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“
Why do you think I went as far as killing our own mother? Because I wanted to protect you! You should've gotten goddamn married, had some goddamn kids, and lived until you became a goddamn old geezer. For all the times we couldn't do a thing for mom, and for all the times we couldn't do a thing for our little siblings. You should have made your goddman wife and kids as happy as they would've been. Because I would've made sure... no demon would be heading your way... 		”
 
— Sanemi Shinazugawa to Genya Shinazugawa, Chapter 166

Sanemi Shinazugawa (不死 (しなず) 川 (がわ) 実 (さね) 弥 (み) Shinazugawa Sanemi?) is a major supporting character of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. He is also a Demon Slayer and the Wind Hashira (風 (かぜ) 柱 (ばしら) Kaze Bashira?) of the Demon Slayer Corps.[2] He is also the older brother of Genya Shinazugawa.

Appearance

Sanemi is a tall, muscular, and slender man with spiky white hair and large eyes. His face and body are covered with scars, accrued over his many years of fighting Demons. He cuts his hair short somewhere in between the Functional Recovery Training Arc and the Demon Train Arc.

He wears a green-tinted version of the standard Demon Slayer uniform, unbuttoned to expose his chest and abs with a white long sleeved shirt over it, white buckles around his shins and tabi socks with a pair of white zōri with green straps.

During his battle with Kokushibo, he loses his right index finger and his right middle finger.[3]

Personality

Sanemi is abrasive, hot-blooded, and stubborn, often times impulsive and quick to lash out. The only person he displayed reverence towards was Kagaya Ubuyashiki, and only after realizing the man was much more than his outward appearance suggested.

Sanemi's cold, rude, dismissive behavior is the result of losing too many people he cared about in the past. Later, when he sees those people who have passed, such as his mother, he can't help but give her a smile to be able to see her again. When Genya joins the Demon Slayers in search of Sanemi, Sanemi hurls verbal abuses at him, but Tanjiro Kamado is able to tell Sanemi didn't truly hate him; and in fact still bore the same brotherly love he had for him in childhood. This was however never expressed outwardly as he tried to push Genya away from him and the Demon Slayers so he wouldn't be exposed to danger.

Because of all those he lost to Demons, he harbors a deep hatred towards Demons and is convinced that humans and Demons can never coexist. When Sanemi makes up his mind about something, it is extremely difficult to dissuade him. He does not believe Tanjiro's insistence that Nezuko Kamado wouldn't eat humans and moves to prove his own point by stabbing through the box with Nezuko inside.[4] After riling her up, he slashes his own arm to try and bait her into attacking him due to his rare blood's effect. Even after she doesn't, and Kagaya uses this as proof Nezuko won't attack humans, Sanemi doesn't truly accept the Kamado siblings.

Tanjiro is ultimately right about Sanemi. Despite his poor treatment of his brother, Genya, Sanemi truly did love and care for his brother. He even expresses that he wished that Genya would settle down and have a family.

Following the battle with Upper Rank 1, Sanemi shows not only great anger and a certain emptiness towards Muzan, but more cooperation with the likes of Giyu, someone he clearly did not get along with. Even when Sanemi is launched out of the battle against Muzan, he displays undeniable courage and determination, like his fellow Hashira.

When the showdown with Muzan is finally over and time has passed, Sanemi has clearly mellowed out a bit. He is able to smile with Giyu, even after their past confrontations. Most surprisingly, he admits his mistakes and apologizes to Nezuko about his actions. He can't help but give her a smile and a pat on the head, as he even sees Genya in how she responds.

Abilities and Powers

As a Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, Sanemi is a very powerful swordsman.[5] According to Kokushibo, Sanemi's physical abilities and techniques have reached their peak.[6]

