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One of Japan’s most loved anime and manga, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, is undoubtedly the most popular anime show of the year. It has cemented its spot as one of the best plots for manga and anime adaptation with the numerous awards received and praises amongst critics.
The anime series talks about how there are demons that exist that roam at night, waiting for prey. The demon slayers then serve as guardians to eradicate the enemies. The main protagonist Tanjiro, had first-hand experience with demons as they had slaughtered his family except for his sister Nezuko.
Even though his sister survived the attack, Nezuko tragically turned into a demon. Tanjiro then started on his quest to find a cure for his sister and joined the fight against demons. This protagonist had a chance to meet up with other demon slayers, which helped him discover his potential in the long run.
One demon slayer that caught my eye is the quiet and introverted Kanao Tsuyuri. Kanao may have a serene demeanor, but she cemented her place in the anime series as one of the strongest demon slayers. She is a major supporting character in the anime series that helps the protagonist put an end to the roaming demons and their creator, the demon king.
Do not be fooled by her silent mannerisms. Kanao Tsuyuri has a lot upon her sleeves for avid anime watchers and manga readers.
Although not the same as the loud and boisterous other characters, her personality adds a balance to the story. This blog will unveil her past, her personality, memorable quotes, some fun trivia facts, and more. Warning: Spoilers ahead!
Bottom Line Up Front
Kanao is part of the demon slayer corps with a high ranking despite her young age. She is well-trained and has developed abilities that helped defeat Muzan, the demon king. She had proved to her colleagues that she deserved her title with her skills. Kanao mostly appears in the series along with her fellow demon slayer, Shinobu.
She debuted in the story as someone quiet and uncertain about things. Despite her silent mannerism, she shines as a tough character in the series. Kanao’s known demeanor and skillful swordsmanship made me hooked on her character.
You will never get tired of her unique personality and shift when facing her opponent. I find her such a cool and pleasing type of person, especially when she interacts with other characters in the story.
Who is Kanao?
Kanao Tsuyuri (栗つ花ゆ落り カナヲ) is one of the major supporting characters in the anime series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, that helps the main protagonists with their mission to stop evil. She is a demon slayer of the Demon Slayer Corps and is almost always seen with Shinobu Kocho.
At the very young age of sixteen, her superiors see her as a demon slayer with huge potential. When Kanao became a demon slayer, she had proven to be a strong warrior in killing demons. Through her amazing fighting skills, she became a subordinate under Shinobu.
It is safe to say that she is an introverted type of person. She rarely talks and communicates through her expressions. Kanao is also indecisive, especially from the start. Regardless of her quiet personality, she is smart and tactical in battle. As she was trained, Kanao made her mark as one of the strongest demon slayers in the anime series.
Kanao is mysterious, which makes anyone want to get to know her more as a character. Despite her heartbreaking past, she had remained courageous to face any opponent. At first, she did not talk and was introduced in the story by gazing at a butterfly showing no interest or emotion.
Kanao’s Backstory
Kanao opened up to having lived an impoverished life before the Kocho sisters took her in. This event happened because she had a tough upbringing and lived such a poor lifestyle. Her parents, in particular, were incredibly cruel towards her and her siblings, showing violence to them if they did anything they disliked. The parents would end up beating and drowning them at times.
Any sound that Kanao and her siblings make – sounds of pain or even simply crying would result in a punishment by their mother and father.
Kanao recalled that several of her brothers’ bodies felt cold. This event would roughly imply that her brothers had died from a beating the evening before. Kanao was deeply affected by it psychologically, thus becoming an empty shell.
Moreover, due to the fact that her family was so poverty-stricken, they eventually decided to sell Kanao as a slave.
During the time when Kanao was being led off, tied around the waist by a rope, and held by her purchaser, they were approached by the Kocho sisters. She was then purchased out of slavery by the Kocho sisters and taken to the Butterfly Estate.
Due to her past traumatic experiences, she had social issues when it came to decision-making, such as not eating unless she was told to. She also repressed her emotions as a form of defense mechanism. However, she became better than her previous state with the help of her new family.
Kanao stayed in the Butterfly Mansion along with her adoptive sisters and four other orphaned girls. She then entered the Demon Slayers Corps since she was not able to do any household chores or nursing like the others could.
Kanao eventually learned the ability of Flower Breathing just by watching the Kocho sisters, and she took the selection exams without their permission.
Kanao: Appearance, Personality, Quotes, and More
Appearance
Kanao is a short, young girl with large eyes with a dark lilac color that is framed by thick eyelashes. She has black hair tied into a ponytail on the right side of her head and fastened by a pink and green butterfly hairpiece. She has straight bangs and two loose, chin-length strands of hair on each side of her face.
