"it would be so good if it was good" will haunt you but "it's extremely good, except for the one or two parts which are so bad it's genuinely kind of insulting" will straight up drive you insane
Someone pointed it out that the thunder forms 2-6 are more focused on fast arm movements and the first form is more focused on the legs, the reason could be since the first form is kill on strike if that doesn't work then you use the other forms. The reason Kuwajima wanted them to get along is because they complete each other. If Zenitsu's first form didn't work Kaigaku could back him up...AHSBHGDFHJER THEY MAKE ME SICKKKKK TO THE STOMACH
"He ruined two backstories" - a Kaigaku analysis (From a Zenitsu fan)
It's funny that despite being a Zenitsu fan account, most, if not all, of my (KNY) mutuals are Kaigaku fans aside from two, and from the outside this may look strange because people have this belief that just because I love one character, in this case Zenitsu, I automatically have to hate their archenemy, in this case Kaigaku, or something. But no, when I say I'm a Thunder Brothers fan, I am a Thunder Brothers fan. But if you dare admit to loving or even tolerating Kaigaku, you'll most likely hear this: "He ruined two backstories," referring to Gyomei and Zenitsu, and I just have to disagree.
NOW HEAR ME OUT!!!
First things foremost, I view a backstory as history that shapes a character's present behavior. This can include upbringing, culture, education, and social status. Usually this also involves a "Big Hurt": A specific traumatic event or significant past experience. Or "The Lie": A flawed belief, or misconception, the character adopted as a result of that past to protect themselves. With this definition in mind, let's see how Kaigaku affects these two characters.
Gyomei
Starting off with Gyomei, I can agree with the fact that Kaigaku ruined his life. We learned that before joining the corps, he lived a poor but happy life with nine orphan children whom he raised in a rundown temple. However, after Kaigaku was kicked out, he made a deal with the demon, his life for everybody else's, causing Gyomei to have to fight until sunrise in order to keep Sayo safe, and even after all that, he gets wrongly accused of murdering children he was protecting. Gyomei then developed a very cold and objective view of people, especially children. He is slow to trust and often suspects the worst in human nature.
I, however, think that Kaigaku wasn't actually going to steal the money and this may be me giving him the benefit of the doubt, but I like to believe he was testing Gyomei's boundaries but got caught by the other children instead, and while this doesn't excuse it I like to believe that he just wanted to see how far he could push Gyomei before being scolded like the cunning kid he is.
Zenitsu
Moving onto Zenitsu... Oh, where do I even start with him? He was born to parents who didn't even care enough to give him a name and was abandoned shortly after with no blanket, meaning he was most likely an infant when he was abandoned, and from a young age he learned that something as simple and normal as crying will lead to abandonment, and we're not even mentioning the fact he got groomed and coerced into seven different relationships just to be financially taken advantage of. He has pushed so many negative experiences and emotions from his past into the depths of darkness that his subconscious is just pitch black. That's why I have a hard time saying that Kaigaku ruined Zenitsu's life (at least backstory-wise), as before Jigoro and Kaigaku, Zenitsu had come across people that beat him daily, so Kaigakuâs cruel vitriol probably seemed like nothing.
The whole Jigoro committing seppuku to take responsibility for Kaigaku's turning into a demon, and Zenitsu making it his duty to kill Kaigaku to avenge their master's death. That happens during the present, so instead of it affecting his backstory, I see it as giving him character development, and although they don't seem like that big of a difference, I feel that viewing it from this perspective can change how the fandom views Kaigaku.
At the end of the day, Iâm not saying Kaigaku is innocent. Iâm not saying he didnât make selfish choices. He did. And those choices had devastating consequences. But reducing him to "the guy who ruined everything" flattens not only him but also the characters he impacted. Gyomeiâs tragedy didnât start and end with Kaigaku. Zenitsuâs insecurities, abandonment issues, and fear of being alone were there long before Kaigaku ever entered the picture.
If anything, Kaigaku serves as a mirror.
For Gyomei, he represents betrayal and misplaced trust.
For Zenitsu, he represents what he could have become if he let his bitterness win.
You donât have to like Kaigaku. You donât have to excuse him. But acknowledging his role beyond âhe ruined two backstoriesâ opens up a much more interesting conversation about accountability and choices. The Thunder Brothers dynamic is compelling because itâs so messy.
Iâm a Zenitsu fan. Iâm a Thunder Brothers fan. And loving Kaigaku doesnât take away from my love for Zenitsu.
Anyway⊠thatâs my take. If you disagree, letâs talk about it respectfully. This fandom is way more fun when we let characters be complicated.
