Kokushibo || Demon Slayer/KNY

Kokushibo (黒こく死し牟ぼう, Kokushibō?) is a major supporting antagonist of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. He is a demon affiliated with the Twelve Kizuki, holding the highest position, Upper Rank One (上じょう弦げんの壱いち, Jōgen no Ichi?).[2]

During the Sengoku Era nearly five centuries ago, Kokushibo was a human by the name of Michikatsu Tsugikuni (継つぎ国くに 巌みち勝かつ, Tsugikuni Michikatsu?),[3] a former Demon Slayer,[4] and the older twin brother of Yoriichi Tsugikuni,[5] the strongest Demon Slayer that had ever existed.

Kokushibo is also the ancestor of Muichiro Tokito and Yuichiro Tokito[6] and the one responsible for turning Zenitsu Agatsuma's senior, Kaigaku, into a demon and joining the Twelve Kizuki.[7]

Kokushibo is a tall man with a muscular build and pale skin complexion. He possesses long, spiky black hair with red tips that he keeps in a ponytail. His most notable feature is the three sets of eyes on his face with yellow irises and red flesh sclera that have black straight lines diverging from each iris. His middle set of eyes has the kanji of "Upper Rank (上じょう弦げん, Jōgen?)" and daiji for "One (壱いち, Ichi?)" engraved in them while his other sets of eyes feature black pupils and a cracked pattern in the irises. Kokushibo also has red markings resembling flames on the top left side of his forehead and the bottom right of his chin. His appearance is described to be profoundly majestic and dignified by Muichiro Tokito.[8]

Kokushibo wears a purple-and-black hexagonal patterned nagagi kimono and black umanori-styled hakama pants tied with a white uwa-obi. He carries a fleshy katana at his waist that has eyes in the space between the tsuka ito wrapping of the handle of his sword. The tsuba and blade are shown to have eyes and veins. The scabbard is also fleshy in appearance.

Kokushibo is reserved, silent, and aloof, maintaining an aura of unnerving tranquility and mystery that compliments his position as Upper Rank One. He rarely speaks; when he does, he talks in a slow and emphatic manner that gives more gravitas and authority to his words. He is an adamant rule-follower, punctual, and he shows a great deal of respect to the hierarchy of the Twelve Kizuki, as seen at the Upper Rank gathering.[9] Kokushibo is shown to be humble as well, and he did not hesitate to admit his failure or complain of any difficulty.

Kokushibo demonstrates unwavering loyalty towards Muzan Kibutsuji, as he carries out his actions solely to fulfill Muzan's objectives. Despite his outward display of reservation, dignity, and humility, there exists a cold and unforgiving side to his personality. When reprimanding individuals, his words can be harsh, bordering on cruelty. His threats are severe and demand absolute obedience.

Kokushibo is shown to be genuinely delighted when the opponents he faced challenged him; such as helping dress Muichiro Tokito's amputated hand over his talented swordsmanship, praising Gyomei Himejima for his unparalleled human abilities and sparing Akaza because he enjoyed the challenge of battling him. However, due to this, he also felt irritation after he realized Akaza had died and he pities Gyomei for his impending death from unlocking his Demon Slayer Marks.

He possesses a complex relationship with his human past. He shows something of warmth towards his descendant, Muichiro, commending his skills and resolve, and being moved to convert Muichiro into a demon to spare his life. When their battle comes to an end Kokushibo displays his regret at having struck down his descendants.[10] At the same time, he refers to Muichiro and his abilities as the natural result of his "cells" being passed down.

In his duel against Gyomei, the demon's banter suggests a fear of death. When Gyomei's marks appear, Kokushibo preemptively bemoans the loss of a talented fighter and he urged him to become a demon to continue honing his skills. He seemed surprised when Gyomei vehemently rejected his offer and called his mentality pathetic.[11]