Demon Slayer: Who Killed Upper Rank 4?

The Upper Rank 4 Demon, Hantengu, was so overwhelmingly powerful that it took the combined effort of multiple slayers to finally defeat him.

Demon Slayer's third season revolves around the most powerful opponent Tanjiro and Nezuko have yet to face: the Upper Moon 4 Demon, Hantengu. Knowing how vital the Village of the Swordsmiths is to the Slayer Corps' operation, it only made sense that Muzan would send his minions to wreak havoc and try to snuff out one of his greatest threats.

Not only was the Swordsmith Village infiltrated by Hantengu, but he was assisted in his mission by the Upper Rank 5 as well, Gyokko. Between the two of them, the village should have easily been annihilated, but luckily, there happened to be multiple Slayers in the area at the time—and Tanjiro and Nezuko were among them. While Tanjiro wielded the blade that would ultimately sever the Upper Rank 4's head from his neck, the fight was definitely a group effort that couldn't have been won without the combined strength of everyone involved.

Who Fought the Upper Rank 4 Demon?

Initially, when Hantengu first appeared, he conducted a sneak attack on Tanjiro, Nezuko, Tokito, and Genya when they least expected it. Hantengu took on the appearance of a weak and frail old man, but Tanjiro was able to sense that he was an incredibly powerful demon who had killed many people. After his head was severed, Hantengu split his body into three other forms which were each extremely powerful in their own right. The chaos that ensued caused Tokito to get separated from the others during the fray, and he was then stopped by Gyokko in the forest on his way back to the others.

This turn of events left Nezuko, Tanjiro, and Genya to fend for themselves against the multiple forms of Hantengu by themselves. Just as things began to look bleak for the three-person team, Mitsuri Kanroji showed up to even out the odds. This freed up Tanjiro, Nezuko, and Genya to seek out and pursue Hantengu's main body which—after an extended battle—ultimately led to the defeat of the Upper Moon 4 at Tanjiro's hand.

Why The Upper Rank 4 Was So Difficult To Kill

The key to Hantengu's strength is multifaceted. For one, every time his head is severed, he is able to split himself into a separate being who utilizes their own distinctive abilities. While doing that, his main body becomes an extremely tiny form that is nearly impossible to spot, while also being extremely fast as well.

Hantengu has a total of seven forms which each represent a manifestation of his deepest emotions. His main form represents his cowardice, while Sekido, Karaku, Aizetsu, and Urogi represent anger, pleasure, sorrow, and joy, respectively. Combining these four latter forms creates Zohakuten, the manifestation of hatred, and Hantengu's most powerful form. When all else fails, Hantengu can create Urami who represents his resentment and whom Hantengu can hide inside to avoid danger. Not only are Hantengu's forms extremely fast and strong in their own right, but they each have their own unique Blood Demon Art that revolves around a different element in nature. For example, Zohakuten's Blood Demon Art lets him control wood, while Karaku's centers on controlling the wind. Sekido can even use electricity-based attacks. Urami can actually tap into all the other forms' Blood Demon Arts, and he also has the ability to grow dramatically in size.

Even if a Slayer does manage to fight their way through all his other forms and find Hantengu's main body, they will have to cut his neck, which is much more difficult than it sounds. Hantengu's neck is so strong that most would be completely unable to cut through it at all, as seen when Tanjiro used Zenitsu's Thunder Breathing to catch up with him only to fail to slice through the demon's neck. Given all the skills in his arsenal and the fact that he is so difficult to actually kill, Hantengu more than lives up to his spot as the fourth-strongest demon in Muzan's elite Upper Moon ranks.

How Hantengu Was Finally Slain

After fighting all through the night until sunrise, Hantengu, Tanjiro, and Nezuko each found themselves in a difficult predicament. As the sun rose, Nezuko was stuck in the middle of a field with no shade and thus was slowly burning away in the sunlight. On the other hand, Hantengu ran across the field to escape and was in pursuit of three members of the Swordsmith Village who—if he could just devour them—would provide Hantengu ample energy to make it through the field and live to see another day.

Caught between the two situations was Tanjiro, who was huddled over Nezuko to shade her from the sunlight, but couldn't bear to stand by and watch as Hantengu chased down and killed more people right in front of him. Tanjiro was faced with the difficult decision of saving the one person he cares about most in life or saving three people he doesn't know. As much as he wanted to save the villagers, Tanjiro could not bring himself to leave his sister and let her die there. Recognizing the impossible situation that her brother was in, Nezuko selflessly made the decision for him and kicked her brother off her and into the direction of the villagers and Hantengu.

Recognizing her noble sacrifice, Tanjiro took the opportunity his sister gave him and swiftly beheaded the Upper Rank 4 demon with the least remorse seen by Tanjiro in the series thus far. While Tanjiro was the one who ultimately beheaded and killed the Upper Moon 4 demon, it was due to the selfless action of Nezuko that Tanjiro even had the chance to do so. Not only that, but it was thanks to the combined efforts of Genya, Mitsuri, and Tokito that Nezuko and her brother ever had that golden opportunity to begin with.