Kanae Kocho

Kanae Kocho (カナエ) was a Demon Slayer and the late Flower Hashira. She is the biological older sister of Shinobu Kocho and the adoptive older sister of Kanao Tsuyuri.

She was slain several years prior to the present story by Upper Rank Two, Doma.

Appearance
Kanae was a girl of a slender build who was rather tall for her age and had notably red lips in contrast to her pale complexion. She had long, straight, black hair that reached just below her hips, worn down with two shorter clumps over her shoulders, and arched, ear-length bangs on either side of her face. Her eyes were a pale violet and slanted towards the sides of her face, bright and bug-like, with many notable white sparkles reflecting light off of them.

Kanae wore a purple-tinted version of the standard Demon Slayer uniform and tattsuke hakama pants as well as a piece of black fabric around her calves and zōri with pale straps. She also sported a pair of green and pink butterfly hairpins that she wore adorned on either side of her head - one of which was later used by her adoptive younger sister, Kanao Tsuyuri, as a memento. She also wore the white butterfly-patterned haori that fades to mint green then pink toward the cuff and hem, which Shinobu Kocho now wears in the present.

Personality
Kanae is shown to be a good-natured girl with an easygoing personality; in Shinobu and Kanao's flashbacks, she is almost always seen with a gentle smile on her face. When Sanemi Shinazugawa lashed out against their leader, Kagaya Ubuyashiki, she displayed concern for Kagaya and gently informed Sanemi how Kagaya truly cares for the Demon Slayers under his charge. Kanae also had a dream of someday being able to live peacefully alongside demons despite all the suffering and death they have inflicted on humans, which later inspired Shinobu to do the same.

However, Kanae had a much stricter side, as shown when Shinobu was on the verge of defeat during her battle with Doma. Kanae's spirit ordered her to stand up and face her opponent, brushing away the excuses forming in her mind that she was too delicate to take on demons. Kanae was also keenly observant, seeing through Doma's acting and lies, and deducing that he was in fact emotionless and empty. According to Kanao, Kanae felt sorry for him due to his emptiness, even though he mortally wounded her.

History
The Kocho sisters lived a peaceful, privileged life with their wealthy and loving parents, who continuously doted on and cared for them. Growing up wanting for nothing, the two sisters were content with their simple life together. However, this all came crashing down when a demon attacked their home. Their parents tried to protect the two but were slaughtered before their daughters' eyes. They would have been next, but they were saved by the timely arrival of Gyomei Himejima, who killed the demon immediately before it could kill either of them. After these traumatic events, the two sisters made a promise to both join the Demon Slayer Corps to stop the demons from inflicting the same horror and pain they experienced on others. Both of them soon became successful Demon Slayers after completing their training and developing their own Breathing Styles.

At some point down the line, Kanae became the Flower Hashira. She was present at Sanemi's first Hashira meeting, looking at him in alarm when he rudely confronted their leader. When Kagaya mentions Masachika Kumeno by name, Kanae informs the surprised Sanemi that Kagaya made a point to memorize the names and backgrounds of each Demon Slayer who died in combat.

One day, while traveling through a village, Kanae took notice of a little girl being dragged along by a leash by a man. Even though the girl was nameless, dirty, and didn't speak, Kanae approached her and attempted to convince the man who purchased her to let her go. When he demanded money in compensation, Shinobu flung money in the air, grabbed the rope he released, and ran off with the girl. They then took her to the Butterfly Mansion, adopted her, and named her Kanao. When the girl proved unresponsive without orders, Kanae gave her a coin to flip to help her make decisions until she could make decisions on her own.

Some years later, Kanae ran into the Upper Rank 2 of the Twelve Kizuki, Doma. She was fatally wounded during the encounter, but he was forced to flee from the rising sun before he could devour her. As she lay dying in Shinobu's arms, she tries to convince her sister to leave the Demon Slayer Corps to live a normal life, but her sister is dead set on avenging her. With the last of her strength, Kanae described Doma to Shinobu before succumbing to her wounds.

Infinity Castle Arc
After being pulled into the Infinity Castle along with the rest of the Demon Slayer Corps, Shinobu happens upon Doma, Kanae's killer. He eventually recognizes Kanae's haori and recollects how he missed out on eating her, enraging Shinobu. When she is on the brink of defeat, Kanae's spirit commands her to continue fighting. After Doma's death at the hands of Kanao and Inosuke Hashibira, Shinobu and Kanae are seen in kimonos, running towards their parents as they all go to heaven.

