Once you’ve decided to defeat a Demon, defeat it. Once you’ve decided to win, then win. Win, whatever the cost.
Kanae Kocho to Shinobu Kocho, chapter 142
Kanae Kocho, a demon slayer and former Fleur Hashira, had died several years before the current events. She was Shinobu Kocho’s biological elder sister and Kanao Tsuyuri’s adoptive elder sister. 🔥PRODUCTS OF THE MOMENT🔥
Kanae Kocho’s appearance
Kanae had a slender figure, just like her younger sister. She was quite tall for her age and had red lips that contrasted with her pale skin. Her long straight hair of a very dark gray came down to her waist, with two shorter tufts on her shoulders and arched bangs on either side of her face, reaching the length of her ears. Her pale violet eyes were tilted to the sides of her face, bright and insect-like, with numerous white sparkles that reflected the light remarkably well.
Kanae wore a tinted purple version of the standard demon slayer uniform, with a piece of black cloth around her calves and clear strappy sandals. She also adorned her hair with two butterfly-shaped pins, one green and one pink, on either side of her head. Later, her adopted younger sister, Kanao Tsuyuri, used one of these pins as a memento. Kanae also wore the white, light green and pink butterfly-patterned haori that Shinobu Kocho wears today.
Kanae Kocho’s personality
Kanae was an easy-going person. In Shinobu and Kanao’s flashbacks, she was almost always seen with a gentle smile on her face. When Sanemi Shinazugawa went after their leader, Kagaya Ubuyashiki, Kanae showed concern for Kagaya and gently explained to Sanemi how Kagaya really cared for the demon slayers under her charge. Kanae also dreamed of one day living in peace alongside the demons, despite the suffering and death they had inflicted on humans. This inspired Shinobu to harbor the same aspirations.
However, Kanae also had a stricter side, as evidenced by Shinobu’s defeat in his battle with Doma. Kanae’s spirit commanded her to stand up and face her opponent, rejecting the excuses that formed in her mind, claiming she was too fragile to face the demons. Kanae was also very observant, perceiving Doma’s games and lies and realizing that he was in fact devoid of emotions. According to Kanao, Kanae felt compassion for him because of his emptiness, even though he had mortally wounded her.
Kanae Kocho’s story
The Kocho sisters lived a peaceful, privileged life alongside their wealthy, loving parents. They were surrounded by love and fulfilled, content with their simple life together. However, it all came crashing down when their home was attacked by a demon. Their parents were brutally killed before their very eyes as they tried to protect them, and the two sisters narrowly escaped death thanks to the intervention of Gyomei Himejima, who killed the demon just before it could kill them. After these traumatic events, the two sisters vowed to join the Demon Slayers Corps to prevent demons from inflicting the same horrors and pain on others as they had experienced. They quickly became skilled demon slayers after their training, mastering their own breathing style.
At some point, Kanae became the Flower Hashira. At the Hashira’s first meeting with Sanemi, she watched with concern as he behaved rudely towards their leader. When Kagaya mentions Masachika Kumeno’s name, Kanae surprises Sanemi by informing that it had become Kagaya’s duty to memorize the names and stories of every demon slayer who died in battle.
The Kocho sisters adopt Kanao
One day, while walking through a village, Kanae noticed a man dragging a little girl on a leash. The little girl was nameless, dirty, full of fleas and didn’t speak. Kanae approached her and tried to convince the man to set her free. When he asked for money in compensation, Shinobu threw some money in the air, grabbed the loose rope and ran off with the girl. They then took her to Butterfly Manor, adopted her and gave her the name Kanao. When the little girl showed she was incapable of making decisions, Kanae gave her a coin to flip to help her make choices until she could make decisions for herself.
A few years later, Kanae met Doma, the second member of the Twelve Kizuki. She was mortally wounded during this encounter, but Doma was forced to flee before he could devour her due to the arrival of the rising sun. As she lay dying in Shinobu’s arms, she tried to convince her sister to leave the Demon Slayer Corps and lead a normal life, but Shinobu was determined to exact revenge. With her last strength, Kanae described Doma to Shinobu before dying.
Infinity Castle Arc synopsis
Kanae appears to Shinobu in the afterlife.
Shinobu has a chance to find Doma, Kanae’s assassin, in Infinity Castle. She finally recognizes Kanae’s haori and remembers that he failed to devour her, which fills her with rage. When she’s on the verge of defeat, Kanae’s spirit orders her to keep fighting.
After Doma’s death at the hands of Kanao and Inosuke Hashibira, Shinobu and Kanae are seen in kimono, running towards their parents as they all head for the sky.
Relationships
Shinobu Kocho
Shinobu was Kanae’s younger biological sister and her only surviving relative. They shared a strong and affectionate sibling bond. Kanae’s death became Shinobu’s main motivation to grow stronger in order to avenge her sister. She even went so far as to turn herself into living poison in order to be devoured by Doma and weaken her from the inside, thus enabling Kanao to carry out their revenge.
Kanao Tsuyuri
Kanao was Kanae’s adopted younger sister, rescued from slavery and adopted by her. Kanae didn’t scold Kanao for her inability to make decisions on her own. Instead, she would give her a coin to flip to help her make choices. Kanao continued to use this coin until she met Tanjiro Kamado, the person who opened her heart.
Although Kanao was unable to weep at Kanae’s grave due to her past trauma, the death of the Hashira Flower affected her deeply. She agreed to take part in Shinobu’s revenge plan against Doma, and her participation in the death of her two sisters made her feel a strong emotion for the first time: hatred.
Doma
Despite the mortal wounds inflicted by Doma, Kanae felt compassion for him due to his lack of true emotions. Doma, after being reminded of her by the haori now worn by Shinobu, praised her strength and regretted having been forced to retreat before he could devour her.
Kanae Kocho’s abilities and powers
The art of the sword
As a demon slayer, Kanae mastered flower breathing and was skilled enough to hold the position of Flower Hashira, reserved for demon slayers who had killed one of the Twelve Kizuki or had fought and successfully killed at least 50 demons. This is a testament to her immense skill and natural talents. Unlike her sister Shinobu, who lacked the strength to decapitate demons due to her small size, Kanae used an ordinary Nichirin blade. An example of Kanae’s strength is that she was able to fight Doma, the top Rank 2, until sunrise, showing that she could at least stand up to him, even if she failed to defeat him and was mortally wounded in the end.
Flower Breathing: A breathing style derived from water breathing, used by Kanae as the former Flower Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps. Her sword skills were later developed by Shinobu, the former Insect Flower of the Demon Slayer Corps.
Second form: Honorable Shadow Plum – A defensive technique that deflects attacks using rotating sword strokes.
Fourth form: Crimson Hanagoromo – A single bent and twisted sword strike.
Fifth form: Peonies of Futility – A graceful flurry of nine consecutive attacks that cross and intertwine.
Sixth form: Whirling Peach – A technique used for dodging or during evasion, where the user spins around his own axis using his body weight to deliver an attack.
Final form: Equinoctial Vermilion Eye – Concentration technique which maximizes the user’s kinetic vision. When used, the user perceives the world in slow motion. However, this technique is very dangerous, as it puts enormous pressure on the eyes, potentially resulting in partial or total blindness.
Anecdotes
Kanae’s name is written with three katakana characters, which differs from Shinobu, her biological sister, but is similar to the spelling of Kanao’s name.
Quotes
“(To Shinobu Kocho) Pull yourself together. Don’t cry about it.”
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