#kny analysis

Part 2 to the non-plot-significant giyuu-tanjirou "things" post What makes Giyuu and Tanjirou (together) so important, I think, is that they encapsulate a lot of the basic traits of human relationships portrayed in Demon Slayer.

A huge part of KNY touches on "what if" regarding characters. If there's evil, there's good to balance it out. That's the basic principle of the world of KNY. there's Muzan, and thus Yoriichi was born, to keep the balance of good/evil in order. Kokushibo and Yoriichi represent the sun and moon, two opposites, and humans and demons represent the sun and the moon too. like Tanjirou said in Mugen train, the slayers are always fighting at night when demons have the advantage. It establishes the two sides of KNY with a hard line: demons and humans, evil and good.

But there's Giyuu and Tanjirou. They're on the same side, and yet have opposing principles. There are a LOT of things between them that are central to the story of KNY. Whether Gotouge wrote this on purpose or not is up for anyone to decide. However when you know what to look for, Giyuu and Tanjirou act as anchors to the KNY world in a way few other characters do. I'll attempt to list them because a lot of it is abstract rather than particular traits but I hope you'll understand lol ‎

Giyuu is more clouded than Tanjirou is. For Giyuu, he had little direct goal, while Tanjirou still retained that hopeful focus because Nezuko was alive and he had that duty to fulfill. That optimism/pessimism dichotomy, to me, is one of the cores of human relationships in KNY. Humans fundamentally are hopeful regarding the future of humanity compared to demons. Even not in their lifetime, they can sense a future where the demons are gone. When all that hope is lost, and furthermore, when you're wronged by fellow humans more than demons, they become demons. Tanjirou and Nezuko are the most important "hope" factor for humanity to emerge in centuries. For Giyuu, it even extended personally---he wanted Tanjirou to replace him. A hope that Tanjirou could actually do the job that Giyuu never even deserved. ‎

Giyuu also rejected humanity in demons similar to others in KNY but that's to be expected: Tanjirou's own sister was a demon, the first demon Tanjirou encountered in fact, which shaped his view on what demons are. Soon after he even met Tamayo and Yushiro, strengthening his belief of the "potential" of humanity in demons further. Giyuu and the larger world on the other hand had no reference for such cases, and even for Giyuu after he'd seen Nezuko, that was just an anomaly, leading to the dialogue below: ‎

This particular exchange between them represents a lot more than a debate between Giyuu and Tanjirou to me. Giyuu's dialogue comes from a place of the whole world of KNY, rather than merely himself and his own beliefs. As the story progresses we see Tanjirou swing more towards what Giyuu means. We see Tanjirou taking time to defend/empathise with demons less and less as he learns about the pervasive existence of demons beyond his exposure to Nezuko. I think Giyuu is specifically extremely pragmatic, he knows that pitying demons is a waste and that he'd rather kill more demons during that time, but he's the one who defended Nezuko in the first place. ‎

Moreover, these panels specifically do a wonderful job explaining the reasonings of a hashira and someone in Tanjirou's position. They're both correct in their own ways and through their own experiences. Tanjirou just happens to be close to Nezuko, while Nezuko is just one of the countless demons Giyuu has faced, influencing this. ‎

The particular way Tanjirou and Giyuu 'saved' eachother (on an emotional sense) is also an interesting contrast. For Tanjirou, in the first chapter, what he needed the most was to move forward through the cruelty of the world, which was not just encouraged by Giyuu but also proved. KNY's world is one of both kindness and cruelty. Tanjirou had to learn early on that there was no other way to progress than to fight. On the other hand, Giyuu, having suffered through the cruelty of the world many times, had to be shown that there was indeed kindness in the world. ‎ I also think it deserves special attention that both Giyuu and Tanjirou express understanding of what the other went through. Both of them suffered through familial loss and later survivors guilt. I don't think there could have been better people to snap them out of their own weight than each other.

