“ | I'll say it again so listen up! You're moving based on habit, Tanjiro. Don't watch your opponent and decide what you'll do before moving. That's no good. Understand? You're lacking in the basic fundamentals. I'm surprised you survived this long. In the Demon Slayer Corps, everything is dangerous. I'll beat the weakness out of you! I won't give you any food until you can do what I'm telling you! |
” |
— Kotetsu to Tanjiro Kamado in Kotetsu
|
Kotetsu (
Appearance[]
Kotetsu is a child of short stature, pale skin tone, and black hair. He wears a striped yukata and a Hyottoko mask (with notable eyebrows and cheek prints) that fully conceals his face. It is said that his face looks exactly like his mask. The kanji for Hyottoko (
Personality[]
Kotetsu is a kind and energetic child. He is full of passion for his job of maintaining the battle doll Yoriichi Type Zero, even though he has not yet mastered the repairs. This causes him much initial grief and fear, as should the doll break, no one but him is skilled enough to fix it. However, after meeting Tanjiro Kamado he realizes that he cannot give up. He is often very frank and blunt at times. This can be to his own detriment however, as he has no problems being blunt about the notoriously ill-tempered Hotaru Haganezuka who retaliates by assaulting the boy. Despite this, he means the best and tries his hardest to help those around him.
While at times he seems insecure and weak-willed, as shown when he attempts to argue with Muichiro Tokito's harsh but true statements, Kotetsu can also be hot-headed and barbed-tongued. Without Muichiro to see him in the company of Tanjiro, he openly insulted the Hashira on multiple occasions, which shocked Tanjiro with his sharp contrast in demeanor.
Despite initially bearing a grudge against the Mist Hashira, Kotetsu openly wept and repeatedly thanked Muichiro for saving him from a demon attack, even taking back his hatred and insults (which Muichiro did not even know about). He began begging Muichiro to save Kozo Kanamori and Hotaru Haganezuka, showing that he is open to changing his feelings towards people and being on better terms.
History[]
Kotetsu was born to a family of swordsmiths dating back to the Sengoku period, over 300 years before the Taisho period. His ancestors built an advanced battle doll modeled after a Demon Slayer named Yoriichi Tsugikuni and it was used to practice swordsmanship and refine the skills of other Demon Slayers.
His father died unexpectedly, leaving him a lonely orphan; he was an only child. Unfortunately, this also meant that he alone had the knowledge about the inner workings of the doll and should it break, no one but him can repair it. This led him to be protective of the doll to avoid further damage.
Synopsis[]
Swordsmith Village Arc[]
Tanjiro first encounters Kotetsu while he's refusing to lend Muichiro Tokito a doll that bears a striking resemblance to a man from his dreams. Kotetsu helps Tanjiro train with the doll but also seems to torture him by restricting him from having food and water, along with breaks just to become even stronger.
Sunrise Countdown Arc[]
In the aftermath of the final battle, Kotetsu along with other swordsmiths visited a recovering Tanjiro who had suffered major injuries after being temporarily turned into a demon. He also joined a group photo alongside surviving members of the Demon Slayer Corps.
Abilities[]
Overview: Despite his young age, he has shown to be a skilled teacher and trainer, as shown when he asks Tanjiro to face Yoriichi Type Zero. Kotetsu also corrected the posture and mistakes that Tanjiro made and how he had survived this way, which indicates that Kotetsu has had some trouble with demons.
Relationships[]
Muichiro Tokito[]
In the beginning, their relationship was not very good, as Muichiro tried to force Kotetsu to lend him the key so he can fight against Yoriichi Type Zero, even going into lengths to almost insult Kotetsu's job as a swordsmith. This made Kotetsu bear a grudge against Muichiro, talking behind his back like calling him "seaweed head." However, later when Gyokko uses his Blood Demon Art to summon fish demons, Muichiro saves Kotetsu after being reminded of Tanjiro telling him to help others in need of it. Shortly after he saves Kotetsu, they were quickly on better terms with each other.
Tanjiro Kamado[]
Kotetsu sees Tanjiro as a friend. At first, Tanjiro defended Kotetsu when Muichiro and Kotetsu were arguing over the key, but Kotetsu shoved Tanjiro away when he tried to help him. Tanjiro was knocked out by Muichiro afterwards but woke up to see Kotetsu still there, who thanked him for standing up to him. Whilst watching Muichiro fight against Yoriichi Type Zero, Kotetsu runs off and Tanjiro follows him. Tanjiro later finds Kotetsu in the tree and encouraged him to keep going and work hard, even getting to the point where he appears in front of Kotetsu and flicked his chin. Later, Tanjiro trains with Yoriichi Type Zero while having Kotetsu scold him for each of his failures. However, Kotetsu helped Tanjiro work hard and eventually, Tanjiro won against Yoriichi Type Zero. Kotetsu was said to have a "venomous tongue" by Tanjiro. Tanjiro's trust in Kotetsu was best exemplified by him allowing Kotetsu to temporarily keep the tsuba of Kyojuro Rengoku, his fallen idol and mentor.
Hotaru Haganezuka[]
Although Kotetsu is usually on even terms with Hotaru, his mouthy and blunt attitude causes him to provoke the notoriously ill-tempered swordsmith.
Kozo Kanamori[]
Kotetsu seems to be good friends with Kozo. They are relieved to see each other when Kozo is rescued by Muichiro and they hold each other for comfort when they witness Gyokko presents "Death Throes of the Smiths" an art piece consisting of numerous barely-alive swordsmiths, including Kotetsu's uncle. Later on when Kotetsu teases Hotaru for his bashfulness in announcing that he'll forge a new sword for Tanjiro, Kozo attempts to warn him not to awaken his wrath, but to no avail.
Trivia[]
- Kotetsu shares his Japanese and English voice actors with Yaad from Delicious in Dungeon.
- Kotetsu's actual face bears a striking resemblance to his mask, so much so that people say he doesn't really need to wear the mask.[5]
- He is an orphan with no siblings.[2]
- His name literally means "little iron" (小鉄 kotetsu).
Quotes[]
- (To Tanjiro Kamado) "I hoped the doll would never break, but I'm determined. Combat training should last until dark, so I'll get ready to see this to the end... like I should."[1]
- (To Tanjiro Kamado) "Yes! Train with this, Tanjiro! And get stronger than that emotionless jerk! I will help you... with all my strength!"[6]
- (To Tanjiro Kamado) "I'll say it again so listen up! You're moving based on habit, Tanjiro. Don't watch your opponent and decide what you'll do before moving. That's no good. Understand? You're lacking in the basic fundamentals. I'm surprised you survived this long? In the Demon Slayer Corps, everything is dangerous. I'll beat the weakness out of you! I won't give you any food until you can do what I'm telling you!"[7]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 103 (Page 12).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 103 (Page 4).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 111 (Page 4).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 102 (Page 19).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Volume 13, (Extra Pages).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 103 (Page 19).
- ↑ Kimetsu no Yaiba Manga: Chapter 104 (Page 4).