Shinobu Kocho
Shinobu Kocho is her biological younger sister and only surviving relative, the two of them shared a strong and loving sisterly bond. Kanae's death becomes Shinobu's main motivation for becoming stronger in order to avenge her death; she even goes as far as turning herself into living poison with the intent of being devoured to weaken Doma from the inside so that Kanao can complete their vengeance.

Kanao Tsuyuri
Kanao Tsuyuri is her adoptive younger sister after saving her from poverty and adopting her. Kanae did not reprimand her for her inability to make decisions for herself, and instead gave her a coin to flip to help her make decisions. Kanao continued to use this coin up until a chance interaction with Tanjiro Kamado—the person who opened up her heart.

Although Kanao was unable to cry at Kanae's grave due to her past trauma, the Hashira's death affected her greatly. She agrees to be part of Shinobu's plan for revenge against Doma, and his hand in both her sisters' deaths causes her to display a strong emotion for the first time: hate.

Doma
Despite being fatally wounded by the demon, Kanae pitied him for his lack of true emotions. Doma, after being reminded of her by the haori that Shinobu now wears in the current day, commended her strength and was regretful that he was forced to retreat before he could devour her.

Overall Abilities
During her time as a Demon Slayer, Kanae was a Flower Breathing user that was skilled enough to hold the position of the Flower Hashira, a position only reserved for Demon Slayers who have slain one of the Twelve Kizuki or have successfully battled and slain at least 50 demons, further implying her incredible skill and natural born talents. Unlike her younger sister, Shinobu, who lacks the strength to cut off a demon's head due to her small body and thus compensated by using a uniquely-designed Nichirin Sword to mix her poisons and created a sword style focusing on stabbing and inflicting multiple wounds in her targets to fatally poison them, Kanae wielded an ordinary-looking blade. A further testament to Kanae's strength is that she was able to fended off Upper Rank Two, Doma, until sunrise, showing that although she was incapable of defeating him and was severely injured in the end, she was at least able to battle him to a standstill.

Fighting Style
Master Swordswoman: As a Hashira, Kanae would be one of the most powerful combatants in the Demon Slayer Corps, which is supported by the fact that she was able to battle with the second strongest Upper Rank for until sunrise, though it was not specified when the fight started.

Breathing Styles
Flower Breathing (の): A Breathing Style Kanae mastered well enough to battle Upper Rank Two, Doma.

Techniques

 * Second Form: Honorable Shadow Plum (ノ) - The user releases several rotating sword slashes that deflects incoming physical attacks.


 * Fourth Form: Crimson Hanagoromo (ノ) - The user unleashes single sword slash that curves and twists gracefully.


 * Fifth Form: Peonies of Futility (ノ　の) - The user unleashes a flurry of nine consecutive attacks that flow and weave in on themselves.


 * Sixth Form: Whirling Peach (ノ) - A technique used after or during evasion, the user spins around moving with their body weight to deliver an attack.


 * Final Form: Equinoctial Vermilion Eye (ノ) - A focusing technique that raises the user's kinetic vision to its maximum, while using this technique the user perceives the world as if it were in slow motion. Usage of the technique, however, is highly dangerous, as the tremendous strain on the eyes could cause blood vessels to rupture and lead to partial or complete blindness. This technique is still usable even if the user only has one fully functional eye.

Equipment
Standard Nichirin Katana: Kanae carries around a standard sized and shaped Nichirin katana that is light pink in color. Her katana's handguard seems to be the same as her younger sister, Shinobu Kocho's: a four-petaled aqua-colored flower, trimmed with orange. As a Hashira, Kanae's blade should have the words Destroyer of Demons engraved on the side. Her katana broke during her encounter with Upper Rank Two, Doma.

Trivia

 * Kanae's surname is composed of the Kan-on'yomi reading of the kanji for "butterfly". Kanae's given name is spelled with three katakana characters; which differs from Shinobu, her biological sister, and is similar to how Kanao's name is spelled.
 * Kanae shares her English voice actress with Rui's human mother.

Quotes

 * (To Shinobu Kocho) "That doesn't matter. Stand up... Insect Hashira Shinobu Kocho. Once you decide to defeat a demon, defeat it. Once you decide to win, win. Win, whatever the cost. You made that promise with Kanao and me, didn't you?"
 * (To Shinobu Kocho) "Shinobu, you can do this. So do your best."
 * (To Shinobu Kocho) "Pull yourself together. I won't allow you to cry. Stand up."
 * (To Shinobu Kocho) "But perhaps, you will lose to that demon."

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