‎

Following Giyuu putting his life on the line for Nezuko, Tanjirou's devotion to Giyuu is that of gratitude. later, Giyuu's devotion to Tanjirou is ALSO that of gratitude (bridge scene). On one side it's Tanjirou noticing how immeasurably kind Giyuu is and sticking by him in this vast cruel world of KNY, and on the other side it's Giyuu who needed someone to understand him the way Tanjirou did. ‎ That devotion takes the clearest form against Akaza, who got reminded of Koyuki because Giyuu was rock solid in protecting Tanjirou the way Akaza was in the past regarding Koyuki.

‎‎

Giyuu immediately jumped into action following Tanjirou becoming a demon, as opposed to grieving or stuttering. It's what Tanjirou (and fundamentally all humans except characters like Kaigaku and Kokushibo) want, that they'd rather be killed immediately than harm anyone if they become demons. It's another facet of protecting Tanjirou that Giyuu really proved himself capable of. Tanjirou himself echoes the same sentiment.

‎ Demon Slayer places high importance on human relationships, but due to the volume of characters packed into a mere 200 chapter manga we don't get to explore most of them beyond a shallow sense, except in case of siblings of KNY. Tanjirou and Giyuu stand out to me. They aren't just supported by the plot (meeting ch1 and later mt. natagumo, then HTA and beyond being highly focused on their bond), but also by the themes and structure of KNY. To Giyuu, Tanjirou is THE most important person, and while Tanjirou has more important relationships, it cannot be overstated that Giyuu is not just his saviour and his senior, but also a friend he can rely on.

I’m currently sick but I really wanna do an analysis called “in defense of Kaiguku” with evidence and research stuff and I’m rlly excited about it

I’m so excited that I feel motivated to take my meds for the first time in 3 days (since I’ve gotten sick) yippee yippee

gee I wonder why I was crashing out so much lol

also we aren’t gonna think about the exam for the hardest AP lit class my competitive school offers tomorrow or how trashed my room is or how much hw I gotta do or the presentation I gotta finish + make up orrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr the depressive episode

Goal: take meds, get dressed + get try to tidy up trashed room and then start research

Welcome to another self-indulgent post where I try to analyze and assign kanji to the Butterfly Sisters' names since theirs are either written in katakana or hiragana unlike most kny characters, meaning that they don't have an inherent meaning and are open to interpretation.

I also have the headcanon that the reincarnated versions of the characters have their names written differently from their canon selves to distinguish them (so Kanae and Shinobu's names would be actually written in kanji instead of kana). So I tried to assign them kanji readings that suit them and make sense not only symbolically for what they represent in the story, but also in-universe.

Small note here, I'm not an expert in Japanese so there may be lot of mistakes but I did my best to research and get things as accurate as possible (my main sources where these: JapaneseNames.info, namedic.jp , pon-navi.net, kanjipedia.jp, takaboto.jp and jisho).

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For Kanae (カナヲ), I decided to go with 叶咲.

叶 (kana): 'to grant, to be fulfilled, to come true (of a wish or a prayer)' referring to her wishes of Kanao opening up and her dream of getting along with demons. 

咲 (e, nanori* for 'saki'): 'to bloom, to flower, to open up' regarding her connection to flowers. 

Moreover, it also carries the subtle nuance of a smiling face—because blooming flowers are metaphorically linked to a person’s face opening up into a smile 笑顔が咲く"egao ga saku" (a smile blooms)—in reference to her wanting her sisters to smile. 

*unusual/specialized reading of kanji characters only used in Japanese names.

Her name can be interpreted as "dreams and wishes that bloom and come true", "a wish that comes true and blooms" or "wishes come true and smiles bloom". 

