You know, Demon Slayer has a ton of characters that plant themselves as fan favorites due to their amazing quirks. And yet, I think Genya being able to eat Demons is somehow one of the strangest ones. Like, imagine being a Demon Slayer who doesn’t think it’s enough to beat a Demon, but also consumes them so that no trace of them is left over. And while many Demon Slayers have had their powers explained, Genya is still an anomaly.
Okay, so we do have an idea on how Genya Shinazugawa got his Demon Eating abilities. Genya can eat Demons simply because he has the special constitution for it. I know, but that’s really it. He didn’t go through some traumatic trial as a budding Demon Slayer, nor was he bestowed the ability as a gift. If anything, eating Demons is his only saving grace, considering he doesn’t have the same sword skills as other Demon Slayers, nor can he utilize Breathing Style techniques like his brother, Sanemi Shinazugawa.
But that isn’t the only thing that sets Genya apart from the rest of his cohorts at the Demon Slayer Corps. Honestly, out of all the Demon Slayers, Genya is probably the odd one out in most abilities. But that only adds to his charm as a character, especially when you consider how uniqueness can give Demon Slayers an edge above the very Demons they fight. It’s strange ability users like Genya that give the Demon Slayers an element of surprise.
But Genya’s life is more than just about being that one Demon Slayer that can eat demons. And what’s more intriguing is how he figured out his peculiar talent. Because as stated before, it wasn’t a gift he grew up with. However, now it is the very thing that sets him apart. So today, let’s take a closer look at Genya Shinazugawa’s special diet, and what led to his enrollment in the Demon Slayer corps in another segment of Character Analysis!
Genya Shinazugawa: From A Zero To A Wild Card?
Geya Shinazugawa didn’t always dream of becoming a cannibalistic Demon Slayer (sort of?). This all happened because when he was a kid, his mother didn’t return from work like she normally would. Instead, they had a wolf knocking at their door, which slashed four of his siblings. Before Genya could figure anything out, his brother Sanemi jumped to action and told him to run.
It was clear that the Demon was his mother, and Sanemi killed her. And for a while, Genya was under the impression that his brother was at fault for it all. But by the time he matured and realized that it wasn’t his fault, Sanemi had drifted away and wanted nothing to do with his remaining family. Of course, that left a huge amount of regret in Genya, who would do anything for his surviving family. And so, he joined the Demon Slayer Corps to both stay closer to his estranged brother and get a chance to repent.
However, his brother was a talented swordsman who became part of the Wind Hashira, the highest combatant faction in the Demon Slayers. Whereas Genma couldn’t even fight using a basic sword, leaving him at a huge disadvantage. And this isn’t even mentioning the fact that he simply can’t do any of the Breathing Style techniques, not even the Total Concentration Breath, effectively leaving him less than ideal for the job.
Even Gyomei Himejama, who wanted to take Genya under his tutelage as a Tsuguko, had to instead adopt him as a step son. But it did end up helping Genya a lot, easing him into the life of being a Demon Slayer.
Genya Eating Demons Isn’t Just For Kicks!
So, how did we go from Genya not being able to do Breathing Techniques and being bad at swordplay to literally eating Demons for kicks? Well, turns out he wasn’t exactly awful with blades of all kinds, just longer ones. He was actually shown to be pretty proficient at the short Nichirin Wakizashi. And turns out, he was an excellent marksman.
And somewhere during a battle with some demons, Genya was in a desperate enough state to resort to eating them. And he realized that if nothing else, it helped him gain a boost in his powers. Instead of killing Genya, the Demon Eating gave him the powers of the demons he consumed while also helping him heal through regenerative properties. And being able to absorb the powers of a Demon to use as your own is a huge advantage.
I mean, Genya has eaten the flesh of Kokushibo, aka one of the strongest Demons to ever live. Because of that he can now practice his own version of Blood Demon Art. Not only this but he can maneuver his body as a weapon itself, thanks to his very cells being changed due to the Demon Consuming.This means that he can use his body to create Flesh Bullets for his double barrelled shotgun and hit his mark.
Genya entered the Demon Slayer Corps around the same time as Zenitsu Agatsuma and Tanjiro Kamado. But it’s his powers that remain a little more cloaked in mystery than others. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t a formidable opponent in the fight against Muzan Kibitsuji, the Demon King, and his Army. Because when it comes to Humanity VS Demons, you’re going to need all the fire power you can get!
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