Kanao usually wears a slightly purple-tinted version of the standard Demon Slayer uniform. She pairs it off with a knee-length skirt in place of the usual tattsuke-hakama trousers. Over this, she wears a short white cloak, fastened on one side by a dark pink triple knot, also sporting knee-high lace-up white boots with tan soles and heels.
Same with the majority of demon slayers, Kanao equips herself with a standard Nichirin Sword. Her katana is light pink in color, and the handle of her weapon is circular-shaped with a light pastel blue center and border, filled with red flowers and a light green winding pattern.
The color of Kanao’s hair changes throughout the plot. The ends of her hair now appear to be fading to a neon pink around halfway down her ponytail. After her battle with Upper Moon Two demon Doma, Kanao began to wear Shinobu Kocho’s butterfly hairpin.
The previous pin that she wore belonged to Kanae and was destroyed during the battle. She also loses the ability to see out of her right eye after she used the Flower Breathing’s final form to take out the Upper Rank, with her eye gaining a defined pupil with a dark ring around it.
Personality
Due to her abusive upbringing, Kanao grew up to be a doubtful and quiet type of girl. She cannot decide for herself and suppresses her true emotions instead. For many years that had passed, Kanao continued to show little emotion. She turns into an introvert, with her feelings or desires totally hidden from all.
However, between Kanae’s death and the Rehabilitation Training Arc, she recovers slightly from her indecisiveness but still relies on her coin to make every decision. She also displays a somewhat mechanical response in conversations with the characters in Demon Slayer.
Moreover, after seeing what the demons had done to the loved ones of her adopted family, Kanao had developed a strong hatred against demons. At first, she was ordered to cut off the heads of the demons without hesitation, thinking because Kanao had no desire of her own.
But in the long run, Kanao eventually developed her own will to fight. Despite her perceived lack of emotion, Kanao took the final selection without consulting her superiors for permission, which would mean that her will had been strengthening all along.
Kanao also demonstrated determination and deep care for her family, crying for the first time in the wake of Shinobu’s death. Kanao had also shown a sense of camaraderie and care for her fellow demon slayers, as seen when she became visibly angry and sympathetic on Inosuke‘s behalf when Doma began gloating about his mother’s tragic death.
During the Sunrise Countdown Arc, with their final battle against Muzan Kibutsuji, Kanao could properly express her emotions and make her own choices. Over the course of the battle, Kanao showed visible feelings of anger and terror toward the Demon.
Quotes
Kanao is the type of character in the Demon Slayer that offers remarkable anecdotes. Even though she rarely talks, she has the wisdom that inspires you. Her heart-wrenching lines cut through your bones and into your soul. Personally, Kanao left an impact on the show by being her truest self.
Even though she underwent tragedy that affected her as a whole, I admired her for her bravery. At first, she was being careful with her words but eventually practiced just plainly saying what was on her mind. Here are some of the memorable quotes Kanao Tsuyuri had said in the series:
- “It hurts. I’m hungry. I’m sad. I feel hopeless. I’m in agony. I’m lonely. That was my life. But then, one day, I heard a sound like a snap. “And I never knew pain again.”
- “While living in poverty, even when my parents sold me, it didn’t make me feel sad.”
- “I flip this to decide what I haven’t been ordered to do. I just decided whether or not to speak to you. ‘Don’t speak’ was heads, and ‘speak’ was tails. Because it came up tails, I spoke to you.”
- “It doesn’t matter. Nothing matters to me so I can’t decide on myself.”
- “Somehow I feel the people I care for and those important to me will still be alive tomorrow. But that’s just my hope and there’s no way I can promise that with any certainty. Why do people… believe such things?”
- “People born into this world can feel joy, sadness, rage and other emotions so strongly they tremble. But that’s all a mystery to you isn’t it? You’ve never felt happiness. Felt enjoyment. Felt pain. Felt bitterness. In fact, you’re nothing but an empty shell. It’s quite comical, it’s so stupid. Why were you even born?”
- “You can’t do this Tanjiro. Hurry up and go back. How can you make Nezuko cry..”
- “I wanted to protect her. I wanted to risk my life for her. I wanted to go home together.“
The last quote above earned my sympathy for Kanao. She showed her raw emotions to the viewers and readers when her adoptive sister Shinobu died. As such a situation is beyond her control, you can feel the guilt and helplessness she has shown.
However, she got up and did justice to her sister’s death and defeated the enemy. Moreover, like the other demon slayers, she has an undaunted will and spirit, refusing to give up and die when fighting even the toughest opponents.
Kanao is such a nice addition to the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba series. She fits with other characters despite her silent demeanor. I find Kanao such a kind and gentle girl. Despite her terrible past, she doesn’t hold any grudge against anyone.
