Moms in anime are a different breed, especially in Shounen. Okay, jokes aside, the trope of moms dying in manga and anime is well documented and Demon Slayer is no exception to the rule. We see Tanjiro Kamado’s mom (and almost all of his siblings) die in the very first episode. So, Inosuke’s mom also going through the same isn’t a surprise, but being killed by Doma is.
Why? Because for the longest time, it was believed that Doma loved Inosuke’s mom. But now it’s better to state that he viewed her merely as a pet. A songbird that was pleasant to look at and sang prettily from a gilded cage. And that, my friends, is not love. So no, Doma was not in love with Inosuke’s mother, Kotoha Hashibara. He kept her alive solely because he believed she was too dimwitted to do anything but be an object in his collection.
After all, Inosuke Hashibara’s mother only came to the Paradise Faith cult because both of them were being pursued by Kotoha’s abusive husband and in-laws. To her, Doma was a savior, a light in the darkness that gave her refuge. She wasn’t aware of the darkness underneath his so-called love, which we will discuss in another round of Lore Analysis!
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The Meeting That Sealed Kotoha’s Fate

Kotoha Hashibara got the worst cards in life. Not only was she married young into a family that abused her openly, but also her one chance of escape led her to joining a literal death cult. All the while dooming Inosuke to literally live in the wild as an orphan when everything was said and done.
But honestly, I don’t think she regretted giving Inosuke that chance at life. From what little we know about her, it was clear that she loved Inosuke more than life itself. When he was born, she would sing lullabies to him, vowing to protect him no matter what. It’s why she ended up running away from her abusive husband in the first place.
This is where she stumbled into the Paradise Faith cult, with Doma at the center of it all. Her husband and in-laws were still following her and Inosuke, but Kotoha’s crying got Doma’s attention, and he killed the family. Not out of a sense of duty, but merely because all the noise was irritating him. But Kotoha didn’t see that. And so, Doma became their salvation.
Doma Didn’t Love Inosuke’s Mother

Up until then, we knew that Doma only continued being the Messiah of the Paradise Faith cult because of Muzan Kibutsuji. After Muzan turned Doma into a Demon, he found a new purpose and actually started believing he was the salvation of his worshippers. And that they will be delivered to Paradise if he consumes them.
That’s what the Paradise Faith cult became, feeding grounds for Doma. So, when Kotoha came in with her infant son, Doma intended on eating her too, eventually. Except she proved herself appealing. Not in a romantic sense, obviously. More like a prized animal, a thing that is admired for its beauty but you don’t love it like you would a human. To Doma, she was a dumb pretty thing who he would keep alive just because he wanted to.
Until of course, she learned the truth of his cannibalistic ways and decided to flee the cult with Inosuke in tow. Only for Doma to chase after them, corner them near a cliff’s edge and force Kotoha to sacrifice herself. And then he proceeded to eat her alive, right in front of Inosuke.
If anything, this proved how fickle Doma’s love for Inosuke’s mom really was. It was based on objectifying her, seeing her as nothing more than an accessory. An affection like that means nothing, when it leads to your death.
What do you think?
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