Demon Culture/Abilities

General

History

Culture

**Abilities**

Original

## Biology

### Specialty Cells

Demons, unlike other toons, have an extra cell in their blood. Holly illustrated it in her journal as a black circle with a white circle inside of it (Ch 104). Inky Extra's Chapter 73 gives us Holly's POV while she was doing the original blood tests. The cell is the same size as a red blood cell and is perfectly round. This cell has a smaller count in the bloodstream than either the red or white blood cells. When White Egret is introduced into the bloodstream it specifically infects and destroys these black cells by causing them to swell until bursting. The bursting of these black cells eventually causes all of the Demon's blood to clot, killing them. When ink from an ink attack is introduced into the bloodstream the black cells were able to absorb some of the ink, somewhat slowing it's destructive effect. This means that, for some unknown reason, Demons have some natural defense against Ink Illness.

### Life Spans

How long a Demon lives depends very heavily on the class and subspecies of the Demon. For example, higher-class Demons can live for centuries longer than middle or lower-class Demons. Azazel also notes that elemental Demons are known for living longer then others, but the various types of mind Demons (ex- dream, knowledge, lust, and illusion Demons) are notorious for having long lifespans. Azazel theorizes that the reason for this is because their specialization in mind magic strengthens their own mindscape and increases their longevity. However, many mind Demon's aren't very skilled in an actual fight and are usually killed before they live to be even a hundred years (Ch 151).

Due to the deadly culture Demons live in the majority of Demons do not actually live the full extent of their life spans as they are usually killed before they can reach old age. A Demon is considered to be "old" by the time they have lived to about four thousand years, but in modern times many Demons don't even expect to live to a thousand years (Ch 151).

### Childbirth/Offspring

There are many different ways that Demons have babies, the exact method usually depends on what type of subspecies of Demon is having the baby. Some Demons lay eggs, some give live birth while others split apart to create their young. It is currently unknown just how many different ways there are for a Demon to have a baby (Inky Extra's Ch 109). Despite being full-blood siblings with one another Demons can be born into different subspecies than their siblings. For example, Ava and Azazel are twins but Ava is a fire Demon while Azazel is a water Demon. Since we are not aware of who their parents are it is unknown if this drastic difference in subspecies is due to their parents or not (Ch 151).

When it comes down to it creating a Demon child means the parents use their magic to grow a new Demonic soul. Usually, two parents combine their magic to create this soul but sometimes it is just one. Since Demons have limitless magic it is usually not an issue for them to supply enough to create their child's soul. However, if the parent is sick in a way that limits their magic to the point that they can not produce enough it can put both the parent and their child in jeopardy. There are a couple of different ways to potentially overcome this issue. For one the partner of the sick parent could contribute more magic and thus make up the difference. There is also medicine that could help heal the sick parent but, since Demons rarely run out of magic, it is very rare and incredibly expensive (Ch 302).

It should also be noted that half-Demon children have notable differences when compared to full-Demon children. Many of them are mentally unstable and act more like a zany would be expected to. The fact that many of them are also more durable than even their own family members also increase their similarity to zanies. While half-Demons will not have magic, they do have many special abilities afforded to them by their heritage. For instance, while they are not as strong as even a middle-class Demon they are still much stronger than your average toon. These children can also inherit the non-magical abilities their parents possess. Demencia, despite appearing mainly human, inherited her father's (a lizard Demon) ability to climb up walls and ceilings. Since half-Demons are considered odd by both Demon and toon standards they are often social outcasts (Ch 122).

## Powers and Abilities

Demons are cosmically aligned with Chaos and Destruction. The majority of Demons have a natural ability to use dark magic. This means that, for example, all Demons have a certain amount of magical control over shadows (Ch 239). As well as that it is briefly touched on in a conversation between Cuphead and Black Hat while at the Dark Circus that Demon magic works within the "laws of risk". Demons like to risk things in their magic, giving individuals the chance to either "win" or "lose" when using their magical abilities (Ch 150). This natural affinity for dark magic also gives Demons a certain aura that seems to instinctually put others on edge. Cuphead has stated that many Demons have a notable magical chill around them (Ch 115) and that some even just feel "evil" (Ch 79). This isn't helped by the fact that Demons not only can smell fear but also love it's fruity scent, meaning that they will often times actively try to inspire it (Ch 91).

