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- You can do it, Zenitsu! I'm cheering for you!
- — Shinobu tring to persuade Zenitsu.
ZenShino is the het ship between Zenitsu Agatsuma and Shinobu Kocho from Demon Slayer fandom.
Canon[]
Mount Natagumo Arc (First Meeting)[]
After beheading one of the spider brothers, Zenitsu had gotten infected and roughly fell onto a platform that was conveniently right below them. As the demon complained, his head started to fade away, leaving Zenitsu laying on the platform. The focus swifted to show a small portable watch that cracked a bit after one of the hands moved, meaning that time had passed, then to Zenitsu still laying on the platform motionless as his eyes twitched. Zenitsu started going over his dreams, where he stated "I want a happy dream." As he went over this dream, he recalled on a time where he was with his mentor, Jigoro Kuwajima. The focus then switched to show Zenitsu with a bunch of unrecognizable people as he carried two children in his arms and raised them into the sky. "A dream where, thanks to Gramps, I become powerful and help out a lot of people." Zenitsu described. Believing he was going to die, Zenitsu tearfully apologized to his sparrow, Chuntaro, before closing his eyes and it flew away, his mentor's words of encouragment echoed in the back of his head. Zenitsu breathed in slowly to slow down the venom as much as he could, the screen then showed Zenitsu's eyelids closing until only black was shown.
In the next episode, Shinobu and Giyu discussed their next moves, opting to separate. Shinobu leaped westward while Giyu continued on foot. Returning to Zenitsu, he struggled to breathe and felt his limbs grow numb. Apologizing to Nezuko in his thoughts, Zenitsu's vision faded to black with a recurring white light. Zenitsu opened his eyes and stared at the moon, his eyes opening more wide then they had throughout the time he had been laying there. He noticed a blue butterfly flapping its wings while approaching him. This butterfly turned out to be Shinobu. Shinobu flew down to Zenitsu, planting her foot on the platform as she lowered her arms. Zenitsu didn't know who Shinobu was at the time, he thought to himself, wondering who this woman could be. Shinobu simply smiled as she went "Yoo-hoo!" trying to figure out if Zenitsu was alright.
A while into the next episode, Zenitsu remained still as Shinobu attempted to assess his condition. He muttered "Gramps," referring to his mentor, Kuwajima, and claimed to have seen him moments ago, urging him not to give up. Shinobu kneeled down to open her medkit and suggested that the phenomenon that Zenitsu had experienced was a life review, where someone recalls things that had previously happened to them directly before dying, the reason for this is because the brain is supposedly looking through all of your memories for a way to overcome death. As Shinobu explained, she grabbed a syringe and noted that she was unsure since she had never experienced it herself. Shinobu put her finger on Zenitsu's forehead, complimenting Zenitsu's usage of his breathing to slow the venom, mentioning that if had not been able to do so, he would've become a spiderling a while before she arrived. Shinobu grabbed Zenitsu's hand, injecting him with an antidote. Zenitsu watched as kakushi members approached fellow demon slayers who had been captured in the webs, his eyes falling closed.
Rehabilitation Training Arc[]
Before Zenitsu had began the Rehabilitation Training, Zenitsu had been protesting about taking the medicine, and he clung onto Tanjiro. While Murata conversed with them, a ghostly aura enveloped him as he expressed his fear of the Hashiras. Suddenly, Shinobu appeared behind him and startled him. Due to his fear, Murata quickly greeted and bid farewell to Shinobu before promptly dashing out of the door. Meanwhile, Shinobu engaged Tanjiro in conversation, inquiring about his recovery progress. Upon receiving his response, she proposed starting the Rehabilitation Training. Zenitsu remained silent, as Shinobu was not addressing him directly, although he was visibly blushing. Tanjiro, puzzled, repeated her words in a confused tone. Afterwards, Zenitsu lied in bed contemplating how Tanjiro and Inosuke had already been taken by Shinobu to start their Rehabilitation Training. He found himself fixating on Shinobu, particularly her unique voice, initially complimenting it, "Shinobu-san's voice is like no other. I don't think I've ever heard anything like it." but he also found her voice oddly eerie. Reflecting on the Mount Natagumo Arc, he recalled that "She looked like a goddess back when she treated all those people that turned into spiderlings. No wonder everyone crawled to her in tears." Zenitsu didn't stop there with his admiration, he continued "Not only that, but she's cute beyond compare! I bet she could make a living off her looks alone. And this cute lady is now training Tanjiro and Inosuke to help them get back into shape. And any minute now..." As he anticipated their return, Inosuke and Tanjiro barged into the door, looking extremely worn out. "...they'll come back, looking like they've seen a ghost." Zenitsu added.
