Shinobu Kocho is one of the main supporting characters in the manga of Demon slayer as well as the anime adaption that was released in 2019.
She is the only Insect-Hashira of the demon slayer corps and is extremely skilled as a result. Today, we will tell you all about her powers, abilities, personality, and many other things.
MyAnimeGuru brings you an article on Shinobu demon slayer, one of the most talented demon slayers in the entire series. If you want to know more about this unassuming Hashira then stick around because we have a lot of ground to cover.
Who is Shinobu in Demon Slayer?
| Name | Shinobu Kocho |
| Age | 18 |
| Height | 4’11” |
| Weight | 37 KG |
| Gender | Female |
| Birthday | 24th February |
| Affiliation | Demon Slayer Corps |
| Breathing Style | Insect-Breathing |
Shinobu is a part of the demon slayer corps, more specifically she’s one of the Hashira who are a group of some of the most elite demon slayers in the entire series. Throughout the group, strength is a common factor among them as all of them can slash and decapitate a demon’s head.
However, Shinobu is the smallest Hashira and due to her limited strength, she has developed some ingenious ways to kill her enemies which we will talk about in detail further in the article.
Related:
Demon Slayer: Every Main Character Age, Height, & Birthdays
Shinobu’s Appearance
Looking at Shinobu one might think, how a small girl like her can become a Hashira. This is because Shinobu is the smallest recruit in the demon slayer corps and also lacks the strength required to decapitate and kill demons.
However, she did develop several countermeasures to circumvent this issue.
Shinobu is white, pale skinned and her eyes are gigantic with no visible pupil, kind of like an insect’s compound eyes. She is usually seen in her demon slayer uniform while also donning a white butterfly pattern coat.
Early Life of Shinobu
Shinobu grew up in a loving and calm household alongside two parents, and her older sister Kanae. However, both of her parents were slaughtered by a demon right in front of her and her sister’s eyes.
When the demon was about to attack both the sisters, they were saved by one of the Hashiras known as Gyomei Himejima who successfully decapitated the demon.
After seeing and experiencing the loss and pain that they had to go through, they pledged that they would become demon slayers themselves to protect others from ever experiencing pain as they did.
However, when Shinobu was just 14 years old, she became the master of the butterfly estate as her sister Kanae was slain by a demon at just 17 years old.
Shinobu’s Personality
Shinobu is shown to display a calm and cool demeanor no matter how dire the situation is. She always has a smile on her face and her calmness is almost unnerving and scary when she’s fighting someone.
Her personality is radiant, as she is always cheerful and happy. However, this is nothing but a facade, her tranquility is there to cover up her unbridled rage against demons in general.
She despises them to the point that she is constantly in an extreme state of anger. This hatred stems from the fact that her entire family including her parents and sister were slaughtered mercilessly by demons.
Her true personality comes to the surface when she’s battling the Upper Rank Two demon, Doma. Her rage and anger are also sensed by Tanjiro when both of them engage in conversation.
During her battle with Doma, she also reveals that she has an inferiority complex against her other teammates who all have much larger and more muscular bodies that allow them to kill demons with ease.
Shinobu Demon Slayer Abilities
Despite her small frame and low strength compared to other demon slayers, Shinobu developed her technique to effectively kill demons using poison-based attacks with the help of her modified Nichirin sword which was designed to act like an insect’s stinger. Here are some of her most notable abilities.
Superhuman Speed: Shinobu’s speed is mind-numbing and to the untrained eye it appears as if she’s teleporting from one place to the other. Where she lacks in strength, she makes up in speed and during her fight with Doma, he admitted she was the fastest Hashira he had ever encountered.
Agility: Due to her small stature, most opponents tend to underestimate Shinobu which actually plays in her favor as she is nimble, quick, and extremely dexterous. This was seen during her battle with the spider demon when she seamlessly dodged and evaded all of the attacks.
Medical Marvel: Shinobu is an extremely skilled medic, she has in-depth knowledge about various poisons and how to counteract their effects.
This ability of hers was displayed when Zenitsu was infected with a poison that was slowly turning him into a spider and Shinobu was able to heal him effectively.
What is Shinobu’s Fighting Style in Demon Slayer?
Shinobu is an exceptional swordsman as she is a Hashira. However, her fighting style differs greatly from others. While other demon slayers focus on slashing and crushing demons to their deaths, Shinobu only uses poisons alongside a combination of piercing and stabbing attacks to kill her enemies.
Techniques Used by Shinobu in Demon Slayer
Shinobu uses several techniques of her Insect-Breathing form in the demon slayer manga/anime. Some of the most notable ones include:
Butterfly dance: Caprice In this move, Shinobu jumps up high into the air and comes down onto her opponent stabbing them multiple times in a very short span.
Dance of The Bee Sting: True Flutter This is a single-strike attack in which Shinobu uses her mind-numbing speed and agility to strengthen and put as much force as she can behind a single piercing thrust.
Dance of the Centipede: Hundred-Legged Zigzag This attack utilizes all of Shinobu’s speed as she zig-zags around her opponent to confuse them and then directly stabs them in their neck when an opening is revealed.
This is the attack that managed to pierce Doma and he even commended the speed and agility of her attack.
What is Insect Breathing?
Insect breathing was developed and pioneered by Shinobu as it suited her fighting style, this style mainly comprises stabs and piercing movements that imitate the fighting style of insects.
Despite how it sounds, Shinobu was able to stab and kill countless opponents with her poison-based attacks and even managed to wound Doma. These are all the techniques that Shinobu uses in the breathing style:
Butterfly dance: Caprice In this technique Shinobu dives from above and proceeds to deliver several shallow stabs at her opponent’s body. Once her opponent’s body has the venom inside of it, they begin to experience visions of butterflies sucking away their blood as the venom starts to kill them.
Dance of the bee sting: True flutter This technique utilizes Shinobu’s immense speed as she dashes toward her opponent to deliver a single thrust attack to inject poison into their body.
Dance of the Dragonfly: Compound Eye Hexagon This technique involves stabbing the victim multiple times at their weak spots to kill them quickly and effectively.
Dance of the Centipede: Hundred-Legged Zigzag This is by far Shinobu’s most powerful technique. Using her full speed she zig-zags around her opponent to confuse them and then delivers a single piercing thrust into their neck.
Note that, the sheer speed of this attack is enough to completely shatter a bridge.
Conclusion
Shinobu is a unique and extremely skilled demon slayer and despite her drawback, she has managed to find ways to be just as effective if not more than her other Hashira teammates. We hope you liked this article about Shinobu Kocho, as much as we did writing it!
Who is Shinobu’s Sister?
Shinobu had an older sister named Kanae, who was slain by a demon slayer years prior to the main storyline.
Who is Shinobu’s Adoptive Sister?
Shinobu has an adoptive younger sister named Kanao Tsuyuri.
Which Breathing Style Does Shinobu Use?
Shinobu uses the insect breathing style, which suits her fighting style.