According to Holly, Demons have an unlimited internal energy source they use to fuel their magic and can directly shape this energy, unlike normal toons. Thanks to this, Demons don't need to use things such as runes or spells to shape their magical energy for them (Ch 61). This doesn't mean Demons can't use runes though as Demon script can be used as magical runes both by Demons and non-Demons (Ch 29). These runes are slim in shape (Ch 173). For an example of Demon runes, please see the runes section of the magic page.

Bendy has been shown to be able to activate Micco runes (Inky Extra's 110).

Demons are also mostly fireproof except for water Demons from the sea or rivers (Ch 91). All Demons can also see well, if not perfectly clearly, in dark environments (Inky Extras Series Part 8, Ch 2).

### Shape-Shifting Abilities

As noted at the top of this page Demons are a shape-shifting race and thus all of them naturally have the ability to change their physical forms somewhat. The exact degree of moldability a Demon's physical form has depends on the Demon's subspecies and unique individual circumstances. For example, no matter what forms Ava or Azazel take they will both still have their third eye as it is a physical manifestation of a magical link between the two of them. Shape shifting also seems to be able to change the consistency of a Demon's body. When Ava made Bendy's tail moldable in order to remove the ring Bendy said that his tail felt like thick rubber instead of the sharp, hard, bonelike feeling the barb usually had. It also didn't hurt at all when the softened barb was folded over (Ch 151).

Regardless of the changeability of their appearance most Demon's will have one form that they are most comfortable with and will return to this form once they have accomplished whatever goal motivated them to shapeshift in the first place (Ch 115). Demons actually have anatomy classes in school when they are children that teaches them about things like different kinds of limbs, their uses, proportions, and how not to accidentally hurt themselves with different limbs. This class also gives Demon children a chance to try different types of bodies and physical configurations until they find what works best for them (Inky Extras Series Part 13, Ch 1). There are many reasons a Demon may choose one specific appearance as their main physical form. For instance, it's common for Demon's to hint at their subspecies through their appearance, such as wind Demon's having wings. However, this is not a solid rule as there are some Demon's who actively try to hide their subspecies through their appearance (Ch 115). Other Demons may prefer a form that has more physically imposing features such as claws, large teeth or many limbs for a variety of reasons. They may use it as an intimidation technique or to give them more power in their physical attacks in the cases of Demons who have low amounts of magic in order to make up for the difference. While it is not strictly possible to tell a Demons power level from their form alone taking note of any obvious aggressive features could hint that the Demon is more likely to attempt physical attacks then magical ones (Ch 301). There are also simpler considerations like comfort, practicality and aesthetic that can effect a Demon's choice in their primary form (Inky Extras Series Part 13, Ch 1).

It's thanks to this shapeshifting ability that Demons are so difficult to truly scar. A demon can essentially regrow any part of their body that is lost and, thanks to their unlimited magical supply, they could conceivably keep regrowing lost limbs for eternity. This doesn't mean that the lose of the body part does not cause pain/harm to the Demon, just that they are able to recover far easier than those of other races could. Hat even considers the idea of regrowing a limb as simply an "inconvenience" (Ch 261). A Demon can even put off regrowing a certain body part for a length of time and still be assured that they will have no issues regrowing the part. As such, forcing Demon's to delay healing a wound is occasionally a punishment used by The Devil (Ch 260). The only way to truly scar a Demon in any permanent way is to injure them with a magical attack, which could come from either a naturally magical being attacking the Demon or from the Demon being attacked with a magically imbued weapon (Ch 261).

This ability is also part of the reason it nigh impossible to simply physically restrain a Demon (Ch 261).

The reason Demons are able to stay stable even while shapeshifting is due to a layering of their souls. The soul then allows them to project how they view themselves onto their physical form. Thus, by shifting how they view themselves, a Demon can shift their form into anything they wish. This is also why emotions such as anger can physically change their appearance without them making a mental choice to shift their appearance since emotions are part of what shapes a soul (Ch 282).

### Soul Manipulation

A fairly common magical Demon ability is the power to manipulate others souls. Cuphead states that most Demons he knows handle souls on a fairly regular basis, making them experts on the subject (Ch 105). When Black Hat was examining Holly's soul he pulled it from her chest using a cloud of acid green magic without ever physically touching Holly. Hat used this green magic to move the heart to examine it, but he did have to actually touch it in order to remove to corruption (Ch 121). Demons are also able to see souls in a way unlike any other race. To a Demon, souls are incredibly colorful things whose colors and their movement differ depending on the individual and the state of their soul. For instance, each of the colors can signify things such as emotions. Like how grief is represented through a shade of blue while guilt is green. By examining the amount of each color in a being's soul the Demon can see what emotions dominate that being's personality and mind. Demon's can also see things such as an individual's magic, the purity of the soul and if there are any issues such as a soul sickness like Ink Illness. Of course, examining a being's soul is a skill that requires a lot of training and learning in order for the Demon to understand what they are seeing and how to properly handle it (Ch 282).

