Demon Slayer Wind Hashira: Sanemi Shinazugawa

Demon Slayer quickly rose to prominence in the modern anime world, thanks to a perfect combination of stellar animation from Studio UFOtable, thrilling action sequences, a fantastic soundtrack, and, most importantly, a cast of memorable and beloved characters straight from the source manga. Kimetsu no Yaiba’s heroes are all skilled martial arts experts with a talent for harnessing their energy and leveraging it with their swords. When all factors such as combat power, personality, good dialogue, and sheer charm are taken into account, the Demon Slayer characters can be ranked in terms of how wonderful they are — and one of the best is the Wind Hashira, also known as Sanemi Shinazugawa.

 

Who is Sanemi Shinazugawa?

Sanemi Shinazugawa is one of the major supporting characters of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. He is the current Wind Hashira and a Demon Slayer of the Demon Slayer Corps. Despite being a Hashira, he is a hot-headed individual who lives for the thrill of fighting demons. However, Sanemi is terrified of demons due to traumatic events involving them. Because of his previous experiences, he refuses the idea that demons and humans could somehow coexist peacefully.

Additionally, Sanemi is a fierce fighter, comes off as somewhat hard to please, and it's easy to make him angry. He has a rare blood type that even the strongest demons will find alluring. He often uses this as bait to lure opponents in and swiftly kill them. Sanemi is almost unbeatable thanks to his Demon Slayer Mark and unmatched Wind Breathing abilities. One can only wonder just how much damage this Sanemi will be able to inflict with his attacks. Manga fans may already be aware, but fans are eager to see Shinazugawa in action because of the anime's potential and its aesthetics.

 

History of Sanemi Shinazugawa

Sanemi lived with both of his parents as the oldest son of seven children. He was raised in a household where his father abused all of his siblings and his mother regularly until he was stabbed and killed at random. One day Sanemi's mother didn't come home, so he and his siblings were worried about her. And when Sanemi planned to look for their mother, a loud banging sound was heard at the door. When his siblings opened the door, it was their mother who had transformed into a demon and immediately attacked them. Sanemi left his younger brother Genya to care for her siblings while he took his mother out of the house to protect them.

Genya then rushed to find a doctor to take care of their younger sibling. After he made sure their siblings were safe, he looked for Sanemi. Genya comes across Sanemi in the middle of the road with her mother lying dead at her feet as he is leaving. Sanemi is furiously accused of murder by Genya, who yells at him that he is a "murderer." Afterward, it is uncovered that after killing his mom, Sanemi lost the capacity to see and see tones, seeing everything only in black and white, making it hard to see around evening time.

Sanemi started to chase evil presences all alone with self-destructive dedication, having no clue about Nichirin Sword. Instead, he started fighting the demons by himself with different weapons. He would first neutralize and capture the demon, wait until morning, then chain up his captured demon and let the sun kill them. He survived and eliminated several demons despite his brutal and reckless fighting style. However, Sanemi conceded that the main explanation he endured was because of dumb luck and the remarkable fragrance of his blood that made devils become inebriated, tanked, and less engaged in their fights.

He was assisted by Masachika Kumeno, a real demon slayer, who also introduced him to a real trainer. After working with Kumeno to defeat one of the twelve demon moons, specifically the Lower Moon, where Kumeno later lost his life in battle, Sanemi was promoted to the upper ranks of the demon slayer corps and given the rank of Wind Pillar.

 

Sanemi Shinazugawa's Personality

Sanemi is obstinate, short-tempered, and extremely fiery. He frequently lashes out and attacks other Demon Slayer Corps members. In fact, at the point when Sanemi initially met Tanjiro Kamado, he was quickly suspicious of Tanjiro's clarifications of Nezuko, his younger sister, and pummeled Tanjiro prior to cutting the container that houses Nezuko inside. He is practically ill-bred to anybody besides Kagaya Ubuyashiki, whom he approaches with so much respect. After realizing that Kagaya Ubuyashiki, the 97th leader of the Demon Slayer Corps, was much more than just a sickly appearance, he is the only person he treats and speaks to with respect.

