Kanae Kocho

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 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 young, fair woman, and tall for her age. She is described as incredibly pretty by many fans. Kanae had an innocently beautiful face, with a small sharp nose and noticeably pink lips. She possessed straight, long, dark black hair flowing fluidly to her hips, along with two mid-cheek length arched bangs that slightly framed her face. Her eyes are remarkably large, just like her biological sister Shinobu, and a pale violet color with many sparkles reflecting off them, fringed with long, lovely lashes. Being the Flower Hashira, she wears two beautiful pink-green butterflies on either back-side of her head that accentuates her looks. She possesses the famous beauty of the Kochō sisters.

Kanae wore the standard black Demon Slayer uniform, tinted dark-purple in the anime, and tattsuke hakama pants as well as a piece of black fabric around her calves and zōri with pale purple straps. She also sported a pair of pink and green 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 pale turquoise 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.

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 girl. 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.

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 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. 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.

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 (花はなの呼こ吸きゅう, Hana no kokyū?): A Breathing Style Kanae mastered well enough to battle Upper Rank Two, Doma.

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?) - 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?) - 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?) - 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?) - 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?) - 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 (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.