Demon Slayer: The Tragic Past Of The Shinazugawa Brothers, Explained

The Shinazugawa brothers; Genya and Sanemi, have one of the most devastating and heart-wrenching backstories in the Demon Slayer series. The character development of the brothers is key to showcasing the sibling bond that the series covers when it comes to how siblings are truly there for one another.

Just like how Tanjiro and Nezuko share a strong familial bond, the Shinazugawa brothers also have a strong bond as they grew up watching their family die in front of their eyes. Even though there seems to be bad blood between the two during the Hashira training arc, it is evident that Genya still cares for his brother.

The Tragic Backstory

The Shinazugawa Brothers and Their Childhood Trauma

Genya and Sanemi grew up with several siblings and a mother who loved them. However, their father was the complete opposite and was often abusive towards the family and the Shinazugawa children, causing their mother to always step in and protect and care for them. The brother’s father was later killed by someone who disliked him, which left the two older brothers, Genya and Sanemi to look after the family. The tragedy did not end just there, as one night their mother did not return home after work, resulting in Sanemi leaving home to look for her. While on his search for his mother, she had become a demon, and Sanemi could not stop her from returning home. By the time Sanemi returns home, his demon mother had killed all his siblings and was about to kill Genya but right before she could do that, Sanemi jumps on her with a knife in his hand and tackles her as the two fall onto the street below.

Thanks to Sanemi’s unique blood type, known as marechi blood, which is intoxicating to demons, he was given an opening when his mother slashed his face, allowing him to kill her. When Genya comes looking for his brother and mother, he is shocked to find Sanemi standing over the body of their dead mother. Genya is unaware that it was actually his mother who had killed his siblings and believed it was a wolf that killed them, this causes him to call his brother a murderer. This misunderstanding caused a rift between the brothers and the two eventually split.

Brothers Who Became Strangers

Sanemi and Genya Go Their Separate Ways

Sanemi goes his separate way to begin hunting and killing demons on his own becoming a monster of his own, with no knowledge about swords or demon slayers, he began killing demons with whatever weapon he had, even though it was dangerous to do so. He was reckless in battle and the only way he survived was his determination to kill demons and to stop anyone else going through the pain and suffering he did. Sanemi later meets a demon slayer named Masachika Kumeno who introduces him to the world of demon slayers and properly trains him on the ways of killing demons, launching Sanemi’s career as a demon slayer. Eventually, the duo meets a powerful lower-rank demon and kills it, but Masachika loses his life in the process, leaving Sanemi alive and who is later promoted to the Wind Hashira title.

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Genya on the other hand, also joins the demon slayer corps hoping that one day he would be able to reconcile with his brother by proving himself to be a strong demon slayer. Genya was so desperate that he consumed demon flesh so that he could gain temporary demonic powers and enhanced abilities. It is later seen that Sanemi is angered when he finds out that his brother has devoured demon flesh and lashes out at him.

The story of the Shinazugawa is truly a traumatic journey and the duo later reconcile as they fight alongside each other, killing demons. The emotional storyline of the brothers covers relatable topics such as love, kinship, sacrifice, forgiveness, and pulling through during times of adversity together. The use of trauma to overcome difficulties is a powerful message in the Demon Slayer series as characters go through a roller coaster of a journey just getting through life.

Demon Slayer

Based on Koyoharu Gotouge’s shonen manga, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is an action anime set in Japan during the early 20th century. Seeking revenge for the murder of his family while also looking to save his sister, Tanjiro joins the Demon Slayer Corps as they try to eradicate Demons led by Muzan.