Sanemi's cold and impolite behavior stems from the loss of his family, with whom he had a profound love. He verbally insults Genya Shinazugawa when he joins the Demon Slayer Corps. This is because he tries to get Genya Shinazugawa out of any danger with demons. As the older brother, Sanemi had a burning desire for his brother, whom he adored so much, to lead a contented life with a wife and numerous children without worrying about demons.

 

Sanemi Shinazugawa's Appearance

Sanemi is a tall, strong man with spiky white hair who is about the same height and weight as Muzan. He has scars on his face and torso from battles with demons throughout the years, including large upward-turned eyes with purple pupils. He has a sign on his back that says "Kill" in Japanese, and he always wears a white haori with green tints that are undone to show off his chest.

Partway through the series, Sanemi trims his hair short yet still continues to wear a crazed expression on his face like in the other seasons before. He can be distinguished from other Demon Slayers by his green outfit, which includes an unbuttoned shirt revealing his abs. Sanemi also wears a white belt with this outfit, which matches his Japanese sandals (zori). After battling Kokushibo, he is left without an index and middle fingers on his right hand.

 

Sanemi Shinazugawa's Scars

Even after Sanemi's mother passed away, the assault continued. The same demon that assaulted her now targets Sanemi and the rest of his family. Sanemi himself only just managed to survive the incident, which is why he has so many scars and broken eyes on display. His face was so severely damaged by the incident that he developed color blindness. Sanemi is so proud of his battle scars from Demon Slayer, but every time he sees his reflection, he is reminded of that day. The day he almost lost all of his siblings, killed his own mother, and underwent permanent alteration was undoubtedly the worst of his life. Sanemi believes he committed an unforgivable sin, despite the fact that his actions were motivated by love, a natural need to protect his younger brother, and a desire to preserve the one positive aspect of his life. Sanemi is constantly reminded of the deaths of his siblings, his slain mother, and the younger brother he tried so hard to save but who turned away from him every time he saw his own face or even his brother.

However, at some point, Sanemi is incredibly proud and eager to display his other scars. He believes that the entire world should be aware of his criminal past before approaching him. That said, the scars on his face are only a reminder of his tragedy; despite dedicating his life to defending and protecting people, he fears he will go to hell.

 

Sanemi Shinazugawa's Abilities

1. Master Swordsman 

Sanemi is a formidable and skilled combatant as a Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps. He has repeatedly demonstrated his extraordinary combat skills and proficiency. Sanemi is one of the most powerful and skilled swordsmen in the Demon Slayer Corps; even Upper Rank 1 Kokushibo was impressed by Sanemi's skills and refined sword techniques. Additionally, during his sparring match with Giyu, while they were in the pillar training, his swordsmanship was on par with that of Giyu Tomioka, who was himself a highly skilled swordsman. 

2. Incredible Speed

Among other abilities, Sanemi possesses tremendous speed and physical reactions/reflexes. He is the Hashira runner with the second-fastest time behind the Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kocho. According to his fellow hashira, Sanemi's sudden movements gave the impression that he had teleported. Later, in a fight between the Giyu during their training, Sanemi showed speed comparable to Giyu's. In fact, Sanemi was able to effortlessly break down Lower Rank demons while still sitting down when confronted with them. Sanemi goes as far as to engage the demon head-on, engaging Kokushibo in prolonged solo combat while adamantly stating that he would kill the man for harming Genya.

3. Super Strength

Moreover, Sanemi is not only strong physically but also can control his muscle for additional strength. Sanemi uses muscle control to keep fatal wounds from opening up in the middle of battle. Sanemi was able to manipulate and flex his muscles after Kokushibo repeatedly slashed him across the body to keep his organs from falling out. Still, Sanemi was able to fight for a longer period of time thanks to this ability. His incredible strength has allowed him to battle other demons as well, such as the Hand Demon during a sword battle.

