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Those Who Only Want Things Have Nothing

Today I would like to lightly analyze Kaigaku and Zenitsu through the lens of contextual interpretation and folk tales. This going to be a little dive into the words Yushiro says to Kaigaku in Chapter 146.

"Those who were not provided anything from people go on to not receive anything from people. Those who simply want things, in the end, are the same as those who have nothing, because they cannot create anything on their own."

Yushiro, where did this come from? Where did you even come from, I'm sure Kaigaku wondered. He must have spent his final moments in utter befuddlement.

I'll bet that official translators in various languages might have felt somewhat befuddled about what to do with these lines too, since Japanese is a very high-content language. Yushiro does not make his meaning and its connection to Kaigaku explicit, so when translating into a low-context language, a lot of what you inevitably get is the translator's interpretation. They can stay close to literal meaning of the text and leave readers a little confused, or they can add context based on broader understanding of the plot and characters, although it runs the risk of not being what the original writer explicitly meant. (I am not dunking on translators; I am stating a reality of translation. Also, I'm using my own translations in this post since I only have the Japanese versions of this manga.)

Part of why Yushiro's commentary might feel sudden to a reader is because readers have followed along inside both Zenitsu and Kaigaku's heads, and therefore seen many more layers than only what they actually say aloud to each other. Zenitsu and Kaigaku also have shared history of being raised in a martial tradition and they both understand the pride and prestige of it, which Yushiro doesn't care about.

If we instead look at what Yushiro has witnessed about their exchange, it (in paraphrase) boils down to:

"I stick with those who assess my worth accurately! That stupid old man didn't make me his successor!"

"Jiichan didn't have a good successor because we both suck. I can only use the First Form and that's the one you can't use."

"Don't put me in the same category as you! You and that old geezer should both just die!"

"Seems you ate a lot of people. You have no way of telling apart right and wrong, do you?"

"I can tell them apart. Those who assess my worth accurately are righteous! Those who assess me too low are wrong!!"

(At which point, Yushiro is probably rolling his eyes about how Kaigaku totally lacks a dictionary-level understanding of 善 and 悪.)

"How's my Blood Technique Breath combo? (Blah blah blah, something-something about the details of how it works)"

(Yushiro was probably so underwhelmed. Stupid demon was practically born yesterday.)

"I'm special. I'm not like you. I'm different from both* of you!"

(And then a big boom. Yushiro sees his moment to step in and intervene now that this annoying demon is dealt with.) *(This plural could also be translated as "all of you," like Kaigaku is saying he's different from all the Demon Slayer Corp, but because the context of the conversation is that he was only ever talking smack about Zenitsu and Kuwajima, I've gone with "both." Just a small example of how translators constantly make decisions that inevitably make text more explicit.)

"Damn it! I knew that old man was playing favorites with you! He had something he only taught you and never taught me!"

"No. Jiichan wasn't the kind of person to do that. This is my own form. One that I thought up myself, that only I can do. With this, I wanted to stand and fight at your side, as your equal."

Even if Yushiro was only there to hear the last bit, his comments can be better understand in context as replying directly to those final lines. The following rewrite of Yushiro's lines is a level of interpretation that strays from the text since I have added "specialness" for context:

If people didn't provide you with a way to feel special, you probably weren't going to receive anything like that anyway. If you simply desire being special, that's the same as not having been special in the first place, because you couldn't make yourself special on your own.

Or to add another level of interpretation, which strays even more from the literal text by adding even more context:

So what if your master didn't teach you that. You sure wouldn't have been receptive to it anyway, huh?* All you wanted was for him to make you feel special, but wanting that feeling so badly goes to show you never had anything special in you in the first place. After all, you sure didn't make your own sword form like that guy did, did you?

That phrasing would make the subtext a lot clearer: Of course the two of you aren't the same. That guy is better than you; you only ever selfishly wanted what he had because you totally lacked it.

Although it would be too meta for Yushiro to point it out, there is subtext which comes across loud and clear if you read this in a language with kanji: There is a difference between right (善) and wrong (悪). Zenitsu recognizes that his path and Kaigaku's path have diverged.

And Zenitsu, who has 善 in his name, is the one on the righteous path.

NOW!! WITH THAT OUT OF THE WAY!! Here's the point that inspired this post.

In Japanese folk tales, there is a very common story setup with two similar characters, but one is right (善) and the other is wrong (悪). Rather than being worded so strongly, one is usually doing things out of pure motives, and the other does things out of jealousy and wanting the good fortune that the pure one has. In the end, the jealous, selfish person tries the same thing that the pure-hearted person did, but it has a disastrous result. Instant karma.

