Sanemi Shinazugawa | Demon Slayer Kimetsu No Yaiba
Information about Sanemi Shinazugawa
The current wind Hashira. He is Genya Shinazugawa’s older brother and always shuns him. Although he seems to dislike his brother, Sanemi actually intends to get him out of the Demon Slayer Corps so he can lead a normal life. He is one of two Hashira who survived the final battle against Muzan and the High Moons, the other being Giyū.
Story of Sanemi Shinazugawa
Sanemi was raised as the eldest son of 7 children and lived with both parents. He grew up in a household where his father constantly bullied all the children as well as Sanemi’s mother, until he was eventually stabbed and randomly killed.
One day, Sanemi’s mother did not return home, leaving the children to worry about her fate. Just as Sanemi was about to go looking for her, we heard a loud banging noise at the door. The children opened it to be immediately slaughtered by their mother who had turned into a demon. In order to protect his siblings, Sanemi kicked his mother out of the house and left his younger brother Genya to take care of the siblings.
After settling the injured children in the house, Genya frantically searched for a doctor to take care of the children. As they leave, Genya discovers Sanemi in the middle of the path with her mother lying dead at her feet. Genya yells at Sanemi that he is a “murderer” and angrily accuses him of murdering their mother.
Later, it is revealed that upon killing his mother that night, Sanemi lost the ability to see and perceive colors, seeing everything in black and white and making it difficult to see at night, possibly due to the psychological trauma. caused by his mother’s murder and his brother’s denial, now distraught and suffering due to these events, Sanemi began hunting demons on his own with suicidal devotion, having no idea about Nichirin Blades. He instead armed himself with a mountain full of weapons and began to fight the demons on his own, where he then resorted to a crude method of killing the demons, where he first had to neutralize and capture the demon, then wait for morning to come, where he would then proceed to chain up his captured demon and let the sun destroy them. Despite this brutal and reckless fighting style, he managed to survive and kill several demons. Later, when reminiscing about his past exploits, Sanemi admitted that the only reason he survived was due to sheer luck and the unique aroma of his blood that caused demons to get intoxicated, drunk, and were less focused in their fights. He met a legitimate demon slayer named Masachika Kumeno, who then helped him and introduced him to a real trainer. Upon completing his training, he teamed up with him in order to defeat one of the Twelve Demon Moons, specifically the Lower Moon, where Kumeno later lost his life in battle, leaving Sanemi as the sole survivor, where he was later promoted to the higher ranks of the Demon Slayer Corps and given the rank and title of Pillar of the Wind.
Personality of Sanemi Shinazugawa
Sanemi is abrasive, hot-blooded and stubborn, often impulsive and quick to vent. The only person he showed respect to was Kagaya Ubuyashiki, and that was only after realizing the man was so much more than his outward appearance suggested.
Sanemi’s cold, rude, and contemptuous demeanor is the result of losing too many people he cared about in the past. Later, when he sees those people who have passed away, like his mother, he can’t help but smile at her so he can see her again. When Genya joins the Demon Slayers in search of Sanemi, the latter swears at him, but Tanjiro Kamado is able to tell that Sanemi didn’t really hate him; and that, in fact, he still carried the same brotherly love that he had for him in his childhood. However, he never expressed this brotherly love, as he tried to push Genya away from him and the Demon Slayers so as not to expose him to danger.
Because of all those he has lost to demons, he harbors a deep hatred for them and is convinced that humans and demons can never coexist. When Sanemi makes a decision, it’s extremely difficult to dissuade him: he doesn’t believe Tanjiro’s insistence that Nezuko Kamado doesn’t eat humans, and he tries to prove himself right by stabbing the box in which Nezuko is [4]. After smashing her to a pulp, he cuts off her arm in an attempt to entice her into attacking him, due to the effect of his rare blood. Even if she doesn’t, and Kagaya uses this as proof that Nezuko won’t attack humans, Sanemi doesn’t really accept the Kamado siblings.
Tanjiro is ultimately right about Sanemi. Despite the mistreatment he inflicted on his brother Genya, Sanemi truly loved and cared for his brother. He even expresses his wish for Genya to settle down and have a family.
