As one of the strongest Demon Slayers, granted the rank of the Wind Hashira, Sanemi Shinazugawa possesses exceptional abilities. He was introduced during the final stretch of the anime’s first season, and it was less than pleasant. After learning that Tanjiro is harboring a demon with him, all Hashira, except Giyu, were opposed to the idea. However, everyone reacted in rather different ways, with some being overly aggressive. While Misturi and Muichiro were either sympathetic or indifferent, the ones who opposed strongly were Sanemi and Obanai. Sanemi even put Nezuko to the test by stabbing her and flaunting his blood as a Marechi, to force her to show her true colors.
Videos by ComicBook.com
However, Nezuko astonishes everyone when she expresses disgust towards his blood instead of acting like an ordinary demon would. The situation subsided by then, and Sanemi didn’t make an appearance till the Hashira Training Arc. He was only briefly shown in Genya’s flashback before, which means, even as a Hashira, he didn’t have a chance to showcase his skills until much later. While he gets his chance to shine in the Infinity Castle Arc, Demon Slayer gave him a much-needed push with an anime-only scene at the beginning of the Hashira Training Arc. His voice actor, Tomokazu Seki, reflects on the experience of finally debuting the character’s unique Breathing Technique.
Demon Slayer Star Reflects on Sanemi’s First Action Scene
On July 16th, 2025, a special edited episode “Demon Slayer: Hashira Training Arc” aired on Fuji TV, as part of a special promotional anime program. The episode featured an anime-original fight scene where Sanemi Shinazugawa and Obanai Iguro team up. Both Hashira debut their fighting styles for the first time, which wasn’t included in the manga. In the original manga, Sanemi uses the first form of his Breathing Technique in Chapter 130 during a sparring match against Giyu. On the other hand, Obanai uses it in Chapter 139 of the same arc. The anime graces us with their explosive powers fairly early in the show, and we even see them discovering the Infinity Castle by a stroke of luck.
According to Oricon, Seki said he felt a strong sense of satisfaction during the scene. He shared, “I had heard people cheering each other on with lines like ‘Total Concentration!’ so when I saw the technique names in the script, I felt grateful to finally say them.”
He later revealed that the team decided to have a bold and energetic approach. Seki added, “I think I did the ‘Wind Breathing’ lines three times in a row, like releasing something that had been building up.”
The Wind Hashira only uses the second and fourth forms in the anime-only fight. He also uses a first form in a sparring match against Giyu. However, Wind Breathing has a total of nine forms, which will all be revealed in the trilogy film. Sanemi returns to action in the latest Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle film, where he clashes against one of the Upper Moons. While the film already made its debut in Japan on July 18th, 2025, fans in the U.S. will have to wait till September 12th, 2025, before watching the film on the big screen.
H/T: Oricon
Most Viewed
-
Image courtesy of Netflix -
Image courtesy of Bethesda -
Image courtesy of Nintendo
