Summary
- The Shinazugawa Brothers have a tragic past marked by abuse and loss, leading to a strained relationship.
- Genya’s unique demon powers cause further tension with Sanemi, hindering their reconciliation.
- Despite coldness, Sanemi’s actions stem from a deep care for Genya, aiming to protect him from danger.
The Shinazugawa Brothers are perhaps the most complex characters in Demon Slayer. Despite being brothers in blood, Sanemi seemed to have a lot of hatred for his younger brother Genya. He also discourages him in many instances and does not want him to join the Demon Slayer Corps.
The Shinazugawa Brothers are sort of a contrast to Tanjiro and Nezuko, who share an unbreakable bond and are willing to go to any lengths for each other. What exactly did happen that made Sanemi act so cold towards Genya and do they ever reform their relationship in the upcoming arcs of Demon Slayer?
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The Story Behind Shinazugawa Brothers
A Brotherhood Marked By Tragedy And Pain
To see why Sanemi and Genya’s relationship is as broken as it is, it is important to know about their past. Both the brothers were part of a large family with seven siblings. Ever since they were kids, they have been subjected to extreme cruelty at the hands of their abusive father.
The only thing that kept the family a little bit hopeful was their kind-hearted mother, who took most of the abuse herself to protect her children from their monstrous father. Soon after, their father got killed at the hands of an unknown enemy, which brought a little peace to the life of the Shinazugawa Brothers and their family. But while they got rid of their abusive father, they had to take on the responsibility of their family.
The Night Where It All Changed
The times were tough for the Shinazugawa Brothers as they had to make ends meet, but being together was the strength in itself for them. However, fate had other plans for them. One night their mother failed to return home at her usual time, so Sanemi, being the eldest brother, went out to look for her.
Genya was left all alone to look after his younger brothers and sisters. While Sanemi was out searching, their mother returned home, but she was not the same. Unfortunately, she had been turned into a demon and as soon as she came home she started attacking her very own children.
Genya was frozen in fear and couldn’t see anything because of the darkness. His mother attacked and killed all of his siblings, only leaving him behind. Just as she is about to kill Genya, Sanemi arrives and quickly jumps at his mother to save his brother. Dealing with his mother as a demon was no easy task. However, his unique blood type, also called the Marechi Blood, intoxicates demons and makes them go crazy. This gave Sanemi a chance to deal a fatal blow to stop the bloodlust of his mother.
Do you think I wanted to kill her?! She was the only real parent we had! – Sanemi
It wasn’t easy for Sanemi to take this step, but it was necessary to save Genya and to free their mother from this curse. From here on, the relationship between the Shinazugawa Brothers became more and more strained.
When Genya saw that his very young brother had killed his mother, he called him a murderer, which truly broke Sanemi. Because of the darkness, Genya thought it was actually something else that killed his siblings, leading to his cruel reaction towards his brother.
Sanmei went on to defeat several demons as he didn’t want anyone else to suffer from the same fate as him. Soon after, he became a part of the Demon Slayer corps and, due to his expertise in battle he became a Hashira as well.
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The Truth Behind Genya’s Powers
In desperate hope of seeing his brother again and possibly mending their broken relationship, Genya goes on to join the Demon Slayer corps. While he wasn’t that bad, he lacked the proper skills to deal with powerful demons. He didn’t develop a breathing technique like others but he had a very special power to make up for it.
I just… I just wanted to be like you, big brother – Genya
By eating the flesh of demons, he can temporarily gain demon powers which also gives him a demon-like appearance. This just shows how desperate he was to become a powerful Demon Slayer and make his brother proud. However, during the Hashira Training Arc, Sanemi discovers that Genya gains advantage in battles by consuming demon flesh. Knowing this makes him furious at his brother and it further weakens the relationship.
The Real Reason For Sanemi ‘s Actions
Behind all that anger, there is a reason why Sanemi is so cold towards Genya. The truth is that he actually deeply cares about his brother and does not want him to join the Demon Slayer Corps because he knows how dangerous this job is. He chooses to take a colder approach and demotivates him often, so he will give up being a Demon Slayer and live a normal life.
The Shinazugawa Brothers do end up reconciling towards the end of the manga as they fight demons together, but it is true that they spent most of their lives without each other and had a lot of hurdles in their journey together. Maybe if Sanemi had been a little bit softer towards Genya, it would have fixed their relationship very long ago. But it is also true that no one loves Genya more than Sanemi does.
This complex dynamic shows us the importance of familial bonds and how one must appreciate the relationships they have in their life before it’s too late. The tale of the Shinazugawa Brothers is a tragic one but we do get a reconciliation between them both by the end of it.