yoi

Trees, Humanity, and Legacies (Tree Symbolism in KNY)

First and foremost I would like to credit this post by @yoiiyoii for some of the points that I end up making here as I end up expanding on a couple that they already brought up. They also make some that I'm not going to focus on here for the sake of length so, yes, take a look at that post! But anyway, let's get into it. Spoilers for the manga ahead.

Giyuu is oftentimes shown as weak or portrayed as a stereotypical omega, or worst of all, as a helpless victim of Sanemi, Shinobu, and Obanai's bullying. He has no agency and is often reduced to a damsel in distress role in fics due to his perceived femininity. These roles are forced on him because he's physically smaller than the people's he's most shipped with (e.g. Sanemi) or his silent demeanor is seen as more submissive in comparison to the other characters' louder/'maler' personalities. But it's not a role that makes sense for him because if it weren't for his size, Giyuu would represent the stereotypical ideals of the silent and brooding top, especially in comparison to Sanemi. He's closed off, level-headed, incredibly skilled at his job, has a voracious appetite, and possesses an incredibly protective nature when it comes to the people he cares about, such as Tanjiro.

Narratively wise, the guilt he carries for being responsible for Sabito's death and his own lack of autonomy over his life means being a feminised bottom would probably be his worst hell. As someone who was continously protected by his sister, Sabito (even Urokodaki in the case of Tanjiro), he feels his life is governed and extended not by his own actions but by the sacrifices of those around him. He is someone who desires control over his life and being allowed to have that control as a top would offer him both the safe space and the catharsis he needs. Being penetrator is something that is so deeply personal because it is an invasive act. It requires a level of trust that Giyuu would be able to give up but would only reaffirm his fears that he's someone who needs to be 'taken care of' rather than someone who could be that for someone else.

For Sanemi, who spent his whole childhood being the protector. First, his family is against his father. Then, his siblings were against his mother. Then others would have been victims of the demons he spends the next several years fighting till sunrise. This all built up a saviour complex that came at the cost of his own body in the most blatant act of self-harm and low self-worth poorly disguised as anger. Anger, which being in the position of a hard dom top, would only be allowed to fester. Having that ability to release, to actually let someone in, and allow himself to be taken care of is what would suit him best, which are things that are often awarded to the bottom in fanfics. The vulnerability that is gained from letting someone inside your body both physically and mentally would directly rival the poor emotional regulation he's struggled with since childhood.

I also feel part of the problem is people only being able to view anger as a 'masculine' emotion. But the truth behind Sanemi's anger is that he's a very emotional person through and through. Vowing to follow his mother to hell, having poor emotional regulation and subsequently trying to blind his only remaining family member, feeding stray dogs and raising dung beetles, the self harm (of which this isn't necessarily a feminine trait but often internal suffering to the point of externally harming one self is often reserved for bottoms and subs in fics). Even Gyomei says it himself that Sanemi gets easily embarrassed, and it's due to the fact that he is an incredibly sensitive person. He's also deeply angry but it's clear still from his calm interactions with Kanae and the master that being angry is the only way he can prevent himself from confronting his feelings of inferiority for 1 being a murderer (in his eyes), 2 failing to protect his family, 3 having to fight tooth and nail for his spot as a hashira, and 4 his fear of being mocked which I went more into depth here.

Compared to Giyuu's more overtly cool and brooding character, Sanemi's character is more emotionally charged, and yet because Sanemi is bigger and stronger and angrier and scarier looking due to his scars, he is seen as a masculine character. But because Giyuu is the typical ikemen character type, without possession of the more overt traits stupidly associated with masculinity, he's reduced to a fragile baby who can't swim, can't cook, can't stand up for himself, needs to be saved. And yet the manga disproved every single one of these fanon tropes.

