<p>As noted in @AkiTanaka's comment, the word translated as &quot;Demon&quot; in this manga is &quot;ma&quot; (魔), or &quot;maō&quot; (魔王) for Demon King and &quot;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazoku" rel="nofollow noreferrer">mazoku</a>&quot; (魔族) when discussing the demon kingdom.</p>
<p>I haven't personally read the Manga, but you can tell by comparing these panels from the first chapter:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/idi5Y.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/idi5Y.png" alt="English panels with the text &quot;Demon King&quot;" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/7cURz.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/7cURz.png" alt="Same panels in Japanese, with the text &quot;maō&quot; / &quot;魔王&quot;" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/fmYbk.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/fmYbk.png" alt="More English panels, describing the demon kingdom and the other 3 kingdoms" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/3Kx3E.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/3Kx3E.png" alt="Same panels in Japanese, with the text &quot;mazoku&quot; / &quot;魔族&quot;" /></a></p>
<p>So no, the &quot;demons&quot; to which they're referring aren't a particular type of being from Japanese mythology, like &quot;youkai&quot; or &quot;oni&quot;, but rather a more general term for evil spirits/beings often used in generic Fantasy settings.</p>
<p>It's the same &quot;ma&quot; used in &quot;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akuma_(folklore)" rel="nofollow noreferrer">akuma</a>&quot; (悪魔), which you may have also seen in many Manga and Anime, and is often aligned with more Western/foreign notions of &quot;demons&quot; and &quot;devils&quot;.</p>
<p>See e.g. <a href="https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/32271">this</a> answer for some nuances of how of these various terms differ.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-02T14:40:18.393Z
2021-01-02T14:40:18.393Z
Tomty
<p>In the manga <em>My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero's</em>, the English translation refers to a &quot;Demon Kingdom&quot; and a &quot;Demon King&quot;. Based on the wording in the original Japanese, which of the Japanese variations of &quot;demon&quot; are they referencing?</p>
<p>Do they use a foreign loan word, or are they referring to a specific type of demon out of Japanese folklore, such as a <em>yokai</em> or an <em>oni</em>?</p>

<japanese-language><my-status-as-an-assassin>
What kind of demon is in "My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero's"?
# What kind of demon is in "My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero's"?
Posted by: username_0 on 2020-12-28
In the manga *My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero's*, the English translation refers to a "Demon Kingdom" and a "Demon King". Based on the wording in the original Japanese, which of the Japanese variations of "demon" are they referencing?

Do they use a foreign loan word, or are they referring to a specific type of demon out of Japanese folklore, such as a *yokai* or an *oni*?
**Tags:** japanese-language my-status-as-an-assassin
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## 1 answers
### Answer by username_1 on 2021-01-02. Score: 4 | Accepted answer
As noted in @AkiTanaka's comment, the word translated as "Demon" in this manga is "ma" (魔), or "maō" (魔王) for Demon King and "[mazoku](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazoku)" (魔族) when discussing the demon kingdom.

I haven't personally read the Manga, but you can tell by comparing these panels from the first chapter:

[![English panels with the text ](https://i.sstatic.net/idi5Y.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/idi5Y.png)

[![Same panels in Japanese, with the text ](https://i.sstatic.net/7cURz.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/7cURz.png)

[![More English panels, describing the demon kingdom and the other 3 kingdoms](https://i.sstatic.net/fmYbk.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/fmYbk.png)

[![Same panels in Japanese, with the text ](https://i.sstatic.net/3Kx3E.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/3Kx3E.png)

So no, the "demons" to which they're referring aren't a particular type of being from Japanese mythology, like "youkai" or "oni", but rather a more general term for evil spirits/beings often used in generic Fantasy settings.

It's the same "ma" used in "[akuma](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akuma_(folklore))" (悪魔), which you may have also seen in many Manga and Anime, and is often aligned with more Western/foreign notions of "demons" and "devils".

See e.g. [this](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/32271) answer for some nuances of how of these various terms differ.
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