Demon Eyes Kyo

Demon Eyes Kyo (鬼眼の狂 Onime-no-Kyō) is the main character in the manga Samurai Deeper Kyo, a popular manga written by Akimine Kamijyo. He was ranked first in the 2002 Samurai Deeper Kyo popularity contest and has remained in the top in every other poll. Although he did not appear until the last page of the first chapter in the manga, Kyo is the main character and has appeared in the manga more times than Mibu Kyoshiro.

Demon Eyes Kyo is voiced by Katsuyuki Konishi in Japan and Dan Green in North America.

Demon Eyes Kyo, or Onime no Kyo was called the Thousand Slayer for killing over 1,000 samurai during the battle of Sekigahara. He was finally defeated by a man named Mibu Kyoshiro. Four years later, Mibu Kyoshiro surfaces again. Inside him is Demon Eyes Kyo, waiting to come out and reclaim his body, which has been hidden somewhere in the forest of Aokigahara.

Personality
At the beginning of the manga, Kyo is sadistic and enjoys slaughtering. He does not care about who he kills and is shown to kill anyone he doesn't like. As the manga progresses, his bloodlust slowly decreases, though he still kills without mercy. However, his true bloodlust is shown during his battle with Bikara. He attacks relentlessly and drags out the fight to further humiliate his opponent. This bloodlust surfaces again when he fights Oda Nobunaga. This time he aims to kill with every strike, due to his hatred of his enemy. When he recovers his true body, he begins to exhibit a more boyishly gruff demeanor that betrays hints of kindness and an appreciation for friendship.

After Kyo's training with Muramasa, he is able to control his rage and bloodlust so that he almost always appears calm. However, he expresses dislike when taunted about his love for his sword.

Mumyo Jinpu Ryu Satsujin Ken (無明神風流殺人剣)
Demon Eyes Kyo's sword style is the Mumyo Jinpu Ryu Satsujin Ken (Lightless Divine Wind Style Killer Sword), which was taught to him by Muramasa, his master and the man who made Kyo's sword. It teaches standard fencing skills and defense, but they are far more powerful than any of the skills of other sword styles. It is the most powerful sword school in the Mibu Clan. Attacks are:

Quote: The god murdering sword technique "Mizuchi". Finishing Quote: You heard it too didn't you?... The voice of the wind. Finishing Quote: You saw it too didn't you?... The Red Mirage. Kyoshiro Mibu Finishing Quote: You heard it too didn't you?... The true divine wind. Onime no Kyo Finishing Quote: You heard it too didn't you?... The voice of the wind.
 * Mizuchi (みずち, 蛟): An attack that uses the air to cut an opponent to pieces; a sub attack of Seiryu.
 * Shin (しん, 蜃): An attack that creates an illusion of an opponent's worst nightmare, then kills him; an abbreviation of Shinkirou (蜃気楼) which means "Illusion".
 * The True Mizuchi: The true Mizuchi is Shin and the Mizuchi listed above combined to make an undefeatable attack, which Kyoshiro first used to kill the 6th demon king, Oda Nobunaga. Later Onime no Kyo learns to use the attack from Muramasa

Mumyo Jinpu Ryu Ougi (無明神風流奥義)
Mumyou Jinpu Ryu Ougi are the advanced techniques in the Mumyou Jinpu Ryu. The techniques are based on the Shishin, and each has its unique way of dealing damage to enemies. Note that these are different from Mumyo Jinpu Ryu Satsujin Ken, for they are more special and are a lot stronger. The attacks are:

