| “ | Once you decide to defeat a demon, defeat it. Once you decide to win, then win. Win, whatever the cost. | ” |
— To Shinobu Kocho, Chapter 142
|
Kanae Kocho (
Appearance
Kanae had long, straight, hair that reaches her mid-back, as well as parted fringes. Butterfly hairpins adorned either side of her head. Although she had a slender build much like Shinobu's, Kanae was still taller than her younger sister.
Kanae wore the standard Demon Slayer uniform: a straight-lined black jacket with a white belt and black hakama pants tucked into a fabric around her lower legs, along with Japanese sandals. The butterfly-styled haori she wore when she was alive is the same one Shinobu wears in the present.
Personality
She is shown to be a kind girl with a bit of an easygoing personality. In some of 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 displays concern for Kagaya and gently informs 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.
However, Kanae has a much stricter side, as shown when Shinobu is on the verge of defeat. Kanae's spirit orders 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 life together with their parents until a demon attacked their home. Their parents were killed trying to protect them, and they were saved by the timely arrival of Gyomei Himejima, who slew the demon. The two sisters made a promise to both join the Demon Slaying Corps themselves and swore 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 mastered their own Breath Styles.
At some point down the line, Kanae became the Flower Pillar. She was present at Sanemi's first Pillar meeting, looking at him in alarm when he rudely confronts 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.[1]
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, covered by fleas, 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 took her to the Butterfly Estate, adopted her, and named her Kanao Tsuyuri. When the girl proved unresponsive without orders, Kanae gave her a coin to flip to help her make decisions until she could stand on her own.
Some years later, Kanae ran into the Upper Moon Two of the Twelve Demon Moons, 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 Slaying Corps to live out a normal life, but her sister is set on avenging her. With the last of her strength, Kanae described Doma to Shinobu before dying.
Synopsis
Dimensional Infinity Fortress Arc
Shinobu chances on Doma, Kanae's killer, in the Dimensional Infinity Fortress. He eventually recognizes Kanae's haori and recollects how he missed out on eating her, enraging Shinobu. When she is on the bring of defeat, Kanae's spirit commands her to continue fighting.
After Doma's death at Kanao and Inosuke Hashibira's hands, Shinobu and Kanae are seen in kimonos, running towards their parents as they all go to heaven.
Relationships
Shinobu Kocho
Her younger biological 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 as living poison with the intent of being devoured to weaken him from the inside so Kanao can complete their vengeance.
Kanao Tsuyuri
Her younger adoptive sister after saving her from slavery 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 Pillar'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 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 her haori that Shinobu now wears, commended her strength and was regretful that he was forced to retreat before he could devour her.
Abilities and Powers
Swordsmanship
During her time as a Demon Slayer,Kanae was a Breath of Flower user that was skilled enough to hold the position of the Flower Pillar, a place only reserved for demon slayers who have slain one of the Twelve Demon Moons or have successfully battled and slain at least 50 demons, further implying to her immense 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 Blade 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.[2]A further testament to Kanae strength is that she was able to battle Upper Moon Two, Doma, until sunrise,showing that although incapable of defeating him and was fatally injured in the end, she was at least able to battle him until a stand still.
