Demon Slayer has been a juggernaut in the anime scene for years, and its popularity is difficult to fully measure. The franchise pulled in nearly $9 billion back in 2020 alone, and created many new manga and anime fans along the way, due in some large part to its launch in the West. The series boasts dozens of memorable and uniquely designed characters, both on the side of good and evil, with dedicated Demon Slayer fans often taking to social media to (very vocally) throw their support behind their favorite Hashira or, more often than not, their favorite villain.

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One man's trash is another man's treasure, or, as is often the case with anime characters, the opposite. Demon Slayer fans are often divided on which characters to hate, though some names pop up more than others. While this list may be largely a matter of opinion, many longtime viewers and readers of the series seem to particularly dislike the following seven characters for various reasons, whether that be their actions or simply their personality or character design.

Kaigaku

Part of the Twelve Kizuki and a former Demon Slayer himself, Kaigaku was once Zenitsu's senior disciple under Jigoro, the former Thunder Hashira. Proof that anyone can fall from the highest heights, the character encountered the powerful demon Kokushibo during a mission and, rather than fighting back, he surrendered to save his own skin. While this cowardly choice is something many may do in the face of unspeakable danger, it's Kaigaku's personality that rubs fans of the series the wrong way. As it turns out, he never wanted to slay demons or protect people—he simply wanted to gain status and have a place to lay his head at night.

Despite coming off as extremely arrogant and overly confident in his own abilities, Kaigaku is a coward at heart, with his selfishness and hypocrisy when it comes to judging others' strength quickly prompting the fanbase to outwardly despise him. He has zero empathy and a twisted idea of right and wrong, with those critical of him being labeled as evil. All in all, Kaigaku has very few redeeming qualities, even if his fight with Zenitsu in Infinity Castle is a blast to watch.

Zenitsu Agatsuma

Speaking of Zenitsu, his character has faced an uphill battle since the early days of the series. A Demon Slayer and close friend of Tanjiro and the crew, the blonde utilizes Thunder Breathing in combat, leading to some truly epic and memorable encounters both on the small screen and in the manga. Loyal to a fault and decently street smart, he later proves himself to be a worthy companion to have both on and off the battlefield. As one of the show's main characters, he gets plenty of screentime, which, unfortunately, may have exacerbated problems.

The qualities listed above are the positives, but the negatives have seen Zenitsu's personality and on-screen persona get plenty of flak online. His constant whining is a constant source of irritation and annoyance in the Demon Slayer fandom, along with his womanizing and obsession with Nezuko. Additionally, his cowardice and profound pessimism hampered some of the early anime episodes. While he saw a decent amount of character growth in Infinity Castle, it may take more to boost his popularity going forward.

Gyokko

If a creator is skilled enough, they can create a character that gives you nightmares merely by appearing on-screen. For a lot of fans, that was what Gyokko achieved after he first appeared in the premiere of the third season of Demon Slayer. Another member of the Twelve Kizuki, his bizarre physiology and ability to regenerate in the most grotesque way possible immediately made an impression, though his overall lack of plot and lack of strength made less of a splash. More importantly, his personality left a lot to be desired, and many viewers have deemed him one of the most evil demons in the series.

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Desperate to please the Demon King Muzan and completely unconcerned about ending innocent lives, Gyokko is sadistic, arrogant, and extremely egotistical, with a warped sense of beauty that is utterly deranged. When he was still human, he found the corpses of his parents beautiful, which inspired him to kill and skin animals to use as art pieces and eventually murder a child in his village, keeping the corpse in a vase. Overall, Gyokko can simply be called 'gross,' and it's easy to see why many fans of Demon Slayer would prefer to keep their distance.

Shinjuro Rengoku

While Kyojuro Rengoku remains a beloved character in the Demon Slayer franchise, the same can't be said for his father, Shinjuro. The former Flame Hashira boasted none of the traits seen in his heroic son, instead finding himself with an inferiority complex and a wildly short temper. To make matters worse, he's also an abusive alcoholic who seemingly cares little about his son's heroic actions until Tanjiro knocks some sense into him. While he once believed in the core tenets of the Demon Slayer Corps, he later became a shell of his former self.

Shinjuro's abrasive personality is the clear reason why many in the fandom dislike him, and his flaws are only made more apparent when comparing him to his son. Kyojuro is wildly cheerful and friendly, proving to be honorable in battle and always seeking to protect the weak, no matter the cost. Viewers were particularly surprised to see Kyojuro's respect for his father, despite how much pain the latter had caused him.

Doma

Sometimes, the devil wears a pretty face and seems like a very good friend. One of the most powerful demons in the series, Doma has been the leader of the Eternal Paradise Faith since he was human, with the cult continuing to worship him with reckless abandon. Friendly, animated, and eager to give advice to his followers, everything about Doma's personality is actually an outright lie, with the man actually being a complete psychopath. He actually devours members of his cult, believing that he is saving them from a lifetime of suffering by taking them into himself. The demon simply loves to hurt people, including himself, making him particularly dangerous in any and every context.

Lacking any ability to feel emotion and being skilled at strategy, this high-ranking member of the Twelve Kizuki uses sharp fans to summon ice and mist to make the battlefield even more dangerous. Doma is the culprit behind several major murders in the series, and once these were revealed, viewers looked upon the villain with renewed hatred and disgust.

Sanemi Shinazugawa

Genya's older brother and the Wind Hashira of the Taisho era, Sanemi immediately made viewers angry when he doubted Nezuko's decency, even tempting her with his own blood in an attempt to make her go berserk and give in to her demonic tendencies. His personality didn't help matters much, as he comes off as extremely rude and abrasive towards just about everyone. The reasoning behind his behavior makes things a bit easier to swallow, as Sanemi simply lost so many people he cared about that he began to push people away. That doesn't make him any less frustrating.

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As if his anger issues and poor people skills weren't enough to earn him a legion of haters, Sanemi's treatment of his own brother has led to more ire from the fandom. While he undoubtedly cares for Genya deep down, which is shown later in the series, he is unbelievably cold to him during his start in the Demon Slayer Corps. In the end, his attitude is Sanemi's biggest downfall.

Muzan Kibutsuji

Potentially the only likable thing about Muzan is his character design—everything else is pure, unadulterated evil. The Demon King, though jokingly referred to by much of the fandom as 'Demon Michael Jackson,' is utterly without empathy or decency, even frightening his underlings. Muzan was transformed into a demon as an experiment, in an attempt to heal his terminal illness nearly a millennium ago. Ever since, his goal has been true immortality, and nothing will get in his way. Ruthless and painfully intimidating, he sees no true value in anyone but himself.

There are a multitude of reasons why viewers loathe Muzan, beyond him being the big baddie of the entire franchise. It could be his narcissism, his sadism, his two-faced nature, or his cruelty, but whatever it may be, it's hard to be at all sympathetic towards this supreme villain.

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