Warning: This article contains spoilers from the Demon Slayer manga! Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle features Shinobu Kocho’s most intense battle as she swears to take revenge for her sister’s death. The film reveals that Kanae encountered Doma, the Upper Rank Two, during one of her missions and received a fatal wound before she even had a chance to attack him. Since then, Shinobu has dedicated her entire life to researching everything about poisons to kill even the most powerful demons. Because she can’t cut off a demon’s head, even those that are weak, she injects them with poison that destroys them from the inside. Shinobu is the only Demon Slayer who uses such a method to slay demons, and this ability allowed her to climb to the rank of Hashira.
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As someone who lacked physical strength, she honed her skills so that her Breathing Style complemented her unparalleled speed instead. However, her few years of training paled in comparison to the demon who had been living for over a century and had consumed countless women in his life. She put up a good fight against Doma and poisoned him multiple times, but nothing she did was enough to defeat him. Right before being crushed to death by Doma, she notices Kanao walking into the castle and gives her a hand sign. While the film didn’t reveal what it meant, one fan has already explained it—and why it means trouble for Kanao.
The Meaning Behind Shinobu’s Final Message Is Related to Doma’s Powers
The hand sign was the last message Shinobu gave to her successor (Tsuguko) before dying. @feraf4110 on X unveiled that it means “don’t breathe,” implying that Kanao will be in trouble if she uses Total Concentration Breathing in Doma’s presence. But here’s the thing: Demon Slayers’ fighting skills revolve around Breathing Techniques, so Kanao not being able to breathe freely severely hinders her ability to fight the demon.
As seen in the Infinity Castle film, she is keeping her distance from him, waiting for the perfect chance to strike while being at the mercy of the demon’s whims. No matter how you look at it, Kanao is in major trouble either way. Doma’s Blood Demon Art allows him to conjure and manipulate ice at an unprecedented level.
No Demon Slayer can even get close to him without having their lungs frozen, which is exactly what happened with Shinobu. It happened so suddenly that even someone as fast as Shinobu couldn’t evade the attack and inhaled his Blood Demon Art, which severely injured her at the beginning of the fight. Shinobu knew she was done for, but she had to do everything she could to pave the path for her successor to defeat the demon, even at the cost of her own life. The first part of the film only sets up Kanao’s match against the demon, but the real fight will be covered in Part 2.
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