, showing that despite her love for her brother. She also shows this in the way she spoke cruelly of him when they lost, even insulting his appearance and viciously claiming that he could not be her brother.

However, underneath her malicious personality, spoiled attitude, and selfishness, Daki possesses a genuine love for her older brother, as seen during her stay in Limbo. Despite Gyutaro's attempts to cut ties with her and send her to heaven, Ume stubbornly refuses to abandon her brother, even if it means going to hell with him. She tearfully reminds him that no matter what happens to them, they are stronger together and promises him that no matter how many times she dies and is reborn, she will always be his little sister.

As a courtesan, she seems to have a seductive side, as can be seen in her interactions with her clients. Although she is hundreds of years old, she has a childish and pretentious demeanor, including throwing tantrums and crying when things don't go her way and lashing out at anyone to let off steam. When interacting with her brother and other courtesans, Daki generally acted like a spoiled, arrogant, and snarky child.

These childish tendencies may be due to the fact that she was only a thirteen year old girl when she was turned into a demon. Gyutaro notes that when she was human, she was honest and easily influenced, leading her to easily take to heart the traits and words of those she trusts and admires, as seen when she was easily influenced by Muzan. Her brother Gyutaro himself believes that the only reason she is like this is because she was raised by him to be selfish and to only worry and care about herself.

History

Human Life

Daki was born many years ago as Ume in the Rashomongasi (lowest social class) area of the Pleasure District, where sick prostitutes, geishas and oirans who could no longer work in brothels were sent and left to die. Her biological mother was a prostitute there and had given birth to her older brother a few years earlier. Her biological father is never mentioned, but he was probably one of her mother's clients. His brother noted that their mother was mentally unstable (probably due to the extremely harsh and poor living conditions in the neighborhood), having attempted to commit suicide and kill her son on several occasions, in addition to miscarrying a child. She also physically abused her son because she could not afford to feed him, forcing him to fend for himself. When Ume was born, her mother hated her because of the color of her hair and eyes, and then tried to kill her. One day she tried to cut her hair with a razor, but Gyutaro became furious and lashed out at her. Their mother then moved away from them. Ume was mainly raised by her brother until she was a teenager, when her mother died of Ume's disease, which she was named after.

Gyutaro noticed that even as a child, Ume had an incredibly beautiful face that even adult men and women were reluctant to look at. She was so beautiful that if she smiled, they would offer her things; hence the nickname Shiraume. This gave him hope that both of them could get out of poverty and be able to lead a better life by being spotted and eventually recruited to work in one of the most prestigious brothels in the district. As he had hoped, Ume in her early teens was finally chosen to work in one of the high class brothels in the pleasure district. She then began to receive a proper education, learning the proper techniques and feeding herself the best foods to become an Oiran. Even before her training was complete, Ume had already begun to make a fortune by attracting many suitors and customers to the brothel with her beauty. At the same time, her older brother began working as her "collector" and was collecting money and debts owed to the brothel.

However, this all came to an end when Ume gouged out the eye of a samurai, one of her customers, who had insulted her brother while he was out collecting debts. In retaliation, she was tied up, burned alive and left in a ditch. She was then discovered by her brother, who began to panic when he saw her near death. They were then discovered by the same samurai she blinded, accompanied by the manager of the house where she worked. They try to kill Ume and Gyutaro, but it is the brother of the latter who kills them. He then picks up his sister's charred body and carries it around the city in search of help. His struggle proved futile, as he realized that no one would help them.

As Gyutaro collapsed from exhaustion due to his severe injuries, Doma, who was a Number 6 Senior Rank at the time, stumbled upon the siblings while wandering the neighborhood looking for beautiful Geishas to devour. Taking pity on them, he offers to help them by turning them into demons, claiming that it was because he was a nice person. He then challenges them to become strong enough to be chosen by Muzan Kibutsuji and join the Twelve Demonic Moons at his side.

Demonic life

Several years after becoming a demon, Daki had already gained a reputation for cruelty, so much so that older people remembered her bad temper and asked that the word "hime" (meaning "princess") be added to her name. Daki and her brother's activities eventually caught the attention of Muzan Kibutsuji, who recognized their strength and power and officially allowed them to join the Twelve Demon Moons, and both were given the Superior Rank number 6.

Later, Daki fought, killed and ate seven Pillars.

