In comparison to you, I’m not as important, so thanks are not required. I survived the selection by pure chance. Since then, I’ve been afraid of combat, which makes me a coward. Aoi Kanzaki to Tanjiro Kamado in “You are…”

Aoi Kanzaki (神崎葵 Kanzaki Aoi) is a demon hunter, although she works as an assistant at Butterfly Mansion rather than going to the front.

Appearance

Aoi has deep blue eyes that lighten downward, with rectangular white pupils. She has straight black hair with parted bangs tied back in a ponytail. She wears two blue butterfly clips to hold her two locks in place.

Aoi wears the standard demon slayer uniform, with a white nurse’s dress over it. Her uniform is lightly tinted blue. She is often seen sporting a scowling expression.

Personality

As Aoi has trained Tanjiro Kamado, Zenitsu Agatsuma and Inosuke Hashibira, she is very demanding of them and often pushes them to their limits. She has a firm personality, which differs from her colleagues at the Butterfly House.

Aoi’s personality bears similarities to that of the young Shinobu Kocho, being flighty and outspoken. She often shows anger and expresses her emotions clearly. However, she can also express more tender emotions, as when she declares that she enjoyed the time spent with the trio at the mansion. She is openly surprised by Tanjiro’s comfort towards her and bursts into tears when talking about Inosuke’s serious injuries.

Despite her somewhat rough exterior, she is inwardly kind and caring, doing her best to help the hunters who visit the manor.

Kanata Ubuyashiki | Demon Slayer Kimetsu No Yaiba

History

At some point, Aoi’s family was murdered by demons. She was then taken in at Butterfly Manor, where she found refuge.

Aoi miraculously survived the final selection, although she claims this was purely by chance. Despite her success in that selection, she was too scared to go into battle, and so chose to work at Butterfly Manor. She seems to underestimate her own work, claiming that she doesn’t do much compared to full-fledged hunters.

Although she can’t fight, she has a thorough knowledge of medicine and was probably trained by Shinobu. She contributes to the upkeep of the manor and takes care of wounded hunters.

Synopsis

Rehabilitation training arch

Aoi first meets Tanjiro when she discovers him and the Kakushi talking to Kanao Tsuyuri in the garden. She leads them inside to the rehabilitation beds, making clear her frustration at Zenitsu’s constant complaints about his injury. She looks after the trio throughout their stay.

During the recovery phase of their training, she explains general training methods, such as massages, reflex training and chase games. Aoi and Kanao both take part in the reflex and pursuit games. Aoi is quickly defeated by Zenitsu, who refuses to pour her medicinal water. She’s still unhappy with him because she’s heard him say that it would be great to train with girls, as he could touch them. He also beats her at the chase game, but she hits him when he gets too touchy.

Aoi is also beaten in games by Inosuke, then later by Tanjiro. She becomes annoyed when Inosuke and Zenitsu stop coming to train.

When the trio leave, she tells Tanjiro she’s enjoyed her time with him and wishes him well. Tanjiro thanks her, saying she took care of him, but she retorts that it wasn’t much, as she can’t fight like the others. Tanjiro tells her that not being able to fight has nothing to do with it, and that since she’s helped him, he’ll carry her feelings into the fight too. Aoi seems surprised by this answer, but is rather pleased.

Kanata Ubuyashiki | Demon Slayer Kimetsu No Yaiba

Infinity train arch

After their fight on the train, Aoi once again helps to heal the trio’s wounds.

Arc in the entertainment district

Aoi and Naho Takada are both taken in by Tengen Uzui, who wants to help them infiltrate the Red Light District. Kanao Tsuyuri tries to stop the Hashira from taking the two girls, but being faced with her own lack of determination, she says nothing to stop them. Tanjiro intervenes to stop the commotion and asks Tengen to free the girls. The latter replies that he needed a demon slayer for his mission and had planned to take Aoi and Naho. When one of the girls explains that Naho is not a demon slayer, Tengen abandons the idea and plans to take only Aoi. Aoi looks desperate and upset when Tengen comments that she may not be useful, but she’s still a member of the corps. Finally, Tanjiro, Inosuke and Zenitsu volunteer to go in Aoi’s place, freeing her.

Abilities

Physical capabilities

Above-average strength: Despite her weakness compared to most other demon slayers, Aoi possesses above-average strength, having undergone Shinobu’s training and passed the final selection.

