Demon Slayer's Obanai serves as a great example of how to mistreat a character

Demon Slayer is home to a plethora of characters whose backstories have made them some of the most beloved and sympathized characters in the anime world today. From the Pillars of the Demon Slayer Corps, like Sanemi Shinazugawa, Giyu Tomioka, or Gyomei Himejima, to villains like Akaza, Kokushibo, and even Gyutaro, the series is filled with gut-wrenching backstories for a majority of the characters.

However, one character in particular, who many fans believe received the worst treatment out of the entire cast, is none other than the Serpent Pillar, Obanai Iguro. Despite being fairly crucial to the series, Obanai remained vastly overshadowed by other characters and is often overlooked by almost the entire fanbase, making him the prime example of a character who was never given an opportunity to shine by the mangaka.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the Demon Slayer manga and reflects the opinions of the author. Reader's discretion is advised.

Explaining the narrative injustice done to Obanai Iguro in Demon Slayer

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In the Demon Slayer manga, almost all characters received a tear-jerking and well-written backstory, which made readers feel sympathy for even the most heinous villains. From Upper Moon demons like Akaza, Kokushibo, Gyutaro, and Daki to Lower Rank demons like Rui, each character had their shining moment followed by a tragic backstory.

That said, in a recent discussion about Demon Slayer characters on Reddit, some fans brought up their dislike for Obanai Iguro and the fact that his character was unfairly mistreated in the manga compared to the rest of the cast. While it may seem like an outlandish claim at first, upon closer inspection of Obanai's character throughout the series, one may realize that the claims of his character being mistreated are, in fact, true.

One major point backing this claim lies in the fact that Obanai's backstory was explored right in the middle of the final battle against Muzan Kibutsuji. This undoubtedly shouldn't be a point of time where a character's backstory and motivations are explored. What's worse, his backstory was vastly overshadowed by those of other characters, which took place in the Infinity Castle arc.

Obanai as seen in Demon Slayer (image via Ufotable)

Additionally, given that Obanai's backstory took place during the Sunrise Countdown arc in the final battle against Muzan, the only noticeable development or growth in his character took place in his dying moments.

Obanai's personal motivations don't particularly stand out either, especially when compared to characters like Kyojuro Rengoku, Tengen Uzui, or Mitsuri Kanroji. They also aren't explored in depth, like the respective motivations of Giyu Tomioka, Muichiro Tokito, and Gyomei Himejima.

The respective arcs of characters like Shinobu, Gyomei, Giyu, Sanemi, Muichiro, and Rengoku are extremely important to the narrative, as each of their pasts are somehow interconnected with each other or other characters. The only three characters whose pasts are in no way connected are Tengen, Mitsuri, and Obanai.

However, as fans may have noticed by this point, out of the three, only Tengen and Mitsuri's characters received a decent amount of spotlight. Tengen's character arc, in particular, highlights just how much Obanai's character was mistreated. The latter was only given a brief amount of significance in the final arc, whereas the former received an entire story arc focused on his character.

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The final battle of a series is one of the most important parts of a series, as it not only serves as a narrative but also as the emotional climax of the series. It is a crucial juncture of a story, where long-standing rivalries or relationships come to an end.

It is also where the central conflict, or the final clash between good and evil, reaches its peak and where the protagonists or the central characters demonstrate the culmination of their personal growth. Thereby, exploring a character's backstory in the final arc, that too, in the middle of the final battle, is something that many people just cannot overlook.

That said, it was also speculated by some fans that the mangaka of Demon Slayer, Koyoharu Gotouge, might have had some plans regarding Obanai's character but had to abandon them in order to end the manga earlier than expected due to a family emergency.

Final Thoughts

While Obanai Iguro's character in Demon Slayer may have been underdeveloped compared to other characters, there is still hope that the anime could give him more depth and narrative importance.

This is because Ufotable is known for taking creative liberties and adding extra scenes to the anime, which helps enhance the story. This could certainly provide an opportunity for Obanai's character to be more fleshed out in the Demon Slayer anime.