Two days before Tanjiro Kamado and his teammates infiltrated the pleasure district, Daki was confronted by Omitsu, the manager of the Kyogoku House, about his abusive treatment of staff. When the hostess revealed that she knew about Daki's past and life expectancy, the Higher Rank seized her. Carrying her far above the ward, Daki mocks Omitsu for her stupidity, calling her inedible and dropping her and eventually dying. Returning to her room, Daki was surprised to see Muzan Kibutsuji. Bowing to her master, she listens as he congratulates her on her newfound strength, warns her not to be careless, and tells her that he had high hopes for her as a Special Demon.

Synopsis

Arc Quartier des plaisirs

Walking with several assistants, Daki passes under the watchful eye of Tengen Uzui without being detected in her oiran appearance. Later, using her belt, she questions Makio about the letters she had sent. Sensing the presence of Inosuke Hashibira, Daki's belt runs away.

Daki appeared behind Zenitsu Agatsuma as Warabihime, demanding to know what he was doing in someone else's room and quickly became irritated at the lack of response. She then lashes out at two girls who were trying to defend Zenitsu, insulting the young demon slayer before viciously abusing a girl who was crying because she wasn't cleaning her room fast enough. His anger increases when Zenitsu grabs his wrist to end his cruelty.

Daki punches him through several walls, threatening to discipline him further, but stops when the brothel master begs her to stop. Apologizing to him, she orders Zenitsu's injuries to be treated and the mess caused by his outburst to be cleaned up. The High Rank is intrigued by Zenitsu's identity, noting that he might be a demon slayer. Later, in her room, she gloats about the success of her plan, promising to kill and eat all her enemies.

Daki then appeared behind Koinatsu, trying to eat her before she goes to get married. She was then confronted by Tanjiro Kamado while she was holding her fellow oiran and questioned him about the number of people sent as reinforcements, including the Pillar. Rejecting the young man for his weakness, Daki is furious when he demands that she release Koinatsu and attacks the demon slayer with his belts. Noting that he survived, she compliments Tanjiro's eyes, wishing to eat them. She briefly clashes with the young demon slayer again, noting his ability to sever only the part of the belt containing Koinatsu, but confidently announcing that he will lose.

She then expresses her irritation at the interference of her enemies, asking Tanjiro again about the status of his reinforcements. Despite his refusal to provide answers, she offers to let him live if he answers, noting that in their brief confrontation, his sword had been chipped. She also states that the one who forged the blade was a terrible blacksmith and once again becomes irritated when her opponent denies this, promising to kill him with her next attack. While launching said attack, Daki is shocked when Tanjiro cuts his belts with a Hinokami Kagura technique. Noticing the change in her sword style, she dodges the next attack and retaliates with her own attack. Missing with another Hinokami Kagura technique, the High Rank turns around to face her opponent just as her blade hits his neck.

Her decapitated head then fell to the ground, facing Gyutaro's. As their heads began to disintegrate, Daki scolds his brother, blaming him for their defeat and saying that an ungainly thing like him could never be his brother or sister, while Gyutaro retorts that Daki is weak and does nothing to help him. Saddened by the sibling feud, Tanjiro then intervened, covering Gyutaro's mouth to keep him from yelling insults at his sister and begging them to reconcile, as they only had each other left in the world. Daki starts to cry, screaming that she doesn't want to die. However, her head eventually disintegrates, leaving Gyutaro alone. As Gyutaro begins to remember their lives before they became demons, Daki appears to him in her original Ume form, asking him where they were going and to take her with him. He rejected her at first, curtly telling her not to follow him. However, Ume suddenly embraced him, apologizing for his past words and shouting at him that they are siblings and she would never let him go. The duo then left for the afterlife, Gyutaro carrying Daki on his back as he always did before.

