Koyoharu Gotouge has created some absolutely legendary characters for Demon Slayer. After watching Mugen Train, almost every fan cried because of Rengoku, and if that’s not good character building, nothing is. But not every Hashira has received the same treatment in the series.
While characters like Rengoku and Tengen have touched the hearts of fans, others have not so much. There’s one Hashira who deserved far better treatment and character development, but the author failed to do him justice.
Obanai had the potential to be a great character in Demon Slayer
Obanai had the makings to be a great Hashira in Demon Slayer. He was confined during his childhood and spent his time locked in a wooden cage. While his family tried to spoil him, he was still in complete lockdown, which affected him mentally. The Serpent Demon even spent nights staring at him in the dark, which frightened the boy till he couldn’t sleep anymore.
His clan even readied him to be sacrificed to the demon, who ordered his mouth to be cut wider. He tried his best to escape every day and lived in constant fear and anxiety of the possibility that someone would discover his attempts at freedom. His only friend turned out to be a small snake, Kaburamaru.
Even when he did manage to escape, the Serpent Demon chased him till Rengoku came to his rescue. He was rejected by his own people, which affected his self-worth. Thus, Koyoharu Gotuge gave him a tragic backstory that should have played out splendidly in the future, much like how Rengoku’s backstory did. But Obanai’s character turned out to be worse.
Koyoharu Gotouge ruined Obanai as a Hashira
Obanai turned out to have unrealistic expectations of the other Hashiras. He berated Tengen for suffering wounds and insisted that he should have fought till death. He looked down upon the Sound Hashira because of his desire to resign due to his grievous wounds. He is also very petty, as proved by the way he used lower-ranked Demon Slayers as obstacles during the Hashira Training.
He always regarded newer Demon Slayer recruits as weak. Other than being an absolute jerk, he had one more personality trait, which was being obsessed with Mitsuri. It’s one thing to care deeply about her, but she was actually overprotective and even threatened Tanjiro for becoming close to her.
On the one hand, he couldn’t tolerate anyone getting close to Mitsuri, and on the other, he did not consider himself worthy of her, and thought he needed to die and cleanse himself first before he could confess to her. In the end, he put Mitsuri on a pedestal and thought of her as something he needed to achieve.
He had suffered resentment from his cousin, and could have become a better person, and never treated another person the same way. But as it turns out, he only perpetuated the hatred that was targeted towards him. He was not only critical of himself but also of others. Rather than changing for himself, he wanted to achieve something unattainable for Mitsuri.
Demon Slayer anime is currently available to stream on Crunchyroll.
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