Sanemi Shizunagawa

Sanemi Shinazugawa is a major supporting character in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. He is a Demon Slayer of the Demon Slayer Corps and the current Wind Hashira.

Sanemi is also the older brother of Genya Shinazugawa, a Demon Slayer who fought alongside Tanjiro Kamado and Nezuko Kamado. Before becoming a Hashira, Sanemi, along with his partner Masachika Kumeno, defeated the former Lower Rank One, Ubume, with Masachika dying as a result.

CAREER: Human GENDER: Male AGE: twenty-one HEIGHT: 179 cm (5'10½") WEIGHT: 75 kg (165 lbs) BIRTHDAY: November 29 [1] HAIR COLOR: White EYE COLOR: Pale purple

MEMBERSHIP: Demon Slayer Corps (formerly) OCCUPATION: Hashira of the Demon Slayer Wind FIGHTING STYLE: Breathing of the wind

STATE: Active (before timeskip) Deceased (after timeskip) RELATIVES): Kyogo Shinazugawa (Father) Shizu Shinazugawa (Mother) Genya Shinazugawa (Younger Brother) Sumi Shinazugawa (Younger sister) Teiko Shinazugawa (Younger sister) Hiroshi Shinazugawa (Younger brother) Shuya Shinazugawa (Younger brother) Koto Shinazugawa (Younger brother) Sanehiro Shinazugawa (Descendant)

Sanemi is a tall man with a very muscular build, long spiky white hair and large almond-shaped eyes with purple irises. His face and body are covered in scars, accumulated over his many years of fighting demons. He cuts his hair short sometime between the Rehabilitation Training Arc and the Mugen Train Arc. He is usually seen with a crazed expression on his face.

He wears a green-tinted version of the standard Demon Slayer uniform, unbuttoned to expose his chest and abs with a white long-sleeved shirt over it with the kanji for kill (kill satsu, satsu?) engraved on the back, white buckles around his shins, and tabi socks with a pair of white zōri with green straps.

During his battle with Kokushibo, he loses his right index and middle fingers.[3]

Sanemi is aggressive, hot-tempered, reckless, and stubborn, often impulsive and quick to attack. He is often indifferent towards others and can become angered very easily. The only person Sanemi ever showed reverence towards was Kagaya Ubuyashiki, and this was only after realizing that the man was far more than his outward appearance suggested. Sanemi has also shown a hunger for battle, wishing he could meet higher-ranking demons, and proclaiming his eagerness to fight the higher-ranking one, Kokushibo.

Sanemi's cold, rude, and dismissive demeanor is a result of losing too many people he cared about in the past. Later, when he sees those people who have passed away, such as his mother, he can't help but give her a smile so he can see her again. When Genya joins the Demon Slayers on their quest, Sanemi repeatedly dismisses him and lashes out at any chance to see him, but Tanjiro Kamado can tell that Sanemi didn't truly hate him; and in fact still had the same brotherly love he had for him in childhood. However, this was never expressed outwardly as he tried to keep Genya away from him and the Demon Slayers so he wouldn't be exposed to danger.

Because of all that he lost to them, Sanemi harbors a deep hatred towards demons and is convinced that humans and demons can never co-exist. When he does make up his mind on something, it is extremely difficult to dissuade him. He did not believe Tanjiro's insistence that Nezuko Kamado would not eat humans and even moves to prove his own point by stabbing the box with Nezuko inside. [4] After angering her, he cuts off his own arm to try and provoke her into attacking him due to the effect of her rare blood. Even after she does not, and Kagaya uses this as proof that Nezuko will not attack humans, Sanemi does not truly accept the Kamado siblings.

Ultimately, Tanjiro is right about Sanemi. Despite his poor treatment of his brother, Genya, Sanemi truly loved and cared for his brother, admitting that he blames himself for failing to protect him. He even expresses that he wished for Genya to settle down and have a family. After the battle with Upper Rank One, Sanemi not only displays great anger and a certain emptiness towards Muzan, but also becomes more cooperative with people like Giyu, someone he clearly didn't get along with in the past. Even when Sanemi is thrown out of the battle against Muzan, he displays undeniable courage and determination, like his fellow Hashira.

When the confrontation with Muzan is finally over and time has passed, Sanemi has clearly calmed down a bit. He is able to smile with Giyu, even after their previous confrontations. Most surprisingly, he admits his mistakes and apologizes to Nezuko for his actions. It gets to the point where he gives her a smile and a pat on the head, while seeing Genya in the way she responds.