Even if we go by physical attributes alone, the two of them fall comically so into typical female/male character designs we see in shonen animes. Sanemi's long lashes, his styled hair that swoops fashionably over his forehead, the soft design of his face (when he isn't looking murderously insane), and most importantly, his uniform. The only other person to get the same uniform treatment that Mitsuri does in the anime is Sanemi, and yet only one of them is seen as 'gooner bait'. Mitsuri is the most feminine and femme character within the series and her and Sanemi's uniforms are the samr in different fonts and yet even after drawing that very obvious and direct parallel between the two of them, people still fail to it. It's even funnier when you consider the fact that Sanemi chooses to walk around with his titties out 'for better fighting' (female gooner bait character excuses 101) while Mitsuri ends up with that uniform due to a shit perverted tailor. But looking at Giyuu's character, we never see him take his shirt off once (which I'll count as a sorta physical attribute because his body doesn't get open to sexualization in the same way Mitsuri or Sanemi's do). His hair keeps a very rigid messy and hasn't-been-brushed-in-weeks sort of structure, which reflects his internal suffering-in-silence character. His eyes are nowhere near as rounded as Sanemi's, especially when he's first introduced. They maintain this icy calculating kind of aura while Sanemi's take on the more feminine attribute of the extremely long eyelashes.

The thing with feminising characters is it's fun until you realize everyone is doing it to one character continuously to the point of changing their personality just because they want them to be the uke/bottom in the relationship. It erases sooo much of his character and ignores his character arc entirely.

Giyuu is oftentimes shown as weak or portrayed as a stereotypical omega, or worst of all, as a helpless victim of Sanemi, Shinobu, and Obanai's bullying. He has no agency and is often reduced to a damsel in distress role in fics due to his perceived femininity. These roles are forced on him because he's physically smaller than the people's he's most shipped with (e.g. Sanemi) or his silent demeanor is seen as more submissive in comparison to the other characters' louder/'maler' personalities. But it's not a role that makes sense for him because if it weren't for his size, Giyuu would represent the stereotypical ideals of the silent and brooding top, especially in comparison to Sanemi. He's closed off, level-headed, incredibly skilled at his job, has a voracious appetite, and possesses an incredibly protective nature when it comes to the people he cares about, such as Tanjiro.

Narratively wise, the guilt he carries for being responsible for Sabito's death and his own lack of autonomy over his life means being a feminised bottom would probably be his worst hell. As someone who was continously protected by his sister, Sabito (even Urokodaki in the case of Tanjiro), he feels his life is governed and extended not by his own actions but by the sacrifices of those around him. He is someone who desires control over his life and being allowed to have that control as a top would offer him both the safe space and the catharsis he needs. Being penetrator is something that is so deeply personal because it is an invasive act. It requires a level of trust that Giyuu would be able to give up but would only reaffirm his fears that he's someone who needs to be 'taken care of' rather than someone who could be that for someone else.

For Sanemi, who spent his whole childhood being the protector. First, his family is against his father. Then, his siblings were against his mother. Then others would have been victims of the demons he spends the next several years fighting till sunrise. This all built up a saviour complex that came at the cost of his own body in the most blatant act of self-harm and low self-worth poorly disguised as anger. Anger, which being in the position of a hard dom top, would only be allowed to fester. Having that ability to release, to actually let someone in, and allow himself to be taken care of is what would suit him best, which are things that are often awarded to the bottom in fanfics. The vulnerability that is gained from letting someone inside your body both physically and mentally would directly rival the poor emotional regulation he's struggled with since childhood.

I also feel part of the problem is people only being able to view anger as a 'masculine' emotion. But the truth behind Sanemi's anger is that he's a very emotional person through and through. Vowing to follow his mother to hell, having poor emotional regulation and subsequently trying to blind his only remaining family member, feeding stray dogs and raising dung beetles, the self harm (of which this isn't necessarily a feminine trait but often internal suffering to the point of externally harming one self is often reserved for bottoms and subs in fics). Even Gyomei says it himself that Sanemi gets easily embarrassed, and it's due to the fact that he is an incredibly sensitive person. He's also deeply angry but it's clear still from his calm interactions with Kanae and the master that being angry is the only way he can prevent himself from confronting his feelings of inferiority for 1 being a murderer (in his eyes), 2 failing to protect his family, 3 having to fight tooth and nail for his spot as a hashira, and 4 his fear of being mocked which I went more into depth here.

