285. Do Some Fantasy Fans Seriously Identify with Demons? by @Zack Russell

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Many fans love the idea of demon hunters, whether they are Dr. Abraham Van Helsing’s warrior band, hyper-disciplined young shonen slayers, immortal elves, or K-pop stars. But in response to these righteous crusades, some fans find themselves defending the monsters. Are they really that bad? Shouldn’t we find ways to empathize with them? Today we explore the thorny problem of fans who won’t just defend but actually liken themselves to demons.

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Concession stand (demon hunters edition)

If you’re new, we approach this topic from a biblical worldview.
“Demon” definitions get fuzzy when speaking in fantasy worlds.
Eastern portrayals get closer to neutral “spirits” or even like fae.
But that’s very different in Frieren’s East-looks-West fantasy tale.
For more biblical explorations of demons, wait until next week’s ep.

Quotes and notes

1. In some tales, ‘demons’ are neutral/broken.

For this, we must concede fictional redefinitions of “demons.”
That goes double for stories with moral, yet not Christian, beliefs.
Howl’s Moving Castle (book and film) describes a “fire demon.”
But in other tales, demons are more like corrupted human beings.
They only have a particular bent toward physical acting-out of evil.
Demon Slayer is one franchise that presents demons this way.
So does that smash hit of last summer, K-Pop Demon Hunters.
Even the Count Dracula gets some sympathy at the very end.
Basically they’re more like fantasy monsters, e.g. metahumans.
These by design help us reflect on our own monstrous natures.
But … that self-directed empathy must lead to desire for change.
And in many hero stories, demons must change or else be slain.

2. And in Frieren, demons are evil deceivers.

Setup for Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End manga/anime season 1.
This world is directly inspired by DnD/RPG tropes, the classic kind.
It’s a thoughtful/action sequel to the monomyth fantasy narrative.
What happens after mortals die and the noble elf-mage lives on?
Frieren trains a protege and recruits friends to take smaller quests.
Along the way, they encounter a main series villain: demons.
These demons look like humans but have supernatural powers.
Moreover, they’re anti-empathetic. No tragic backstory. No hope.
Unlike sinful humans or other villains,