Shinobu Kocho: 10 Interesting Facts About Demon Slayer’s Beautiful Hashira

Fans of the fantastic, CGI and hand-drawn anime series Demon Slayer will be familiar with the beautiful, tragic story of Shinobu Kocho, also known as The Insect Hashira. She appeared in the Manga series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba from 2016 to 2020 and can also be seen in the television series Demon Slayer.

Whether in the Manga or on the television series, one thing is certain – she is a small but mighty character that proves being a Hashira has much more to do with your heart and spirit rather than physical strength.

Who is Shinobu Kocho in Demon Slayer?

What is Shinobu Kocho’s background and history?

Shinobu had one of the happiest lives of any of the characters in Demon Slayer. She grew up with a happy childhood along side her two parents and adopted sister Kanae. They were living in harmony until, sadly, her entire family was killed by demons.

Her parents were the first to be killed by demons, and Kanae and Shinobu were sure to be victims themselves were not for being saved by Gyomei, one of the tallest and strongest Demon Slayers in the Demon Slayer Corps.

After her and her sister are saved by Gyomei, they decide to become demon slayers themselves, hunting down demons in the hopes fo avenging the death of their parents.

Sadly, this dream would be short lived. Doma, a powerful demon that absorbs his victims, kills Kanae. While Kanae is dying, she urges Shinobu to lead a normal life free of demon slaying. However, Shinobu says that she cannot lead a normal life so long as she does not avenge the death of Kanae. She then chooses to continue the fight in the Demon Slayer Corps, hoping to one day run into the demon that killed her sister.

What is Shinobu’s personality like?

Shinobu Kocho might seem innocent and beautiful on the outside, and she is. She is bubbly, with beautiful big purple eyes that don’t have any pupils. She never seems to lose her smile, but constantly looks like she stepped into battle freshly pampered.

On the contrary, her position against demons is anything but ordinary. Because of the trauma of seeing Kanae’s death, Shinobu believes that all demons need to atone for their sins and for the suffering of humans.

Shinobu was once optimistic and even believed that humans and demons could live in harmony. Now, however, she chooses to believe that demons must be punished for their treatment of humans. 

Shinobu’s torture methods are nothing short of sadistic. She’ll even tease the demons and continue to keep a playful demeanor while torturing and stabbing them! She tries to keep herself together, even in the midst of battle. However, fans soon learn that the only reason she always carries a smile on her face is as a tribute to her beautiful sister Kanae.

How old is Shinobu? When is her birthday?

Shinobu is 18 years old when we meet her in Demon Slayer. Her parents were killed when she was only 14 years old, meaning the memory is still fresh in her mind. She has a deep love for the younger Hashira, and knows that in order to protect them, she must play the big sister role.

How tall is Shinobu?

Shinobu is one of the smallest and thinnest characters on Demon Slayer. She is thought to be around 4’11” in height, making her one of the most petite characters on the show. Make no mistake, this is one small but mighty Hashira.

What are some quotes from Shinobu?

“Humans and demons, we both should get along together.”

“I’m the only slayer who cannot cut off demon’s head in Hashira, but I’m kind of a great person who made poisons to kill demons.”

“For every person you killed, I shall torture you.”

Shinobu Kocho’s Abilities In Combat

How strong is Shinobu?

Shinobu Kocho is considered one of the more weak Demon Slayers in the Corps, but this is only physically. She is the only slayer without the ability to cut off a demon’s head, which is required to fully kill a demon. However, whatever she lacks in strength, she makes up in agility, speed, and intelligence.

What are Shinobu’s skills/abilities/powers?

Speed: Shinobu Kocho’s last fight with Doma proved just how quick she truly is. In fact, during their final fight, Doma said that Shinobu was one of the fastest Harashi he had ever seen! That’s saying a lot, considering Doma is an Upper Moon 2, one of the most powerful types of demons in Demon Slayer.

Insect Breathing techniques: Shinobu created four distinct dance methods, also known as insect breathing, that allow her to easily concentrate during the midst of battle. She uses these breathing techniques, which take inspiration from insects, to defeat her opponents and stab them with the poison she develops specifically for them.