General skills:

As the Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, Sanemi is a very powerful and skilled combatant. [5] He has demonstrated his extraordinary abilities and proficiency in combat on multiple occasions. By training under Giyu Tomioka, Sanemi was able to fight on equal terms with the Water Hashira. In the battle within the Infinity Castle, Sanemi was shown to be capable of instantly annihilating hordes of demons that were comparable to the Lower Rankers in strength. In particular, he was able to hold his own against the Upper Ranker One, Kokushibo. According to the demon, Sanemi's physical and technical abilities have reached their peak. [6] Kokushibo also commented that Sanemi and companion Gyomei Himejima stood out as highly skilled even among the ranks of the already powerful Hashira. [7] After the Upper Ranker was defeated, Sanemi quickly recovered from his brother's death and proceeded to aid the Demon Slayers against the Demon King, Muzan Kibutsuji. He played a pivotal role in damaging the demon along with the other combatants' attacks and was one of two Hashira who survived to see the end of the monumental battle.

Indomitable Will: Sanemi possesses an unbreakable spirit and incredible willpower. In his confrontation with Kokushibo, the second most powerful demon in existence, he has shown on numerous occasions his utter refusal to give up, despite the seemingly impossible odds against the demon and the numerous grievous injuries he received. Sanemi goes so far as to directly fight the demon, actively fighting Kokushibo alone for a long period of time and flat-out declaring that he would kill him for injuring Genya. After the battle ended with Genya's death, despite mourning his beloved brother, Sanemi was able to put aside his grief to face Muzan soon after.

Tactical Intellect: Despite appearing impulsive and reckless, Sanemi boasts an impressive ability to observe and understand in battle, particularly through action-based thinking. This was demonstrated when he deduced the threat of Kokushibo's miniature moon-shaped attacks, and again when he instantly grasped the abilities of Yushiro's talismans despite never having used them or been informed of their properties.

Combat Intuition: Sanemi possesses incredible split-second thinking and planning capabilities. He was able to catch and kill countless demons on his own despite having no knowledge of the Demon Slayer Corps or Nichirin Swords, creating elaborate ways to capture them by arming himself in any way he could and using his Marechi blood.

Weapon Versatility: Sanemi has shown to be quite flexible in his use of weapons, being able to use Genya's sword and shotgun alongside his own Nichirin Sword in a high-speed battle against Kokushibo. Also, when fighting Muzan, he utilized fire by pouring oil on the demon and lighting it with a match. [8]

Demon Hunter Skills:

Demon Slayer Mark: During the battle against Kokushibo, Sanemi awakened his own Demon Slayer Mark which resembled a single green-colored paper origami windmill with two dots on either side of his right cheek. The Mark drastically increases his physical capabilities, as seen when Sanemi was still able to fight and compete with Kokushibo, even momentarily surpassing him in strength, despite being severely injured and cut on his abdomen. However, despite his physical stamina, strength, and pain tolerance being drastically increased, Sanemi was unable to land a significant blow on Kokushibo without the assistance of Gyomei and Muichiro. Furthermore, Sanemi would have been killed twice by Kokushibo if not for his intervention.

Bright Red Nichirin Sword: During the battle against Kokushibo, Sanemi strikes Gyomei's spiked flail with his sword, briefly turning them red, allowing them to decapitate the higher-ranker. [9] Later in the fight against Muzan, Sanemi, learning from their previous encounter, forcefully clashes his sword together with Giyu's, turning both swords red temporarily. [10] Turning his sword red granted him the ability to hinder Muzan's instant regeneration, which proved effective in battle.

Muscle Control: Sanemi can control his own muscles to a certain extent, using them to close and prevent fatal wounds from opening in the middle of battle. When Kokushibo slashed him numerous times across his body, Sanemi was able to manipulate and flex his muscles to prevent his organs from falling out. This ability surprised the demon and allowed him to fight for a longer period of time.

Physical Abilities:

Immense Speed ​​and Reflexes: Sanemi possesses tremendous speed and reflexes. He is said to be the second fastest runner among the Hashira. During Hashira training, when he was arguing with Tanjiro about Genya, Sanemi moved using a burst of speed so fast that it seemed like he teleported according to some observers. Sanemi later displayed a level of speed comparable to Giyu during a match between the two. When faced with demons on par with lower ranked demons, Sanemi was able to effortlessly cut them into pieces while still sitting down. [11] Sanemi was shown to be much faster than Muichiro in the fight against the higher ranked one, Kokushibo, as the former was able to keep up with the demon's techniques while the latter was easily defeated despite being marked. Upon awakening his Demon Slayer mark, Sanemi was able to briefly compete with and overpower Kokushibo. Furthermore, he was also able to keep up with a weakened Muzan while receiving support from the other Hashira for a considerable period of time.

