Demon Slayer has a confusing rule that even fans don’t understand

Demon Slayer has some pretty dense lore, from the history of the demons themselves to the slayers that right them, but there’s one thing fans can’t seem to work out.

Now that we’re heading into Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, most of the rules around Muzan’s army and the Demon Slayer Corps have been pretty well defined. The time for establishing mythology is done, the real fight is about to kick off.

That said, there’s one aspect of how demons approach the Demon Slayer Corps that continues to befuddle the audience, across readers and viewers. Namely, why do they always ask if slayers want to be converted as part of Muzan’s number?

A Reddit thread has looked at the subject, listing several times a high-ranking demonic force had the opportunity to convert a slayer, and they asked politely first. Kokushibo did it to Gyomei, Sanemi, and Muichiro, for instance, likewise with Akaza for Kyojuro.

Nobody’s quite sure why this is, although fans have some strong theories. “A person who is valiantly against the idea of becoming a demon would most likely get rejected by Muzan’s cells if forcibly injected into their bodies,” one comment stated, “but that might not be true though.”

It could actually be about respect, as even demons have some reverence for the Hashira. “I don’t know about other demons but specifically Akaza would view doing that as disrespectful to someone like Rengoku,” a user said, another response adding: “Kokushibo asks multiple Hashira to become demons, and seems to begrudgingly accept their decision.”

Another possible explanation is that if the person is an unwilling participant, they could become a truly unique adversary. “Every time a demon is created it has the potential to rise in ranks. If Akaza turned you without consent he just made a powerful enemy with nothing but time,” one comment explained.

Then there’s a slightly nicer angle – even demons believe consent matters to some degree, and it’s all about respecting their opponent. “They just ask for consent because it’s cool to do so or it’s a demon’s honor,” a commenter wrote.

The first part is probably the real answer. They ask first because a mortal enemy offering to convert a hero makes for a cool scene 100% of the time, and creator Koyoharu Gotouge knows that very well.

Sometimes lore exists because it makes radical scenes more feasible. As we wait for more on the Infinity Castle movies, check out our guide on the Infinity Castle Arc and the Hashira Training.