A Look at the Son of Thunder, Zenitsu Agatsuma

Zenitsu prepares to draw his sword and unleash his best (and only) technique, Thunder Clap and Flash. This amazing art is from Salmon88 on Deviant Art. Check it out here

When Zenitsu was first introduced I hated him; absolutely hated him. He is screaming and crying about how scared he is, and that he doesn’t want to fight demons. I was thinking to myself “Then why did you sign up for the Demon Slayer Corps?! This is just going to be another loud equals funny comic relief.” I’m happy to say that I believe I was wrong. While still not my favorite character I do believe him to be a character that resonates well with anyone that comes across this gem of a story. I will do my best to avoid any spoilers for the manga and anime, but this is your warning. Read on at your own risk.

Polarity, the Dual Nature of Electricity

Electricity is the flow of electrons. It has a set direction of travel. There is a positive node and a negative node. If you live in the States then electricity alternates direction flipping back and forth at an insane rate, but you’re not here for a physics lesson. However Zenitsu’s design represents this duality quite well. If he portrayed lightning even more we’d have to call him “pikachu”. Let’s start with his clothing. He wears a slightly paler version of the standard uniform; hakam pants, a green jacket, and a white belt. This represents that he is absolutely part of the team. However he still doesn’t feel as if he should be. As we will discuss almost ad nauseum, Zenitsu appears to be dealing with a heavy, heavy burden called “Imposter Syndrome”. Now the interesting bits.

His eyes, his hair, and his haori are a yellow to orange gradient with a heavy emphasis on the yellow. I will be vague here to avoid spoilers but if you know you know. Koyoharu Gotouge’s choice to color Zenitsu in yellow is no accident. For starters yellow is almost universally recognized as a symbol for electricity and lighning specifically, but it isn’t the only one. Killua form Hunter x Hunter is a prime example. His hair and his electricity is a bright, almost white blue. The interesting thing about this is that both are naturally occurring colors of lightning. Again I’ll spare you the physics lessons, but color of the lightning depends upon the atmospheric conditions that caused the lightning.

However, his sword is perhaps the most intriguing part of Zenitsu’s design. In case anyone reading this doesn’t know, demon slayers have a “sword” (this is in quotes because technically some of the demon slayer’s weapons, primarily those of the Hashiras or Pillars are unique and not technically swords) made from a special alloy called nichirin. An interesting property of these swords is that they will change color based on the soul of it’s owner. Usually it becomes a solid color, but not Zenitsu’s there is only one other character with a blade like this. His is black with a lightning bolt motif. Further symbolizing Zenitsu’s particular plight. He is hyper fixated on his weaknesses and failures. This holds him back, however it fuels his drive to become stronger. That spark represented by the lightning bolt dancing down the blade is his greatest strength.

Practice Makes Perfect

Zenitsu was trained by the former Thunder Hashira (hardcore fans I know this isn’t technically correct, but again avoiding spoilers), Jigoro Kuwajima. However Zenitsu can only use the first form of Thunder Breathing, Thunder Clap and Flash. He is quite literally a one trick pony. However, in almost a desperate attempt to make his Master proud he hammers that one technique over and over and over again. His efforts were not only approaching insanity, but unnecessary. He already had Kuwajima’s acceptance and affection. Zenitsu referred to him as “Gramps”. I am a results driven individual so let’s take a look at that. His grip, no his mastery of this single technique is greater than any other character’s mastery of any one technique. Thunder Clap and Flash is essentially a rush down, draw technique. The user assumes a low almost runner’s stance and rushes forward in a straight line attempting to end the fight in a single blow. A very basic but a very powerful move. Zenitsu has taken it so far that he’s created layers to the technique. This is only a minor spoiler, but on the Natagumo Mountain we see Zenitsu alter this technique. He doesn’t get just one rush, on the mountain we see him get six. You heard me six strikes with what should be a one shot kill! That isn’t even his most deadly development. At one point he impresses even on of the upper moon demons, and he still sees himself as a failure.

Inner Storm

Zenitsu’s design is bright an colorful, his antics are light and cheerful, but on the Mugen Train we get a peek into his psyche or sub-consciousness. It is dark, over bearing, and oppressively negative. He is so hard on himself, so hyper fixated on his failures to learn the other 5 forms of Thunder Breathing. He doesn’t feel worth of succeeding his master’s role. He doesn’t even feel worthy to call himself an equal with Tanjiro and Inosuke his companions. This is why he can only use his true potential when he is asleep or unconscious. However with each triumph, with every little victory we see him realize more and more that he can utilize this power while more “awake”. It is aspect of his character that I think he is the most relatable character in the whole story. He’s just like most of us. At the very least this is something that I struggle with on a daily basis, I think you also shoulder this burden. It is a very human shortcoming. This overbearing weight slows us down immensely. As fast as Zenitsu is he also cannot escape this fate. This mental barrage is why he can only fight while asleep or passed out.

His ravenous need to get out from under this heavy cloud is what drives him to pinnacle of his craft.

In conclusion Zenitsu is an absolute unit that doesn’t believe he’s even worthy of the uniform because of his cowardice. However he will bring the storm when the chips are down. Zenitsu is one of the most human characters I have come across in a recent work.