After the battle with the upper first rank, Sanemi not only shows great anger and some emptiness towards Muzan, but also shows more cooperation with people like Giyu, who he obviously didn’t get along with. Even when Sanemi is thrown out of battle against Muzan, he shows undeniable courage and determination, like his fellow Pillars.
When the showdown with Muzan is finally over and time has passed, Sanemi has clearly calmed down a bit. He is able to smile with Giyu, even after their past clashes. Even more surprisingly, he admits his mistakes and apologizes to Nezuko for his actions. He can’t help but smile at her and pat her on the head, as he even sees Genya in the way she reacts.
Abilities and Powers of Sanemi Shinazugawa
As a Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, Sanemi is a very powerful swordsman. According to Kokushibo, Sanemi’s physical abilities and techniques have reached their peak.
Natural Abilities of Sanemi Shinazugawa
Master Swordsman: As the Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, Sanemi is one of the strongest and most skilled swordsmen in the entire organization. Sanemi’s sword skills and techniques are incredibly powerful and refined, impressing even the Kokushibo, a Higher Rank 1 Demon who has hundreds of years of skill and experience behind him.
Blood Intoxication (Marechi): Sanemi’s blood has been shown to be one of the rarest blood types, making it incredibly intoxicating and palatable to demons. He is also unique due to his intense power: the slightest puff of his blood immediately makes the demons salivate and lose their concentration, as his blood was able to affect the strongest of the upper grades, Kokushibo. Despite the potency of her blood, Nezuko has shown herself to be able to resist it through her own conviction and willpower not to eat humans, which is further cemented and strengthened by the hypnosis implanted in her brain by Sakonji Urokodaki.
Muscle Control: Sanemi has also shown the ability to manipulate his own muscles to close and prevent deadly wounds from opening and bleeding out mid-battle. As seen when he was fatally lacerated and cut across the abdomen by Kokushibo, he was still able to keep fighting by manipulating his own muscles to close his wounds.
Crimson Red Nichirin Blade: During the battle against Kokushibo, Sanemi strikes Gyomei’s spiked flail with his sword, briefly turning them both red. Later, in the fight against Muzan, Sanemi, learning from his previous encounter, forcefully strikes his and Giyu’s swords, causing both of their blades to temporarily turn red. Turning your blade red gives you the ability to hinder the regeneration of Demons.
Demon Slayer’s Mark: Later, during the battle against Kokushibo, Upper Rank 1, Sanemi awakened his own mark which takes the appearance of a paper windmill with two dots on both sides of his right cheek . This mark greatly increases his power and abilities, as seen when Sanemi was still able to fight and grapple Kokushibo on flat ground, despite sustaining a serious injury and gash in his abdomen. This shows that his physical endurance, strength and pain tolerance have been significantly increased. However, he couldn’t land a significant blow on Kokushibo without the help of Gyomei and Muichiro. Also, if not for Muichiro and Gyomei’s intervention, he would have been put in a near-death state twice by Kokushibo.
The art of the sword
Wind Breathing:
First Form: Dust Vortex Cutter – Sanemi dashes forward in a cyclone of slash.
Second Form: Claws – Purifying Wind – Sanemi dashes forward and creates four claws – like slashes – for the enemy.
Third Form: Purifying Wind Tree – Sanemi sweeps her sword in circular motions to redirect enemy attacks.
Fourth Form: Rising Dust Storm – Sanemi sweeps her sword horizontally and creates multiple cyclones of saber slashes to deflect enemy attacks.
Fifth Form: Cold Mountain Wind – Sanemi strikes from above while falling in a multitude of arcing saber blows.
Sixth Form: Black Wind Mountain Mist- Sanemi unleashes a powerful upward vertical side-swipe at his target.
Seventh Form: Gale – Sudden Gusts – Sanemi leaps into the air while swinging her blade, which generates a fierce wind that tears her opponent apart.
Eighth Form: Primary Gale – Sanemi leaps into the air and swings her blade which generates circular torrents of wind.
Ninth Form: Idaten Typhoon – Sanemi performs a backward somersault in the air and, upside down, swings his blade to release a circular gust of wind.
