Who is Zohakuten in Demon Slayer?

Now into its third season, the 11-episode arc is a faithful retelling of the original manga, though fans are yet to get to the end of the story for Tanjiro Kamado and his friends. The arrival of season 3 also introduced a character that is integral to the series moving forward, and is one that fans have been waiting to show up in the anime: Zohakuten.

Read on to learn everything there is to know about Zohakuten, what his role is in season 3, and how it changes the show moving forward.

Who is Zohakuten?

To answer that question, we have to tell you who Hantengu is first. He’s a man who quickly unveiled himself to be not quite what he seems. After Tanjiruo, Nezuko and Muichiro behead him, two new demons Karaku and Sekido reveal themselves out of Hantengu’s body. Even when they’re defeated, two more demons Urogi and Aizetsu appear - giving the team more grief.

Finally, Tanjiro goes after the now tiny, skeletal Hantengu, but fails to cut through his neck - and it’s then when Zohakuten appears. He is the manifestation of Hantengu’s hatred, and is actually the combination of Karaku, Urogi and Aizetsu after being absorbed by Sekido. So essentially, it’s a demon with the power of 4 different demons in one; quite the powerful adversary.

Zohakuten first appeared in chapter 98 of the manga, and technically debuted in episode 45 of the anime (as that’s the first appearance of Hantengu), but his actual first appearance was in episode 51. Zohakuten essentially serves as the defence system for Hantengu’s body and, complicatedly, sees himself as the hero of Demon Slayer and Tanjiro and his friends as the villains for attempting to take down someone smaller than them.

How powerful is Zohakuten?

Since Zohakuten is the final form of Hantengu, he is by far the most powerful of the four demons - partially because he’s literally all four demons rolled into one. His main power is the ability to manipulate wood, specifically using these giant wooden dragon heads - Zohakuten is actually so powerful that upon first glimpse of him, Tanjiro simply passed out from the sheer power emanating off him. The best glimpse of Zohakuten’s power is shown when he’s able to take on Tanjiro, Mitsuri, Genya and Nezuko and still keep them all on their toes.

Fans have speculated as to whether Zohakuten is truly the most powerful demon they’ve faced so far, or if Akaza could rival him. His powerful shockwaves and the combination of martial art styles means that it’s difficult to often even get near the demon, whereas Tanjiro was at least able to get close enough to nearly behead Zohakuten.

Although Zohakuten’s appearance was short-lived, he undoubtedly left a big impression on fans. Who knows, maybe he’ll return somehow.

You can catch Demon Slayer on Crunchyroll. Sign up to Crunchyroll from $7.99 per month with a 14-day free trial.

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