Demon Slayer: How Did Gen’ya Die? Here’s Who Killed Him!

When one decides to talk about Demon Slayer, one usually talks about the demon slayers themselves or the demons. And while the series has offered us a variety of other intriguing characters, we will talk about one specific Demon Slayer – Gen’ya Shinazugawa, Sanemi’s brother – in this particular article. Gen’ya is a very interesting character because of his unlikable personality and how it reflects his relationship with the Demon Slayer Corps. We will tell you everything you need to know about Gen’ya, his story, and his career in the Demon Slayer Corps, focusing on his final battle against the Upper-Rank One, Kokushibō. You are, to be precise, going to find out how Gen’ya Shinazugawa died.

Like Muichirō Tokitō, Gen’ya Shinazugawa died during the final battle against Kokushibō. Gen’ya joined the battle between Muichirō and Kokushibō, and the two were later aided by Sanemi and Gyōmei Himejima, the Wind and Stone Hashira, respectively. Gen’ya and Muichirō both died during that battle, with Gen’ya fading away like a Demon after Kokushibō’s defeat.

The rest of this article will focus on Gen’ya Shinazugawa and his death in the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba series. Gen’ya Shinazugawa had a very important role in the final fight against Muzan and his Demons, so we have decided to discuss his death in this article. This article will contain some spoilers from the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba manga, so be careful how you approach it.

Gen’ya Shinazugawa died during the fight against the Upper-Rank One, Kokushibō

In the final battle we are going to talk about here, Muichirō Tokitō, Gen’ya Shinazugawa, Sanemi Shinazugawa, and Gyōmei Himejima faced off against the Upper-Rank One, Kokushibō, the second-most powerful Demon in existence. Gen’ya initially did not participate in this fight, which began when Kokushibō and Muichirō were taken to the same room inside the Infinity Castle.

After a few attacks, Kokushibō succeeds in amputating Muichirō’s arm. Kokushibō is highly impressed when Muichirō rapidly tightens his arm to halt the bleeding. However, Kokushibō impales Muichirō using his own sword, placing him in a terrible situation and making him incapable of fighting.

Kokushibō soon offers Muichirō the possibility of turning him into a Demon, making him more powerful and even immortal. Still, their conversation is cut short by Gen’ya, who arrives at the scene and fires his firearm at the Demon. After deftly dodging the gunshot, Kokushibō reappears behind Gen’ya and severs his arms and torso in half.

However, he recognizes that Gen’ya is unique and kills him by chopping off his head. But, before he can finish him off, Sanemi arrives and saves his brother. Kokushibō is mildly surprised by the Wind Hashira’s abilities as Sanemi and Kokushibō start their fierce combat. He maintains his composure, though, and claims that he would not be able to survive without his extensive experience sharpening his senses. This keeps going for a while.

After some struggle, Kokushibō was poised to deliver a devastating blow and enjoyed the chance to battle such a proficient Hashira when Gyōmei, the Stone Hashira, appeared. Kokushibō could not contain himself and expressed his unabashed admiration for Gyōmei’s physique. Gyōmei displays his Demon Slayer Mark, the secret weapon he planned to save for Muzan after a fierce back-and-forth conflict.

The two keep up their fierce conflict. Sanemi manages to treat his wound before he can rejoin the fight, and the two are now engaged in a 2-on-1 conflict with Kokushibō. Kokushibō is surprised by how well they can work together despite having diverse communication styles.

Later, Muichirō manages to release himself in the meanwhile. He aids Gen’ya by hanging up his body and giving him a tuft of Kokushibō’s hair with what little life he has left. Then Gen’ya experiences a power he’s never known shortly after consuming a piece of Kokushibō’s hair, which brings his demonization power to its maximum while allowing Gen’ya to remain rational; despite the enormous power boost, Gen’ya still retains his human personality and never gave in to his demonic urges.

The conflict then continues, with Kokushibō making more frequent strikes. He can amputate two of Sanemi’s fingers, leaving Gyōmei and Sanemi with no choice but to focus all of their energy on dodging his blows.

Muichirō soon reappears in the conflict, having freed himself, just as Sanemi appears ready to lose, thus saving his fellow Hashira. The Upper Rank then appears to be gaining the upper hand once more. Still, in a shocking turn of events, Gyōmei can sever his right arm, Muichirō stabs him through the torso, immobilizing him, and Gen’ya fires a barrage of bullets at the Demon with his weapon, which he had modified using Kokushibō’s own cells so that the bullets had similar traits as the Demon’s sword. Gyōmei and Sanemi race to kill the Demon as the bullets lodged in his flesh transform into “trees” and completely enclose him.

Kokushibō is unnerved by the feeling as he remembers an encounter with his younger brother, Yoriichi, 400 years prior, after they had not seen each other for 60 years. Yoriichi was able to strike his brother in the neck during the fight, which had never been done before; however, he passed away while still standing before he could strike his brother again.

Kokushibō exploded many blades from his body in a fit of wrath at the prospect of losing, fatally wounding both Muichirō and Gen’ya while also seriously hurting Sanemi and Gyōmei. Still, the four Demon Slayers continued to tighs.

Gen’ya releases another Blood Demon Art, rooting another tree into Kokushibō’s back as Gyōmei smashes Kokushibō’s skull with his flail, and Sanemi rushes forward as Muichirō’s blade becomes bright red; he also manages to access the Transparent World at this moment, seeing the Demon’s internal organs. Kokushibō, though, brags that all their attacks are useless because he has surpassed Death in his new form, but he is soon shocked when he sees himself in his blade.

His new appearance is hideous, with tusks and spikes protruding from his face, back, and head. He recalls his previous goal of being the strongest warrior in the land and questions whether the course he has chosen is what he really wants.

Gyōmei then decapitates Kokushibō again by using his flail to completely shatter his head as he muses over his motivations. Gen’ya’s Blood Demon Art was utilized against the Upper Rank, sucking some of his blood, preventing him from using his own Blood Demon Art.

However, Kokushibō is still able to regenerate fully, and while he prepares to do so, he hears his brother speaking to him. Kokushibō then decides not to regenerate (much like Akaza did) and consents to die since he recognizes that’s not what he wants—he doesn’t want to turn into a monster.

He considers what he actually wants to be—he only wants to be like Yoriichi—as he crumbles to the ground. Kokushibō was dead at that moment, but so were Gen’ya and Muichirō, who had been injured so badly that there was no way of saving them. How exactly Gen’ya died is not known, but he and Gyōmei were the only ones conscious after the battle. Muichirō had been cut and dead in several parts, while Sanemi was alive but knocked out. Gyōmei brought Sanemi’s brother to Gen’ya and as soon as the former woke up, he noticed his brother disappearing, like a Demon, which was a heartbreaking moment as the two of them finally reconciled.