Demon Slayer has no shortage of interesting characters, in fact, it's one of the anime's greatest features. In Tanjiro Kamado's generation, we have the feral Inosuke, snivelling Zenitsu, and aggressive Genya. Another important character in Tanjiro's circle is Kanao Tsuyuri, Shinobu Kocho's adoptive sister and tsuguko.

While we have not seen much of her right now in the anime, she will be an important character in upcoming events. She has some odd habits like barely speaking and flipping a coin to make all her decisions. So who is the enigmatic Kanao Tsuyuri?

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Kanao's Rescue From Poverty

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Kanao was born in a very poor neighbourhood, similar to that of Gyutaro and Daki's village. Our first glimpse into Kanao's terrible childhood was in season 1 of Demon Slayer. Her siblings appear dead and flea ridden. She experienced a lot of abuse in her childhood and a complete lack of parental care; she never even had a name because her parents did not care to give her one. She would constantly be living in fear, anguish, solitude, and hunger. One day, Kanao's parents sold her to a strange man who bound and took her away. She was never sad over this, for she felt completely numb to the unfair hand life had dealt her.

Her life preserver came in the form of Kanae and Shinobu Kocho, who stopped her purchaser while he was walking through town with her. Kanae, the elder sister, is very zen and soft-spoken; while Shinobu is frowning and stoic. Kanae asks the man why Kanao is tied up and if she is a criminal, to which he says that she is dirty, covered in bugs and might escape from him. Kanae tries to talk to Kanao, but she is unresponsive. The buyer, now irritable, says that if the sisters want to talk to Kanao, they need to pay up. Shinobu suddenly throws a wad of money into the air, causing the surrounding pedestrians and the purchaser to drop everything (literally) to grab the money as fast as they can, as expected. The Kochos then took Kanao and ran off with her, escaping whatever disgusting fate awaited her.

Kanao's New Identity

Kanao Tsuyuri Demon Slayer

The Kochos took Kanao back to the Butterfly Mansion to clean her up and feed her. Shinobu is frustrated because Kanao does not do anything without instruction, she even calls her "hopeless". She does not do anything without instruction; even if she is starving, she will not eat unless someone tells her to. Kanae reassures Shinobu not to worry, despite her concerns that a child who cannot think for themselves is dangerous. Shinobu truly worries that Kanao will not get on in life if she cannot make decisions on her own.

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As a solution, Kanae gives Kanao a coin. She tells her that whenever she is alone and needs to make a decision, she must simply flip the coin to decide. Kanae also gives her the name "Kanao" at this point. The two sisters have different approaches to Kanao, as evident in their personalities. A complete contrast to the person she is now, Shinobu was a serious and slightly aggressive personality. Kanae, on the other hand, is more gentle, optimistic and calm. Shinobu is frustrated at dealing with Kanao, while Kanae has more patience. Kanae tells Kanao that at a certain point in a person's life, their heart "blooms". She tells her that when she falls in love one day, she will also change.

Kanae's Legacy

Demon Slayer Kanae Kocho The Flower Hashira

One fateful day, Kanae was attacked by a demon, which turned out to be Upper Rank 2 Doma. He did not have time to eat her, and left her fatally wounded and her injuries took her life as the sun rose. This left a big shadow on Shinobu and Kanao, even today. Shinobu previously wore a plain purple haori, now she dons Kanae's butterfly-printed haori. Kanao wears one of Kanae's butterfly hair accessories around her ponytail. Even her name sounds similar to Kanae's, as if the author was trying to keep her alive after death.

Where Shinobu took on Kanae's gentle demeanour, which she undercuts with microaggressions as her real personality cracks through, Kanao keeps alive Kanae's coin-tossing method to make decisions, even if it is overboard at times. Both sisters put on Kanae's small smile and soft eyes. Shinobu is clearly channeling her sister to keep her memory fresh and mask her intense anger at demons, but Kanao seems to be building her new free identity around Kanae.

A Fighting Prodigy

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As Shinobu's tsugoku, she is quite talented in her craft. Tsugokos are exceptional young fighters of thr Corps who become apprentices of Hashiras and ultimately succeed them. Tanjiro gets an eye-witness account of Kanao's true strength in season 1 of Demon Slayer, especially during his rehabilitation training at the Butterfly Mansion. During his rehabilitation, Aoi Kanzaki designed a rehabilitation regimen for Tanjiro, Zenitsu and Inosuke after their ordeal on Mount Natagumo: stretching to limber up the muscles, reflex training and full-body training.

Kanao and her advanced skills were key players in the latter two exercises. For sharpening the reflexes, the boys had to each attempt to throw tea on Kanao from the various cups on a table, the catch being that if Kanao blocks their movement to reach for a cup, they can no longer pick it up. In short, they must reach for the cups faster than Kanao. The full-body training was a game of tag, in which the boys had to try and tag Kanao while she tries to dodge them.

Kanao was chosen as a tsugoku for a reason. Despite surviving final selection at the same time as Tanjiro and his friends, her skills are leaps and bounds ahead of them. She was unbeatable in the training exercises. It was impossible for the boys to beat her, Tanjiro described it as "we couldn't so much as lay a finger on a strand of her hair". This discouraged Zenitsu and Inosuke from attending rehabilitation training with her at all. Her reflexes are faster without trying, Tanjiro even picks up a Hashira scent from her. Shinobu also trains her incredibly hard, as evident in the gourd-breaking breathing exercises she is instructed to do. Where Tanjiro is able to break a small gourd with his breath, Kanao can break one that's almost as big as her.

While Kanao's talent is undeniable, her need to follow instructions makes her a perfect student. Her disposition is a follower; if Shinobu tells her to do something, she will do it without question. While this might not be practical on a personal and social level, Kanao's desire to act only on instruction clearly serves her well in the training Shinobu gives her.

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