4. Marechi Blood

Sanemi's blood has grown as one of the rarest varieties, making it very alluring and incredibly intoxicating to demons. As his blood was able to impact the strongest of the upper levels, Kokushibo, it is also exceptional due to its extreme power: even a smallest whiff of it causes demons to immediately salivate and lose focus. Despite the power of his blood, Nezuko was able to reject it because of her strong conviction and refusal to feed others, which was further intensified and cemented by the hypnosis Sakonji Urokodaki implanted in her head. Moreover, Sanemi's blood had the ability to solidify due to his mastery of Complete Concentration Breathing, which allowed him to completely halt his bleeding and carry on fighting even after being cut. It also had the power to block a demon's senses.

5. Immense Endurance and Stamina

Sanemi exhibited incredible stamina and pain endurance during his battle with Kokushibo, where he was able to keep up with the Upper-Rank demon for a prolonged period of time without the Demon Slayer Mark despite suffering numerous severe injuries. Despite sustaining dozens of scars and cuts all over his body, Sanemi never once displayed signs of pain or agony. He was able to combat the Demon King in the final encounter with Muzan for around 30 minutes without stopping, pushing his physical and mental stamina to the absolute maximum without growing weary. 

6. Demon Slayer Mark

Sanemi awakened his own Demon Slayer Mark, which was formed like a single paper origami windmill and had two dots on either side of his right cheek after fighting Kokushibo. Sanemi's ability to compete with Kokushibo after sustaining terrible injuries and having his abdomen sliced is proof that the mark considerably boosts his physical abilities. Even though Sanemi's physical stamina, strength, and pain tolerance all considerably increased, he still needed Gyomei and Muichiro's assistance to strike Kokushibo effectively. In addition, Kokushibo twice came perilously near to killing Sanemi if it weren't for their intervention.

 

The Fighting Style of Sanemi Shinazugawa

This Demon Slayer member is primarily a swordsman, showing great proficiency in his craft. His swordsmanship is highly regarded as the best amongst the Demon Slayer Corps, after multiple fights and instances offering examples of his skills. Perhaps one of the biggest indicators of his well-developed skills is the positive impression left on Kukushibo, as the Upper-Rank demon had been perfecting his swordsmanship skills for multiple centuries. However, he does employ his Wind Breathing techniques, along with the above-mentioned powers (including his intoxicating blood smell), as methods to help win battles against various demons.

 

Sanemi Shinazugawa Green Nichirin Sword

Sanemi carries a green nichirin sword that perfectly encapsulates both his merciless and compassionate sides, making it an appropriate weapon for a hashira to kill demons. The rippling and tearing design of Sanemi's nichirin blade and sheath is reminiscent of the whipping of swift winds. Sanemi's sword represents the pounding winds of Japan's typhoon season rather than the delicate winds. Aside from swords that can keep up with the sun-breathing and flame-breathing methods, the Green Nichirin sword boasts some of the stronger skills in the entire program. Furthermore, there are nine different variations of the wind breathing technique employed with the green nichirin sword. These forms can use lashes of swift winds to slice through foes.

 

Sanemi Shinazugawa Breathing Style

Sanemi discovered and perfected the Breathing Method known as Wind Breathing with Masachika Kumeno after getting instruction from an unnamed cultivator. Because he is a Wind Hashira, Sanemi is recognized as the generation's most skilled Wind Breathing user. His degree of Wind Breathing skill reminded Kokushibo of the original Wind Hashira from the Sengoku Era, the Golden Age of Demon Slayers. This total concentration breathing technique has many forms, which include:

First Form: Dust Whirlwind Cutter - Sanemi launches himself forward in a slashing cyclone.

Second form: Claws - Cleansing Wind - Sanemi charges forward and forges four claws that resemble slashes for the enemy.

Third form: Cleansing Wind Tree - Sanemi sweeps his blade around in a circle to counter the oncoming attack.

