"I will cure you for sure. Help you. Protect. My life was worthless, filled with nothing but empty promises." Akaza had a deeply rooted psychological need to become stronger, and while he usually respected the strong, he did not get along with his fellow Upper Ranks, seeing them as his rivals.[8] He was especially antagonistic towards and somewhat jealous of the two Upper Ranks above him, Doma and Kokushibo, lashing out at Doma[9] and vowing to kill Kokushibo.[10] Even after being beheaded during his fight against Tanjiro and Giyu Tomioka, he stubbornly held on and continued to fight, remarking that he must become the strongest no matter what, to the point of overcoming all demons' shared weakness of decapitation by Nichirin Swords through nothing but sheer willpower and resolve.[11] It was later revealed that Akaza's desperate and stubborn pursuit of strength was to heal his sick father and to protect the ones he loved and cared about, namely his fiancée Koyuki and his teacher Keizo. Akaza also possessed a deep hatred for his past life as a human, believing he was absolutely worthless, and hating anyone or anything that reminded him of it, such as Tanjiro's view of how the strong should help the weak and Giyu's unwavering resolve reminding Akaza of Keizo. In the former instance, Akaza was so irritated by the unintentional reminder of Keizo that he stopped his usual perky demeanor when fighting and became dead-serious in his efforts to kill Tanjiro. During both instances, he reacted negatively due to his own grief of not being strong enough to protect Keizo and Koyuki despite his heartfelt promises that ultimately "amounted to nothing", which led to his obsession with becoming strong.As a human, he possessed the same stubborn and resilient personality. However, he also had a noble, kind, and even honorable side. The crimes he committed were only driven by sheer desperation to obtain money for his father's medicine. Despite enduring numerous beatings, Akaza remained resolute, expressing his willingness to endure them for a hundred years if it meant his father's recovery. This unwavering determination showcased his deep prioritization of his loved ones' well-being over his own. Furthermore, his selflessness extended to his care for Koyuki, whom he nursed without any prior connection, declining her offer to attend the fireworks display in favor of tirelessly tending to her. Even after becoming a demon and losing his memories of his human life, aspects of his humanity continued to linger and influence his decisions. He refused to eat or kill women, despite knowing it would make him stronger if he did so, because of his memories of Koyuki.[12] Additionally, her name and hairpin influenced the shape and design of his Compass Needle technique, the martial arts style he uses as a demon was mainly inspired by the Soryu style Keizo taught him, and the naming of his attacks were based on fireworks, a reference to Akaza's promise to take Koyuki to see the fireworks after she was healed. His targeted hatred of weak people and belief in social Darwinism stemmed from a corruption of his human memories, where a rival dojo poisoned his dojo's well because they were never strong enough to beat him.After recalling the entirety of his past, Akaza began regretting his actions both as a human and a demon. He realized he had never respected his father's words to live an honest life and tainted Keizo's precious Soryu Style by using it to murder others. He realized he hated himself for all of the times he was not there to save or protect those he loved, and that he really wanted to kill himself all along. Knowing that the people he wanted to protect had long since died, Akaza lost the will to continue fighting as his pursuit of strength was already for naught, and he decided to end his own life. In his final moments, Akaza showed that he still had his humanity left in him, remarking that Tanjiro's technique was magnificent and that he had lost fair and square, even smiling and feeling gratitude towards him for reminding him of his past.