With the Pillar Training Arc scheduled to air this year in 2024, the Pillars are currently garnering a lot of attention, but which of the Pillars in this series is your favorite? Most of the Pillars in this series not only possess overwhelming power, even among the Demon Slayer Corps, but they also have fascinating personalities and many details about their pasts, making them extremely popular characters. Today, we'd like to introduce you to Sanemi Shinazugawa, the most aggressive and manly character from the Pillars, who are by far the most popular of the series' strongest group. He's a fairly aggressive character, and people will either love or hate him, but his impression changes dramatically as the story progresses, so be sure to keep an eye on him.
Serving as the Wind Pillar
Muichiro Toshimitsu is a character who served as the Wind Pillar. His painful appearance, frantic expression, and extremely harsh remarks make him a very memorable character, and even fans who have only seen a small portion of the series are likely to remember him fondly.
A High-Level Member of the Demon Slayer Corps
As evidenced by Sanemi Shinazugawa's aggressive appearance and behavior, he is a highly skilled character within the Demon Slayer Corps. Even among the Pillars, very few characters have been mentioned as possessing high-level abilities. However, the fact that Sanemi Shinazugawa is specifically mentioned as possessing high-level abilities within the Demon Slayer Corps suggests that he is highly skilled not only within the Demon Slayer Corps, but also among the Pillars.
His friendships are so-so...
His overwhelming fighting power and confidence make him a very reliable character in battle, but his friendships often don't go as smoothly as he should due to his harsh words and behavior, and he is portrayed as being at odds with several characters in the series. He seems to get along particularly poorly with the taciturn Giyu Tomioka, and they have been shown to clash several times.
One of the series' most villainous characters!?
Although Sanemi Shinazugawa is a reliable character with exceptional combat abilities, he is often at odds with other characters and is known as one of the most heelish characters among the series' Pillars. Even among the Pillars, who are generally generally good-natured characters, he has an overly aggressive personality, which is probably why many anime fans initially didn't like Sanemi Shinazugawa very much.
Arguing with Tanjiro over the Nezuko incident
Upon first meeting the protagonist Tanjiro, he distrusts Nezuko, a demon who does not attack humans. He even shows her his own blood in an attempt to expose her true demon nature, making him particularly wary of her as a demon, even among the Hashira. For this reason, he is not portrayed as a character who is particularly close to Tanjiro, and Tanjiro himself seems to be somewhat afraid of the fiery-tempered Shinazugawa.
He looks evil
As such, he is perceived as a villain because he doesn't get along well with the main character, Tanjiro, and because he is known for his aggressive remarks. To begin with, his appearance is clearly intimidating, so for elementary school-aged readers reading this work for the first time, he is likely a traumatic, extremely scary character.
Special Constitution
Such a wicked personality stands out about Sanemi Shinazugawa. His fighting ability and personality aren't the only notable traits. His blood possesses a hidden special effect on demons. Demons have a craving for human blood, but in rare cases, characters like his exist whose blood possesses a special effect on demons.
Induces Demons to Intoxicate
His blood's special effect is to induce intoxication in demons. Intoxication is a state similar to that of alcohol, slowing the mind and reducing bodily control. At first glance, this may seem like a trait that only benefits the user, but this blood does not necessarily have the same effect on all demons. And above all, its special nature makes it a tricky ability, making it particularly vulnerable to demons.
There are corresponding risks.
More importantly, since this ability requires the shedding of one's own blood, continued use of it for an extended period of time could result in sepsis due to excessive blood loss. While Sanemi Shinazugawa himself is accustomed to this tactic and has a constitution that can withstand blood loss, it is still impossible to continue fighting while utilizing this ability for an extended period of time.
A truly lethal fighting style
As the Wind Pillar, Sanemi Shinazugawa is portrayed as a character who uses the Wind Breathing technique. The Wind Breathing technique utilizes the air around him, creating a sharp, kamaitachi-like shape to slash at his enemies, allowing for numerous techniques. This breathing technique allows for long-range attacks even while using a sword, a weapon specialized for close-range combat.
Master of Any Weapon
Although Sanemi Shinazugawa himself primarily fights with swords, he is portrayed as a character who can master any weapon at hand, regardless of the situation, making use of his brother's shotgun and Molotov cocktails. He is a character with an extremely flexible fighting style, and even the Waxing Moon Demon is often depicted as being at the mercy of his surprising fighting style.
A First-Class Swordsman with a Practical Approach
Though he is an expert swordsman who has mastered the Breath of Wind technique, he is portrayed as a character who is willing to use any means necessary to gain an advantage in actual combat. His flexible fighting style likely stems from his past experience slaying demons with his own hands, without being a member of the Demon Slayer Corps.
Relationship with His Younger Brother, Genya
Muzugawa Sanemi has a younger brother, Genya. The relationship between these two is particularly well-detailed throughout the series, and they both play an important role in the final scene of the series. Fans interested in the siblings should definitely pay close attention to their relationship.
