Kanae Kocho (Kimetsu no Yaiba)

KANJI 胡蝶 カナエ RŌMAJI Kochō Kanae CHARACTERISTICS RACE Human GENDER Female AGE 21[1] HAIR COLOR Black EYE COLOR Pale Purple AFFILIATION AFFILIATION Demon Slayer Corps OCCUPATION Demon Slayer Flower Hashira COMBAT STYLE Flower Breathing PERSONAL STATUS STATUS Deceased RELATIVE(S) Unnamed Parents Shinobu Kocho (Younger Sister) Kanao Tsuyuri (Adoptive Younger Sister)

Kanae Kocho (胡こ蝶ちょう カナエ, Kochō Kanae?) was a minor character in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. She was a Demon Slayer of the Demon Slayer Corps and the late Flower Hashira (花はな柱ばしら, Hana Bashira?). She is the older sister of Shinobu Kocho and the adoptive older sister of Kanao Tsuyuri.

Appearance

Kanae was a girl of a slender build, much like her younger sister. She was rather tall for her age and had notably red lips in contrast to her pale complexion. She had long, straight hair of a dark black color that reached just below her waist, 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 color and slanted towards the sides of her face, and were bright and bug-like, with many notable white sparkles reflecting light off of them.

Kanae wore the standard Demon Slayer Corps uniform, which is black in the manga and tinted dark purple in the anime. Her uniform consisted of a button-up jacket with a stand-up collar and long sleeves, featuring gold buttons, a shirt pocket on the left breast, and the kanji for Destroy (滅めつ, Metsu?) engraved on the back of the uniform. Beneath the jacket, she wore a white long-sleeved collared undershirt, and her outfit was fastened at the waist with the standard white belt. She wore traditional tattsuke-hakama pants matching the dark-purple tone of her uniform. Around her lower legs, Kanae wrapped a strip of black fabric, functioning similarly to kyahan, and wore dark purple tabi socks that matched her uniform’s accent. On her feet, she wore zōri sandals with pale purple straps.

Over her uniform, Kanae wore a white haori patterned like butterfly wings, which fades to pale turquoise and then pink at the hem and sleeves, cuffed with a black trim, with white-pale turquoise dots. This haori was later inherited by her younger sister Shinobu, who wears it in remembrance of her. Kanae also adorned her hair with a distinctive set of green butterfly hairpins with a pink rimmed and white speckled spots, worn symmetrically on either side of her head. After her death, one of these butterfly pins was passed on to Kanao Tsuyuri, her adoptive younger sister.

Personality

Kanae's laid-back nature Kanae's easy-going nature, much to a younger Shinobu's annoyance. Kanae is shown to be a good-natured girl with an easy-going personality; in Shinobu and Kanao's flashbacks, she is almost always seen with a gentle smile on her face.[2][3] When Sanemi Shinazugawa lashed out against their leader, Kagaya Ubuyashiki, Kanae displayed concern for Kagaya and gently informed Sanemi how Kagaya truly cares for the Demon Slayers under his charge.[4] 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.[5] According to Kanao, Kanae felt sorry for Doma due to his emptiness, even as she was dying.[6]

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.[6]

History

A young Shinobu with her older sister Kanae Kanae and Shinobu make it their goal to be Demon Slayers. 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.[7] 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 the backgrounds of each Demon Slayer who died in combat.[8]

Shinobu and Kanae taking Kanao The Kocho sisters taking Kanao. 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 Two 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.[9]

Synopsis

Rehabilitation Training Arc

Shinobu with dying Kanae Shinobu holds a dying Kanae. During Tanjiro Kamado's training to become stronger with Rehabilitation Training, Shinobu met the boy and commended him for his spirit and will to push on. To Shinobu's shock, Tanjiro unexpectedly asks her if she is angry, despite having a smile on her. Her expression saddens as she states that she had always been angry at demons, seeing them as unredeemable, unlike her beloved older sister Kanae. Kanae, like Tanjiro, saw sympathy in demons; when she was killed, Shinobu attempted to maintain a friendly and cheery façade in remembrance of her sister but she couldn't hold the same dreams, seeing demons as irredeemable.

Infinity Castle Arc

Kanae and Shinobu are reunited Kanae reuniting with Shinobu in the afterlife. 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,[10] enraging Shinobu. When she is on the brink of defeat, Kanae's spirit commands her to continue fighting.[11] After Doma's death at the hands of Kanao and Inosuke Hashibira, Shinobu and Kanae's spirits pat their exhausted sister on the head, commending her for doing well.

Shinobu and Kanao attends Kanae's funeral Shinobu and Kanao attending Kanae's funeral. Shinobu and Kanae are seen in kimonos, running towards their parents as they all go to heaven.[12] Kanao, who previously internalized her emotions from her abuse, apologizes to Kanae because she could not cry during her funeral, despite no one blaming her. She saw Kanae's hair pin broken and found Shinobu's pin in the lotus pond, before clutching the memoirs of her sisters to her chest and crying for the first time, mourning Kanae and Shinobu.

Legacy

Kanae would be reincarnated in the modern day as a student in Sekirei Women's Academy, and is seen alongside Shinobu's reincarnation. Strangely, the story does not indicate that the Kocho's reincarnations are sisters in their reborn lives

Abilities

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 physical strength to cut off a demon's head due to her small body and thus compensated by using a uniquely-designed Nichirin Sword and new fighting style, Kanae wielded an ordinary-looking blade, though Shinobu noted that her sister too had a slight frame similar to herself.[13] 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.

Keen Intelligence: Kanae was rather observant, seeing through Doma's acting and lies, and deducing that he was in fact emotionless and empty.[6]

Fighting Style

Master Swordswoman: As a Hashira, Kanae was, at one point, one of the most powerful combatants in the Demon 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 (花はなの呼こ吸きゅう, Hana no kokyū?): A Breathing Style Kanae mastered well enough to make her a Hashira and battle Upper Rank Two, Doma. In addition, her adopted sister Kanao learned how to utilize Flower Breathing herself by watching Kanae perform them.[1]

Techniques

Second Form: Honorable Shadow Plum (弐にノ型かた　御み影かげ梅うめ, Ni no kata: Mikage Ume?)[14] - The user releases several rotating sword slashes that deflects incoming physical attacks. Fourth Form: Crimson Hanagoromo (肆しノ型かた　紅べに花はな衣ごろも, Shi no kata: Beni Hanagoromo?)[15] - The user unleashes single sword slash that curves and twists gracefully. Fifth Form: Peonies of Futility (伍ごノ型かた　徒あだの芍しゃく薬やく, Go no kata: Ada no Shakuyaku?)[16] - The user unleashes a flurry of nine consecutive attacks that flow and weave in on themselves. Sixth Form: Whirling Peach (陸ろくノ型かた　渦うず桃もも, Roku no kata: Uzumomo?)[17] - 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 (終ついノ型かた　彼ひ岸がん朱しゅ眼がん, Tsui no kata: Higan Shugan?)[18] - 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.[19] This technique is still usable even if the user only has one fully functional eye.[20]

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's: a four-petaled aqua-colored flower, trimmed with orange. As a Hashira, Kanae's blade should have the words Destroyer of Demons (惡あっ鬼き滅めっ殺さつ, Akki Messatsu?) engraved on the side. Her katana broke during her encounter with Upper Rank Two, Doma.