Demon Slayer's idea of Heaven and Hell is confusing at best, and yes, it's about Daki and Akaza

With the Demon Slayer series having an extensive narrative, fans may often overlook minute details. Spreading across several arcs of the series, in the form of anime seasons and chapters, there was one particular fact in the series that was quite confusing.

As mentioned in the title of this article, Demon Slayer's concept of Heaven and Hell, although briefly introduced, was confusing regarding how the idea worked. Two upper-rank demons, Upper-Rank Six, Daki, and Upper-Rank Three, Akaza, were particularly the main characters who were intertwined with this concept, which was very confusing at best.

Disclaimer: This article contains potential spoilers from the Demon Slayer anime and manga.

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Daki and Akaza's narratives were the prime example of Demon Slayer's idea of Heaven and Hell

At the end of the Demon Slayer's Entertainment District arc, the concept of Heaven and Hell was first introduced into the series. After Daki and Gyutaro, collectively known as the Upper-Rank Six demons, were defeated by the joint efforts of Tanjiro, Zenitsu, Inosuke, and Uzui, the siblings were seen arguing and being resentful towards each other regarding their defeat.

After both their heads disintegrated into nothingness, a sequence followed between Gyutaro and Daki where Daki was shown as her former self before she was turned into a demon. This is where Daki was given the option to choose between Heaven and Hell, most likely because she was turned unwillingly into a demon.

While even Gyutaro insisted that Daki choose to go to Heaven, Daki chose her brother over everything and went to Hell with him. This concept, at that point, looked rational and created the perception that demons who were turned against their will were given the choice to go to Heaven. However, this concept was also contradicted by the series as it moves towards Akaza's narrative.

In Akaza's instance, when he faced off against Tanjiro and Giyu Tomioka in Demon Slayer's Infinity Castle arc, near the end, he had a momentary relapse and a vision of Koyuki that reminded him of his past life before he became a demon. While Akaza chose to become a demon out of hatred, he still held principles that were unexpected from a demon.

After recalling his past and remembering his human life, Akaza decided to end the fight and abandon his service to Muzan. He willingly admitted defeat and attacked himself severely. To complete the process, Akaza also ceased his regeneration abilities and ultimately perished. While he was dying, he remarked on going to Hell for his actions, clearly stating he wasn't even given a choice.

The central conflict lies here is that if Daki, someone who did not turn into a demon willingly but committed several murders and heinous crimes, got the option to go to Heaven when didn't Akaza, who did willingly choose to become a demon but in the end succumbed to his humanity and emotions and let go of his rage, did not get the option.

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Final thoughts

The bias towards Demon Slayer's portrayal of Heaven and Hell creates more confusion for the discussed concept. The blurry lines drawn by the series as to who gets to choose and who does not, even for demons, is something the series needed to properly explore and expand upon in the narrative to disrupt any such conflict of thoughts among the series' fans.

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