Swordsmanship: It’s important to note that Shinobu is a trained Hashira swordsman. However, unlike others who have swords designed to cut the heads off of demons, her sword is made to inject poison into her opponents. The sword looks more like a spear, but is powerfully wielded by Shinobu to inject even the most powerful demons.

Who is stronger than Shinobu? Could Shinobu defeat the Demon King?

Virtually all of the Hashira are stronger than Shinobu Kocho. In fact, during a fight with Gyuu, he easily puts Shinobu in a head lock and prevents her from killing Nezuko. However, she might have beat him thanks to a hidden knife she had in the tip of her shoes. This knife could have killed her if it weren’t for the crow breaking the both of them apart.

She probably wouldn’t be able to defeat the Demon King, as she was….sigh…killed by the Demon Doma.

Shinobu’s Best Fight: Shinobu Vs. Doma

Sadly, Shinobu Kocho might be fast and swift, but she was no match for the demon that would eventually kill her, Doma. Shinobu confronts Doma in the infinity castle as he is busy absorbing other women into his body.

Shinobu walks into his lair, and the two of them begin to battle once Shinobu realized he is, in fact, the demon that killed his sister Kanae. Kanae had revealed to her that the demon that killed her had blood on his mouth, which is how Shinobu can tell it was Doma.

Doma and Shinobu battle, with Shinobu using her insect breathing techniques dance of the bee sting, frozen lotus, dragonfly, and zig zag to confuse and weaken Doma.

She is able to stab Doma in his eye, which impresses him as he is not used to seeing such a fast Harashi. Indeed, he goes on to compliment her and say that she is the fastest Harashi he has ever seen. Sadly, her greatness is short lived.

After Shinobu stabs Doma with her poison, he is able to recover from it with ease because he is an Upper Moon 2, and isn’t affected by her poison. He then goes on to recover from the attack, and absorbs Shinobu into his system, effectively killing her.

Fate of Shinobu Kocho

What happened after Shinobu’s death?

Although Shinobu dies, this isn’t the end of her story. On the contrary, although she was killed physically, her spirit lives on in Demon Slayer. Thanks to her sacrifice, Doma was weakened enough to be killed by one of Shinobu’s prodigies and adopted sister , Kanao Tsuyuri. After Shinobu stabs Doma in the neck and he absorbs her, he consumes a fatal amount of poison that Shinobu had been feeding herself.

In fact, Shinobu had known about her death and had planned it all along. She never planned to live after meeting Doma. Knowing that the demon would absorb her in battle, Shinobu chose to sacrifice herself and save the future victims of Doma by poisoning herself and then sacrificing her body. This weakens him enough for Kanao to behead him and kill him forever. This was all to avenge the death of her sister and parents. 

Shinobu Kocho’s Relationships in Demon Slayer

Who are Shinobu’s allies and enemies?

Shinobu Kocho is one of the most beloved characters on the Demon Slayer Corps. She is one of the oldest members of the Corps, being 18 while some of the other members are around 15 or 14 years old. She is seen as a big sister, and forms a close bond with Harashi members. 

She also has a close bond with Kanao, whom she rescued along with the help of her sister Kanae. She helped rescue Kanao from a life of abuse and poverty, and Kanao even wears her hair clip in the shape of a butterfly, after the death of Shinobu.

She also has a close friendship with Mitsuri. Mitsuri is another Demon Slayer who is beautiful, curvy, and considered one of the strongest characters on the series. She is also a woman, making her an even bigger favorite in the show. However, because she’s a girl, Shinobu does show a bit of jealousy towards her strength and body. But, this doesn’t stop the two from sharing a good friendship.

Who is Shinobu in love with?

Shinobu Kocho doesn’t have a particular love interest. However, many people believe that Giyu might be a good match for her considering their shared love of demon slaying, and their ability to work well together. Their relationship is more of a love-hate friendship nonetheless.

Other Interesting Facts About Shinobu Kocho