Demon Slayer: Why did Kanao Tsuyuri go blind? Explained

Kanao Tsuyuri from the Demon Slayer series is an incredibly talented demon hunter. She trained under Shinobu Kocho and happened to be her Tsukugo. This is a title given to demon hunters who have extremely high potential and are assigned a Hashira to personally train and mentor them.

In the anime, Kanao hasn’t gotten enough screen time to showcase her abilities. There were a few instances where fans got a glimpse of Kanao’s physical abilities. Her breathing techniques and fighting style will be seen in detail when she and Inosuke take on Doma, the Upper Moon 2 demon.

In the manga, there came a point where Kanao lost her vision. She was completely blind in one eye, and partially blind in the other. This article will take a look at the manga chapters to understand why Kanao Tsuyuri went blind in the Demon Slayer series.

Disclaimer: This article contains massive spoilers from the Demon Slayer manga chapters.

---

Demon Slayer: Understanding how Kanao Tsuyuri went blind towards the end of the series

Kanao Tsuyuri as seen in the anime series (Image via Ufotable)

Towards the concluding moments of the manga series, the remaining members of the Demon Slayer Corps gave everything they had to keep Kibutsuji Muzan in place until sunrise. The Demon King didn’t give up until the very end. However, the efforts of every single demon hunter and Kakushi present in the scene ensured that Muzan didn’t escape and the Demon King finally fell. He was dead and everyone celebrated.

However, the celebrations were cut short by Tanjiro who had now turned into a demon and managed to conquer the sun. Moments before Muzan’s death, the Demon King transferred all of his blood to Tanjiro.

Kanao shown to be blind in one eye (Image via Shueisha/Koyoharu Gotouge)

Owing to the demon hunter’s affinity to Sun Breathing, he ended up becoming the first-ever demon that conquered the sun. He even attacked his own sister, and bit her. Luckily, the medicines that she had been taking periodically made her immune to demons.

All hope was lost since the sun was the only thing that could fully kill a demon aside from the Nichirin blade. This is when Kanao Tsuyuri’s actions altered the course of humans for the coming years. She had a vial of medicines that Shinobu had made, and Kanao decided to use this against Tanjiro Kamado.

Kanao uses the final form of Flower Breathing Technique (Image via Shueisha/Koyoharu Gotouge)

However, she couldn’t get close enough to him without using the final form of Flower Breathing. At this point in the Demon Slayer Manga, Kanao was blind in one eye since she used this technique while fighting against Doma, the Upper Moon 2 demon.

Kanao used the Equinoctial Vermillion Eye (also known as Scarlet Spider Eyes), which essentially elevates the kinetic vision to the maximum and puts a strain on the eye. It causes blood vessels to rupture which is why Kanao went partially blind in the other eye as well.

At this stage of the Demon Slayer series, Kanao used the technique to get close to Tanjiro since she could perceive movements in slow motion. She injected the medicine that Shinobu entrusted to her and it resulted in Tanjiro reverting to his human state.

This is how Kanao Tsuyuri went blind in the manga series. If not for her efforts, Tanjiro would have terrorized the country forever since he became the first-ever demon who conquered the sun.

Stay tuned for more anime and manga news as 2024 progresses.