Temple Demon
Kanji
お堂の鬼
Rōmaji
Odō no Oni
Characteristics
Race
Demon
Human (Formerly)
Gender
Male
Affiliation
Affiliation
Muzan Kibutsuji
Debuts
Anime Debut
Episode 2
Manga Debut
Chapter 2
Portrayal
Japanese VA
Hikaru Midorikawa
English VA
Ben Diskin
"This is my turf. If you break into my territory, I'll make you pay!"
-Temple Demon to Tanjiro Kamado in Trainer Sakonji Urokodaki
Temple Demon (お堂の鬼 Odō no Oni) was the first Demon Tanjiro Kamado encountered that has taken a human's life.
Appearance
The Temple Demon was a muscular demon of average height. He had pale, ash-gray skin with two green marks around both of his upper arms and legs and shoulder-length, spiky dark-green hair parted at the middle of his forehead. He also possessed prominent fangs and sharp nails, attributes common to Demons.
The Temple Demon was seen wearing a sleeveless, blue tunic with a dark-turquoise-and-white pattern outlining his exposed chest. He wore pale colored bracelets around his wrists and ankles.
After getting his head kicked off by Nezuko Kamado, the demon grew two muscular arms out of the sides of his head.
Personality
The Temple Demon, like most demons, was cruel and ruthless to humans, attacking Tanjiro Kamado without a moment's hesitation upon discovering he was human. He appeared to be very defensive of his territory as he was irate about Tanjiro and Nezuko intruding onto his domain. The demon also displayed a sense of superiority over Tanjiro when the two fought, boasting his quick recovery after getting hit in the chin.
History
The demon had already been attacking travelers who take shelter at a small temple hut on the pathway that leads to Mount Sagiri. When Tanjiro was asking for directions, one of the villagers mentioned that it would be dangerous for him to travel at night as people had been going missing in the area.
Synopsis
Tanjiro and Nezuko pass by the temple that the demon is feeding in, and, smelling blood, the former rushes over and opens the door. He is shocked to find the demon feeding on two dead men, and, annoyed, the demon turns to the Kamado siblings and warns them about trespassing on his turf. He turns to face them and, as the last light withers away, he pounces on Tanjiro.
Tanjiro quickly reacts by drawing his hatchet and slashes open the demon's throat. The demon stumbles back, but it only takes a few seconds before the slice is fully healed.
The demon pins down Tanjiro before he has time to react. He easily overpowers him in strength and speed. The demon tries to snap the boy's neck but Nezuko comes to her senses and rushes back to her brother's side. She kicks the demon's head clean off his body, shocking Tanjiro.
The demon's body slowly tries to grab Tanjiro so Nezuko kicks it away into a tree. The head and body can move individually. The body attacks first, serving to isolate Nezuko. Tanjiro tries to help, but the head grows arms and leaps onto Tanjiro's hatchet. The body kicks Nezuko several times before throwing her deep into the forest.
Tanjiro headbutts the head with reckless abandonment and it proves effective. He suffers two blows Tanjiro's rock-hard head before getting thrown with the hatchet into a tree, pinning him there. Tanjiro tracks his sister to a cliffside where she is being kicked closer to the edge.
Tanjiro tackles the body over the large cliff, but Nezuko grabs him before he falls too far. It falls to its demise, and the head is knocked unconscious as a result.
Tanjiro prepares a knife to finish off the head. He struggles to come to terms with taking another life and believes this is not the demon who attacked his family. A man in a Tengu mask appears and tells Tanjiro he cannot finish a demon off using a simple knife.
The masked man challenges Tanjiro to figure out another way. The boy believes crushing the head with a rock will suffice, but can't bring himself to brutally end the creature. The head awakens and curses Tanjiro until the sun rises and he disintegrates into ash.
After the demon's death, Sakonji gives his victims a proper burial.