Finishing Quote: You felt it too didn't you? The Suzaku's breath Finishing Quote: Can you feel the claw of the white tiger? Finishing Quote: You've been captured by the hand of Genbu Finishing Quote: Can you feel the anger of Dragon King? Finishing Quote: None
 * Suzaku (すざく, 朱雀): A technique that embodies the legendary red phoenix. Its speed is incredible, as is the power of its flames, and like the legend of the phoenix, can revive itself from its own destruction.  When Kyo temporarily returned to his true body while fighting Oda Nobunaga (who was on Nozumo's body), he was able to summon Suzaku in its true form; its features were more elaborate and defined, and the destructive power of its flames was also increased, so much that it overwhelmed not only Nobunaga's Tenma Shiryou Ranma technique, but also the regenerative abilities provided by Nozumo's body.
 * Byakko (びゃっこ, 白虎): A white tiger that tears an opponent apart with its claws. A superior technique to Suzaku; as a result, the difficulty of execution and the subsequent stress on Kyo are also greater. If the first "claw" misses, the opponent is dragged in by its other "claw" and ripped apart by its "fangs".
 * Genbu (げんぶ, 玄武): A black tortoise entwined with serpents; is both an offensive and defensive technique. Genbu's shell protects Kyo from an opponent's attack, while the serpents bind and destroy the opponent. It is capable of blocking any attack, barring the Kouryu.
 * Seiryu (せいりゅう, 青龍): More than a dozen Mizuchi are projected toward an opponent and surround him, eventually merging to create an immobilizing and destructive whirlwind that pulls the opponent into the heavens where the waiting Kyo (in the form of the legendary blue dragon) descends to deliver the final blow.
 * Shishin Douji Hatsudou (ししんどうじはつどう, 四神同時発動, Four Gods Simultaneous Attack): As the name implies, the Four Gods are summoned simultaneously to attack the enemy. Although powerful in its own right, its merely a precursor to something even greater...
 * Kouryu (こうりゅう, 黄龍): Also known as Konjiki, When all of the Four Gods are summoned to attack the opponent simultaneously, this action brings forth the final and most powerful beast god. While Kyo was in Kyoshiro's body, it often took the form a huge, golden, focused blast of wind of seemingly limitless destructive power, descending from the heavens to strike at the enemy.  When Kyo returned to his original and more powerful body, he was able to summon the golden wind in its true form, the heavenly dragon Kouryu.  Finally, when Kyo evolved into the True Crimson King, his increased power gave him the ability to summon three Kouryu simultaneously, much like the Former Crimson King.  In addition, the initial summoning of the Four Gods allows the wielder to use their abilities in conjunction with Kouryu for greater results.

Speed and special skills
Kyo's speed is unmatchable. In the early volumes, he was shown to be fast enough to easily cut musket balls in mid-air and kill the gunmen in a second. Although he is a samurai (which usually forbids attacking from behind because it is dishonorable), he has no trouble using his speed to appear behind his opponent and attack. In later volumes, warriors who could move past bullet timing couldn't even touch Kyo.

It is unclear how Kyo and the other samurai like him in the series are able to sense others. However, in the manga, it is explained by Benitora that Kyo uses his ki and a sense of awareness technique called "Maai" (the space between oneself and the opponent according to Japanese Martial Arts). What it translates to in English remains unknown, but this technique forms a field that the samurai generates around him/her-self through the use of their ki. If a person enters this field, the samurai will know when that person entered and where that person is. It can be said that it's like the samurai is standing in a pond of water or on a spider's web. The moment a person steps into that pond or on that web, the samurai is alerted due to the ripples (pool) or vibrations (web) created. Only other master warrior samurai and newborn babies can enter this field without being noticed by the samurai.

((Using a Japanese Translator, "Maai" translates to "Interval"))

Friends/Allies (aka: "Kyo's Group")

