my thoughts on canon Zenitsu
(Disclaimer: This is a big analysis thingy on canon Zenitsu where I will be pointing out both positive and negative parts of his arc and characterization. If you do not want to see the criticism or simply wish to avoid manga spoilers, press “J” for desktop or just scroll really fast to avoid it. Thanks!)
He’s definitely another of those characters that I find fans either loving to bits or completely despising, and then some that simply don’t care for him at all. For me? I personally do not like canon Zenitsu overall, but it’s purely because of the way Gotouge wrote him that really makes me wish it wasn’t so evident what they were trying to accomplish.
It is super clear they struggled with balancing comedic relief and the emotional depth of Zenitsu. There are very few exceptions, but he’s not really allowed to be taken seriously by the narrative. They somehow have to take what little heartfelt moments and impact he made and turn it into a stupid joke. He’s not treated as a character but something to laugh at, which really feels off in a story that’s supposed to be dramatic and mindful of its characters’ humanity.
So if you’ve ever felt like his development goes all over the damn place throughout the story, this is why. His role as one of the primary forms of comedic relief screwed him over big time.
However, there are those exceptions I hinted at before, and that’s namely his relationship with Kuwajima and his fight with Kaigaku. I felt those were handled extremely well and given the space to emotionally develop and connect with the readers/viewers in the respective places they appeared in (Natagumo, Infinity Fortress).
But like… that’s it, you know? Despite being considered a big part of the KMBK trio, he doesn’t actively connect with Tanjirou or Inosuke in meaningful ways. Not in the way he does with Kuwajima and Kaigaku. Neither Tanjirou nor Inosuke really drive him to become a better person like the Thunder family does, which is pretty odd.
Then there’s Zenitsu with Nezuko. I absolutely despise this relationship in basically every way. Not only is it morally questionable due to Nezuko’s implied age regression, but pretty much every damn scene those two interact in actively makes Zenitsu an obsessive, creepy bitch when it really did not have to be.
Which leads me to my next point: his attachment/abandonment issues. These are not handled well at all, I’m sorry. I’ve really only complained about this to a select group of friends, but I find the fact that he was essentially abused by all seven of his fiancees weird. Like, he never met one normal girl? Why is Gotouge insisting that all these girls were cruel to him? Did they not consider that relationships couldn’t last in other ways? And also why do they never bother bringing this up again? Since he’s an ADHD-coded character, I could totally see the connection between him having so many failed relationships to him being so obsessed with finding a spouse later on, but its not given the depth it deserves. Once again, the fact that he’s treated almost purely as comedic relief took that potential away from us.
It’s a really big shame too since Nezuko would have been the perfect way for Zenitsu to really work through his issues regarding his relationships, and his complicated feelings when it comes to love.
@keniaku since you asked for this lol
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