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Tsuyuri Kanao has remained one of the most mysterious characters in the Demon Slayer series. She is often silent and attached only to her duty to destroy all demons. However, she later becomes and important part of Tanjiro and Nezuko‘s journey. At one turning point, it was Kanao that stood between the outcome of the final battle.
To answer some of the most frequently asked questions, here are the 7 most interesting things about Demon Slayer’s Tsuyuri Kanao:
1. She is the only confirmed Tsuguko in rank
We have clarified it before, in explaining the nature of the Hashiras (Pillars) that a tsuguko is their appointed heir. A tsuguko trains directly under the hashira and is expected to replace their mentor in the event of retirement of death. In both the anime and the manga, Tsuyuri Kanao is the only character to bear this title. As for the other main characters:
- Tanjiro Kamado was trained by a cultivator, Urokodaki Sakonji. While Flame Pillar Kyojuro Rengoku offered to train him later, Tanjiro was never formally assigned as a tsuguko. Rengoku dies at the end of the mission.
- Zenitsu Agatsuma was also trained by a cultivator, Jigoro Kuwaijima. It was already mentioned that Jigoro planned to make both Zenitsu and Kaigaku his successors or tsuguko. It also never materialized. Jigoro committed suicide upon knowing that Kaigaku became a demon.
- The Kimetsu no Yaiba databook specifically mentions the Love Pillar Mitsuri Kanroji having Rengoku as her mentor. Her Breath of Love was also derived from the Breath of the Flame. However, there was no mention of her being a tsuguko. In fact, they both held the title of hashira simultaneously.
2. She was a tsuguko to two hashiras
Next, as the only tsuguko, she might also be a successor to not just one, but two hashiras. She is the adopted sister of both Kanae and Shinobu Kocho. It makes sense that she trained first under Kanae since she inherited the late pillar’s Breath of the Flower techniques.
Shinobu, Kanae’s younger sister, did not have enough strength to decapitate a demon. She instead adopted her own breathing style, the Breath of the Insect, to compensate for this disadvantage.
This theory later receives further credence in Chapter 100 of the manga. A kakushi named Gotou recalls that Kanao holds a higher rank than he does, despite the tsuguko being younger than him. He also mentions that Kanao has been slaying demons since childhood.
The Kimetsu no Yaiba databook also disclosed her ranking in the corps. Her rank during the Natagumo Mountain mission was Tsuchinoto (5th from the bottom). Note that by the Entertainment District Arc, Inosuke showed Tanjiro that he was at the Kanoe (4th from the bottom) rank.
3. Does Tsuyuri Kanao become a hashira herself?
Lastly, the most common question is whether Kanao Tsuyuri becomes a pillar herself in the series. The answer is no. After the final battle with Muzan Kibutsuji, most of the injured and surviving members stayed at the Butterfly Mansion to recover. It took months before Tanjiro woke up. Tanjiro, Nezuko, Zenitsu, and Inosuke all survived the final battle together with Kanao.
Kiriya Ubuyashiki called for a meeting. The last surviving pillars, Water Pillar Giyu Tomioka and Wind Pillar Sanemi Shinazugawa, were in attendance. In this meeting, the young leader of the Demon Slayer Corps officially disbanded the organization.
It spells the same for Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Zenitsu – none of them would become Pillars. With the defeat of Muzan Kibutsuji, the Progenitor of All Demons, there is no more need for demon slayers. Although, they would’ve been cool as the next generation of hashiras. Imagine this, our main characters passing down their breathing techniques to their children and seeing them flaunt it in modern settings. Now wouldn’t that be entertaining?
4. Her Past and Her Prince Charming
Both the anime and manga has revealed that Kanao Tsuyuri had a very difficult past. She used to live in a poor family, with negligent parents that left children in hunger. They experienced maltreatment to the extent that her parents did not bother naming her. Her “parents” also beat her up whenever they felt like it. One day, she was psychologically broken – she stopped feeling anything.