Abilities
Enhanced Strength and Speed: Kanao has attained incredible physical strength because of the harsh training she went through. She can jump extremely high distances at a fast rate, thus showing her incredible leg strength. For her arm strength, she can swing her katana at an immense speed without being tired.
Furthermore, Kanao is extremely fast. In Mount Natagumo, she could catch up with Nezuko, who was a human turned Demon.
In the Rehabilitation Training Arc, she can outspeed Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke all at once before they master Total Concentration: Constant. In the Sunrise Countdown Arc, she could keep up with the demon king, Muzan.
Enhanced Vision: Kanao has sharp eyesight and can correctly foresee her opponent’s next attack and movements by simply observing the subtle shifts of their bodies, like their muscles, joints, and the slight movements of their eyes.
She is able to further enhance her eyesight by using a special technique involving full concentration breathing, which Kanao uses to further increase her reaction speed. This technique allows her to make effective counterattacks and dodges and stay ahead of her enemies.
Permanent Full Focus Breathing: When Tanjiro was talking to the Butterfly Mansion girls, he could not believe that Kanao was able to break a gourd.
The girls explained that Kanao now can break a bigger gourd- an almost human-sized one! In line with this, she mastered the ability to remain in total breath concentration for a whole day.
Flower Breathing Style: The Flower Breathing Style is derived from the eater breathing style. This technique is a breathing style that Kanao learned and later mastered by starting to simply observe Kanae Kocho, who at that time was the flower Hashira.
Moreover, Shinobu has handled the matter with her own hands and continued to help Kanao hone her flower breathing abilities after her sister’s death.
Second Form: Honorable Shadow Plum: Kanao releases several rotating sword slashes that deflect incoming physical attacks. Kanao used this type of defensive technique to block a stream of attacks from Doma.
Fourth Form: Crimson Hanagoromo: The fourth form uses a single sword slash that curves and twists gracefully. She tried to use this fighting technique on Doma when she encountered him devouring Shinobu.
During her battle with Muzan, Kanao unleashed this attack with fellow demon slayer Zenitsu’s Thunderclap and Flash.
Fifth Form: Peonies of Futility: This technique releases nine consecutive attacks that flow and weave in on themselves gracefully. Kanao used this as her opening attack on Doma during their battle inside the demon king Muzan’s fortress.
Sixth Form: Whirling Peach: The Whirling Peach is a fighting technique used after or during dodgin; the user spins around moving with the bodyweight to strike an attack. Kanao was first seen using this to evade and counter an attack from Doma.
Final Form: Equinoctial Vermillion Eye: A focusing technique that raises the user’s kinetic vision to its maximum while also can perceive the world as if it were in slow motion. This technique is highly dangerous, as the tremendous pressure on the eyes could cause blood vessels to rupture and lead to partial or complete blindness.
Moreover, due to this ability, the eyes can turn red. Kanao can still use this technique even if she only has one fully functional eye. When Kanao used this technique in a fight against Doma, her right eye was extremely injured, and she could barely see through it.
Relationships
Kanae Kocho
Both of them met each other when Kanao was still a slave when she was younger. When the slave trader dragged Kanao, they met with Kanae. Kanae then proceeded to ask the slave master why Kanao was tied up and introduced herself to her.
In the butterfly mansion, Kanao was seen to be an indecisive type of person. Kanae then had an idea to give Kanao a coin and instructed her to flip it whenever there was a decision that needed to be made.
The outcome of her decisions will be determined if it is heads or tails. Although it is not an effective way to overcome it, Kanae had seen it as a way to help Kanao overcome her indecisiveness. Kanae had also said in the series that it would be fine, as when one is given a chance, their heart will blossom.
After Kanae was mercilessly killed in a battle against the Upper Moon Two Demon, Kanao attended her funeral along with the rest of her adoptive family. She was disturbed by her own inability to cry at her beloved sister’s death. Kanao was so upset that she started to sweat but could not shed even a single tear. However, the others did not mind at that time for it.
Shinobu Kocho
Shinobu Kocho is the sister of Hashira Kanae Kocho. Shinobu was together with Kanae when they both came across Kanao for the very first time. They discovered that Kanao was recently purchased as she was sold by her parents. Shinobu was the one who threw money at the slave trader to buy off Kanao from him.
At first, she told her elder sister Kanae that Kanao was hopeless. She explained that Kanao couldn’t do anything without being told, even eating meals. When Shinobu died, Kanao expressed that she had wished to go home together with her elder sister.
Tanjiro Kamado
Tanjiro Kamado is one of the main protagonists of the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba series. He and Kanao met at the Butterfly Mansion when Tanjiro was healing from the injuries he had from his last battle at Mount Natagumo against demons. He also underwent training in the said mansion and faced Kanao in a series of tests.