Persistently Pushing His Brother Away
Muichiro Tomoya Shinazugawa pushed his younger brother, Genya Shinazugawa, further away than necessary. Genya followed his older brother into the Demon Slayer Corps, but he spoke harshly about his lack of talent and tried to get him to quit. His real intention was that he didn't want his younger brother to continue working in the Demon Slayer Corps, where his life was in danger. However, due to his rather clumsy personality, he was unable to express this directly. If he had been able to honestly express his feelings to his brother at that time, the tragedy that followed might have been avoided.
On the contrary, it ended up igniting his younger brother's fighting spirit.
This cold attitude from Saneya towards his younger brother ended up igniting his younger brother's fighting spirit. Genya chose to make great achievements in the Demon Slayer Corps and kill many demons in order to win his older brother's attention. As a result, Saneya's wish for his younger brother to live a peaceful life was not fulfilled, and time passed until the final battle.
A Past Failure to Protect Family
Why was Sanemi so reluctant to allow his younger brother, Genya, to remain in the Demon Slayer Corps? Behind this lies the tragic past of the Inosuke brothers. From here, I would like to briefly explain the tragedy that befell the Inosuke brothers and the resulting separation of the brothers.
Killing Their Mother Who Turned Into a Demon
The sudden death of the Shinazugawa brothers' father, who never worked, left them with an unstable income, and their mother and eldest son, Saneya, had to work hard to survive. They lived a happy, albeit difficult, life until one day, their mother was attacked by a demon, transformed into a demon, and killed all of their siblings except for Saneya and Genya. Upon realizing this, Saneya instinctively killed his mother, who was also a demon.
Farewell to His Brother
However, when Genya later caught his brother murdering their mother, he was so distraught that he mistakenly assumed his brother was a murderer. This marked the beginning of a misunderstanding between the brothers, and Saneya decided to continue killing demons, even if it meant Genya would continue to misunderstand him, in order to create an environment where they could live happily without Genya's knowledge. However, this wish was dashed when Genya followed him and joined the Demon Slayer Corps.
Playing an Active Role in the Final Battle
Then, the Shinazugawa brothers cooperate and fight together in the final battle of the series, the Battle of Mugen Castle. Up until now, the brothers had been considerate of each other but often at odds with each other. However, as they fight together, they come to recognize each other's abilities. This scene depicts the brothers' reconciliation, so be sure to check it out.
The Battle with Kokushibo
The battle against Kokushibo, the Upper Rank One, was particularly challenging for the Shinazugawa brothers. Kokushibo possesses exceptional combat abilities, making him an opponent that even Sanemi, a Pillar with a high level of skill, could not defeat alone. Even in such a difficult situation, the Shinazugawa brothers cooperated to face Kokushibo.
Pushed to the brink of death
As a result, even though Saneya is pushed to the brink of death, he manages to defeat Kokushibo. He manages to achieve victory by utilizing every strategy at his disposal. The deadly battle between Saneya and Kokushibo is one of the most nail-biting and highly popular battle scenes in the series, so be sure to check it out.
Overcoming his brother's death and surviving
Though they somehow managed to defeat Kokushibo, their younger brother, Genya, was already fatally wounded. Although Saneya showed an extraordinary refusal to accept his only remaining brother's death, Genya passed away shortly thereafter. Genya, the only family he had left, passed away peacefully in his arms. This scene was extremely painful to watch, but the silver lining was that at the very end, the two truly shared their feelings for each other.
Repelled by his father and sent back to the world of the living
After that, Saneya continues to fight to the death, but ultimately, like his brother, he is fatally wounded. Losing consciousness and wandering the border between the afterlife and this world, Saneya is reunited with his deceased family, including Genya. Just as he is about to cross over to the afterlife with his family, his father, who never seemed to show any affection for him, suddenly pushes him away, bringing him back to the world of the living.
Accepting His Brother's Death
Despite this extremely painful experience, Sanemi became one of the few survivors of the final battle. After the battle, he accepted his brother's death and transformed into a gentler character. He silently rubbed Nezuko's head, even though she had shown him extreme hostility, as if apologizing for his previous aggressive behavior. This change in his behavior has likely significantly altered the image of Sanemi for many fans.
Summary
What did you think? This article has introduced you to Sanemi Shinazugawa, the Wind Pillar from "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba." He is a character with a particularly sharp personality in the story, and I'm sure there are many fans who didn't like him at first, but as the story progresses to the second half, his relationship with his younger brother improves, his past is explored in depth, and there are many depictions of the death of his beloved younger brother, so I think many fans have had a major change in their image of him. In the story, he is portrayed as a character with a particularly strong contrast between the beginning and the second half, so be sure to pay attention to the change in his heart in the Pillar Training Arc.