Compared to Giyuu's more overtly cool and brooding character, Sanemi's character is more emotionally charged, and yet because Sanemi is bigger and stronger and angrier and scarier looking due to his scars, he is seen as a masculine character. But because Giyuu is the typical ikemen character type, without possession of the more overt traits stupidly associated with masculinity, he's reduced to a fragile baby who can't swim, can't cook, can't stand up for himself, needs to be saved. And yet the manga disproved every single one of these fanon tropes.

Even if we go by physical attributes alone, the two of them fall comically so into typical female/male character designs we see in shonen animes. Sanemi's long lashes, his styled hair that swoops fashionably over his forehead, the soft design of his face (when he isn't looking murderously insane), and most importantly, his uniform. The only other person to get the same uniform treatment that Mitsuri does in the anime is Sanemi, and yet only one of them is seen as 'gooner bait'. Mitsuri is the most feminine and femme character within the series and her and Sanemi's uniforms are the samr in different fonts and yet even after drawing that very obvious and direct parallel between the two of them, people still fail to it. It's even funnier when you consider the fact that Sanemi chooses to walk around with his titties out 'for better fighting' (female gooner bait character excuses 101) while Mitsuri ends up with that uniform due to a shit perverted tailor. But looking at Giyuu's character, we never see him take his shirt off once (which I'll count as a sorta physical attribute because his body doesn't get open to sexualization in the same way Mitsuri or Sanemi's do). His hair keeps a very rigid messy and hasn't-been-brushed-in-weeks sort of structure, which reflects his internal suffering-in-silence character. His eyes are nowhere near as rounded as Sanemi's, especially when he's first introduced. They maintain this icy calculating kind of aura while Sanemi's take on the more feminine attribute of the extremely long eyelashes.

The thing with feminising characters is it's fun until you realize everyone is doing it to one character continuously to the point of changing their personality just because they want them to be the uke/bottom in the relationship. It erases sooo much of his character and ignores his character arc entirely.

This is what 205 chapters of Demon Slayer looks like all collaged together.

This is a self-indulgent post where I just try to figure out when Sakonji became a Hashira in the canon timeline and what he did after retiring—so maybe there are a few mistakes, but I tried to check every source material I'm aware of as much as possible. With that said, let's begin:

—Establishing the main story's timeline:

In Chapter 7, the Hand Demon states he was captured by Sakonji Urokodaki during the Keiō era (between 1865 and 1868). Although Tanjiro never specifies the year they're in (the Taishō era goes from 1912 to 1926), the Hand Demon mentions he's been trapped in Mt. Fujikasane for 47 years. From this, we can conclude that the story at that point takes place between 1912 and 1915.

If the story (Chapter 1) started when the Taishō era began (1912), and considering that it took Tanjiro 2 years to train for the Final Selection, his encounter with the Hand Demon most likely occurred in 1914 or 1915, placing the Hand Demon's capture around 1867 or 1868. 

—Sakonji's Hashirahood:

At the 2021 art exhibition, it was revealed that Sakonji started wearing his Tengu mask at the next Hashira meeting after Jigoro Kuwajima (Zenitsu's Cultivator and previous Rumble Hashira) jokingly suggested it. Because Sakonji is shown wearing the mask in the Chapter 8 flashback, this means he was already the Water Hashira at that time when he captured the Hand Demon (around 1867–1868). 

In Chapter 46, Kagaya states that Hashira meetings are held twice a year. Even though the art exposition doesn’t specify which meeting Sakonji first wore the mask to, if we go back to Chapter 46 again, we can have a small glimpse of Sakonji’s letter that begins with the phrase 新緑の候 (“the season of fresh greenery”), which is a traditional Japanese seasonal greeting used in May. Considering that the Hashiras held another meeting after Nezuko’s trial (stated in Chapter 46, Chapter 47, and Chapter 48), one of the biannual Hashira meetings and Nezuko’s trial overlapped, so the scheduled Hashira meetings take place roughly six months apart—in May and November. Taking all of this into account, Sakonji likely showed up at the next Hashira meeting wearing his Tengu mask either in May or November of that year.

While the art exhibition doesn’t clarify how long he has been in that position or if that was his first Hashira meeting, he might have become a Hashira 1 or 2 years before capturing the Hand Demon—perhaps around 1865–1866.