I wanted to focus on her dream since it’s a core theme for her character, but ‘Kanae’ itself has a lot of different positive meanings, so any could be applied to her character. I also considered these as well: 

佳和恵: first one 'good, beautiful, excellent', second one 'harmony, peace, Japanese-style', third one 'to bless, gentle, wise' 叶笑: first one 'to grant, to be fulfilled, to come true (of a wish or a prayer)', second one 'to laugh, to smile, joy' 叶恵: first one 'to grant, to be fulfilled, to come true (of a wish or a prayer)', second one 'to bless, gentle, wise'

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Shinobu's name (しのぶ) is by far the most complex, nuanced and well-thought by the author among the Butterfly Sisters. It's written in hiragana, giving it a softer and gentle vibe, which makes me think that gtg wanted the audience to associate her first with the positive meanings of her name rather than the negative ones. However, since her name is left up to interpretation I'm sure that the intention was to evoke both the positive and negative nuances associated with its possible kanji readings that work with her character. Taking into account her character arc, some of them are (and I mean some because she has a lot and all of them could work, search them up and you will see):

This one is my favorite for her

忍 (shinobu): 'endurance, perseverance, patience, stealth' but also 'to conceal oneself, hide, sneaky' (root word for shinobi), and in some contexts, even 'cruelty'

The composition of the kanji is:

刃 (yaiba): A blade or sharp edge, symbolizing sharpness or difficulty. 心 (kokoro): the heart or the spirit, representing emotion and resilience.

Having a blade over your heart symbolizes the emotional pain or pressure one must endure without breaking, and the suppression of emotions. It reflects the idea of enduring even when the heart feels the weight of the blade, persisting in the face of challenges to achieve a goal and the ability to bear hardship stoically and to keep one's true emotions or intentions hidden.

It relates to mental and emotional strength to withstand hardships and to remain patient in difficult or painful situations. The virtues of being resilient and perseverant are seen in a good light, but the kanji carries heavier and serious nuances that in certain contexts can suggest suffering in silence or excessive endurance under painful or unpleasant situations.

2. 偲 (shinobu): 'to remember, to miss, to cherish the memory of someone, to encourage each other, intelligent'

It's used in the context of reminiscing about the past or honoring someone who has passed away, so it gives off sad, nostalgic vibes. It represents fondly remembering people or events with compassion, care, and emotional warmt, so it's not just about simply remembering, but also about conveying feelings such as nostalgia, kindness, and respect and affection for the other person, just like how Shinobu remembers Kanae so fondly after her death.

3. 死乃生

死 (shi): 'death, to die, to pass away'

乃 (no): 'from, therefore, possessive particle'

生 (bu): 'life, birth, living, to exist, growth'

It conveys the concept of "life born from death" or "one who lives through death", contrasting existence and mortality. Given that Shinobu is foreshadowed and thematically tied to death and transformation, this duality is especially fitting—and the motif of rebirth, transformation, life and death also aligns with the butterfly symbolism in Japanese culture.

Like I said before, her name fits perfectly with what her character reflects—repressed emotions, hard work, patience, talent, longing for someone dearly, and life and death dualism However, thinking *strictly* in-verse, it would be strange for such loving parents to give their child a name with such heavy connotations (the last one literally involving death, and I'm pretty sure it's illegal). For that reason, I settled on a reading  that preserves her character themes but leans into more positive meanings: 志乃芙. 

志 (shi): 'aspiration, will, ambition, intention, resolve'

Represents a deep, heart-driven ambition, a firm aspiration in life or a high goal that the heart strives for. 

乃 (no): a possessive article or connecting particle (of, so, in other words...)

It's an auxiliary particle that smoothes the flow of the name and serves to soften the overall meaning.

芙 (bu, nanori for ‘fu’): 'lotus flower, hibiscus mutabilis (cotton rose)'

The lotus flower is strongly associated with beauty and elegance. It's a sacred flower in Buddhism, symbolizing purity arising from suffering, spiritual awakening/enlightenment and rebirth. It's even more meaningful given her narrative associations since she's seen alongside one in Chapter 41's cover, foreshadowing her conflict with Douma, whose Buddhist symbolism and mansion prominently feature the lotus.

The hibiscus (also known as "drunken lotus" or "tree lotus" in some Chinese contexts) symbolizes a gentle and kind heart, delicate beauty and the fleeting nature of life. 

