Obanai Backstory - Blog Posts

Been busy with stuff lately, but what do you think of Hashira centric arc ideas?

1. Obanai

Set during the Entertainment District arc, a few days before the fight against Uppermoons 6.

Two Hashiras -- Obanai and Mitsuri -- are sent to investigate a village rumoured to have a demon hiding in it. The villagers have that sacrificial ritual that hasn't been done for a few decades and suddenly resumed back out of nowhere.

Obanai finds a familiar face of his remaining cousin during his stay there, and to his horror, discovers that she was the cause of this.

A demon had captured her children and made a bargain for her to sacrifice other people in their stead. She manipulated the villagers in doing the rituals again until the demon is satisfied and will return her children. Obanai has to settle the dispute with the villagers who think he's trying to bother the ritual and endangers their lives while Mitsuri goes to save the hostages the demon has a hold onto.

A stand off between Mitsuri and the demon. She manages to defeat it, but not without some costs when the people she was trying to protect didn't listen to her warning to stay put. About three people died, and one of them was the cousin's child.

" Why do you have to go and ruin everything again?! " The cousin screams at Obanai as she clutches her dead child's body. " You've always been the one to cause disaster! All you had to do was stay put! LOOK AT WHAT YOU DID!!! "

Obanai can only stare and stare and says nothing, even if inside he knows that he should defend himself at least, to do something to make up for when she blamed him in the past. But his mouth remains sealed.

Later, when the villagers chase away the Hashiras due to still in confusion belief, Obanai and Mitsuri get to talk a bit.

He doesn't reveal much, just something along the lines that the woman was his cousin, and he wasn't even considered human in his family's eyes. That his cousin blames him for everything, for getting everyone killed, for not just to stay in his role.

" I am tainted with dirty blood, " he says in a soft breath, " this I will carry until I die and reborn. "

Mitsuri wants to tell him that his family doesn't define what he is, that he's not them, and that he's not dirty. In her eyes, he's such a strong and amazing person fighting for the innocence.

But as she keeps her gaze on him, and he doesn't even look at her since the moment they left the village, she realizes that it's not easy. Those comforting words would fall into deaf ears.

Perhaps her words would be listened, but not accepted.

So she takes his hand gently, noting the flinch as his response but no withdrawing.

" You're not alone, Iguro-san. I'll always support you. "

And at that moment, Obanai knows that he really doesn't deserve Mitsuri at all.

(he wants to love her, to show how much she means to him but she deserves so much better than what he is. She wants to love him, wants to give her heart but how can she, if he refuses it?)

How much do you want to bet that Ufotable is going to air Obanai's backstory either on Children's Day or Women's Day.

A scenario I imagined from the concept idea where Zenitsu & Obanai are related.

"...You're a lucky one. "

Zenitsu went still, stopping just right behind the Hashira. The older man had stopped as well, but he didn't turn around to face the younger one.

His Adam's apple bobbed in his throat. He felt as if the muscles in his lungs tightened enough to lessen the oxygen from flowing in, with how hard he found it to breathe properly now. Lucky? Lucky?

" How? " Zenitsu managed to choke out after an uncomfortable moment of silence. " I told you of my early life, how I roamed around the street like some sort of dirty rat and you told me I was the lucky one? "

The blond boy felt dread swirling inside him -- he was offended, yes, but there was something off with the way Obanai worded his sentence just now that made him consider having a second thought. Lucky. Zenitsu was the lucky one. Lucky for being taken away from his -- their family. Lucky for not being able to be with his blood relatives.

There was no mocking in the Hashira's tone, nor any sound vibrating from him that indicated any sense of superiority nor arrogance.

On the contrary, it was absolutely baffling for Zenitsu to hear that those words were spoken with an echo of relief.

Obanai shuffled in his spot, turning around just a bit enough for the two to lock eyes. If there was any resemblance between them for being relatives, perhaps it would be the shade of their golden eyes, albeit with the Hashira having heterochromia.

He always looked so stern and scary, for Zenitsu, that is. Eyebrows furrowing, glaring and arms crossing over his chest. No sense of friendliness, especially with the white snake curling around his shoulders.

But then Zenitsu looked at the bandage wrapped around Obanai's lower face, never being taken off. Not a fashion taste, not when he kept bringing his sleeve up to cover his mouth area. In a way, Zenitsu found a distant familiarity whenever he saw Obanai tilt his head down, eyes glancing away.

He watched him slowly bring his sleeve up like he often did, always stopping right when it covered his lower face. Bits of his fingers peeked out, brushing lightly against the wrapped fabric. Zenitsu was again thrown off by another sound coming from the Hashira -- as sound that he found himself could relate to.

Self loathing.

The dread sense doubled inside him when another thought came to him. A thought of his blood relatives. People who Obanai was with. People who he didn't know, where they are and what had happened for the Hashira to avoid talking about them.

" Did -- " Zenitsu felt his blood run cold. " -- Did they do that to you? What happened? "

And as always, from the beginning of the discovery of their blood connection, Obanai turned away from Zenitsu.

" Some things are better left unknown. "

Found some manga attempt drawing with this character (can be regarded as OC or reader)

Another KNY drabble with Obanai but it just came across my mind that some people might think Obanai hates all women and is misogynist -- SHUT UPPP IT'S CALLED TRAUMA FOR A REASON.

I think the correct way to describe how Obanai acts around women would be more 'uncomfortable'. He doesn't dislike them because he thinks men are superior and women are less than men yada yada -- he dislikes women because he was raised in an all women family and treated like a sacrifice for a snake demon.

Hello?? Is that not traumatizing then idk what is. He was a baby even then and grew up in a cage with no contact of outside world! Obviously this caused him to be uncomfortable around women and tends to be awkward.

You know, actually, i really REALLY like that Obanai was saved by Shinjuro and this led him possibly to know Kyoujuro since they were young. Something about a boy that was so used to hypocrite people and then met someone that radiates genuine honesty so much it's baffling. I think that's why Obanai likes Kyoujuro, because everything about him is real and truthful.

The same applies with his attraction to Mitsuri, who has an easily readable expression so lying is not her best forte. Also with Sanemi, due to his unfiltered words.

(oh god Obanai saying Giyuu's face looks like a rat and that's why he doesn't like him is probably because it's hard to know what Giyuu is thinking, so automatically Obanai hates him)

Ah I just thought of Shinobu with her emotions masking! Obanai probably hates her at first, feeling SUPER wary of her cause she's all smiles and sweet and he just has instant flashback AKDNSKSN.

Oh my god. Enemies to besties with Obanai and Shinobu. Besties that talk about swords cause their sword structures are unique. Obanai allowing Shinobu to extract Kaburamaru's poison for test. Shinobu giving special permission for Obanai bringing in Kaburamaru into the butterfly estate cause she knows he keeps his snake friend clean and healthy.

Shinobu, without realising it, helps Obanai to interact with girls more after spending time with each other. Obanai, offering support and encouragement for Shinobu when she feels insecure of her lack of physical strength.

(I'd say enemies to besties cause Obanai hates people that masked their intentions with sweet words and would word something like 'I hate fake women like you: and Shinobu misunderstood his hostility as a superior feeling against women then the aggressive tension between them is WILD until maybe they had a talk about their pasts)

Obanai appreciates honest people y'all, in a nutshell.

Sanemi meeting Obanai's cousin

I hope Obanai's cousin lives with guilt, knowing what she did.