obanai’s character
TRIGGERS FOR: -eating disorder mention -suicidal thoughts -mental disorders
Obanai is so overlooked and it really infuriates me because his character is so complex. The deeper you look the more info you get about him.
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his hostility
I’ve seen a lot of people hate him for his behavior and hostile nature, but can you really blame him? He spent more of his life in a cage then he did outside of it. Anyone who was abused, neglected, and tortured throughout the first 12 years of their life would be hostile and cruel too. “well he hates Giyuu” yes but he still saved him in the final battle. He only hates Giyuu because of a misunderstanding. He hates Giyuu because of how Giyuu says hes not like them, which sounds like he has a superiority complex, even though WE know he doesn’t. Obanai doesn’t understand what Giyuu meant because Giyuu never actually explained it.
2. “berating” tengen
In the entertainment district arc, he did show up late, yes. I will not defend him on that, because he should’ve been there sooner. But at the end, when he actually does show up, people say that he was cruel and offensive. In the anime, yes, his words were offensive and rude. But in the manga, he says that the corps need all the help they can get, and that Tengen is strong. He was praising Tengen for being strong, but the anime makes him seem rude and cruel.
3. being rude to Tanjiro
Yes, he is rude and wanted Tanjiro dead, but his training was one of the most helpful. Giyuu (didn’t participate in hashira training) and Sanemi (got a restraining order on Tanjiro) didn’t even train him. Obanai’s training helped Tanjiro work better when it came to fighting alongside others, since he had to dodge the tied up slayers. Not only that, he helped the other tied up slayers how to stay calm in the face of danger.
4. becoming a hashira
The reason Obanai became a hashira is because he wants to cleanse his blood, if his family had not been thieves and badblooded, Obanai wpuld’ve never joined the corps. Despite how his family treated them, he felt bad for what happened after he escaped. He had every right to not feel even a little remorseful after what they did to him, yet he was. He believes the only way to cleanse his blood fully is by dying by Muzan. He has something similar to stockholm syndrome (feeling a connection with abuser/s). He feels bad for people who shouldn’t be forgiven.
5. hatred of women
In the manga, it says women make him uncomfortable, which is to be expected when all his abusers are women. It says that the female slayers’ sad backstories also make feel weird (since he feels pity). I’ve seen people say he’s misogynistic for this, but nowhere does it say that he berates or looks down on them just for their gender. He looks down on anyone weaker than him, regardless of their gender. He’s just rightfully nervous around women.
6. backstory
His backstory was incredibly cruel and sad. He was born and immediately was shoved into a cage. The only reason he didn’t die is because of his eyes, which are two different colors (yellow and blue). He was watched at night like a decorative object, and it was mentioned he didn’t sleep until the noises stopped. He was likely sleep deprived because of this. For 12 years, he was kept in a cage. At 12, he was pulled out (which we saw a woman pulling his hair) and inspected by a demon with a snake-like lower body. He was too tiny to be eaten (due to not eating much), so instead, they cut the ends of his mouth. He was probably struggling too, which most likely made it more painful. He had to carve his way out with Kaburamaru, and was SO close to dying (snake demon was pulling his hair) until the former flame pillar (Shinjuro) saved him.
7. eating disorder
It’s mentioned that he doesn’t eat much and doesn’t like doing it. He can go 3 days without eating (the smallest hashira appetite). Food most likely makes him feel sick, due to the heavy amounts of grease and fat from the food he ate as a child. This makes him malnourished, and he probably has an eating disorder.
8. obanai vs muzan
Obanai was saving everyone left and right, he even held off Muzan alongside Tanjiro while blinded. He even jumped in front of Tanjiro, which made Muzan bite his head, to help. He also was one of the only two (him and Muichiro) hashiras to turn their blades red just by gripping it. He managed to stab Muzan through the chest while blind, and figured out how to effectively dismember Muzan. “oh well he died-“ and died saving people.
9. bonus facts
Obanai is half blind (he cannot see out of his right eye very well). He didn’t want Muichiro to die, since he was so young. He shared his backstory with Tengen and respects him. Sanemi gets along best with him. He and Shinobu talk sometimes. He has one of the best swordsmanship in the corps. He has complete heterochromia. He can understand Kaburamaru. He writes Mitsuri letters.