I already talked about Shinobu's symbolisms earlier, but adding a little bit more in light of this reading: from a young age she firmly resolved to become a Slayer and help people, and even after her sister pleaded with her to leave the Corps, she remained determined to continue, driven by her sense of duty and revenge to take down the demon that killer her sister, which she laters succesfully achieves. The floral motifs connect her with flowers, and evoke the imagery of someone outwardly beautiful and gentle, yet possessing deep inner strength. It's far more positive than the other meanings but it still preserves the underlying duality of life and death, as well as the resilience that defines her character.

Taken together, this name suggests someone who embodies both strong will and gentlessness and beauty, or a gentle spirit with an unwavering resolve. Notably, both sisters' names share core themes of becoming (as in unfolding) and flowering, but the ideas expressed in different ways that match with their personalities. 

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Kanao (カナヲ) is easier to work with as her name doesn't have as many readings or nuances as Shinobu's, and because it's similar to Kanae's, many of the meanings overlap. Before starting to look for name readings, I first checked for Kanata's name (her descendant) to see if it gave any hints about what Gotouge might've associated with him that served to Kanao's character— but unfortunately it's also written in katakana (カナタ), so his has no meaning either.

Anyway, from what I've seen, this interpretation is often viewed as "closest to canon" in fandom spaces and the most accepted one when breaking down her name: 花直.

花 (kana): 'flower, blossom, blooming; cherry blossom, petal'. As a Flower Breathing user, the flower motif is essential. It also carries the metaphor of being as beautiful or splendid as a flower.

直 (o): 'correct, honest, straightforward, direct'. It reflects her struggle with emotional repression and indeciveness—her development centers on listening to her what her heart wants and to express her own feelings. 

Her name can be interpreted as "being as beautiful and sincere as a flower" or "blooming to become an honest person". It combines the imagery of floral beauty and personal growth into an honest and strong-willed individual. This is mirrored in her character arc—how she transitions from an emotionally numb and stunted girl and "blooms" into someone resilient and resolute, capable of processing her own feelings and expressing them (take her conversation with Douma as an example). 

There's also the theory that her name derived from "Kanae" because the "e" (エ) transforms into "o" (ヲ) as in "egao ni naru"  (to turn into a smile), reflecting Kanae's wish for Kanao to smile and express herself. 

Another option I consideted was 佳直, only changing the first kanji to mean 'beautiful, excellent, good' since she's a kind-hearted and extremely talented, but it loses the flower motif that I want her to keep. I also thought about using 叶, like in Kanae's name, to symbolize how her growth regarding her autonomy and ability to listen to her own heart became true, while making the "smile" wordplay more obvious. Still, I prefer for Kanao not only to be associated with flowers, but also to have her own distinct meaning as a separate character rather than seeming like she's simply taking Kanae's identity and mimicking it.

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Aoi (アオイ) is likely named after the color rather than the hollyhock flower—especially since there's another character with that meaning (葵枝 Kie)—or the overly affectionate readings her name can have. Taking that into consideration, 青依 could suit her well: 

青 (ao): 'blue; vast oceans and clear skies, azure, youth, freshness' because of her blue color palette. The color blue is also tied to purity and water, which connects to her Breathing Style and serious personality.

依 (i): 'to lean on, to rely on, to follow' often used in contexts of trust or reliance. She's a dependable and trustworthy character, and basically Shinobu's right hand as she works in the Butterfly Mansion as a nurse and takes care of all the house chores. 

Taken together, it can be interpreted as "someone like the pure blue sky who is trusted by others". It evokes a grounded, kind person who both supports others and is supported by them. As mentioned before, Aoi is trusted by the Corps and the Butterfly Sisters due to her role as a nurse (in which she takes it very seriously and is good at it too), but at the same time, she feels indebted to them for taking her in and treating her kindly even after abandoning her Slayer duties (which she is very self-conscious about it).

Also, the first kanji is the same one as her descendant's, Aoba (青葉). Considering that most descendants take kanji from their ancestors and incorporate them into their names, it's likely that if Aoi's name was written in kanji, it would include 青.

Another option I had in mind was:

藍 (aoi): 'indigo, indigo dye, indigo plant'

It is less literal in terms of color. The kanji refers to the indigo plant, a flowering shrub primarily known for producing blue dye from its leaves, and it is also used in Japanese traditional medicine and health practices.