This series ofo tests included the fastest reflexes in grabbing glasses with liquids on them and catching her. When Tanjiro was done with the training, he approached her to bid her farewell. However, she repeated “farewell” when he attempted to continue the conversation. Kanao explained to him the reason for her coin toss as she could not decide all by herself.
Right after, he tosses Kanao’s coin to help her decide whether or not she will listen hard to the voice of her heart moving forward. From there, he was able to get to know her a little bit more at the Butterfly Mansion. When the coin landed on heads, it made Kanao flustered but followed through.
Through this, he eventually brings her out of her shell, and she starts to make more of her own decisions. She also gains the ability to speak out her thoughts. Kanao gradually becomes able to express her emotions and wants more openly. When Tanjiro recovers from his injuries, she shows feelings of relief.
Another instance was when she told Shinobu that she wished to train alongside her and when she expressed shock and distress at Shinobu’s plan to defeat Doma. Even after the battle is over, Kanao continues to show her true feelings.
This event only proves how she genuinely loved and cared for both the Kamado siblings. Kanao even reached the point of her sacrificing her one functional eye to inject Tanjiro with physician Tamayo’s humanization drug in an attempt to save him.
Doma
Doma was the Demon that affected the lives of Kanao’s adoptive family. He had done miserable things that made Kanao eventually dislike the Demon. Also to note, Kanao expressed her hatred for him by pointing out his own lack of emotions.
Powered by intense loath and spite due to her sisters’ deaths by his hand, she attacks him verbally to the point where he drops his normal, carefree demeanor. Moreover, she showed immense rage at the Demon’s taunts to her comrade Inosuke insulting him and telling him to shut up.
Interesting Trivia Facts about Kanao
Kanao’s Appearance had Transformed After Getting Adopted
When she was still a young child, Kanao had to endure an abusive household; her hair was very shaggy and unkempt, and she was often seen dirty and covered in bruises.
Before her adoption by Shinobu and Kanae Kocho, the only thing Kanao wore was a tattered pink kimono with faded white dots. After being freed from slavery, she looked utterly different from her previous appearance.
She Had no Name
The slave trader disclosed to the Kocho sisters that the parents of Kanao never gave her a name. When Kanao was adopted, she chose her surname herself from a list of possible options that were presented to her.
What makes this more interesting is that in Japanese, Tsuyuri includes the kanji characters for “chestnut”, “flower”, and “fall.”
Kanao is the Kocho Sisters’ Tsuguko
Kanao is the successor of both Kanae and Shinobu Kocho. She has been trained in the art of combat by both of them. Because of this, Kanao possesses superhuman physical skills, abilities, and prowess that cements her potential as a future member of Demon Slayer Corps’ Hashira.
To be a Hashira means that one is given the title of being one of the highest-ranking Demon Slayer Corps. Tanjiro, another promising Hashira candidate, even states that, during their first meeting together, he could already sense that Kanao was the closest to the Hashira out of the existing demon slayers, just by smelling her scent and feeling her aura, which further confirms her abilities.
Kanao Demon Slayer Guide: FAQs
Question: Will Kanao reach Hashira level?
Answer: Yes, Kanao will eventually reach Hashira level. From her first introduction to the series, her skills are showcased that are on par with Hasira-level demon slayers. Even Upper Demon Two Doma had commented that Kanao is stronger than Shinobu.
Question: Is Kanao going to be totally blind?
Answer: There lies the biggest possibility that Kanao will eventually go blind. With the current condition of her right eye, she is at risk of totally losing her sight. If she continues to use the final form technique, the risk increases depending on the technique’s time of use.
Question: Was Kanao able to defeat Doma?
Answer: Kanao was able to defeat Doma with the help of Insect Hashira Shinobu Kocho and one of the main protagonists, Inosuke Hashibira. Kanao notes during the battle that Doma’s technique lacks precision, and it was clearly his last effort to protect himself with the little energy he had left.
She then decides to use the final form of the flower breathing to try and break through him. Inosuke comes up and gives Kanao the extra strength needed to cut Doma’s neck. They succeed in beheading him, thus leading to his death.
Final Thoughts: Kanao’s Flaws and Potential
Kanao Tsuyuri is one of the major supporting characters in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba. She significantly helped the main protagonists on their journey. However, she can be misunderstood by others, as she is the silent and indecisive type. There may be times wherein she could not fully express her emotions.
However, she was able to bloom with the help and support of her friends. I commend Kanao as she can change for the better and establish stronger relationships with others. This is a complete step up from the previous emotionally distant relationship with her companions.
Other than her personality, she has proven how strong a demon slayer she has. Kanao was even commended by fellow demon slayers and even demons on her strength. Her skills and powerful fighting techniques justify how strong a demon slayer she is. When looking at her past and her current achievements as a character and fighter, who wouldn’t love her?