Quite often, the characters are old men, like in the stories Kobutori Jiisan and Hanasaka Jiisan. They are two sides of the same coin, like the cover of Chapter 145.

There are also folk tales in which someone receives a miraculous boon, but they must be careful not to selfishly overuse it, lest they lose it or suffer some terrible fate worse than where they started. For example, in some versions of Kasa Jizo, the story goes on to show how the kind old man (or his selfish wife) turn avaricious after receiving a gift in exchange for their simple kindness, and they wind up losing everything. In contrast, in some versions of Issun-boshi, the heroic oni slayer is able to use a magic hammer to grant a deeply-held wish, as well as to give himself a practical amount of money and food for his journey. However, he is wise and careful not to use it for any more than that.

If we were to plug Zenitsu and Kaigaku into these stories, it would be easy to see what roles they fall into. Zenitsu, despite his proclivity to an easy life and over-eating and over-spending, values the gift of swordsmanship and Jiichan's time and efforts spent on him, and his intentions for how to use this gift are pure. Kaigaku's are not, which is why his selfishness causes this gift to backfire.

Yushiro probably would have had passing familiarity with folk tales like these. They are moral tales intended for children, to show the difference between two paths, right (善) and wrong (悪). That's probably why instead of saying something so direct as "Those who can't tell the difference between right and wrong," he instead framed it as "those who simply want things."

In other words, "You're really stupid and need this dumbed-down to a childhood folk tale level. You got yourself into this mess due to your own selfishness. It is sure is miserable to die alone, isn't it?"

#kny nerdery #kny fandom theories and meta #kaigaku #freaking kaigaku #agatsuma zenitsu #yushiro #yushirou

Wind down doodle

#my art #zenitsu agatsuma #kaigaku #freaking kaigaku #agatsuma Zenitsu

someone on twitter said Demon!Kaigaku's pallet should've been pink!!🍑How seriously would Zenitsu or others take him?

In canon, oh yes, for sure, he would still be taken seriously.

But in Kimetsu Academy?

#my dumb art #agatsuma zenitsu #kaigaku #freaking kaigaku

It's a hot summer day and I'm off to go get zilched in the sun on my way to the movie theater.

#the answer was #freaking kaigaku #kny closet play #kaigaku

Could you tell us your personal headcanon or guesses about them ghosts in demon slayer and why the lack of ghosts demons.

Had to grapple with that in this fic, in which Kaigaku is still around as a ghost (kinda). It gets more fully explained in the final chapter what role Zenitsu has in it, but I explained it away as: 1. Those who are not doomed to hell are more free to dwindle here and there in this world

2. Hate doesn't keep someone in the world as well as love does

3. Kaigaku should have been doomed, but he had a close enough bond with Zenitsu that it kept him somewhat linked to this world ("they were brothers," as Tanjiro would explain it, but as Yushiro would explain it, it's because Kaigaku's Thunder Breath-powered blood technique melded into Zenitsu's body, which was compatible with it).

So yeah, that was a choice to make it a special case for the sake of a fic premise. But I found those sorts of reasons believable enough to work with in that sort of fic universe. But hey, when it comes down to it, Gotouge is never super consistent and everything is according to Kimetsu Logic. My analysis of the afterlife according to KnY is here.

#kaigaku #freaking kaigaku #my fics

How about a drawing of Kaigaku becoming a ladies man who steals all of Zenitsu's chances of finding a woman and Zenitsu is absolutely livid about it? Would Zenitsu hate Kaigaku even more than if he became a demon, especially if Jigoro dies affirming to Zenitsu that Kaigaku has more rizz instead?

#kaigaku #freaking kaigaku #agatsuma zenitsu #kuwajima jigoro #kamado nezuko #my dumb art

Do think there’s going to be Kaigaku themed merch after his appearance in the anime?

Any idea on what they may do for him? (Just curious because for example Kyogai didn’t got much going on and Kaigaku is not going to be much on screen either)

I think we can expect at least Enmu-levels of merch! After all, Kaigaku is part of the 12 Kizuki club (as nothing more than a stopgap, Zenitsu would like to remind you), and he has a connection to multiple members of the cast, including one of the most popular ones.

Sorry, Kyogai... your blood technique was magnificent, but you were just one more step to climb before a season-climax villain.

#kaigaku #freaking kaigaku