Kanae Kochō

* Anime
* Manga

**Kanae Kochō** (胡 (こ) 蝶 (ちょう)  カナエ, *Kochō Kanae*?) was a Demon Slayer and the late Flower Hashira (花 (はな) 柱 (ばしら) , *Hana Bashira*?). She is the biological older sister of Shinobu and the adoptive older sister of Kanao.

She was slain several years prior to the present story by Upper Rank Two, Dōma.

## 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 zōri 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, 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 now wears in the present.

## Personality

Kanae is shown to be a good-natured 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 lashed out against their leader, Kagaya, 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 Dōma. 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 Dōma'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.

## Abilities

**Overall Abilities:** During her time as a Demon Slayer, Kanae was a Flower Breathing user that was skilled enough to hold the position of the Flower Hashira, a position only reserved for Demon Slayers who have slain one of the Twelve Kizuki or have successfully battled and slain at least 50 demons, further implying her immense skill and natural born talents. Unlike her younger sister, Shinobu, who lacks the strength to cut off a demon's head due to her small body and thus compensated by using a uniquely-designed Nichirin Sword to mix her poisons and created a sword style focusing on stabbing and inflicting multiple wounds in her targets to fatally poison them, Kanae wielded an ordinary-looking blade. A further testament to Kanae's strength is that she was able to battle Upper Rank Two, Dōma, until sunrise, showing that although she was incapable of defeating him and was fatally injured in the end, she was at least able to battle him to a standstill.

## Fighting Style

**Master Swordswoman:** As a Hashira, Kanae would be one of the most powerful combatants in the Demon Slayer Corps, which is supported by the fact that she was able to battle with the second strongest Upper Rank for until sunrise, though it was not specified when the fight started.

### Breathing Styles

**Flower Breathing** (花 (はな) の呼 (こ) 吸 (きゅう) , *Hana no kokyū*?): A Breathing Style Kanae mastered well enough to battle Upper Rank Two, Dōma.

### Techniques

* **Second Form: Honorable Shadow Plum** (弐 (に) ノ型 (かた)  御 (み) 影 (かげ) 梅 (うめ) , *Ni no kata: Mikage Ume*?) - The user releases several rotating sword slashes that deflects incoming physical attacks.

* **Fourth Form: Crimson Hanagoromo** (肆 (し) ノ型 (かた)  紅 (べに) 花 (はな) 衣 (ごろも) , *Shi no kata: Beni Hanagoromo*?) - The user unleashes single sword slash that curves and twists gracefully.

* **Fifth Form: Peonies of Futility** (伍 (ご) ノ型 (かた)  徒 (あだ) の芍 (しゃく) 薬 (やく) , *Go no kata: Ada no Shakuyaku*?) - The user unleashes a flurry of nine consecutive attacks that flow and weave in on themselves.

* **Sixth Form: Whirling Peach** (陸 (ろく) ノ型 (かた)  渦 (うず) 桃 (もも) , *Roku no kata: Uzumomo*?) - A technique used after or during evasion, the user spins around moving with their body weight to deliver an attack.

* **Final Form: Equinoctial Vermilion Eye** (終 (つい) ノ型 (かた)  彼 (ひ) 岸 (がん) 朱 (しゅ) 眼 (がん) , *Tsui no kata: Higan Shugan*?) - A focusing technique that raises the user's kinetic vision to its maximum, while using this technique the user perceives the world as if it were in slow motion. Usage of the technique, however, is highly dangerous, as the tremendous strain on the eyes could cause blood vessels to rupture and lead to partial or complete blindness. This technique is still usable even if the user only has one fully functional eye.

## Equipment

**Standard Nichirin Katana:** Kanae carries around a standard sized and shaped Nichirin katana that is light pink in color. Her katana's handguard seems to be the same as Shinobu's: A four-petaled aqua-colored flower, trimmed with orange. As a Hashira, Kanae's blade should have the words **Destroyer of Demons** (惡 (あっ) 鬼 (き) 滅 (めっ) 殺 (さつ) , *Akki Messatsu*?) engraved on the side. Her katana broke during her encounter with Upper Rank Two, Dōma.

## Trivia

* Kanae's surname is composed of the kan-on'yomi reading of the kanji for "butterfly" (胡 (こ) 蝶 (ちょう) , *kochō*?). Kanae's given name is spelled with three katakana characters; which differs from Shinobu, her biological sister, and is similar to how Kanao's name is spelled.

## Quotes

* (To Shinobu Kochō) "*That doesn't matter. Stand up... Insect Hashira Shinobu Kochō. Once you decide to defeat a demon, defeat it. Once you decide to win, win. Win, whatever the cost. You made that promise with Kanao and me, didn't you?*"
* (To Shinobu Kochō) "*Shinobu, you can do this. So do your best.*"
* (To Shinobu Kochō) "*Pull yourself together. I won't allow you to cry. Stand up.*"
* (To Shinobu Kochō) "*But perhaps, you will lose to that demon.*"