### Soul Contracts

How deals with Demons are sealed between them and others, who then become debtors. All of the rules, promises and requirements that the Demon and debtor are bound by are recorded on this paper. These contracts can be made for a variety of reasons besides just obtaining the debtor's soul, the only constant being that it is an exchange between the Demon and the debtor. Other reasons for making a soul contract are to have the debtor collect a certain amount of souls for the Demon or to have them do some other form of work (Inky Extra's Ch 109). Once a soul contract is signed the soul of the debtor, though continuing to reside inside their body, is now tied to the contract and by extension the Demon's magic (Ch 148). Soul contracts are held by the debtor to who they belong until they break the rules of the contract or complete the terms set in it. Soul contracts can be negotiated and rewritten after they are completed. Debtors are fiercely protective of their contracts as whoever has theirs essentially owns their soul.

Once a soul contract is made, the Demon legally owns that soul until the contract is completed, assuming it's not a life-long contract. This means that if the debtor does anything to break their contract or fail in the Demon in some way the Demon is legally allowed to punish them since the debtor is their legal property (Ch 148). Demons view soul contracts as very valuable and will attempt to acquire as many soul contracts as possible. Soul contracts are actually considered so valuable to Demons that the act of stealing soul contracts is one of the few things illegal in Hell. However, making soul contracts is not something that can be done by every Demon as the Demon attempting to make the contract must be powerful enough to bind the soul in question. This means that only middle-class Demons and higher can make contracts (Inky Extra's Ch 109).

When writing a contract many Demons will also often include loopholes or extra stipulations to the soul contract when creating it in order to gain more from the victim. If the debtor dies before having their contract collected and there is no clause written in regarding death then the contract dissolves and the debtor's soul goes free (Inky Extra's Ch 109). Out of all Demons, The Devil's contracts in particular are infamous for being terrifying even by Demon standards (Inky Extra's Ch 89).

Scholars believe that the soul contract system was first invented when Demons began walking on the Surface again after the signing of the treaty. This would mean they are only a few millennia old but there is no confirmation on whether this is true or if soul contracts were also used in the time before the war. Still, the act of making deals and working with souls is certainly a much older practice than soul contracts are in Demon society (Ch 151).

## Demonic Subtypes

When it comes to the particulars of each Demon's unique abilities it usually comes down to genetics, deriving from what class and what types of Demon's their parents were. Normally, a Demon will inherit one of their parent's abilities or the lack thereof if they're parents are Budlings. However, there is the rare case of the Demon inheriting a mix of their parent's abelites or even developing something entirely unique (Ch 97). Each of the subtypes has their own unique traits. It is important to note that, while a demon's subtype predisposes them to certain magical abilities, it is possible for other Demon's to replicate some of the magical abilities outside of their subtype. For example, Fire Demon's are the only ones who can naturally produce flames but another Demon can also make flames using the right spells and runes (Ch 115). A Demon's subtype can also influence a Demon's appearance since certain subtypes may tend to feel more comfortable in certain forms or their subtype could come with built-in physical features. For example, an item Demon will always have their item incorporated somewhere in their physical form regardless of whether they take over a different host body. But as everything is with Demon's physical forms this is a very personal situation and would change on a case-by-case basis.

### Dream Demons

Dream Demons, as the name suggest, have abilities related to dreams and nightmares. They can enter a target's mind while they're asleep and sift through it, allowing them to easily discover information and secrets that would otherwise be incredibly difficult to obtain. They can also manipulate dreams directly; changing good dreams into nightmares and vice versa. Using this ability a dream Demon is capable of driving a target to utter exhaustion and even madness as peaceful sleep becomes impossible to obtain. However, there are certain danger's with these powers such as the possibility of the dream Demon themselves getting trapped in their target's mind and going insane. The most obvious weakness a dream Demon has is the fact that while they are operating in the realm of the mind their physical bodies are left behind and vulnerable. For this reason many dream Demons work in groups of at least two so that someone can always be protecting their physical body while it is vulnerable (Inky Extras Series Part 8, Ch 1). It has also been mentioned that dream Demons have an odd presence about them, as if they are never truly fully a part of the waking world. Lord Adiv says that it feels as if dream Demons could disappear at any moment (Inky Extras Series Part 8, Ch 3)

