One of the mysteries in Demon Slayer is the existence of Nakime, who is referred to as the Biwa woman or Biwa demon by others. She first made her appearance during the Rehabilitation Training arc, when Demon King Muzan Kibutsuji ordered her to summon the rest of the Lower Moons following the death of Rui. She likewise followed his orders and did the same. So, as one can see, she uses her instrument, the classical Biwa, to summon the demons within the Infinity Castle, the abode of Muzan.
However, throughout the spam of the Demon Slayer anime, she has occupied a fairly insignificant position, having made it to the screen for a brief time without exerting any influence. In the latest Swordsmith Village arc, she made her appearance once again but remained an enigmatic figure in the background. Given she is surrounded by all the Upper Moons and Muzan himself, it makes one curious if she is also part of Twelve Kizuki. And even if she is, does she ever become an Upper Moon? The answer is yes, but her rise to power may not be an exciting story afterall.
Note: This article will contain spoilers from the Demon Slayer manga.
The enigma of Nakime, the Biwa woman, will be further explored in the upcoming Infinity Castle arc of Demon Slayer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olonlf2wOrQ
As stated above, Nakime will get her moment to shine as an Upper Moon. Since Hantengu, the Upper Moon Four, and Gyokko, the Upper Moon Five, were killed by the demon slayers in the Swordsmith Village arc, the position will be left vacant. On the other hand, after Upper Moon Six, Gyutaro and Daki, were killed by Sound Hashira Tengen Uzui, Tanjiro, and his friends, the seat was occupied by Kaigiku. However, he will be defeated by Zenitsu Agatsuma in a fierce battle during the upcoming Infinity Castle arc anime adaptation.
Assumingly, Nakime is stronger than Kaigiku and thus occupied the position of Upper Moon Four after Hantengu. But it brings to question why Nakime’s rise to power was never explained but rather assumed. So, considering the chronology of events, she must have taken the rank of Upper Moon Four when Kokushibo (Upper Moon One), Doma (Upper Moon Two), and Akaza (Upper Moon Three) were still alive as demons and going up against the remaining demon slayers.
Sadly, Nakime, the Biwa woman, will be relegated to the background until the death of her three seniors. And with the defeat of Kaigiku in two, that made only Muzan and her the only ones to go against the demon slayers. While Muzan is an one man army, Nakime will be going up against two Hashiras and Yushiro during the Infinity Castle arc.
When the members of the Demon Slayer Corps are separated by Nakime upon their entry into the Infinity Castle, it is Love Hashira Mitsuri Kanroji and Serpent Hashira Obanai Iguro who will try their best to take her down. However, their efforts will go down the drain as landing blows on her will not be an easy task with her Blood Demon Art, which involves the whole Infinity Castle to move as per her whims. This “annoying” ability (as Obanai remarks) lets her to move the entire architecture as if it’s her own “hands and legs” (noted by Mitsuri).
one of Yushiro's most goated moment 🔥
he managed to take control of Nakime to let the infinity castle emerge from deep underground while mentally battling with Muzan pic.twitter.com/lAweX6JZjt
— Yanyan 🍥 (@yanyan_Naruto) March 12, 2022
Sometime later, as Tanjiro and Giyu’s fight wages against Muzan Kibutsuji, they are informed that the Love and Serpent Hashiras have been defeated by Nakime who has supposedly used her moving rooms to crush them. However, the two Hashiras make a sudden comeback as they join Giyu and Tanjiro. Angrily, Muzan asks Nakime, “What the hell are you doing?,” but it is revealed that Yushiro has taken control of Nakime’s “sense of sight) since he has been angry that Muzan killed Tamayo. Following that, he starts moving the castle using Nakime to spite Muzan.
However, the Demon King is not one to back down as he uses his mental prowess to resist, move the castle on his own, and absorb Yushiro’s cells through Nakime. This results in the creation of mounting pressure that affects Tanjiro and the Hashiras present. Soon after, he tries to kill Nakime by squashing her single eye from his location. Yushiro, understanding Muzan’s intentions, tries to prevent the Upper Moon Four’s death otherwise it would immediately lead to the entire Infinity Castle to fall apart.
one of Yushiro's most goated moment 🔥
he managed to take control of Nakime to let the infinity castle emerge from deep underground while mentally battling with Muzan pic.twitter.com/lAweX6JZjt
— Yanyan 🍥 (@yanyan_Naruto) March 12, 2022
As Obanai and Giyu launch a surprise attack on Muzan, the latter’s mental grip on Nakime falters. Soon he realizes the futility of the situation and crushes Nakime’s head, which eventually leads to the castle breaking apart. But Yushiro takes her body immediately so that the castle doesn’t falls apart in air, reducing the damage inflicted upon the Demon Slayer Corps by little. As it is, this is how the final Upper Moon, or rather the final demon, of Muzan to die, meaning Nakime’s death didn’t serve a meaningful sacrifice. Since she has been a pawn to Muzan, that’s how the Demon King deemed an inevitable end for her.
