GiyuShino

"Alright, do your best, Tomioka-san. I will cheer for you."

- Shinobu to Giyuu on Kimetsu no Yaiba Official Light Novel.

GiyuShino is the het ship between Shinobu Kocho and Giyuu Tomioka from the Demon Slayer fandom.

Canon
Shinobu, the Insect Pillar, was first introduced with Giyuu, the Water Pillar, on Natagumo Mountain Arc. She says they are constantly on joint missions lately and should develop a good relationship. However, Giyu answers his only concern is slaying demons.

Although Giyu maintains a cold and distant stance, among all the pillars, Shinobu is the one who understands him the most and has the best relationship with him.

When Shinobu's death was released and announced by the crow, you could read Giyuu's thoughts easily as it was literally shown on his face. It was more heartbreaking for him to see probably the only pillar, who he considered a close friend die.

In the first season of the Demon Slayer anime, Giyu Tomioka is set next to Shinobu Kocho during the Natagumo Mountain Arc. Though Giyu is much too stoic to openly admit his admiration of Shinobu, it is clear that they share an interest in saving the demons who have had their lives stolen by Muzan Kibutsuji.

In anime or manga, it is never directly confirmed by the writer that they are actually in love with each other, but by observation and how they interact, it seems like they are, like when Shinobu tries to flirt with Giyu, etc.

Why are Tomioka Giyuu and Shinobu Kocho shipped? Shinobu teases Giyuu like an older sister, and Giyuu doesn't really react. The duo has a lot of ships because of their chemistry with each other.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba 2nd Fanbook Translation - How The Pillars View Each Other!! The fandom really started to get into this ship when Giyuu was seen visibly reacting to Shinobu's death in the manga, which is a lot for a stoic person like him

Shinobu and Giyuu are not implied to be a couple, but there's a healthy portion of the fandom who read a little more into their combative interactions. Some even believe that Giyuu and Shinobu embody a bickering couple who are beyond comfortable with each other


 * Favorite NonCanon ship. They were only colleagues, but considering all the source material we have, I think the dynamic had room for more development. They had a chemistry that could have easily evolved into a more emotional friendship or romance.
 * Gyomei states that both enjoy each others companionship
 * Shinobu is the only Hashira to regularly interact with Giyuu outside of work, all others avoid him due his weak social skills
 * Shinobu loves teasing Giyuu and no other character has seen her cheeky playful side as much as him
 * Shinobu made some implications that can be interpreted as romance (Isn't the moon lovely today - A romantic saying in Japanese)
 * Giyuu stoic face never reacted to the death of his hashira colleagues except for Shinobu's, which visibly shocked him
 * they had several missions together including in the spin-off manga story and databook informations
 * Even if they are not canon if Shinobu was alive they would have probably been together who knows?

Shinobu says that Giyuu is hated by other people, which can seem mean, but in reality she actually supports him. At Official Light Novel: Kimetsu no Yaiba: One-Winged Butterfly, most of the Hashiras were criticizing Giyu and wanted to fire him from the position as the Water Pillar. In this case, Shinobu intervened in favor of the Water Pillar, and she went to great lengths to help him bond and to make him smile.

In Giyuu Tomioka: Gaiden, the only official character besides Giyuu is Shinobu. In this story, despite being off duty, she helps him on his mission and then they go out to have dinner together. At that moment she sees him smile, being the only one in the series so far.

In the second fan book, Gyomei mentions what he thinks of several of the Hashira and says that both Giyu and Shinobu enjoy talking to each other. Giyu also states how he feels about Shinobu, saying he thinks she is both hardworking and serious, along with stating that she talks to him a lot and mentions she looks pale, implying he might be worried about it. Shinobu believes that he should talk more, according to her section.

In the Pillars meeting, when most of the other pillars think Giyu deserves a punishment for defending a demon, Nezuko Kamado, Shinobu says he did not offer resistance to come with her to headquarters and they should wait for the patron to come before judging him. Also, before going for a mission together, Shinobu Kocho said "The moon is beautiful tonight, isn't it?" this sentence is usually used by Japanese people when they confess their love.

Fanon
GiyuShino is one of the most loved ships by the community, as evidenced by the great amount of fanart and fanfiction that exists about them. It is currently the most popular het ship from Demon Slayer fandom in Pixiv.net, AO3 sites and Wattpad according to the amount of works with their tag. In the fandom they are portrayed in a similar way as canon, with Shinobu teasing and/or flirting with Giyu while he is oblivious. GiyuShino has further been fueled by the release of the second fan book, especially in the wake of Gyomei's feelings about the two towards each other.

Fandom
FAN FICTION
 * Shinobu/Giyuu tag on FanFiction.net
 * Shinobu/Giyuu tag on FanFiction.net

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Trivia



 * Both Shinobu and Giyu use the Haori of their dead loved ones and the two had their older sisters killed by demons.
 * On Natagumo Mountain, Shinobu stated "The moon looks lovely tonight". In Japan, it's also an indirect way of saying "I love you."
 * Shinobu's favorite past-time during missions is poking and irritating Giyu, according to a Taisho Secret. She worries about Giyu a lot since he seems like an airhead and got angry after he stopped her from defending him against a demon on Mt. Natagumo.
 * In Tales of a Demon Slayer Academy, despite Shinobu being a student and Giyu a teacher, she has great influence on him, constantly blackmailing him and asking for personal favors.
 * The Water Pillar and the Insect Pillar are two of the most supportive pillars to the Kamado siblings.
 * When Shinobu died, Giyu's reaction to her death was more shocking, compared to those for the other Pillars.
 * The last Taisho Secret extra during the broadcast of season 2 reveals Giyuu's favorite dish and mannerisms. During this short segement, Shinobu is next to Giyuu and reaching out her index finger to poke him repeatedly. Giyuu later asked why Shinobu was poking him and she replied by telling him that by poking him, the two would get along better.
 * In Giyu Gaiden, Giyu, in one scene, tells Shinobu the phrase "Kocho, remember...we're Pillars. We are Pillars, so we should act firmly and do our outmost best together." Although Giyu says this while thinking that someone else was more deserving of his rank, he still informed Shinobu of his beliefs; this was to help Shinobu, who was just coming into her role as a new pillar, understand the weight of their positions. In this way, Giyu shows that he actually cares quite a bit for Shinobu. Shinobu later muses on Giyu's words, noting her companion's tough life and his unwavering resolve, thereby demonstrating her deeper knowledge of Giyu's background/personality. She also realizes that it's her first time hearing Giyu speak a lot.
 * "Tomioka-san, you're so cool!" Shinobu Complimenting Giyu in Kimetsu no Aima extra chapter after the scene in Mount Natagumo Arc.

Variations

 * GiyuShinoTan refers to the ship between the two and Tanjiro Kamado
 * SaneShinoGiyu refers to the ship between the two and Sanemi Shinazugawa