### Item Demons

An item Demon is a Demon that takes on the appearance of an everyday item, such as clothing, in order to lure in victims. Once a individual picks up the item the Demon is able to possess the person, like a parasite taking over it's host. When an item Demon posses another person there is usually some form of slight physical change. For example, when Black Hat takes control of a body that body gains his razor sharp teeth. Item Demons can both forcibly take over another's body or can be given the body as a vessel by the individual. Once an item Demon takes over a body that body is capable of using the item Demon's various demonic powers as well as gaining other advantages thanks to the Demon's magic such as the physical body being capable of surviving far longer then would usually be possible. But while the physical body may survive the original mind belonging to that body will slowly weaken over time until it is completely gone, leaving the body as an empty shell for the item Demon to use as it pleases. While many item Demon's physical forms are considerably weaker then other Demons they do have an advantage in and of the fact that many people will mistake the body they are possessing as their actual physical form. So, while their physical host body is taken away, the Demon themselves can sneak away to find a new host (Ch 150).

### Fire Demons

Fire Demon's are Demons who can create fire naturally at a moment's notice without any outside source as help. This subspecies in particular are famous for their short temper and tendency to randomly burst into flames (Ch 115). Ava also mentions that fire Demon's don't have the longest life spans when compared to other Demon's since they "burn hot and bright". A fire Demon is lucky if they live to be a thousand years old (Ch 151).

### Water Demons

These Demon's, as the name suggests, can naturally produce and utilize water magic (Ch 154). Water Demon's have a long lifespan, able to live for centuries if something doesn't kill them first (Ch 151).

### Shadow Demons

Shadow Demons have the power to use, produce and become shadows. Despite all Demons having some control over shadows shadow Demons have a stronger connection to and mastery of shadows (Ch 309). A shadow Demon can use these in a variety of different ways. For example, they can use them to restrict their opponents, making it nearly impossible to move and extremely vulnerable. It is very difficult for others to remove these bindings as their hands will pass straight through the shadows holding them. These shadows are also very cold, as Roya describes the sensation of being covered with them as being covered in living ice. However, shadow Demons do have their weaknesses. The shadows they use seem to need to be connected back to them implying they may have issues with using them at long distances. Adiv has also stated that bright light can help combat his shadows. In terms of power, shadow Demons seem to have decently strong magical abilities by Demon standards but can not rise to a high-ranking position based on this strength alone (Inky Extras Series Part 8, Ch 2).

Shadow Demons also have the ability to turn fully incorporeal in a shadowy form. This form allows them to pass through physical objects, giving them incredible maneuverability and making it nearly impossible to capture them outside of magical means (Inky Extras Series Part 13, Ch 2). This is natural ability that shadow Demons are born with (Ch 309) and must learn control of as they get older. Murklin mentions that during his younger years he would uncontrollably switch into his incorporeal form, slipping straight through his own clothes and having to wear a special children's symbol that wouldn't fall off when he shifted (Inky Extras Series Part 13, Ch 2).

## Weaknesses

All Demons have a natural weakness to light/Angelic magic.

### White Egret Flower

The White Egret Flower is a plant found in the Upper. It is usually used as a healing remedy thanks to it's purifying and rejuvenating abilities. However, due to this plant being Angelic in nature, it is poisonous to Demons. The effects of this flower can be seen during Bendy's brief ingestion of the substance. After swallowing it Bendy's stomach began to twist and he quickly doubled over in pain. Since Bendy was quickly forced to vomit the White Egret it is unknown what other symptoms it may cause when ingested (Ch 83). As mentioned above, when White Egret is introduced into the Demon bloodstream it specifically infected and destroyed their unique cells by causing them to swell until bursting. The bursting of these black cells eventually causes all of the Demon's blood to clot, killing them (Inky Extra's Chapter 73).

### Birth Names

In Inky Extra's Chapter 89 Ava informs us that a Demon's birth name has power over them. It is possible to use a Demon's birth name against them to trap them or control them. Black Hat also states that these "names of power" can be very revealing about who they belong to, even comparing them to a Demon's soul (Inky Extra's Ch 109). Because of this, many Demons are not referred to by their true names and will instead use a different name that either they choose or is given to them via other Demons if they don't care about picking a new name.