Fourth form: Rising Dust Storm -  Sanemi sweeps his sword horizontally while launching several sword cyclones to block opponent attacks.

Fifth Form: Cold Mountain Wind - Sanemi falls in an arc of numerous sword strokes while striking from above.

Sixth Form: Black Wind Mountain Mist - Sanemi strikes his target with a strong upward, sideways blow.

Seventh Form: Gale Sudden Gusts - Sanemi jumps into the air while swinging his sword, generates gale force winds that rips away his opponent.

Eighth form: Primary Gale Slash -Sanemi jumps into the air and swings his blade, generates circular torrents of wind to circulate in a circle.

Ninth form: Idaten Typhoon - Sanemi performs a backflip in the air before swinging his blade and releasing a spherical wind shape.

 

Sanemi's Role in Season 4 of Demon Slayer

Season three of Demon Slayer, also known as the Swordsmith Village Arc, leaves Tanjiro and friends triumphant after defeating the Upper rank demons 4 and 5. One of the survivors is Sanemi, even though he nearly died multiple times battling Kokushibo. 

While it seems the world has fallen into peace after the defeat of multiple demons in previous seasons, there will surely be more battles as Nezuko has become a target for Muzan after becoming immune to the sunlight (a major weakness for other demons). The beginning of the newest season (To the Hashira Training) leads with Sanemi and Obanai Iguro, a fellow Demon Slayer Corps member, on a new nighttime mission to save a human from demons. As Obanai and Sanemi are in the midst of their mission, aiding the citizens, they enter a crumbling castle that is teeming with demons of all shapes and sizes. 

Though many of the upper-ranking demons have been slain in previous seasons, it appears quite a few "regular" demons have been terrorizing humanity. As they are battling the seemingly never-ending horde of demons, they are transported into Muzan's Infinity Castle for a few seconds, a location known for hosting secret meetings amongst Muzan and higher-ranking demons. Luckily, they are not spotted by the Upper Moon demons or Muzan and continue their battle in the original crumbling castle. This quick view of Muzan's Infinity Castle will later lead to a mission to find a way to enter the location. However, the current goal of the Demon Slayer Corps (including Sanemi) is to train to become stronger in battle. 

Additional episodes have yet to be released for this season, though it promises to offer more insight into Sanemi's life, highlighting him as a major character in this particular arc. 

 

Sugoi Mart's Sanemi Shinazugawa Merchandise

Are you looking for the coolest merchandise of one of the best and coolest demon slayers, Sanemi Shinazugawa? Complete your Demon Slayer collections with Sugoi Mart Sanemi Shinazugawa merchandise. Sugoi mart offers everything you could possibly need for Kimetsu No Yaiba (Demon Slayer) and ships everything directly from Japan! A comprehensive selection of Japanese Manga, figures, clothing, accessories, dinnerware, stationery, and more are available. Here are a few of the best items you'll definitely want to collect.

 

1. Demon Slayer Magent Mascot: Wind Hashira

You can use this magnetic mascot to secure Demon Slayer figures to your bags and keep them guarding them. A semi-three-dimensional magnet that mimics the dynamic appearance of the character from the anime "Kimetsu no Yaiba."

2. Demon Slayer Figuarts Mini: Sanemi

Figuarts Mini is a line of charming palm-sized figurines by Bandai. Because the arms, legs, and neck are all flexible, you can strike a variety of poses. Here is a Figuarts Mini of the Wind Hashira, Sanemi from the well-known anime Demon Slayer.

3. Demon Slayer Tamagotchi: Sanemi Shinazugawa

With the Gyomeitchi Demon Slayer Tamagotchi from the Hashira Gathering Edition, you can raise your own demon slayer and learn various breathing techniques. You can grow your character to become one of nine different Breath users depending on your training techniques. Sanemi Shinazugawa from Demon Slayer served as the inspiration for this piece. Feed him daily, and be sure to complete the three available minigames (Total Body Training, Boulder Lifting, and Total Concentration Training)! As you play more, your favorite Demon Slayer character will rise through the ranks and eventually become one of the Hashira!