Natural Abilities

  • Master Swordsman: Being a Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, Sanemi is one of the most powerful and skilled swordsmen in the entire organization.[5] Sanemi's skills and sword techniques are incredibly powerful and refined, impressing even Upper Rank 1 Kokushibo, a Demon with hundreds of years of skill and experience behind him.[6]
    • Weapon Flexibility: In his battle against Kokushibo, Sanemi used his brother's sword and gun in conjuction with his own blade, albeit briefly. Furthermore, when fighting Muzan, he utilized fire by dumping oil on the Demon and lighting it.[7]
  • Enhanced Physical Prowess: As a member of the Hashiras, his physique has been increased to superhuman levels through years of harsh training combined with the use of the Total Concentration: Constant (全 (ぜん) 集 (しゅう) 中 (ちゅう) ・常 (じょう) 中 (ちゅう) Zen Shūchū Jōchū?). The members of the Hashira in general have incredible movement speed, all of them have displayed the capability to use blinding bursts of speed that make it seem like they teleported to even talented swordsman like Tanjiro Kamado. The Hashira also possess incredible physical strength, shown when a severely weakened Kyojuro Rengoku could hold down a an Upper Rank Demon with his bare hands, Giyu Tomioka and Shinobu Kocho who can leap great distances effortlessly and Gyomei Himejima who can move gigantic boulders with his bare hands. They also possess superhuman stamina and durability, being able to fight for nearly hours with severe injuries.
    • Intoxicant Blood (Marechi): Sanemi's blood was revealed to be one of the rarest blood types, making it incredibly intoxicating and mouth watering to Demons. It is also unique due to its intense potency that the smallest whiff of his blood immediately causes Demons to salivate and lose focus, as his blood was able to affect the strongest of the Upper Ranks, Kokushibo. Despite his blood's potency, Nezuko was shown to be able to resist it due to her own strong conviction and will not to eat humans, which is even further cemented and strengthened by the hypnosis planted in her brain by Sakonji Urokodaki.
    • Muscle Control: Sanemi has also shown the ability to manipulate his own muscles to close up and prevent fatal and mortal wounds from opening up and bleeding out during mid battle, as seen when he was fatally slashed and cut up across his abdomen by Kokushibo, he was still able to fight on by manipulating his own muscles to close up his wounds.
  • Enhanced Mental Prowess: As a seasoned swordsman who underwent incredibly harsh and intense training, Sanemi possesses above average mental capabilities. He could process information and think clearly at supernatural speeds, proven by fighting Upper Rank Demons, who can think at equally or slightly faster speeds. As another testament to his mental capabilities, he has incredible concentration abilities and wits. With an arsenal of techniques at his disposal, Sanemi has to be really decisive and sagacious when using them, proven when he could hold his own against Kokushibo and Muzan Kibutsuji.

Sanemi activates his Demon Slayer Mark.

  • Demon Slayer Mark: Later during the battle against Upper Rank 1, Kokushibo, Sanemi awakened his own Mark that resembled a single paper origami windmill with two dots on both sides on his right cheek. The mark dramatically increases his power and abilities, as seen when Sanemi was still able to fight and contend with Kokushibo on even ground, despite being grievously injured and slashed across his abdomen. However, even though his physical endurance, strength, and tolerance to pain dramatically increased, he couldn't land a significant hit on Kokushibo without assistance from Gyomei and Muichiro. In addition, he would have been put into a near-death state twice by Kokushibo if it weren't for their intervention.
    • Crimson Red Nichirin Blade: During the battle against Kokushibo, Sanemi strikes Gyomei's spiked flail with his sword, turning both of them briefly red.[8] Later in the fight against Muzan, Sanemi, learning from his previous encounter, forcefully clashes his sword together with Giyu's turning both of their blades temporarily red.[9] Turning his blade red granted him the ability to hamper the enhanced regeneration of Demons.

Swordsmanship

Wind Breathing (風 (かぜ) の呼 (こ) 吸 (きゅう) Kaze no kokyū?): One of the five Breathing Styles derived directly from the Sun Breathing. The Wind Breathing is comprised of many sword techniques that utilize the air around them to generate powerful whirlwind and tornado attacks that can be used for both offense and defense. Sanemi learned and mastered this combat style with Masachika Kumeno from an unknown cultivator.