She later found herself sold into slavery. The Kocho sisters would encounter her on the way to being sold. A slave trader drags the small child with a rope on her waist. Shinobu, still young and rash, distracted the slave trader by throwing money into the air and dragging the nameless child away. Kanae ran along, seemingly oblivious.
Once the three women arrived at the Butterfly Mansion, the sisters bathed and clothed the kid. Shinobu complains that kids who can not think and act for themselves are useless and dangerous. Kanae then suggested giving her a coin to help Kanao decide on things.
It was the part that Kanae told both Shinobu and Kanao that when she falls in love with a boy someday, she will also change. You know who this is.
5. The origin of her name and her birthday
Kanae Kocho gave their adopted sister the name “Kanao.” Her surname, “Tsuyuri,” was of her own choosing. By the end of the Volume 19 of the manga, the extra pages show that Aoi Kanzaki gave her a list of surnames to choose from. Aoi even pestered Kanao to choose her own surname, “Kanzaki,” because she really wanted to have her own sister. Among the choices for Kanao’s family name included the sisters’ “Kocho,” as well as two other suggested surnames.
The surname Kanao chose contains kanji characters all revolving around her Breathing Style. Her name has the words for “chestnut” (栗 tsu), “flower, blossom” (花 yu) and “fall” (落 ri).
Kanao Tsuyuri’s official birthday is on May 19. It was the date when the Kocho sisters adopted her. Kanao’s actual date of birth is unknown.
6. Will Kanao Tsuyuri Die?
No. She will survive until the end of the series. In the Infinity Castle Arc, Kanao will arrive just in time as Doma absorbs her mentor, Shinobu. However, the Insect Pillar’s poison will greatly weaken the Upper Moon Two Demon. Kanao, together with Inosuke Hashibira, defeated Doma.
However, their fight with the Upper Moon Two required her to use the final form of the Flower Breathing: the Equinoctial Vermilion Eye. It turned both her eyes red with blood, and react faster. Kanao lost her left eye in this battle.
She would later use her other eye for the Breath of the Flower Final Form. With her increased speed and response, she was able to administer the last potion to Tanjiro, who has become a demon. With the potion that Tamayo and Shinobu made, that Kanao injected, and Tanjiro’s will, he managed to regain control of his own body.
The penultimate chapter did not clarify the exact state of her eyesight. When Tanjiro asked her, she just said that it’s not like she has gone completely blind. She also inherited the Serpent Pillar Iguro Obanai’s pet snake, Kaburamaru.
7. Will Kanao and Tanjiro Get Married?
Yes. While the Tanjiro X Kanao ship ended at the their brief conversation in front of the Sakura tree, they did get married. The two demon slayers have started a family of their own. Later down the line, they would have two great-grandchildren: Sumihiko Kamado, who looks like Tanjiro; and Kanata Kamado, who inherited Kanao’s rare eyes. These two are distant relatives to Zenitsu and Nezuko’s great-grandchildren Agatsuma Toko and Agatsuma Yoshiteru.
Bonus: Kanao Tsuyuri’s Voice Actor Reina Ueda
In the first season of the Demon Slayer anime, produced by Ufotable, Kanao Tsuyuri borrows her voice from seiyuu Reina Ueda. Born on January 17, 1994, the Toyama Prefecture native is both a voice actress and singer. Aside from Kanao Tsuyuri, Reina Ueda has also voiced the following anime characters:
- Naru Sekiya from Hanayamata
- Meika Katai frpm Mikagura School Suite
- Elena Arshavina from World Break: Aria of Curse for a Holy Swordsman
- Hane Sakura from Bakuon!!
- Jiro, the child Hideyoshi Nagachika, Taguchi, and Misato Gori from Tokyo Ghoul and Tokyo Ghoul Root A
- Mallow from Pokemon Sun & Moon
- Ruri from Dr. Stone
- Kisa Soma from Fruits Basket