—Sakonji's predecessor:

My reasoning for placing his promotion 1 or 2 years before the Hand Demon encounter comes from Chapter 148, where Akaza states that it's been 50 years since he last encountered a Water Hashira. Based on the timeline established above, Akaza must’ve fought Sakonji's predecessor, and even though he doesn't explicitly state that he killed the previous Water Hashira, it's reasonable to assume so (additionally, in Chapter 63, Akaza mentions that the other Hashiras he's killed didn't use Flame Breathing, and all of them refused his proposal to become a demon).

To expand Sakonji’s predecessor's identity, and considering he was killed by Akaza—someone who doesn’t kill women (not even Corps members) as per Douma’s statement in Chapter 157 and Akaza’s Fanbook 2 Taishō secret—that would make him a man. Considering the estimated capture of the Hand Demon, the previous Water Hashira’s death likely took place around 1864–1865, during the Genji era.

If Akaza killed the previous Water Hashira about 50 years before the main story, and the Hand Demon was captured 47 years ago when Tanjiro was taking his Final Selection, that creates a three-year gap between the previous Water Hashira’s death and Sakonji’s promotion. Since Sakonji’s already wearing the Tengu mask during the Hand Demon flashback—and we know he began wearing it as a Hashira—it supports the idea that he had already assumed the position by that time.

Moreover, considering Water Breathing swordsmen have always been present among the Hashira (said by Kyojuro in Chapter 54) and also being the most common Breathing Style among Demon Slayers (Volume 17 extra page), it’s highly likely that they filled the vacant Water Hashira spot in no time, so Sakonji ascending to Hashirahood, again, could’ve been easily done in just 1 or 2 years, or even less. 

—Post-Hashirahood:

Even though we don't exactly know when he retired, he settled himself in Mt. Sagiri and still kept in touch with the Demon Slayer Corps by starting to train students to become Water Breathing swordsmen as a Cultivator, his current job (said in Chapter 4, for which he receives money from the Master himself, as stated in Fanbook 1 Q&A, but never spends it unless he has to feed his students or pay his hunter friends). He trained a total of 15 students—and only 2 passed the Final Selection.

The only ones introduced in canon are Makomo, Sabito & Giyuu, and Tanjiro—we don't know when Makomo started training under Sakonji nor how old she would be in the current canon, but since Giyuu was the only student who passed the Final Selection before Tanjiro appeared (because the Hand Demon made sure to kill all his students, as per Chapter 7*), she must've taken her exam before Sabito and Giyuu took theirs.

*Keep in mind that the Hand Demon never encountered Giyuu, so he only counted 13 students (excluding Tanjiro) when he was bragging about how many of Sakonji's students he had killed.

Returning to the Taishō era timeline: based on Tanjiro and Hand Demon’s exchange, the canon takes place between 1912 and 1915, most likely 1914 or 1915, due to Tanjiro’s two-year training period. So, that would mean Giyuu and Sabito entered the Final Selection around 1906–1907 when they were 13 years old, as Giyuu mentions in Chapter 130. Since the average training period time for the Final Selection is 1 year (as stated in Fanbook 1 Q&A), Sakonji trained them around 1905–1906, during the Meiji era. (Back to Makomo—taking into account that the average training is 1 year and that she seemed around Tanjiro's age [13yo] or a bit younger, it's highly likely that she would be older than Giyuu and Sabito in canon, so her meeting and training under Sakonji must've happened before 1905).

—Post-canon:

In Chapter 204, Tanjiro notes that the cherry blossom trees are in full bloom, and in Japan that happens in late March or early April. Since the Demon Slayer Corps is officially disbanded not long after he says that, and the main story spans roughly a year, Chapter 204 likely takes place in late March of 1915 or 1916 (it's been 3 months since the war ended, meaning that they defeated Muzan around late December or early January).

This would make Sakonji the eldest (former) Hashira and Corps member overall (affiliated as a Cultivator). 

