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Temple Demon - Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer)

The Temple Demon debuted in episode 2 of the anime series and is voiced by Hikaru Midorikawa in Japanese and Ben Diskin in the English dubbed version of the TV show. One of the first demons to appear in Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer) None Tanjiro and Nezuko They encounter it during their journey to Sagiri Mountain. The demon had attacked travelers who had taken refuge in a small temple on their way to Sagiri Mountain. One of the villagers mentions that it is dangerous for them to travel at night, as people have been disappearing in the area. The Temple Demon is a territorial demon, warning Tanjiro to stay away from its feeding ground. However, it smells different from the demon that murdered his family, Tanjiro decides to kill it to protect the others. During this fight, a man wearing a tengu mask appears. After subduing the Temple Demon on a tree with a hatchet, he decides to finish it off. However, due to his gentle nature, Tanjiro is unable to deliver the final blow. The Temple Demon burns at the first peak of sunrise due to his weakness to sunlight.

"This is my territory. If you touch my prey, I will not forgive you."
—The Demon of Tanjiro's Temple, Episode 2

Appearance

The Temple Demon is a male demon with pale, ash-grey pigmentation, with two green bands around his biceps and legs. He has bloodshot eyes and black pupils without irises. He has shoulder-length, spiky green hair with bangs parted in the center. Like all demons, he possesses sharp fangs and nails. The Temple Demon has been seen wearing a sleeveless blue tunic with a black and white fantasy pattern around his exposed chest. He also wears several bracelets on his wrists and ankles.

Synopsis

Passing by the shrine, Tanjiro and Nezuko smell blood and run to open the door. Thinking someone is hurt, he calls inside to check if everything is okay. The Demon turns to the siblings, shocked to find a Demon feeding on several dead men lying on the ground. As the Demon stands up, it questions if the two are human and doesn't hesitate to strike Tanjiro as soon as the last light fades. Pinning him to the ground, the Demon vows that it will break Tanjiro's neck.

Nezuko is shaken by the sight of human blood, yet tries to control herself. Finally regaining her senses in time, Nezuko runs to support her brother by kicking the temple demon in the head with her demonic muscles, which are strengthened enough to decapitate him.

Tanjiro believes the demon to have died from the attack, but when the decapitated body reaches out for him, this proves false. Nezuko quickly pushes the body away, but the body gets up, grabs Nezuko, and throws her into the woods. Meanwhile, the temple demon's head grows two arms from the side of its head and runs toward Tanjiro, grabbing and holding onto him. While holding onto the hatchet, Tanjiro knocks the demon unconscious with a headbutt and throws the hatchet toward a tree. The hatchet, with the temple demon's hair still tightly wrapped around the handle, gets stuck in the tree trunk, immobilizing the demon.

Meanwhile, Nezuko fights the Demon's body near a large cliff. Shortly after, Tanjiro joins them and tackles the body from the cliff, sacrificing himself to save Nezuko. By fetching Tanjiro's haori and grabbing it in time, Tanjiro is spared from crashing to his death. They all head to the temple where a mysterious man wearing a Tengu mask, who witnessed the fight, greets them. Even under these circumstances, Tanjiro sympathizes with the Demon and tries to devise the least painful strategy. Whether it's Tanjiro's kindness or because his resolve is too weak, by morning, he hasn't finished gnawing at the Demon by dawn.

SKILLS

Demonic Abilities - As a demon, the Temple Demon displays basic abilities such as enhanced strength, speed, and regeneration. However, this comes at the cost of being very weak to sunlight and requiring human blood to survive.
Strength - By pinning Tanjiro to the ground, the Temple Demon is easily able to overwhelm him when it comes to pure brute force. By tearing off limbs, this Demon primarily uses brute force to resolve conflicts.
Speed - The Temple Demon leaps upon his enemies whenever he gets the chance. He is able to move from one place to another faster than a normal human.
Shapeshift - Has shown the ability to grow new limbs from different parts of his body, growing two arms from his head after being decapitated. These arms are used as a means of transporting his head and also for offensive purposes.
Body Control - Able to control his decapitated body remotely. In order to fight Tanjiro and Nezuko, he controls his body to attack while fighting only with his head at the same time. He is also able, to some extent, to manipulate his hair during fights, which was used to hold Tanjiro's axe. While the body and head are not literally attached, injuring the body also affects the head after the body takes a huge fall from a cliff.
Regeneration - After Tanjiro slits the Temple Demon's throat, the Demon is shown easily regenerating the wound within seconds. He is also able to move his body after being completely decapitated. However, after the body "dies," the Demon passes out for a long time to recover.