 * Shiina Yuya (servant #1/friend/love interest): a bounty hunter who travels with Kyo and pays his expenses (against her will).
 * Kyoshiro Mibu (former friend/foe): Kyo's former friend and love rival with Sakuya. Kyo spends most of the series in his body.
 * Benitora (servant #2/friend): the son of the Shogun.
 * Sanada Yukimura (friend/temporary foe): Kyo's friend who wishes to fight him for fun.
 * Sarutobi Sasuke (friend): Yukimura's top ninja who travels with Kyo on his orders.
 * Bontenmaru (friend/one of his emperors): member of the Shiseiten who wants to rule Japan. Enjoys teasing Kyo.
 * Akira (friend/former foe/one of his emperors): member of the Shiseiten. Regards Kyo as his role model and cares deeply for him. As a result, he is usually called "Kyo's little brother".
 * Hotaru/Keikoku (friend/former foe/one of his emperors): member of the Shiseiten and also a former spy from the Mibu Clan. He regards Kyo as a "friend of combat" whom he wants to protect.
 * Akari (friend/temporary foe/one of his emperors): member of the Shiseiten. She is really a transgender individual who claims that she will marry Kyo one day.
 * Izumo no Okuni (friend/temporary foe): an informer who is in love with Kyo.
 * Muramasa (master/father figure): Kyo's master who took him from the Mibu Clan. He claims that Kyo is the Clan's "final hope".
 * Shinrei (friend/former foe): a member of the Mibu Clan's Goyōsei who loves the Clan more than anything and vows to protect it. As a child, he was the first person who talked with Kyo without fear or trying to manipulate him, simply saying that he liked his red eyes. He is also Hotaru's older half-brother.
 * Yuan (friend/former foe): Hotaru's master.
 * Julian (friend): Yuan's father.
 * Shihodo (friend): former member of the Taishirou. She let Kyo escape from the Mibu Clan as a child.
 * Sakuya (friend/former love interest): a shaman who can see the future. Both Kyo and Kyoshiro loved her at some point in the series.
 * Mahiro (friend/former foe): Muramasa's sister-in-law.
 * Tokito (friend/former foe): Fubuki's daughter and Muramasa's niece.
 * Santera (friend/former foe): former member of Nobunaga's 12; secretes a powder that can melt/burn anything it touches.
 * Antera (friend/former foe): former member of Nobunaga's 12; wields two large ball hammers.

Tenro(天狼)
Kyo's weapon is a Muramasa called Tenro, which translates to "Sky Wolf". Tenro is one of the Four Great Demon Blades (妖刀.村正) that the swordsmith Muramasa forged. Its curve and cut are things of beauty. It is approximately five shaku (equivalent to five feet) long and it cannot be broken, cracked, bent, or dulled. It has no problem cutting through steel weapons or solid iron. Basically, it is an indestructible nodachi that only Kyo can wield. It seems to have a mind of its own, and chooses the one who wields it. Apparently, it chose Kyo and seems to enjoy working with him. The only other who has been seen to wield Tenro is Muramasa, Kyo's master. Inside Tenrou is the spirit of the First Aka no Ou (初代红王), Kyo's direct ancestor.

Fictional biography
Kyo (Seiyu: Konishi Katsuyuki) is the last real Mibu of the Mibu clan, and the last child born to it. There are no other real Mibu left. Before the Crimson King/Aka no Ou turned evil, he made Kyo promise that if he (Crimson King) ever turned evil and lost the respect for life to kill him. After overhearing the Crimson King saying that all the other Mibu are constructs and that he will let them all die from the death disease, even the Four Elders, Kyo knew the Crimson King had finally turned evil. It is still questioned why he has different shin red eyes compared with real Mibu red eyes (they have full red eyes).

Beginning
Kyo defied his orders and killed Oda Nobunaga, the one who should have been the next ruler of Japan. A man named Muramasa was sent to capture Kyo. He succeeded but decided to teach Kyo rather than kill him. He wanted Kyo to destroy the Mibu, who, under the rule of the Sendai Aka no Ou, had become corrupt.

Another reason for Kyo's departure is given in Chapter 305 - The former Aka no Ou, when he was still kind and benevolent, predicted that one day he would become evil and that he and Kyo would have a fight to the death. He made Kyo promise to kill him if he ever harmed the Mibu Clan but told him he would have to leave.

Together, with one of Muramasa's personal soldiers, Anri, Muramasa and Kyo escaped from the Mibu. Kyo swore he would destroy the Mibu. Muramasa trained Kyo until he learned part of the Mumyo Jinpu, the strongest swordstyle of the Mibu. Chinmei tracked them down and killed Mayumi, Muramasa's human companion, then escaped. Kyo left Muramasa and went on his own to train. He later met the Four Emperors. They slew all who stood in their way. One day Kyo left them and the Four Emperors went their separate ways.