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The little girls were a bit more difficult to name—not because they have deep layers of symbolism, but because we know so little about them individually that it's hard to determine what would best fit their characters—, so I guess the author had the simpler or more common readings in mind, especially since their family names give off that impression as well (寺内 Terauchi, 高田 Takada, 中原 Nakahara): 

Starting with Kiyo (きよ), to keep the simplicity I went for 清, though I also considered 嬉与:

清 (kiyo): 'clear, pure, serene, to clarify'

This expresses a wish for the person to have a pure heart and a sincere, gentle personality. 

嬉 (ki): 'happy; glad, joy, to play, pleased, delighted'

与 (yo): 'together with, to be involved, to give, to bestow, to grant'

Putting it together, it means "to give joy" or "to live with joy", suggesting someone who shares happiness with those around oneself. She's a kind and thoughtful girl who works hard as a nurse's assistant, so it suits her desire to make those around her happy.

Next is Naho (なほ). In her case, I took into consideration both the calm pattern within the trio and her family name: 和/凪朋 or 菜穂.

和 (na, nanori for 'wa'): 'harmony, Japanese-style, gentle" or  凪 (na): 'lull, calm, still sea'

朋 (ho): 'friend, companion'

The interpretation would be "a harmonious and gentle friend" or "a peaceful companion". It suggests a gentle personality that avoids conflicts and wants to get along with everyone—very much in line to the little girls' supportive and encouraging nature as they help the Slayers.  

I couldn't decide between 和 and 凪 because both work well, but 凪 gives a more specific nuance of calmness, making the meaning closer to "a calm and comforting friend," which aligns nicely the trio's serene and pure image. 

The second option is: 

菜 (na): 'greens, vegetables, rapeseed blossoms, side dishes, prepared meals'

穂 (ho): 'an ear of a grain, head or spike of a cereal plant (like rice or wheat)'

It basically means "ear of vegetable/greens" or "lush plants bearing grain", symbolizing healthy growth and an abundant, nurturing presence. It ties strongly to nature and agriculture, considering that her family name Takada (高田) means "high rice field/paddy", suggesting a farming upbringing.

Finally, for Sumi (なほ), I avoided any kanji that referred to longevity or beauty since those are already used for another character (Sanemi and Genya's younger sister, 寿美 Sumi). Instead, I thought that either 澄 or 純 could work here.

澄 (sumi): 'to clear, transparent, to feign innocence'

純 (sumi): 'pure; genuine, simple, chaste, innocent, sincere'

Both convey very similar meanings, representing someone with a genuine and honest heart, unclouded by negativity. It's very similar to Kiyo's first reading.

but let me be clear, i am fully against "anime should copy and paste the manga panels" as well. i think everyone will agree that a good adaptation takes the strengths of the manga's messages and combines it with the strengths of anime as a medium.

the issue with hta2 is that, hta was obviously rushed, and thus nothing in the storyboard is meaningful to the actual story. there are ways to scale out of giyuu (& tanjirou) in scenes while keeping the core of their conversation in tact which clearly did not happen. that's why we end up with things like this:

the manga tells us a lot, while the anime... is cinematic, i guess?

and more importantly, the plastic expressions:

i consider hta2 to be subpar. muichiro's episode in ssv had given me lots of hope lol.

though the irony is that i fell in love with the aoi addition at the start. it makes so much sense to me that tanjirou would ask aoi over everyone else about "how to comfort a person who doesn't think highly of themselves".

this combined with aoi giving tanjirou food for giyuu is suchhhhhhhhh a nice addition.

later on, the taisho secret is just as good, with giyuu wanting to spend MORE time with tanjirou ("no contest this time").

Nezuko's kimono is bluish, while Tanjirou wear a blue scarf (later lost in Asakusa) during their first encounter with Giyuu on Kumotori, matching Giyuu's eyes and blade. Her usual look with the pink kimono have her black haori with blue gradient on the fanbook cover (not sure if this is stylistic or not).

