Nezuko Kamado is one of the most important characters in Demon Slayer demon-themed anime. She is basically the reason because of which Tanjiro decided to become a Demon Slayer, which is the main plotline in the manga’s and anime’s narrative. Nezuko Kamado was turned into a demon by Muzan Kibutsuji, but despite this, her transformation was never complete and she remained an ally of the Demon Slayers, although she wasn’t always able to control herself.
Her transformation has several forms and her “Awakened Form” was recently introduced in the anime, so we are going to explain Nezuko’s new form in the Demon Slayer anime.
Nezuko Kamado was turned into a demon by Muzan Kibutsuji and her transition into a demon was never fully done, and her forms awakened gradually. Episode 13 of the anime’s second season introduced a new form for Nezuko, which is called the “Awakened Form”, which is her final and full demonic form in which she goes berserk and becomes extremely powerful, also looking like an adult version of herself.
The rest of this article is going to further elaborate on Nezuko’s dual demon/human nature. You’re going to find out more details about Nezuko’s forms, especially the “Awakened Form”, as well as some details about how she becomes human once again. We have collected all the information you need on Nezuko and will provide them for you in this article.
How Do Nezuko’s Transformations Work?
The exact mechanism behind Nezuko’s transformations was never explained in detail, so we can only speculate about the exact biology behind the whole procedure. Nezuko’s been infected with Muzan’s blood and was thus turned into a demon. But, due to some unknown reason, she was able to keep a large portion of her humanity, which granted her the ability to be a demon without feeding on human blood and to have resistance to the sun.
This is probably something that is related to her close ties to Tanjiro, as he has shown to be able to calm Nezuko and reverse her transformations on several occasions. The bond between Nezuko and her only remaining family member was so strong that her body probably fought off Muzan’s blood to a degree, which allowed Nezuko to retain her humanity, thus being able to “control” her demonic transformations, rather than to completely turn into a demon.
Why Can Nezuko Transform?
The story of why Nezuko can transform into a demon is actually the story of her becoming a demon in the first place, so we think it’s the best way to go if you want to know the whole story. Namely, after a demon nearly kills her entire family, Nezuko herself is transformed into a demon by her family’s killer, Muzan Kibutsuji.
At first, she is savage and even attacks her only surviving family member, her brother Tanjiro. However, she comes to her senses and quickly jumps in front of him to protect him from Giyu Tomioka when the Hashira tries to hurt him. After this short fight, she falls asleep and Giyu orders Tanjiro to find a man called Sakonji Urokodaki.
Her brother first takes her to bury their deceased family, then she hides in a cave, sees the sunrise, and waits for her brother to find something to carry her so they can travel during the day. So, they head to Sakonji’s house, but encounter a demon, having just killed and eaten a family, on their way. Tanjiro attacks the demon, hitting him in the jaw with his ax, but his wounds heal quickly and he boasts of his generating abilities.
Angry, the demon runs towards Tanjiro, but Nezuko cuts off his head in one blow, propelling his body sideways as he continues to attack. Tanjiro and Nezuko manage to fend off the demon, hanging its head against a tree and throwing its body off the mountain.
Sakonji suddenly appears and informs them that they cannot kill a demon with these methods. Tanjiro is reluctant to deliver the killing blow, and the sun finally begins to rise, disintegrating the demon as Nezuko runs into the house for protection.
After a short rebuke and test of their strength, Nezuko and Tanjiro are taken by Sakonji, who thus trains Tanjiro in the Water Breathing. Nezuko then sleeps for two years that Tanjiro spends training, without even waking up when he leaves for the Final Selection. Sakonji takes care of her during this time, until he comes back victorious from the selection, because his sister finally wakes up. She greets Tanjiro, kissing him and allowing him to let go of his fears about her.
As you can see, Nezuko can transform into a demon thanks to her dual nature. She was transformed into a demon by Muzan, but the transformation was not complete and she kept a big chunk of her humanity in the process. This is why she can be both a human and a demon, i.e., why she can transform.
How Is Nezuko’s “Awakened Form” from Season 2 Different?
When Nezuko is in a critical situation, she can transform into an “out of control” state, which appears as red and green leaves flowing over her body, her veins sticking out and a horn sticking out from the right side of her forehead. This is called the “Awakened Form”.
This form increases Nezuko’s ability to fight, at the cost of having to become more demon, including the need to feed on human blood. Right now, the only way to get her back to her normal form is to have someone (in her case, Tanjiro) sing a song to her. During the duel against Hantengu, Nezuko manages to control this form at his will.
This form is different than everything else we’ve seen thus far because of the fact that it is Nezuko’s true demonic form. All the forms that we had seen before were some hybrid forms with Nezuko clinging on to her humanity, but this form shows off her true demonic form and the powers she has as a demon, which is why it is so different.
How Does Nezuko Become Human Again?
Nezuko’s conversion into human form happens during the Sunrise Countdown Arc, i.e., the second half of the Final Battle Arc in which the Demon Slayer Corps defeat Muzan. During the plot, Nezuko, seeming to have sensed something about the battle between Tajiro and Muzan, gets up. As Sakonji asks the girl what’s wrong, she rushes into the forest, seemingly aware of Tanjiro’s impending death and is drawn to him.
Kiriya, worried and wondering what to do, screams for her to be picked up. Kiriya then remembers her father’s words to let Nezuko do what she wants and lets her go. Urokodaki is still chasing her but Nezuko is way too fast for him. She then jumps off a cliff, landing safely in the forest below. As Nezuko rushes towards the city, she begins to undergo drastic changes.
Her right eye returns to human form and her hair turns exclusively black again. Nezuko remembers Muzan slaughtering her family and becomes enraged. She then remembers how Tanjiro carried her through the snow, panicked and desperate, to try to save her life. She remembers all the allies and friends she made along the way and all the tender moments she shared with them, including the one when Sanemi stabbed her.
As her reversion continues, her hands have now turned human. She imagines Tanjiro reaching out to her and promising to protect her, as she becomes fully human again.
