The first installment of the Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle trilogy is all set for its release date in the U.S. The film will hit the theatres on September 12th, 2025, and the tickets are already on sale. Even before its release in the U.S., the film broke a major box office record by becoming the best pre-seller film of all time. Among the many thrilling scenes fans will get to experience on the big screen, one of them is Shinobu Kocho vs. Doma, the Upper Rank Two. Shinobu is the Insect Hashira and the only Demon Slayer to rely on specially-crafted poison to kill demons. She makes up for her lack of physical prowess with her intelligence and high speed.
Videos by ComicBook.com
On the other hand, we have a creepy and sly demon who relishes the sufferings of others, especially women. In the Swordsmith Village Arc, we learn about his habit of targeting women. So far, the anime hasn’t even dropped a hint of Doma’s powers, but it will be revealed in the Infinity Castle Arc. As per the trailer, Shinobu appears to be fighting him alone, with no backup. Apart from her duty as a Hashira, she has a personal vendetta against the demon. The trailer revealed that Kanae, the Flower Hashira, was killed by the very same demon Shinobu is facing off against right now. However, the fight is just as meaningful as it is thrilling.
Demon Slayer’s Doma and the Kocho Sisters Draw References From a Traditional Japanese Game
The information was shared by @aburasuma on X, a Demon Slayer fan account. The post immediately went viral, and it currently has over 40 million impressions and 235k likes. The account shares, “Speaking of Doma’s weapon, it’s a sharp iron fan, but come to think of it, there was a traditional Japanese game where you throw a fan to knock down a target, right?”
The fan continued, “So I looked it up. It’s a game called ‘Tosenkyo,’ where you compete for points based on how the fan and target fall, but the target you knock down is apparently called a ‘butterfly.’ Knowing this gave me the chills.”
In Japanese, the word “Tosenkyo” is written with the characters of fans, toss, and amusement. Although the game may have many versions, the concrete rule is for the player to throw a folding fan at the target called Chล, which means butterfly. As the Insect Hashira, Shinobu is often associated with Butterflies. Even her manor is called the Butterfly Mansion, and the girls there, including Shinobu, wear butterfly-shaped head accessories.
Another intriguing fact about the game is that it also has a judge, and their right side is called the Flower side, while the left is the Snow side. Both Kanae and Kanao use the Flower Breathing Style, so the connection is quite clear. However, what many anime-only fans don’t know is that Doma’s power has something to do with Snow. The more you learn about the game, the more hidden meanings you can derive from it about Doma and the three sisters who had the misfortune of crossing paths with him.
H/T: @aburasuma on X
Most Viewed
-
Image courtesy of Crunchyroll -
Image Courtesy of Disney+
