Demon Slayer Fans Often Ignore Giyu and Sanemi's Tragic Fate After the Final War

When Demon Slayer finalized its grand battle against Muzan, most fans applauded the victory and the disbandment of the Demon Slayer Corps. The spotlight naturally fell on Tanjiro's recovery and the serene world that arose from the ashes of war. However, this celebration usually overshadows a depressing reality that many readers choose to ignore.

Giyu Tomioka and Sanemi Shinazugawa were the last two Hashira who outlasted the final battle. Their "survival" came with a devastating outlay that makes their future arguably more pitiable than those who died valiantly in battle. These two warriors, who had endured unimaginable trauma throughout their lives, were left to face an existence where everything they lived for had been stripped away.

I found it ironic that survival became the cruelest punishment in Demon Slayer. Both Giyu and Sanemi awakened their Demon Slayer Marks during the finale, which condemned them to die before their 25th birthday. This biological death verdict alters their victory into a countdown to unavoidable doom.

During the battle with Muzan, Giyu lost an arm and had his sword destroyed. For a swordsman whose entire identity spun around wielding a blade, this physical demolition expresses more than just injury—it's the death of who he was. The Water Hashira, who once moved with fluid grace, now faces his remaining years as a shadow of his former self.

Sanemi's situation proves even more heartbreaking. He barely survived his encounter with Kokushibo, only to lose his brother Genya in the same battle. The Wind Hashira, who had already lost his entire family to demons, watched his last remaining connection to the world fade away before his eyes.

The Curse of Survival in Demon Slayer

What strikes me most about these characters' endings is how Demon Slayer presents survival as a form of prolonged suffering. Sanemi’s story really stuck with me—he'd rather follow his mother into hell than live by himself in the world. Only his father's intervention forced him back to life, but what kind of life awaited him?

The series shows us glimpses of Sanemi's post-war existence through small details. He perhaps receives letters from Tanjiro, which he enjoys but cannot respond to himself. He remains at the former Demon Slayer Corps headquarters, seemingly unable to move forward. These fragments paint a picture of a man trapped between life and death, unable to find purpose in a world without demons to fight.

Giyu's fate follows a similar trajectory. Despite his crucial role in protecting Tanjiro and ensuring the protagonist never killed anyone while demonized, the Water Hashira faces his shortened lifespan with quiet resignation. He attends the Corps' disbandment ceremony, but what comes after feels hollow and purposeless.

I believe Demon Slayer fans often ignore these tragic outcomes because they contradict the satisfying resolution we wanted for these beloved characters. We prefer to focus on the reincarnation scenes and the peaceful world that emerged rather than confront the immediate suffering of those who survived.

The author's choice to spare only Giyu and Sanemi seems deliberately cruel when examined closely. They went through the most emotional pain of everyone in the series. Giyu struggled with survivor's guilt after Sabito's death, while Sanemi bore the weight of killing his own demonized mother and losing his entire family.

Their survival forces them to live with these traumas in a world where their purpose—protecting humanity from demons—no longer exists. The Demon Slayer Corps disbands, leaving them without the structure that gave their suffering meaning.

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As such, the most painful aspect of their survival is how it highlights the cost of victory in Demon Slayer. Giyu and Sanemi’s story forces us to confront the uncomfortable truth that sometimes the real tragedy begins after the battle ends. Their descendants eventually find happiness, as shown in the series' epilogue, but that distant future offers little comfort to the broken men who must live through the immediate aftermath of war.

The next time you think about Demon Slayer's ending, remember that a price was paid by two men who deserved better than the lonely twilight they were forced to endure.

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