Demon Slayer Unpacks Genya and Sanemi’s Childhood Trauma

Demon Slayer Season 3 is now working through the main fights of the Swordsmith Village arc from Koyoharu Gotoge’s original Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba manga, and the newest episode of the series dove back into the past and revealed why Genya and Sanemi Shinazugawa are so distant from one another by unpacking their shared childhood trauma! Demon Slayer Season 3 has brought some familiar fighters back to the anime following their initial debut back in Demon Slayer Season 1, and Tanjiro has gotten some unlikely help from them as they each take on a powerful member of Muzan Kibutsuji’s Upper Ranks. 

Tanjiro has unexpectedly teamed up with Genya once more, and after the two of them had a prickly first reintroduction in the previous episodes, Genya has started to connect with Tanjiro more. As Genya continues to fight against Hantengu’s Emotion Demons, he’s also revealed more about why he’s fighting against the demons in the first place. The newest episode of Demon Slayer: Swordsmith Village Arc then takes this a step forward with a look into Genya’s shared past with his brother, and it shows the heartbreaking connection that sent them on their differing pasts. 

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Demon Slayer: What Happened Between Genya and Sanemi?

Demon Slayer Season 3 Episode 6 sees Genya working together with Tanjiro to defeat Hantengu, but when he’s at the point of near death, Genya starts to think about his past. It’s revealed that the first thought he has at this moment is about his brother, and the major mistake that Genya made that ultimately set the two on a path to be distant from one another. It was teased that the Wind Hashira Sanemi doesn’t really claim Genya as his brother, and it appears that Genya blames himself for this due to what happened to their family. 

It’s revealed in a flashback that Genya and Sanemi’s mother was turned into a demon, and thus she killed the rest of their siblings. Sanemi was able to stop the attack, but only when the sun came up did he realize he had killed his own mother. Genya (as an adult) realizes the initial mistake of blaming his brother for what happened, and he knows it was out of both of their hands. But because of it, Sanemi seems like he wants nothing to do with his brother. 

How do you feel about the fallout between Genya and his brother Sanemi? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animation and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!