During the next episode, Shinobu introduced Zenitsu and Inosuke to the "Perpetual Concentration Breathing", a skill that Tanjiro was attempting to master. She explained its benefits, that if you use the Total Concentration Breathing the entire day without any breaks, your base stamina will increase by great amounts. Shinobu observed Zenitsu and Inosuke's worried expressions with amusement before suggesting they try it. The scene then shifted to after their attempt, showing Zenitsu and Inosuke exhausted and panting, as Zenitsu frantically shakes and says, "No way! There's just no way!" expressing disbelief at the difficulty of the Total Concentration Breathing. Later, Tanjiro explained the technique to Zenitsu and Inosuke, who remained skeptical as they shook their heads. Shinobu then approached them, as she confirms Tanjiro's explanation. She first kneels down so that she is eye-level with Inosuke, persuading him into trying to acquire the skill of Total Concentration Breathing. She then does the same with Zenitsu, instead of being passive-aggressive similar to how she was with Inosuke, she caresses his hand as she says "You can do it, Zenitsu! I'm cheering for you!" As she says this, Zenitsu's entire face goes red as he exclaims "Yes, ma'am!" Zenitsu's flustered reaction to her encouragement elicited a soft giggling from Shinobu, showcasing her playful way of convincing him.
Fanon[]
The pairing is relatively uncommon to encounter, as the majority of the fandom leans towards more popular heterosexual ships like ZenNezu or ZenKana for Zenitsu and GiyuShino, DouShino, or even TanShino (on very rare occasions) for Shinobu. As for homosexual ships, popular pairings are ZenTan or InoZen for Zenitsu and ShinoMitsu for Shinobu. To add onto the lack of recognition within the fandom, there are arguments regarding the legality of the ship due to Shinobu being 18, which is considered an adult in not only the United States, but also Japan (as of April 2022), and Zenitsu being 16, which is considered a minor and teenager. However, enjoyers of the ship often counter this by pointing out the mere two-year age gap, considering it legal. Supporters also cite the pairing between Hakuji and Koyuki, a canon couple with the same exact ages as Shinobu and Zenitsu, 18 and 16.
There's speculation that Zenitsu has a crush on Shinobu, particularly evident before and when they reunited in the Butterfly Mansion during the Rehabilitation Training Arc, where Zenitsu called Shinobu cute various times, and when Zenitsu visibly blushed as Shinobu encouraged him. People who are against the pairing dismiss this by arguing that Zenitsu blushes around every girl he meets. However, this observation doesn't definitively negate the possibility of Zenitsu having romantic feelings for Shinobu.
On AO3, there are currently 15+ works categorized under the tag "Agatsuma Zenitsu & Kochou Shinobu" and 5 works classified under the tag "Agatsuma Zenitsu/Kochou Shinobu".
Fandom[]
- FAN FICTION
- Shinobu/Zenitsu tag on AO3
- Shinobu & Zenitsu tag on AO3
- ZeniShino stories on Wattpad
- WIKIS
- Zenitsu's Relationship with Shinobu on the Kimetsu no Yaiba Wiki
- Shinobu's Relationship with Zenitsu on the Kimetsu no Yaiba Wiki
Trivia[]
- Zenitsu and Shinobu both fought upper rank demons who killed/caused the death of someone dear to them. Zenitsu fought Kaigaku, his senior, who caused their master, Jigoro Kuwajima, to commit seppuku after hearing that Kaigaku became a demon. On the other hand, Shinobu fought Dōma, a demon who killed Shinobu's older sister, Kanae.
- They both wear patterns that someone they looked up to once wore. Zenitsu's haori, particularly the triangle pattern, resembles the kimono Jigoro wore when he committed seppuku. Zenitsu also ends up wearing the same kimono as (or at least one with a similar appearance to) Jigoro's after the Final Battle[1]. On Shinobu's side, her haori is an exact replica of the haori Kanae once wore during her time as a Hashira. She also wears a significantly similar uniform as Kanae, the only difference being her tabi socks.
Gallery[]
Manga[]
This section is in need of major improvement. Please help improve this article by editing it.
Anime[]
Mount Natagumo Arc (First Meeting)[]
Rehabilitation Training Arc[]
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Official Artworks[]
_Miscellaneous_reupload.jpg "ZenShino (+ Giyū) Miscellaneous reupload.jpg (216 KB)")
Merchandise[]
.jpg "ZenShino Merchandise (miscellaneous).jpg (404 KB)")
.jpg "ZenShino plushies (cropped).jpg (90 KB)")
