True Strength of Zenitsu, Cowards can be Deadly too!!
True Strength of Zenitsu, Cowards can be Deadly to!!
Everyone likes the yellow haired kid in orange. They are in most cases the protagonist of the story. But for Demon Slayer, that is not the case. The only yellow haired kid in orange we are introduced to in the story is the most cowardly one without a doubt. Obviously the character we are talking about is none other than Zenitsu. He is one of the main side characters of the story but has by far one of the most mismatched characteristics compared to his role. Whenever in a tight spot, you can count on him to be the first to beg for his life. But again, Zenitsu’s katana is always ready to slay some demons even if it means facing his greatest fear!
We find out about Zenitsu early on in the series. Similar to Tanjiro, he was one of the new recruits for the Demon Slayer Corps. He is a coward to the core. Even during the entrance exam, he passed only because he hid himself and survived till the end. Yes, he joined the Demon Slayer Corps without even slaying a single demon. Well he might have killed a weak one here and there, but facing off a demon who posed an actual threat was a negative. Despite this, by no means was he weak.
At the start of the series, the resolve we see within Zenitsu, the core for what would be later known as Zenitsu’s katana, was weak. He had no resolve to fight demons. When faced with strong opponents, he preferred to run and hide instead of facing them. One look, and all would know that he didn’t have what it took to be a demon slayer. But the reality was a whole lot different. When Tanjiro was facing the former Lower Moon drum demon, it was Zenitsu who took care of the underlings. He was out cold because of fear, still he was able to kill the strongest of the underlings with a single swing.
The reason for Zenitsu’s power is the Thunder Breathing style. It is the fastest of all the breathing styles ever used by any demon slayer. When used properly, not even the fastest demons can’t even follow their movements. Despite having one of the most powerful breathing techniques, Zenitsu was still a coward who feared demons. Why though?! Its all because of the fact that out of all the seven different forms of this breathing style, he could master only one. Whereas his junior, Kaigaku was able to master six of the seven forms!
Even though Zenitsu’s master never compared his two disciples, Zenitsu always felt inferior to Kaigaku. And this led to him having one of the most cowardly natures within Demon Slayer. He believed himself to be useless. Subconsciously he compared himself to others and in his mind, he would always highlight his flaws. This insecurity held him back from properly flourishing. As the story progresses, we come to know that this insecurity is actually misplaced. Zenitsu might have only one form in his arsenal but it is the deadliest of all the seven forms! He mastered the hardest of all the seven with ease and didn’t even realize. But this is not the reason which makes Zenitsu’s katana deadly. In fact, it was his mental fortitude that truly made him powerful. He is a coward and there is no doubt about it. And even with this nature, he was able to push through in the toughest of situations. This shows his tenacity. Despite being a coward, he never backed down when faced with a situation where he had to protect the weak. To him, the fear of death was great, but the thought of injustice winning outweighed that fear. And this made his mental strength that could go head to head with even the demon lord.
Pairing the strongest of all the thunder breathing forms with such an unbreakable mental fortitude, Zenitsu finally forged his own path. Unlike other Demon Slayers who faced the demons, head on, he preferred to run away while screaming. This caused others to look down on him. But he used it to his strength and used lightning fast movements to take his enemies by surprise. He has an unyielding sense of justice and willingness to protect the weak.
During the final fight, he was in a moral dilemma. He had to fight his former kouhai, Kaigaku. He at first was hesitant. It was not because he was weak, but he was kind. But the moment he realized the one in front of him was in reality a demon, his attitude changed. Kaigaku was never a threat to Zenitsu. And Zenitsu really wanted to help his former kouhai return to being a human like Nezuko. Alas, that was not to be as Kaigaku killed their former master to attain such power. This infuriated Zenitsu. To Zenitsu, their master was like his family. He called the old man his grandpa. He at first couldn’t believe that Kaigaku could do something like this.
And once the reality hit, the Coward of the story, became the deadliest who would take on any one who hurts his friends and family. At the end of the story, as we see the final form of Zenitsu’s katana, we all realize no matter how cowardly one might seem, they can bite back the fiercest if you hurt something or someone they were meant to protect!