He first met Kyoshiro and Sakuya under a tree. The Mibu had been spreading the rumor that Kyo was a bloodthirsty demon who killed for fun. Kyo and Kyoshiro fought. When Kyoshiro did not avoid an attack he should have been able to avoid easily, Kyoshiro told Kyo that he would have hit the tree and damaged it if he had avoided the attack. Kyo decided to spare him and traveled with Kyoshiro and Sakuya for awhile.

Some time later, Sakuya told Kyo that her heart was linked with that of the Aka no Ou's. If the Crimson King died, so would Sakuya, and possibly the other way around. Kyo still said that he would attempt to kill the Crimson King, and Sakuya begged Kyo to kill her on the spot. Kyoshiro stopped him by defeating him in battle and sealing away his spirit.

Four years later
Four years later, Kyo once again awakens by killing some bandits who were threatening Kyoshiro's life. Kyoshiro had given up killing and would not attack. Kyo stepped in and slaughtered the bandits to save his own life. After killing the bandits, Kyo set his eyes on Yuya but was amused by her quest to kill a man with a scar on his back (Kyoshiro), so he let her travel with him as his "servant".

Next he met Benitora. Impressed by Benitora's cruel way of killing Gemma, he allowed Benitora to be his "#2 servant". After meeting Benitora, they traveled to a teahouse where they met "Genjiro", a person who easily broke Kyo's maai. When they reach Edo, "Genjiro" is revealed to be Sanada Yukimura. Yukimura asked Kyo to kill Tokugawa Ieyasu in exchange for Yukimura revealing the location of Kyo's body. Kyo accepted but managed only to kill a fake Ieyasu while the real one escaped. Yukimura gave Kyo another chance by challenging Kyo to a fight. Kyo defeated Yukimura and the location of Kyo's body was revealed to be in Aokigahara Forest.

Aokigahara Arc
Kyo traveled into Aokigahara Forest (accompanied by his friends) where he defeated the Twelve God Shoguns and the "Master," who turned out to be Oda Nobunaga. During this search for Kyo's body, Mibu Kyoshiro resurfaced for brief periods of time while Kyo fought Kubira (who turned out to be a fake) and Nobunaga, and it is learned that Kyoshiro is actually a swordsman superior even to Kyo with connections to a mysterious clan known as the Mibu.

Also during this time, Shiina Yuya noticed that, when angered, a cross-shaped scar appeared on Kyo's back; the same scar she saw on the back of her brother's killer. Kyo picks up two recruits—the first is Akira, one of the Four Emperors (Kyo's old friends). Akira was posing as Ajira, one of the Twelve God Shoguns, in order to retrieve Kyo's body. However, Akira realizes that Kyo's body is protected by an extremely powerful kinju (a magical seal) placed by Mibu Kyoshiro. He decides to help Kyo reclaim his body. The second recruit is Sasuke, one of the Sanada Ten and one of Yukimura's most trusted men. He is only a boy, but he wields a muramasa very expertly.

Kyo reunites with Bontenmaru, the second of the Four Emperors, after Benitora finds him peeking at Yuya in a hot spring. He tells Kyo that a man named Muramasa wishes to meet him. Muramasa turns out to be Kyo's master in Mumyo Jinpu Ryu, and he is dying of a mysterious and deadly disease. He also seems to be connected with the Mibu, as there are Mibu assassins all around the house. Muramasa wishes to teach Kyo the final four techniques of the Mumyo Jinpu Ryu, but they are interrupted by Shinrei, one of the Mibu Five Stars. Shinrei is able to gain the upper hand over Kyo, but Muramasa intervenes and injures Shinrei. His illness catches up to him, however, and Muramasa falls to the ground. Shinrei decides to kill Kyo; however, he notices the cross-shaped scar on Kyo's back, which he refers to in shocked horror as the Crimson Cross, claiming it as sacred. He then agrees to leave, but not before placing waterwyrms in Yuya's body, which will kill her in 60 days. In order to stop this, Kyo would have to seek out the Mibu Clan.