Immense Stamina and Endurance: Despite suffering dozens of scars and cuts all over his body, Sanemi never showed any signs of pain or agony, to the point where he was willing to cut himself with his katana in order to test Nezuko Kamado: in fact, he didn't even flinch from doing so. His incredible stamina and resistance to pain also shone during his battle with Kokushibo, where he was able to keep up with the higher-ranking Demon for an extended period of time on his own without the Demon Slayer Mark, and despite receiving numerous grievous wounds from one of Kokushibo's techniques, he still continued to fight, which surprised even Kokushibo. During the final showdown with Muzan, he was able to fight the Demon King for around half an hour straight without resting, exerting his physical and mental capabilities to the limit without tiring. When Muzan was cornered, he was one of the first to act, having enough energy to unleash two more Wind Breathing techniques.

Immense Strength: Due to years of harsh training, Sanemi possesses incredible physical strength. He could lift Nezuko Kamado in her box with a single hand effortlessly, knock out Zenitsu Agatsuma with a casual punch, break a wooden sword because he swung it too forcefully, and cut off Tanjiro Kamado's ear with a single kick. He was also able to briefly compete with Kokushibo, one of the physically strongest demons in existence in a sword fight, and was even able to push the demon's sword down by parrying the blow with his own.

Supernatural Abilities:

Marechi Blood: Sanemi's blood was revealed to be one of the rarest types of blood, making it incredibly intoxicating and delicious to demons. It is also unique due to its intense potency that the slightest scent of her blood causes demons to immediately salivate and lose concentration, as her blood was able to affect the strongest of the upper ranks, Kokushibo. However, its effect wore off after a while and was shown to be completely ineffective against Kokushibo after getting used to him and Muzan. Despite the potency of her blood, Nezuko was shown to be able to resist it due to her own strong conviction and will to not eat humans, which is further cemented and strengthened by the hypnosis planted in her brain by Sakonji Urokodaki. In addition to its potency against a demon's senses, Sanemi's blood was able to clot through his mastery of Total Concentration Breathing, allowing him to stop his bleeding completely and continue fighting even when cut.

Master Swordsman: Being a Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, Sanemi is one of the most powerful and skilled swordsmen in the entire organization. [12] His swordsmanship matched that of Giyu Tomioka, an extremely skilled swordsman in his own right, during their sparring match while undergoing Hashira Training. Sanemi's skills with the sword allowed him to keep up with and impress the Upper Rank One, Kokushibo, a demon with centuries of swordsmanship under his belt. [13] Sanemi could also adapt and work with Gyomei's Stone Breathing techniques to push Kokushibo back.

Wind Breathing: A breathing style that Sanemi learned and mastered under Masachika Kumeno after receiving tutelage from an unknown cultivator. As a Wind Hashira, Sanemi was considered the most skilled Wind Breathing user of his generation. His level of skill with Wind Breathing reminded Kokushibo of the first Wind Hashira during the Sengoku Era, the Golden Age of Demon Slayers.

Techniques:

"First Stance: Dust Whirlwind Cutter" - The user moves forward at blinding speed and continuously cuts in a horizontal cyclonic pattern.

"Second Stance: Claws, Purifying Wind" - The user raises the sword to the right, above his head and launches four vertical slashes at once towards the enemy that look like claws.

"Third Stance: Transparent Storm Wind Tree" - The user unleashes a whirlwind of slashes around their body that can defend them from incoming attacks and cut through their surroundings.

"Fourth Stance: Rising Dust Storm" - The user launches several slashes above him from below his target.

"Fifth Stance: Cold Mountain Wind" - The user creates several circular arcing slashes that increase in size from above their target.

"Sixth Stance: Black Wind Mountain Mist" - The user spins their body in an uppercut motion, creating a tornado of slashes.

"Seventh Stance: Gale, Sudden Gusts" - The user leaps into the air while swinging their sword, generating hurricane-force winds that tear apart their opponent.

"Eighth Stance: Primary Gale Slash" - The user leaps into the air and swings his sword horizontally, creating circular torrents of wind that cut the opponent instantly.

"Ninth Stance: Idaten Typhoon" - The user performs a backflip in the air and while upside down, unleashes a powerful circular gust of wind that cuts apart everything below it.

Standard Nichirin Katana - Sanemi carries with him a standard sized and shaped Nichirin katana with a black blade that has an irregular green jaw-like pattern engraved on both sides. The tsuba of his katana is in an abstract shape with 8 points with an overlaid pattern; each plate has a forest green core with a silver rim. The hilt of his katana is two-toned, with a white cord covering its upper and lower thirds and a green cord running down the middle. As a Hashira, Sanemi's blade has the words Demon Destroyer engraved on the side. With his katana, Sanemi has a standard sword scabbard that is a dark shade of grey with silver markings resembling scars scattered over it.