I need a fic a Thunder brothers fic where Kaigaku actually enjoys Zenitsu and Jigoro company and sees them as family but because of that he kinda sees them as extension of himself therefore any behavior and company he sees himself unworthy of he gets them to cut it out
And Jigoro of course either ignores him or hits him with his cane whenever he tries to stop him from doing something or hanging out with someone he deems unworthy but Zenitsu is a different story
Zenitsu doesnât want to upset his brother and doesnât know how to set proper boundaries so he just goes along with everything Kaigaku does.
This would leave Zenitsu to be alone because nobody he ever meets is good enough for Kaigaku.
It would play out great to see Zenitsu get along with the Kamaboko squad and trying to get their meeting with his older brother to go perfectly cause he wants to be around and wants to continue being their friend
Of course Kaigaku wouldnât approve and would point out many flaws they all have
I can see this either going with Zenitsu pointing out his own flaws and how by Kaigakuâs logic he shouldnât be worthy to be around him or with Zenitsu pointing out Kaigakuâs own flaws and how he too technically isnât worthy
I want thunder brother angst to have some family love it by both sides
Oh man, I've always been a faithful subscriber to the 'Zenitsu proposes to Tanjiro on their first meeting' fic idea, because it's absolutely amazing, but you guysâ
What is it was reversed
Not necessarily on their first meeting, because Tanjiro wouldn't propose to a guy who was just pathetically begging a random girl to marry him loll, but I can see it happening after they're all at the wisteria crest house, when Zenitsu asks Tanjiro why he's traveling with a demon.
Tanjiro would freeze where he's sitting, staring at Zenitsu with a look of shock and growing wonder on his face as his mind starts running in circles. Zenitsu protected the box. Zenitsu protected the box while knowing there was a demon inside of it. Zenitsu knowingly protected the demon inside the box without knowing it was his little sister. Zenitsu protected the box holding a demon without knowing the full story all because he heard Tanjiro tell the children it was more important to him than his own life.
Zenitsu meanwhile would be fidgeting under the intense stare being directed at him, wondering if he asked the wrong question and if Tanjiro was going to get angry with him, until Tanjiro suddenly swoops Zenitsu's hands into his own, and with an embarrassingly earnest expression and bright red cheeks Tanjiro shouts,
"Zenitsu, please marry me!!"
Zenitsu starts screaming, and then Inosuke throws a pillow at both of them to get them to shut up.
It's just so funny to imagine that after that, Tanjiro starts relentlessly pursuing Zenitsu, showering him in compliments and buying him sweets and gifts (in moderation of course, gotta be responsible with money), and Zenitsu running away from all this affectionânot because he dislikes it, but simply because he's not used to being on this side of the equation. Usually he's the one pursuing the other person! How is he supposed to handle someone trying to win his affections?!
The first time Zenitsu doesn't run away from Tanjiro's courting gift, instead shyly accepting it with bright red cheeks and a watery thank you, Tanjiro straight-up faints from happiness.
Further proof for my TanZen agenda is the way that the very first volume of Demon Slayer to have a bright and happy background is the one that has Zenitsu on it
First two volumes? Sad and tense expressions, clearly showing the pain, anger, and anguish the Kamado siblings are going through. Tanjiro's holding his sword in both of them, blade drawn as if to protect Nezuko in the first one and to strike down Muzan in the second, which are his two main goals after the start of the series. The backgrounds are dark and oppressive, the first volume being pitch black, and the second volume lined with what looks like bloodstains.
But the third volume?
Tanjiro's smiling. His posture's relaxed, and he looks like he's at ease. The only sword on the cover is put away in it's sheath, and its not even Tanjiro's. The background is of the bright blue sky, open and expansive. I think it's probably a call to the way Zentisu hears Tanjiro's kindness but I also think it wouldn't be a stretch to say it represents how Zenitsu brings a light to the Kamado siblings' lives as well.
Idk I'm probably just looking into it too much but it's such a sharp contrast I can't help but notice it. Zenitsu is one of the very few people in the manga to not attack Nezuko when he first finds out about her, and the only one to actually go out of his way to protect her from harm at the same time, without knowing her or Tanjiro's story, without even the word of a trusted authority figure like the Ubuyashiki family backing her with their faith or a letter from a trusted and precious student vouching for them. He hadn't even met her yet-- all he knows at that point is Tanjiro and Tanjiro's sound, and yet that's enough for him to put his life and well-being on the line for them. Even if you don't ship TanZen or anything, I think its impossible to ignore how important Zenitsu is narratively to both of the siblings and how much of an impact he has on them.
YOU may have kissed him when he was just a disembodied head but I promised to spend the rest of eternity in hell with him to suffer the consequences of the sin of killing eighty percent of humanity together.
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