Kyo vows to destroy the Mibu Clan completely. Muramasa, using the last of his strength, succeeds in teaching Kyo the final four techniques of the Mumyo Jinpu Ryu. As Kyo completes his training, Bontenmaru meets another one of the Mibu Five Stars, Keikoku, who is revealed to be Hotaru, the third of the Four Emperors. Kyo stops the two from killing each other and engages in a battle with Hotaru. Using the Mumyo Jinpu Ryu Suzaku, Kyo cuts off Hotaru's left arm. It is then that another Mibu Five Star, Chinmei, arrives and stops the battle, telling Kyo to seek them out, and leaves with an unconscious Hotaru.

Mibu Arc
Once reunited, Kyo and company (minus Benitora, Yukimura, and Sasuke) set out to destroy the Mibu once and for all before it is too late for Yuya. On their way there, they meet up with Akira who agrees to help them. They travel to the Hell Gates, where Five Stars, Saishi and Saisei, await. They distract Kyo and company with zombies and capture Yuya. Saisei performs "spirit surgery" on her and stimulates the waterwyrms, cutting down Yuya's remaining time from 15 days to just 12 hours. Kyo then destroys the Gates of Hell, though that should have been impossible. The group enters the Mibu Holy Land. Kitsunebi, an overlord, challenges Kyo but is defeated miserably. With time running out, Kyo and company run through the Mibu land killing all who stand in their way until they reach the Five Gates guarded by the Five Stars. Bontenmaru and Akira fall into a trap in the ground, and Kyo and Yuya are forced to continue alone.

Hotaru
Kyo first battles Hotaru. Hotaru appears to have the upper hand, but Kyo becomes enraged and begins to force Hotaru back. Finally, Kyo uses the Suzaku to defeat him. Hotaru is still alive, but he is badly wounded. Now that he has been beaten, Hotaru seems to lose his hostility and tells Kyo and the others (Bontenmaru and Akira catch up) to continue and to not worry about him.

Seisai and Saishi
Kyo and company reach the second gate, which is actually two gates. As they reach the gates, they are greeted by Yukimura who appears to have defected to the Mibu. He tells the group to leave now, or else they will die and Kyo will lose a "treasured jewel." The guardians of the double gates are Saishi and Saisei. Akira defeats the two, though he is badly injured by their attacks.

Chinmei
Continuing on, Kyo and company reach the third gate, and they are greeted by Benitora, Mahiro, and Sasuke as they also reached it. The third guardian is none other than Chinmei. It is learned here that Chinmei, not Kyo, killed Mahiro's sister Mayumi. Kyo charges toward Chinmei, but Chinmei uses the Chuyuugi to create a gravity well around him, forcing him into submission. Mahiro manages to distract Chinmei long enough for Kyo to escape and defeat Chinmei using the Suzaku.

Taihaku
They arrive at the fourth gate to confront the powerful Taihaku, but before they can face Taihaku, the Demon Child Band appears to protect the gate for Taihaku. Benitora manages to defeat both the Demon Child Band and Taihaku, but he does not kill them. Taihaku agrees to join them in bringing down the Mibu, but Fubuki kills Taihaku and escapes before anyone can react.

Shinrei
When Kyo and company finally reach the fifth gate, Shinrei stands in their way. Kyo and Shinrei fight. Due to Kyo's numerous wounds and his use of the Suzaku twice, Kyo is defeated. Before Shinrei can kill Kyo, Hotaru arrives to fight in Kyo's place. At first, it seemed Hotaru has the upper hand, but he is quickly overpowered by Shinrei, who appears to kill him. Seeing his allies cut down, Kyo uses the second of the Mumyojinpu secrets, Byakko, to defeat Shinrei. As Kyo delivers the final blow, Hotaru, who was alive all along, blocks the attack. Hotaru does not want Shinrei to die since Shinrei is Hotaru's half-brother. Shinrei removes the waterwyrms in Yuya and departs.

