Your first impression of Sanemi Shinazugawa from Demon Slayer was probably miserable. What kind of guy would stab another person’s sister in front of them? Nezuku is a demon, but what Sanemi did was antagonistic and needlessly cruel.
At least it gave us that iconic scene where Tanjiro, with his hands bound, runs towards Sanemi and then headbutts him. Well-deserved, but it makes you wonder why Sanemi is excessively hateful of demons. Demon Slayer has many characters whose lives were ruined by demons, and Sanemi happens to be one of those people.
Before he became the Wind Hashira, Sanemi was the eldest child of his family. He had a hardworking and loving mother and a violent father who beat his family. His father was extremely hated by others, and he was stabbed to death. This compelled Sanemi and his younger brother, Genya, to help their mother.
But one fateful night, their mother would come home as a transformed demon. She would injure or viscerally kill all of her children. Sanemi took Genya to safety, and he would fight the demon. It was only when Sanemi defeated the demon that he realized it was his mother he killed. Genya would arrive at the scene, see their mother’s dead body, and accuse Sanemi of murder.
Both siblings would be physically and mentally scarred that day. As seen in the anime, their relationship has been rocky and distant since. After the incident, Sanemi would hunt demons, learn how to fight on his own with makeshift weapons, and burn them to death. Masachika, who was part of the Demon Slayer Corps, would invite Sanemi to join the ranks, and they became friends.
Sanemi became stronger and was able to kill one of the twelve moons, but failed to save Masachika on time. For this, Sanemi became the Wind Hashira. He’s notably sturdy in battle, and even Kokushibo would recognize Sanemi, along with Gyomei, to be the strongest among the Hashira.
This won’t change your mind about Sanemi. His brash attitude and violence towards others aren’t excuses. But he’s just a tragic guy who’s awfully strong but fails to protect everybody he loves over and over again.
(featured image: Ufotable)