  1. First Form: Dust Whirlwind Cutter (壱 (いち) ノ型 (かた) 鹿 (じん) 旋 (せん) 風 (ぷう) ・削 (そ) ぎ Ichi no kata: Jin Senpū - Sogi?)[10] - Sanemi dashes forward and slashes in a horizontal cyclone pattern.
  2. Second Form: Claws-Purifying Wind (弐 (に) ノ型 (かた) 爪 (そう) 々 (そう) ・科 (しな) 戸 (と) 風 (かぜ) Ni no kata: Sōsō - Shinato Kaze?)[11] - Sanemi lifts the sword upwards towards the right, above his head and unleashes four vertical slashes down on the enemy like claws.
  3. Third Form: Clean Storm Wind Tree (参 (さん) ノ型 (かた) 晴 (せい) 嵐 (らん) 風 (ふう) 樹 (じゅ) San no kata: Seiran Fūju?)[12] - Sanemi unleashes a whirlwind of slashes around his body that can defend him from incoming attacks and slice up his surroundings.
  4. Fourth Form: Rising Dust Storm (肆 (し) ノ型 (かた) 昇 (しょう) 上 (じょう) 砂 (さ) 塵 (じん) 嵐 (らん) Shi no kata: Shōjō Sajinran?)[13] - Sanemi creates several slashes above him from below his target.
  5. Fifth Form: Cold Mountain Wind (伍 (ご) ノ型 (かた) 木 (こ) 枯 (が) らし颪 (おろし) Go no kata: Kogarashi Oroshi?)[14] - Sanemi creates several circular arched slashes that increase in size from above his target.
  6. Sixth Form: Black Wind Mountain Mist (陸 (ろく) ノ型 (かた) 黒 (こく) 風 (ふう) 烟 (えん) 嵐 (らん) Roku no kata: Kokufū Enran?)[15] - Sanemi rotates his body in a uppercut movement, creating a tornado of slashes.
  7. Seventh Form: Gale - Sudden Gusts (漆 (しち) ノ型 (かた) 頸 (けい) 風 (ふう) ・天 (てん) 狗 (ぐ) 風 (かぜ) Shichi no kata: Keifū - Tengu Kaze?)[16] - Sanemi leaps into the air while swinging his blade which generates gale-force winds to shred his opponent apart.
  8. Eighth Form: Primary Gale Slash (捌 (はち) ノ型 (かた) 初 (しょ) 烈 (れっ) 風 (かざ) 斬 (き) り Hachi no kata: Sho Rekkaza Kiri?)[17] - Sanemi leaps into the air and swings his blade which generates circular torrents of wind.
  9. Ninth Form: Idaten Typhoon (玖 (く) ノ型 (かた) 韋 (い) 駄 (だ) 天 (てん) 台 (たい) 風 (ふう) Ku no kata: Idaten Taifū?)[18] - Sanemi backflips into the air and while upside-down, unleashes a powerful gust of circular wind.

Battles

Trivia

  • In the first character popularity poll, Sanemi ranked 15th with 207 votes.
  • As revealed during his bout against Giyu, Sanemi loves ohagi and considers it his favorite thing,[19] frequently cooking it. However, his pride refuses him from saying anything about it.
  • Like Kiyoshi, Sanemi is a marechi, and his blood is considered rarer even for a marechi as it can intoxicate Demons and disrupt their senses and movement speed.
  • Sanemi always keeps his uniform open, as he is proud of his muscles.[19]
  • Sanemi owns a Japanese rhinoceros beetle.[19]
  • Sanemi lost his right index finger and right middle finger in the battle against Kokushibo.[3]

Quotes

  • (To Tanjiro Kamado) "Is that the idiotic corps member who travels with a Demon? Just what is going on here anyway?"[20]
  • (To Kokushibo, after the Upper Rank identifies him as the Wind Hashira) "That's right! And that wind... is going to wrench off your head!"[21]
  • (To Genya Shinazugawa) "You should've gotten married, had some goddamn kids, and lived until you became a goddamn old geezer. For all the times we couldn't do a thing for mom, and for all the times we couldn't do a thing for our little siblings, you should've made your goddamn wife and kids happy as they would have been. Because I would've made sure that no demon would be heading your way..." [22]
  • (To Kokushibo) "How dare you dice my little brother up, you fuck-eyed bastard! You're dead! Dead! Unforgiveable!!"[23]
  • (To Kiriya Ubuyashiki) "We don't need any of your gratitude! The biggest reason why the Demon Slayers stayed together is because of the efforts of the Ubuyashiki family!"[24]
  • (To Nezuko Kamado) "Take care."[25]

References

  1. ↑ Official Twitter Account
  2. ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 45 (Page 12).
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 172 (Pages 2-3).
  4. ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 45 (Page 15).
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 45 (Page 2).
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 167 (Page 5).
  7. ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 185 (Pages 15-16).
  8. ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 175 (Page 21).
  9. ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 190 (Page 18).
  10. ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 166 (Page 18).
  11. ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 167 (Page 7).
  12. ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 167 (Page 4).
  13. ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 166 (Page 10).
  14. ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 199 (Page 16).
  15. ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 168 (Page 5).
  16. ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 171 (Pages 12-13).
  17. ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 176 (Page 6).
  18. ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 199 (Page 12).
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 Kimetsu no Yaiba Databook.
  20. ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 45 (Page 14).
  21. ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 166 (Page 11).
  22. ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 166 (Pages 14-15).
  23. ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 166 (Page 16).
  24. ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 204 (Page 14).
  25. ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 204 (Page 25).