Various abilities

Medical knowledge: thanks to her training with Shinobu Kocho, Aoi is able to prepare most basic medicines.

Sword mastery

Water Breathing: Aoi mastered Water Breathing when she passed the Final Selection.

Although she passed the Final Selection, she considered it pure luck and decided to stop training Water Breathing. Instead, she preferred to help other demon slayers within the Butterfly Manor.

Relationships

Tanjiro Kamado

Aoi and Tanjiro have developed a friendship. Tanjiro feels respect for Aoi for her assistance and care when the three of them resided at the mansion. He also thanks her for her work and support, which she seems to appreciate. When Aoi is kidnapped by Tengen, Tanjiro intervenes on her behalf and defends her when Tengen says she’s of no use, pointing out that everyone has their own circumstances. As Tanjiro leaves Villa Papillon, Aoi expresses her appreciation for the time they’ve spent together.

Kanata Ubuyashiki | Demon Slayer Kimetsu No Yaiba

Kanao Tsuyuri

Their degree of closeness is ambiguous, but the two get along well and seem to have a somewhat brotherly relationship. Kanao tries to prevent Tengen from taking Aoi with him, at a time when Kanao rarely had the opportunity to make his own decisions or disobey orders. From what is described in the novel, Aoi once found it difficult to live with Kanao, as the latter never showed her emotions. Aoi also felt inferior to Kanao, as the latter was capable of fighting demons, unlike Aoi. However, when Kanao begins to open up and make her own decisions, she and Aoi begin to grow closer.

Shinobu Kocho

Shinobu is Aoi’s mentor in the field of medicine and has probably overseen some, if not all, of her training as a demon hunter. Aoi holds Shinobu in high esteem, as do the other butterfly girls. Shinobu cares about Aoi and feels sympathy for her, knowing that her family was killed by demons. She also seems to feel some anger on Aoi’s behalf, remarking that if the demons hadn’t intervened during her fight with Doma, none of the butterfly girls’ families would have been killed.

Inosuke Hashibira

They first met at the butterfly mansion. At first, Inosuke finds it hard to outdo Aoi in every challenge due to his lack of willpower. However, with time, he finally manages to adapt and surpass her. Compared to Zenitsu and Tanjiro, he is harder on her. On a mission with Tengen, he is one of the killers who volunteer to replace Aoi in the entertainment district. After the fight against Upper Rank 6, Inosuke is once again brought to the butterfly mansion. Aoi is visibly saddened by Inosuke’s critical condition, as his body is poisoned and she thinks it’s too late to stop the bleeding. However, her tears quickly fade as he falls from the ceiling. She begins to see him as a whipping boy again, and argues with him once more. At the butterfly mansion, after the final battle, Inosuke leaves Tanjiro’s room and heads for the kitchen to look for food. He tries to steal food from Aoi’s back, but she notices him. She hands him a round tray of food prepared especially for him, and tells him that he can eat as much as he wants from it, whenever he wants. After this gesture, Inosuke visibly begins to see her in a good light. Eventually, Aoi and Inosuke Hashibira marry and have a great-grandson named Aoba Hashibira.

Triviality

  • Aoi’s name, Aoi (アオイ), can have different meanings depending on the kanji used. For example, its name can be translated as “hollyhock” (葵) or “blue” (青い).
  • However, his name is written in three katakana characters, so its meaning is currently unclear. However, given that his character is centered around the color blue, it’s safe to assume that he’s blue by nature.
  • Aoi seems to have low self-esteem, as evidenced by her lack of consideration for her own survival during the final selection.
  • She also took part in the same final selection as Mist Hashira, Muichiro Tokito.
  • Aoi ranked 24th in the first character popularity poll with 103 votes.
  • Aoi wanted a sister, so she pestered Kanao Tsuyuri to choose her surname.
  • Aoba shares the same romaji spelling as the first part of her name with Aoi (however, the “ao” in “Aoi” and the “ao” in “Aoba” are written with different characters). As Sumihiko Kamado, Kanata Kamado, Toko Agatsuma and Yoshiteru Agatsuma share parts of their names with their ancestors, so does Aoba.
  • Aoba works in the field of science, as does Shinobu in the butterfly mansion where Aoi used to live.
  • Aoba has jet-black hair rather than hair that changes from black to blue like Inosuke, just like Aoi.

Quotes

  • (Inosuke Hashibira): “If you feel hungry, you can eat this. This plate is reserved for you, so you can eat whenever you want. But stop stealing food!”

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