Did Gotouge do this on purpose now, I'm starting to believe that this is on purpose. Between the design similarities (blue, red & geometry patterns) and this too.

to make a post about significant writing choices and parallels between giyuu and tanjirou would be a whole masterpost in itself. i stand on the fact that giyuu and tanjirou (as a duo) are the drivers for almost every major plot point in demon slayer.

this post, though, is less about that, and more about little things between the two that don't affect the plot but are nice to have regardless.

points below unordered.

1. one arms

this one's, i think, the most significant and meaningful out of everything that's not a direct plot-relevant thing between them. chapter 199's climax and thus the climax of the muzan fight is them; them and their one arms each, supporting each other through a red blade—first for tanjirou and second for giyuu, and notably, a together second for giyuu, signifying he's more of a support rather than a standalone character. that makes giyuu's relationship to tanjirou meaningful just by virtue of giyuu's existence being about the people he loves and develops with.

2. clothes/appearance

okay, i never said this list had to make sense to anyone other than myself. anyways, i love that both their haoris are made of sharp geometric lines—hexagons and squares.

i'll tie this in with another point, it's their colours. tanjirou and giyuu both have different shades of green and red in their colour palettes, despite giyuu's dominant colour being blue.

furthermore, i loved tanjirou's original circular sword hilt. would look really good next to giyuu's classic turtle-shell.

3. self-blame

they tend to do that, yeah. panels below specifically regarding each other.

4. sumiyoshi

"sumi" being the alternate reading of "tan" (炭) of "tanjirou" "yoshi" being the alternate reading of "gi" (義) of "giyuu"

(unfortunately, no, giyuu's actual kanji isn't in sumiyoshi's name [炭吉]. it's probably just a cool coincidence.)

i'll definitely post a 2nd part plot-relevant details between giyuu and tanjirou, and thus this will come up in detail later: sumiyoshi and yoriichi's talk in chapter 99/ssv ep1 resembles giyuu and tanjirou's talk from chapter 130/hta ep2 a lot. if sumiyoshi and yoriichi have a resemblance to tanjirou and giyuu already, i also wanna point this out:

5. yoriichi

both yoriichi and giichi, giyuu's descendant, have "ichi" (一) = "one"/"first" in their names.

between this and the previous point about sumiyoshi, i wonder how much of it is merely an accident and how much is purposeful.

6. defending others

7. haori-pillows

it's like, whatever good tanjirou does for others, giyuu does it back for him. it's really cute.

8. their eyes

this is the main reason i've exclusively been using pictures from the manga rather than the anime. the anime does not show this, but the manga does: giyuu had white pupils, like tanjirou and related characters, and so does giichi.

in fact, these white pupils return in giyuu when tanjirou reminds him of sabito's words.

and obviously, it's inconsistent, but i will still celebrate this fact as a show of giyuu's kindness and purity that equals tanjirou's.

9. food as love language

giyuu dreaming about giving sanemi ohagi, and tanjirou preparing food for the fellow slayers during HTA or him offering genya food during the start of SSV.

and for each other, which forms the most significant moment of their development: the soba contest.

10. matching leg wraps

afaik i never saw anyone else with the same leg wraps as giyuu and tanjirou. it's exclusively just the two of them. makes me wonder if urokodaki gave them the same ones.

(giyuu on the left, tanjirou on the right)

and another thing, since giyuu's appearance is already so dominated by the two people he feels the most indebted to (tsutako and sabito), the leg wraps add tanjirou embedded in his design, because that's also someone he loves.

11. the slap

sabito is urokodaki's student, definitely.

12. dragon and thrust technique

because why not.

kyojuro rengoku, and cauterization. the act of applying fire and heat to a wound, an emergency last-ditch effort. it can cause more harm than good in the long run, but it keeps you alive. forces the wound shut. stops the bleeding so you can at least live to fight what’s next.

kyojuro rengoku, a soldier and the eldest son. forcing his wounds closed so he could fight another day. using flames and heat and burning to seal himself closed to fight another day. no time for proper healing, but if he doesn’t do something there won’t be any healing at all. just keep moving. keep fighting. live to see another day. do it again. again.