Demon Slayer: Why does Shinobu always smile? Explained

Shinobu Kocho as seen in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (Image via Ufotable)
Shinobu Kocho as seen in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (Image via Ufotable)

Disclaimer: This article contains heavy spoilers of Demon Slayer.

The Insect Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Shinobu Kocho became one of the most popular characters in the series. From her gentle “Moshi Moshi” to startling her comrades by appearing beside them and saying “Yoo Hoo!”, Shinobu has won the hearts of many fans of the series, where even non-anime enthusiasts are aware of her.

Being one of the nine pillars of the corps, Shinobu takes her job very seriously. Apart from her strongest feats, she is loved for her easygoing smile, which she continues to maintain even if the situation is not in her favor. However, later in the series, it was revealed that Shinobu’s smile is nothing but a facade.


Exploring the reason behind Shinobu’s never fading smile in Demon Slayer

Like most of the characters in the series, Shinobu also suffers from a tragic past that turned her life upside down. In the series, it was revealed that when Shinobu was young, she was harsh and blunt with everything and maintained an uncomplicated demeanor.

When her elder sister Kanae Kocho, the Flower Hashira wanted to adopt Kanao Tsuyuri, Shinobu hesitantly said that the child is hopeless, which showed her pragmatic approach to life. As Shinobu respected her elder sister a lot, she never questioned her judgment to keep Kanao.

After Kanae died at the hands of one of the 12 Demon Moons, Doma, Shinobu was heartbroken and developed an intense hatred towards the demon-kind. Kanae’s death changed Shinobu to a greater extent as she started behaving more like her sister by acquiring her personality traits. Shinobu became more expressive with a positive attitude.

Shinobu also carries an omnipresent rage masked beneath her serene smile that her elder sister favored a lot, so in a nutshell, Kanae became the reason for her to keep smiling. While she was alive, Kanae was very protective of his little sister and wanted her to leave the Demon Slayer Corps so that she could live a peaceful and happy life.

In her final moments, Kanae described Doma’s weakness to Shinobu before passing away. Over time, Shinobu learned to maintain an outwardly calm and tranquil disposition, which is why her friendly demeanor was even capable of deceiving a demon.

Shinobu’s pet phrase is that “humans and demons should be friends,” which is originally Kanae’s thoughts. Shinobu would love to reconcile with a demon, but only to torture them to her heart's content. During her interaction with the Spider Demon Daughter, Shinobu displayed her sadistic side by giving false hopes to help her, before eventually killing her.

Shinobu also likes to pick on Giyu Tomioka and even spread a rumor that everyone in the corps hates him. Even the latter was hesitant that the statement was untrue, which concluded that he ultimately fell into the former’s trap. Though anime adaptations always leave a few of the crucial aspects of the storyline, it was seen in the manga that Shinobu had a bad temper that Inosuke, being observant, noticed.


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