Last episode Kimetsu no Yaiba Season 3: Swordsmith Village Arc finally reveals Muzan Kibutsuji’s past before he became a demon. This seems to reignite the debate about Muzan being considered one of the worst antagonists in anime.
Unfortunately, Muzan as the Demon King could not maximize his power and demonic strength to obtain the Blue Spider Lily, a medicine that could grant him perfect immortality. Thus, he spent a thousand years of his life in vain.
Here are some reasons why Muzan’s plan is considered stupid.
1. Can’t wait for the medicine from the doctor
doc. Ufotable/ Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village ArcThis point must be Muzan’s biggest regret in his life. As a human, he inevitably undergoes regular treatment in order to recover from the disease that will prevent him from living more than 20 years.
Muzan is very impatient. This may be due to his fear of death. In fact, his doctor at that time had given him a potion from the Blue Spider Lily which was proven to slow down the effects of his illness.
However, Muzan felt that the doctor could not really cure him. He killed the doctor. After that, he realized that he had become a demon who was only weak against the sun.
In fact, if Muzan could be patient a little longer, he wouldn’t have to go to the trouble of seeking immortality from the mythical plant.
2. Not finding out details about the Blue Spider Lily
kimetsu no yaiba fandomThe second reason why Muzan is considered a stupid antagonist is because he made a plan without first knowing what the object was actually being sought. Muzan only knew that the plant was called the Blue Spider Lily.
In fact, this mythical flower is very rare. It is said that the Blue Spider Lily only blooms during the day. When it is about to enter night time, this flower will close again.
Not only that, it only blooms two to three times a year and only in certain seasons.
3. Muzan actually increases his species
Muzan Kibutsuji (doc. Ufotable/ Kimetsu no Yaiba)Well, this is the result of Muzan’s ignorance about the Blue Spider Lily.
Muzan wasted his precious demon blood by creating hundreds, if not thousands, of other demons. Muzan tasked them with finding the legendary plant without knowing the specifics of its characteristics.
How could the devil and the Blue Spider Lily meet? Their appearance schedules are even opposite.
In fact, according to Second Fanbook of Kimetsu no Yaiba, The plant grows in the same place where Yoriichi Tsugikuni buried his wife.
4. Not taking advantage of the time before breathing techniques were created
Muzan Kibutsuji (doc. Ufotable/ Kimetsu no Yaiba)The breathing technique is the only weapon that can kill demons. This technique was only discovered in the Sengoku era by the legendary Demon Slayer named Yoriichi Tsugikuni, exactly 300 years after Muzan became a demon.
Unfortunately, Muzan can’t complete his mission before the breathing technique is available. That means there are more obstacles he needs to clear.
5. Killing Tanjiro’s mother
doc. Ufotable/ Kimetsu no YaibaThe Blue Spider Lily is a very rare plant. In fact, its existence is only known to a handful of people. The only person who knows the blooming point of the Blue Spider Lily is Tanjiro’s mother, Kie Kamado.
Once again, Muzan took the wrong step. Instead of interrogating, Muzan slaughtered the entire Kamado family in the house, leaving Nezuko who was turned into a demon and turned out to have advantages that he didn’t have, and Tanjiro who was out at that time.
6. Indirectly awakening the enemy he avoids the most
doc. Ufotable/ Kimetsu no YaibaAfter his defeat by the sun breathing user Yoriichi Tsugikuni, Muzan began to be more cautious, especially towards the descendants of the legendary Demon Slayer, with the Hanafuda earrings as his marker.
By killing his family and turning one of Tanjiro’s younger siblings into a demon, Muzan has indirectly awakened his own strongest enemy, namely the user of the Sun Breathing Technique.
In fact, after Yoriichi, no other Demon Slayer has succeeded in mastering the original breathing technique other than the Kamado family from generation to generation. Even then, they only use it as a ritual dance.
It could be said that when he slaughtered the Kamado family, Muzan had dug his own grave, because Tanjiro joined the Demon Slayer Corps and mastered sun breathing.
These are some of the reasons why Muzan and his plan are considered stupid. He has struggled to learn science which shows that he is quite intelligent, but he is unable to calculate all possibilities carefully.
What do you think?
First published June 29, 2023, reissued July 4, 2024.
