The following contains spoilers from Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba manga and anime.
Summary
- Shinobu Kocho's tragic past drives her to seek revenge against her sister's killer, Doma.
- Shinobu faces Doma alone in Infinity Castle but is overpowered and gruesomely eaten alive.
- Shinobu's horrifying end showcases the series' brutal depiction of struggles and sacrifices.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba focuses on a seemingly endless conflict between forces of good and evil. Despite recounting a story filled with violence and ruthless slaughter, the series somehow manages to humanize some of its villains.
However, not every demon has a heartbreaking backstory, as some are simply born evil. When these villains fight, they not only relish every moment of it but derive sadistic pleasure in putting their adversaries through the worst pain imaginable. In the Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle trilogy, Shinobu Kocho will have the misfortune of fighting one such barbaric monster all alone and it will end in a horrifying manner for her.
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Doma and Shinobu: An Old Rivalry
Kanae's Murder Changed Shinobu's Life
- Arc: Infinity Castle
- Manga: Chapters 140 to 183
Before we get to the bottom of things, it is critical to understand the roots of the convictions that drive Shinobu Kocho to recklessly fight Doma in the Infinity Castle all by herself. Although born into a wealthy family, she endured painful tragedies that shaped her personality. At a young age, she lost her parents when a demon attacked her family.
That doesn't matter. Stand up... Insect Hashira Shinobu Kocho. 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? ~ Kanae Kocho to Shinobu Kocho
Luckily, she survived along with her sister Kanae, thanks to Stone Hashira Gyomei Himejima's timely intervention. But the experience was life-changing and instead of allowing the incident to overcome her with grief, the Kocho sisters used it as a motivation to join the Demon Slayer Corps. Both of them went on to become Hashira and fought many brave battles against demons. Unfortunately, Shinobu's life came crashing down one more time when Kanae was killed by a demon who was later revealed to be Doma.
In her last moments, Kanae tried to talk her younger sister out of the idea of revenge as she feared that she would also meet the same fate as her. But Shinobu had already made it her goal to bring down the Upper Rank Two, no matter the cost she had to pay for it.
Shinobu Kocho's Horrifying End
Doma Absorbed Shinobu Alive
In the Infinity Castle arc, Shinobu Kocho knew that she finally had the chance to confront her sister's killer. Interestingly, she was the first Hashira to come across Upper Moon Two while he was happily devouring several women he had killed. In his typical psychopathic manner, he greeted the Insect Hashira and introduced himself as the leader of the Eternal Paradise Faith. It was a bizarre moment for Shinobu who was shocked by the dead bodies scattered around Doma and questioned his sanity as he seemed to be completely unaware of his surroundings.
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However, it soon became evident that Doma was just clinically apathetic and scores of dead bodies meant nothing to him. Shinobu recognized the demon from the description that Kanae gave in her last moments and realized that this was finally the time for her to confront him for his crimes. Even when she reminded Doma of what he had done, he remained unremorseful and bemoaned the fact that he could eat her as the sun was about to rise.
Shinobu naturally could not tolerate the nonchalant confessions of his crimes and attacked him. While did hit critical organs and even used the poison, Upper Moon Two remained unfazed. It seemed as though poison had no effect on him. But Shinobu had come prepared so she knew that something like that was probably going to happen. She attacked Doma relentlessly and managed to catch him on a few occasions, but almost all attacks seemed harmless. The demon's regenerative powers were unparalleled and it soon became evident that Shinobu fighting him alone did not make any sense.
However, it was already too late as the help was still far away and Shinobu had no option but to continue engaging. But soon Doma's powers proved to be too much to handle for the Insect Hashira and the powerful Cryokinesis started having a debilitating influence on her. Once she inhaled the frost, her lungs collapsed. The other injuries on her body caused by Doma's Tessenjutsu technique led to so much blood loss that she struggled to even stand up on her feet.
Just when it seemed that she had given up, Shinobu somehow gathered the courage to attack Doma with everything she had. But like her previous attempts, she failed to cause any damage. In fact, the Upper Moon Two even mocked her for trying and grabbed her close to him. At that moment, Shinobu knew that she was not going to survive.
I once believed that the road of happiness continued forever and ever into the distance. When it was destroyed, I realized for the first time that happiness lies atop a thin sheet of glass. And just as we were saved, there are those whose happiness hasn't yet been destroyed. So I wanted to get stronger and protect them. ~ Shinobu Kocho
Doma slowly started absorbing her body while she was alive but was too weak to stop him. Even though Kanao arrived at the scene, she also failed to do much and watched Insect Hashira being eaten alive. While the Insect Hashira accepted her death bravely, dying the way she did must have been horrifying and painful.
Once it is finally animated, Shinobu's death will be heartbreaking to watch as she will struggle to land a single blow powerful enough for Doma to take her seriously. Her last moments will be extremely gruesome and depressing considering everything she has been through so far in her life. While fans can have conflicting opinions on what the most brutal death in the series actually was, almost everyone would agree that Shinobu died a horrifying death.
Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle trilogy's first installment is scheduled to be released in the United States on September 12, 2025.
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- Release Date
- April 6, 2019
- Network
- Adult Swim
- Studio
- ufotable
- Creator
- Koyoharu Gotoge
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Hulu, Netflix
- MyAnimeList Score
- 8.26 (Hashira Training Arc)
