Kanae Kocho

**Kanae Kocho** was a character from the anime series and manga *Kimetsu no Yaiba*.

## Appearance

Kanae was a girl of a slender build who was rather tall for her age and had notably red lips in contrast to her pale complexion. She had long, straight, black hair that reached just below her waist, worn down with two shorter clumps over her shoulders, and arched, ear-length bangs on either side of her face. Her eyes were a pale violet and slanted towards the sides of her face, bright and bug-like, with many notable white sparkles reflecting light off of them.

Kanae wore a purple-tinted version of the standard Demon Slayer uniform, as well as a piece of black fabric around her calves and Zori with pale straps. She also sported a pair of green and pink butterfly hairpins that she wore adorned on either side of her head - one of which was later used by her adoptive younger sister, Kanao Tsuyuri, as a memento. She also wore the white butterfly-patterned haori that fades to mint green then pink toward the cuff and hem, which Shinobu Kocho now wears in the present.

## Personality

She is shown to be a kind girl with an easygoing personality; in Shinobu and Kanao's flashbacks, she is almost always seen with a gentle smile on her face. When Sanemi Shinazugawa lashed out against their leader, Kagaya Ubuyashiki, she displayed concern for Kagaya and gently informed Sanemi how Kagaya truly cares for the Demon Slayers under his charge. Kanae also had a dream of someday being able to live peacefully alongside Demons despite all the suffering and death they have inflicted on humans, which later inspired Shinobu to do the same.

However, Kanae had a much stricter side, as shown when Shinobu was on the verge of defeat during her battle with Doma. Kanae's spirit ordered her to stand up and face her opponent, brushing away the excuses forming in her mind that she was too delicate to take on Demons. Kanae was also keenly observant, seeing through Doma's acting and lies, and deducing that he was in fact emotionless and empty. According to Kanao, Kanae felt sorry for him due to his emptiness, even though he mortally wounded her.

## History

The Kocho sisters lived a peaceful privileged life together with their wealthy loving parents, who continuously doted on and cared for them, with the sisters wanting for nothing and were truly content with their simple life together. However, this all came crashing down on them when a Demon attacked their home. Their parents were brutally killed right in front of them as they tried to protect them, and they themselves were barely spared from death as they where saved right in the nick of time by the arrival of Gyomei Himejima, who killed the Demon immediately before it could kill either of them. After these traumatic events the two sisters made a promise to both join the Demon Slayer Corps themselves and swore to stop the Demons from inflicting the same horror and pain they experienced on others. Both of them soon became successful Demon Slayers after completing their training and mastered their own Breathing Styles.

At some point down the line, Kanae became the Flower Hashira. She was present at Sanemi's first Hashira meeting, looking at him in alarm when he rudely confronts their leader. When Kagaya mentions Masachika Kumeno by name, Kanae informs the surprised Sanemi that Kagaya made a point to memorize the names and backgrounds of each Demon Slayer who died in combat.

One day, while traveling through a village, Kanae took notice of a little girl being dragged along by a leash by a man. Even though the girl was nameless, dirty, covered in fleas, and didn't speak, Kanae approached her and attempted to convince the man who purchased her to let her go. When he demanded money in compensation, Shinobu flung money in the air, and grabbed the rope he released, before running off with the girl. They then took her to the Butterfly Mansion, adopted her, and named her Kanao. When the girl proved unresponsive without orders, Kanae gave her a coin to flip to help her make decisions until she could make decisions on her own.

Some years later, Kanae ran into the Upper Rank 2 of the Twelve Kizuki, Doma. She was fatally wounded during the encounter, but he was forced to flee from the rising sun before he could devour her. As she lay dying in Shinobu's arms, she tries to convince her sister to leave the Demon Slayer Corps to live out a normal life, but her sister is dead set on avenging her. With the last of her strength, Kanae described Doma to Shinobu before succumbing to her wounds.

### Infinity Castle Arc

Shinobu chances on Doma, Kanae's killer, in the Infinity Castle. He eventually recognizes Kanae's haori and recollects how he missed out on eating her, enraging Shinobu. When she is on the brink of defeat, Kanae's spirit commands her to continue fighting.

After Doma's death at the hands of Kanao and Inosuke Hashibira, Shinobu and Kanae are seen in kimonos, running towards their parents as they all go to heaven.

## Death

She was killed by doma. But she got away and died due to her injuries