Skills and Competencies

• General Abilities: As a High Rank demon, Daki is very powerful, having been personally recognized by Muzan as a "special demon". It is noted that Daki is capable of killing and eating seven Pillars in the past, which speaks to her strength. This claim is made more credible by the fact that she was able to defeat and have the advantage over Tanjiro Kamado, Nezuko Kamado, Zenitsu Agatsuma, and Inosuke Hashibira, all of whom are talented fighters, confirming her initial status as a member of the Twelve Demonic Moons. However, his rank and position among the Higher Ranks is only due to his brother's powers and abilities that enhance his own.
• Immunity to Decapitation: Daki possesses a unique immunity to decapitation by the Swords of the Sun due to her connection to Gyutaro, either when he "sleeps" inside her or when his "core" is implanted in her body. This is illustrated by the fact that, despite being decapitated several times by Tengen and Inosuke, Daki's body shows absolutely no signs of disintegration. As the demon slayers quickly realize, the only way to get around this immunity is for Gyutaro himself to be decapitated along with her.
• ESP: Daki has the ability to share her senses and mind with her older brother, as well as allowing him to control her body by implanting one of her eyes on his forehead. With this eye, she can send him logistical information through this link so that they can better coordinate their attacks. At the same time, this ability enhances all of Daki's existing abilities and improves her own sense of sight, due to the fact that she was implanted with one of her brother's eyes. In addition, thanks to his Obi, Daki can get information from several places at once and even communicate telepathically with him.
• Hair Manipulation: Daki briefly displayed her ability to manipulate her hair, turning it from black to white and turning it into a weapon when she attempted to attack Inosuke by wrapping her hair around his arms, after he had decapitated her and pulled her head off to prevent her from reattaching it.
• Regeneration: As a High Rank demon, Daki is endowed with powerful regeneration abilities, as evidenced by the fact that she was able to heal herself easily after being burned by Nezuko's Blood Power and that she was able to regrow the tentacles on her belt within seconds of cutting them off. Daki is able to reattach her severed head easily, despite being decapitated several times by Tengen and Inosuke.
• Speed and Reflexes: Daki is extremely fast, as evidenced by the fact that she can effortlessly follow Tanjiro's Hinokami Kagura techniques, to the point where she notices that it was boring. Daki can also follow Zenitsu's Lightning techniques, as well as Tengen's speed and explosions. After Gyutaro woke up, Daki's movements became even faster.
• Strength: As a demon who harbors an extremely high concentration of Muzan Kibutsuji's blood, Daki possesses incredible physical strength. She has demonstrated this by getting Zenitsu across two rooms effortlessly, punching a hole in a roof with her bare hands, and nearly ripping the ear off a young girl. Daki can also lift an elderly woman without any trouble.
  Unlimited Strength and Stamina: Like all demons, Daki has infinite strength and stamina. Although she has had her head chopped off several times, Daki has never shown any signs of pain or agony.

Blood Power

• Obi Sash Manipulation: Daki's Blood Power allows her to manipulate the floral patterned Obi belts she wears, which are created from her flesh and blood. Her belts are said to be as soft as silk, but as sharp, if not sharper, than most swords of the Sun. In battle, she shapes her flesh into dozens of belts to launch ranged attacks while protecting her body, making her belts a perfect blend of attack and defense. Daki's belts are so powerful that they can repel and block attacks from Tengen's explosions and cut through buildings in an instant. They are particularly difficult to cut because of their flexibility, and can even mitigate the effectiveness of slash attacks by bending. Her belts have a unique property that allows her to store objects, usually humans that she wants to eat, inside her belts. She traps them inside her belts by turning the objects she wants to store into flat 2-dimensional versions inside them, which allows her to be stealthy in her movements, as any opening or path wide enough for a belt to enter is an opening or path she can take. To free someone from being trapped in the sashes, it must be cut while avoiding cutting the people trapped inside, immediately freeing anyone and returning them to their previous form. Daki uses this ability to store humans she wishes to eat in an underground space and consume them later. Finally, Daki can turn her own neck into a belt to avoid being decapitated.
  
  • Flesh Obi: Daki has also shown the ability to create sentient Obi, which she uses to guard and protect her stock and monitor her food. She has also created another living belt to watch Hinatsuru, whom she suspects of being a spy for the Demon Slayers, and to kill her if anything goes wrong. Daki can also communicate telepathically with her sentient slings, as she was able to demonstrate by giving her instructions and monitoring Inosuke's fight.

Anecdotes

• "Daki" contains the kanji for "degenerate, descend, fall in" (堕, da) and "princess" (姫, ki), and her real name has the kanji for "plum" (梅, ume). The pseudonym she used as an oiran translates to "fern" (蕨, warabi) and "princess" (姫, hime).
  
  • Her brother revealed that her birth name as a human, "Ume," was the name of the disease that killed their mother. It appears to be syphilis, since her Japanese name is "Baidoku" (梅毒), "Bai" and "Ume" are alternate readings of the same character.
  • The human nickname Daki has the kanji for "white" (白, shira) and "plum" (梅, ume).
• Muzan saw her as a not very smart child.
• It is possible that one of the reasons Muzan pretended to like Daki was because she was beautiful and an important source of income. It is noted that one of Muzan's favorite High Rank demons was Gyokko, as his pots were works of art that could be sold for a high price, suggesting that despite being a demon, Muzan appreciated money. As an oiran, Daki would also have made a lot of money.
• Based on Muzan's references and words in chapter 98 and Tanjiro's sense of smell, it is likely that her brother Gyutaro was the true holder of the position of High Rank number 6 and not her.
• Daki's ability to turn her neck into a stretchy belt seems to be based on the yôkai of Japanese folklore called the Rokurokubi.