4. DEMON SLAYER PINCH AND CONNECT GACHAPON VOL.2

This adorable gachapon option, also known as a capsule toy, offers the opportunity to receive Sanemi, among other popular characters from Demon Slayer, as a keychain. These keychains are unique, as they look as if you are pinching the character's clothing while holding the gachapon. They're easy to attach to bags, purses, and more. When ordering this gachapon, expect a randomized character to arrive at your door. Keep your fingers crossed, and you may see a Sanemi gachapon inside your shipment!

5. DEMON SLAYER MARSHMALLOW GACHAPON VOL.3

Take your chance on this marshmallow gachapon to see if you can snag a Sanemi plushie. Adorably round and fluffy, these Demon Slayer gachapon keychains feature top characters from the anime series in the form of round, puffy marshmallows! These marshmallow gachapon are also easy to attach to bags, purses, or anywhere you'd like to show off your love for the series. Like with the above gachapon, you'll receive a random character when ordering this item, increasing the element of fun.

Pair Your Sanemi Merch with More Demon Slayer Corps Members

Perhaps you want your Sanemi Demon Slayer items to have some company; if that's the case, consider adding some of the following items to your cart featuring other top Demon Slayer characters with whom Sanemi interacts in the show.

1. DEMON SLAYER TANJIRO SCENE FIGURE

Tanjiro Kamado, the protagonist of the series, often bravely fights alongside Sanemi. With this figure of Tanjiro mid-fight, you can work toward completing your collection of Demon Slayer characters. This figure features Tanjiro's famous green and black haori billowing as he prepares to fight oncoming demons. Use this figure as decoration for any room or display it with other Demon Slayer merch.

2. DEMON SLAYER SHOULDER BAG: TANJIRO

Perhaps you crave a more interactive offering when hunting for Demon Slayer merchandise. If so, this shoulder bag will meet your needs while showcasing your love for the series and Tanjiro. Like the figure above, this bag highlights Tanjiro's distinct green and black checkered pattern, yet it is displayed on the bag's top flap. This accessory is durable and stylish, making it an ideal option for daily wear. It can hold all the necessities, including phones, wallets, beauty products, etc.

3. Q POSKET DEMON SLAYER: NEZUKO

Perhaps one of the most revered Demon Slayer merch is the Q Posket collection, as it is known for offering intricate details that other manufacturers do not include in their merchandise. Typically, the Demon Slayer Q Posket merch line is only available in Japanese arcades. Luckily, this Nezuko Q Posket can be delivered right to your home with the click of a button. Once ordered, one of two figurine versions of Nezuko will arrive, each with slightly different coloring. These figurines are also great for adding to Demon Slayer displays, as the figures appear with Nezuko's signature kimono and bamboo muzzle.

4. DEMON SLAYER SHINOBU INSULATED BAG

Enjoy lunchtime with a Demon Slayer-themed insulated bag inspired by the owner of the Butterfly Mansion and the current Insect Hashira - Shinobu. This insulated bag features the same appearance as her butterfly-inspired haori, which has a unique butterfly wing pattern. This lunch bag can hold drinks, food, utensils, napkins, and more. Its insulation allows you to keep any drinks or food cold for longer, ensuring fresh food when lunchtime rolls around.

5. DEMON SLAYER TOMICA CAR: MUICHIRO TOKITO

This exciting collaboration between Tomica (a car toy line) and Demon Slayer has produced a Muichiro Tokito-themed car. This car features a design inspired by the Mist Hashira (Muichiro)'s Demon Slayer outfit and black/turqoise hair. This car is a fun collectible item for older Demon Slayer aficionados or toy for younger Demon Slayer fans.

Grab your Sugoi Mart Demon Slayer Sanemi Shinazugawa merch (along with merch celebrating other Demon Slayer characters) before they sell out!