As they are about to set out again, the Fourth Emperor, Akari, appears. She uses her shaman powers to heal everyone and joins the group. As they head towards the Crimson King's castle, they encounter a wounded Okuni who tells them that the Mibu are now in possession of Kyo's true body.

Reunion
After Kyo is reunited with everyone at the base of the Mibu tower, they fall into a trap set by the Taishirou. Everyone is separated again and Kyo ends up with Sasuke at the bottom of the Mibu tower. There they meet Shihodo, who aids Kyo in hearing the "voice" of his sword and leads them to a shortcut into the tower.

He eventually faces off the resurrected Oda Nobunaga, who is in Nozumu's body. Kyo is nearly defeated, but he then gets his original body back, and defeats Oda Nobunaga. However, once he defeats his enemy, Kyo is forcefully put back into Kyoshiro's body as Kyoshiro takes his own body. Kyoshiro also takes Yuya, and leaves with the help of Hishigi, who had been watching Kyo's battle with Oda Nobunaga. Angered due to this turn of events, Kyo and his group enter the castle, where Kyo eventually fights Kyoshiro. Meaning to die all along, Kyoshiro inflicts massive damage to Kyo( who is in Kyoshiro's body )and give Kyo back his body. Kyo is back to full power, and Kyoshiro seems to be dying. Kyo is able to heal Kyoshiro, and they confront the Former Crimson King. Despite all of them being at full power, Sasuke, Benitora, Kyoshiro, and Kyo are all easily knocked back by him. In the heat of battle, Kyo fights so relentlessly that his body changes to that of a hideous monster, a former Demon king. This power allows him to easily beat back the former Crimson King, but Kyo seems to have lost his humanity. Yuya, in desperation, calls to Kyo and kisses him, snapping him back to his senses. The former Crimson King is alive, however, and along with Chinmei, Kyoshiro, Who is a part of the Former Crimson King, is absorbed back into him to grant him more power. The fight rages on and later on, in The Former Crimson King's body, Kyoshiro is pushed out by the 3rd of the Red Cross Knights, who is aided by a redeemed Chinmei. The Former Crimson King is weakened and can do nothing to stop Sasuke from revealing his greatest secret;his heart, which bears the mark of a battle doll revealing that he himself is a battle doll. The entire group is able to show him the error of his ways, and he accepts his heart back. He then decides to collapse his entire castle, killing himself in the process. Kyo, who is a childhood friend of the Former Crimson King, decides to stay with him, much to the sorrow of a begging Yuya. The castle collapses, and when the group goes to search for Kyo, they can only find his shining sword. A few years later, the group has gone their separate ways; Akari is manufacturing a cure in the Mibu lands with Shinrei's help, Yukimura and a mature Sasuke, with Botenmaru are shown to still look for Kyo, Benitora has accepted his responsibility as ruler, and he has ushered in an era of peace, Hotaru is shon to be traveling China/Asia in an attempt to find his own path, and Yuya is shown traveling with Kyo's sword, fiercely believing he is still around. Kyoshiro, who lives with Sakuya now, talks to Yuya as they realize they are in the same place they first met so much time ago. Everybody is thinking about Kyo at the same moment, and as such he suddenly appears, saying that his sword, Tenrou, absorbed his body and saved it at the last sentence. The manga ends with everyone being reunited atop a hill. In the bonus chapter, which has no dialogue, Kyo is living with Yuya in a house.

Appearances in other media

 * Demon Eyes Kyo has appeared in both the Game Boy Advance and PlayStation Samurai Deeper Kyo games. He also made an appearance in the Samurai Deeper Kyo anime as a split personality of Mibu Kyoshiro.
 * He has also appeared in a parody of Samurai Deeper Kyo called Samurai High, and a Crossover with characters from the manga series GetBackers.
 * Kyo has also appeared on various items such as phone straps, plush toys, and bandannas.
 * Several characters in Akimine Kamijyo's other manga, Code: Breaker, shares similar personality with Demon Eyes Kyo.