In the post-canon, we can see him living a peaceful life much like the other surviving characters. In Chapter 204, his only appearances are alongside Giyuu, indicating the closeness of their relationship. Additionally, he participates in the group photo for the final panel of the manga in Chapter 205 (before Volume 23's release). Meanwhile, his (official) final appearance in the manga is in the pictures from the extended ending in Volume 23, depicting him taking off his mask with a smile on his face, further emphasizing his sense of comfort and contentment of living in a world free of demons. Finally, in Tanjiro's report, it is mentioned that he visits the Kamado household frequently (and in the same report, it's implied that he still spends time with Giyuu too—if that wasn't already made evident in Chapter 204—assuming the hand shown in the panel is his).

Again, in Chapter 205, we also get to see him in the modern-day time skip as an elderly man playing shogi with Jigoro. Although the character chart doesn't explicitly state it, it seems more like his reincarnation—much like Jigoro's since he actually dies in the canon—because it's very unlikely for him to leave offspring at his advanced age.

—Now, speculation time:

An issue is that we don't have Sakonji's canonical age, so we cannot determine precisely how old he was when he became a Hashira. Nevertheless, we can assume he’s in his sixties (just because it makes sense lol), but if he’s exactly 60, that would mean he was 13 when he met the Hand Demon, which age-wise doesn’t make that much sense, and also because of his looks. My guess is that he’s in his mid-sixties during the main story, making him in his late teens (around 18 or 19) when he captured the Hand Demon, far more plausible than the first option. 

Based on the ages at which other Hashira achieved their rank in the main story, promotion typically appears to occur in the mid-to-late teens—around 15 to 18—with the likes of Tengen, Giyuu, Kanae, Sanemi, Shinobu, etc., as an example. Therefore, it’s reasonable to speculate that Sakonji became a Hashira within that age range.

The other bad thing is that Jigoro's age is also unknown. However, considering all things, it's likely these two were around the same age, if not just a little older or younger than Sakonji when they were active Hashiras. Fanbook 1’s Q&A confirms that Jigoro retired at 35 after losing his leg in battle, and since Sakonji doesn’t present any physical disability that prevents him from demon slaying, he could’ve remained active way longer—until his forties if he wanted. 

If these speculations/estimations are correct, Sakonji may have served as Water Hashira for 20 to (almost) 30 years before retiring, showing an outstanding and enviable longevity (that would also mean he wore the Tengu mask for several decades, oof).

An approximate but general and summarized canon-compatible timeline (without specifying as much as I did before): 

•  1864–1865 (Genji era): An unnamed male Water Hashira is killed by Akaza. 

• 1865–1866 (Keiō era): Sakonji Urokodaki becomes the new Water Hashira. He starts wearing his Tengu mask. 

• 1867–1868 (late Keiō era): Sakonji captures the Hand Demon and sends him to Mt. Fujikasane.

• Post-1868 (Meiji era): Sakonji continues serving as a Hashira for many years before retiring and becoming a Cultivator.

• 1905–1907 (Meiji era): Sakonji trains Giyuu and Sabito for a year, and they enter the Final Selection at age 13, with only Giyuu surviving. Sakonji has trained 14 students by now.

• 1912–1916 (Taishō era, main story): He remains active as a Cultivator (Tanjiro being his last student) until the Demon Slayer Corps is officially disbanded, having trained 15 students in total. 

• Post-1916 (Taishō era onward, post-canon): With no more demons around, he lives a peaceful life until his death. He's seen in the modern-day time skip, most likely as a reincarnation.

He's also very clingy and affectionate. Yes he will hold hands in public. Yes he demands kisses with his puppy dog eyes reserved for them. He grips onto his partner like a vise when he's tired or that they did not spend like 2 minutes with him /lh. Will mope around like a sad cat otherwise and the only form of apology he will accept is a minimum of 50 kisses and cuddles and a salmon daikon private meal.

Off topic but I wanted to find an excuse to ramble about this frame a little - the fact that he's saying "No contest this time" with that soft smile and voice and tone drives me so insane like this is the closest we'll get to how Giyuu would be in a relationship probably. Like in a modern au he's deciding the future date ideas and everything. Being so enthusiastic about it. WHAT WAS UFO COOKING WITH THIS THEY WERE EXTRA HORNY ABOUT THIS MAN IN THE STUDIO I SWEAR (I don't blame them but yeah).