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Hand Demon - Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer)

The Hand Demon (手鬼) is a notorious demon known in the Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer) series. The Hand Demon is known for killing thirteen of Sakonji Urokodaki's apprentices, including Sabito and Makomo. Covered in multiple arms, even using his hands to stand, he became known as the Hand Demon. 47 years before the story takes place, he was captured by Sakonji Urokodaki. Voiced in Japanese by Takehito Koyasu, and in the English dubbed version by Kirk Thornton, the Hand Demon made his debut in chapter 6 of the manga and episode 4 of the anime series.

“The era!! The era has changed!”
—Hand Demon, episode 4 of Demon Slayer

Appearance

He appears tall, veiny, with olive-green skin and red fingernails. His bright yellow eyes have cross-hatched pupils and an overall massive appearance. Before he grew, he resembled a normal demon. He has several thick arms and a mouth hidden beneath his arms. He grew many arms, and his jagged-toothed mouth was particularly enormous. He grew so many arms that he was not only forced to stop wearing his clothes, but also to protect himself with his hands, and even began using his hands to balance on a sort of handstand to walk.

Personality

The Hand Demon is ruthless and has a grudge against humans, mercilessly attacking and killing those who flee. Holding a particular hatred for Sakonji Urokodaki for cursing him and trapping him in the wisteria prison, he has vowed to kill all of his apprentices. The Hand Demon is also sadistic, describing how he murdered the children to Tanjiro Kamado. Despite his ruthless killing ability, he fears death, covering his entire body with hands to protect himself.
However, his past showed him to be a scared child who only wanted his older brother to hold his hand. He allowed Tanjiro to hold his hand during his final moments, shedding tears of gratitude.

Background

The Hand Demon was transformed by Kibutsuji Muzan into a Demon during the Keio period of the Edo period and began killing and eating at least one human, who was his older brother. A young Sakonji Urokodaki soon tracked him down and captured him, imprisoning him on Fujikasane Mountain to serve as one of the Hindrance Demons for the Final Selection. He carries Urokodaki's strong hatred for denying him his dignity, which has caused him to continue throughout the years, murdering any of Urokodaki's followers he could discover. He was finally defeated during the Final Selection Arc by Tanjiro Kamado.

Final Selection Arc

The Hand Demon threatens several potential Demon Slayers, killing and attacking each one. The aforementioned Demon, manipulating its limb-based body structure, extends a limb to catch the unfortunate soul, only to have it dislodged by Tanjiro's Water Wheel technique. The Demon takes note of its invader and mentions that it is another "cute fox," revealing that it knew the mask Tanjiro is wearing from somewhere.

The Hand Demon extends several of its arms towards him, but Tanjiro dodges them at the last second. The cunning Demon then attempts to surprise his opponent with a surprise attack from the ground as his limbs are also torn off by Tanjiro's katana. He dodges this attack as well, but the unflappable Demon extends a massive arm at the falling young man, which is countered with a firm headbutt. Indicating that he has no more hands to use, the frenzied Demon decides to reinforce the defenses around his neck, after moments later, Tanjiro unleashes his Water Breathing attack.

When the blow lands, the Hand Demon notices that it makes the same noise as Sakonji's, screaming Sakonji's name in terrified rage. The blow bypasses the many-handed opponent and reaches the head entirely, as the Demon panics at the thought of his impending death. Thinking that Tanjiro will look down on him as he dies, he is surprised to see the young man's eyes lined with sadness instead. The Demon raises an arm to his foe, who clasps it politely, hoping that when he is reincarnated, he will never become a Demon again. As he remembers his life, the Demon Hand disintegrates into nothingness.

SKILLS

Shapeshifting: He has the ability to grow countless arms and is able to manipulate them freely. His hands are able to stretch and have the power to attack opponents from a distance, even underground to surprise the target. Due to consuming many opponents after surviving for a long time, the hand demon has grown in size.
Hardening: Confident in the toughness of his neck, he was able to block Sabito's blade, which shattered his katana. He counterattacks and defeats Sakonji's apprentice.
Enhanced Regeneration: Like other demons, the Hand Demon is capable of indefinite regeneration. It can only be killed by being decapitated by a Demon Slayer's katana or by exposing it to sunlight.