Why I kin Nezuko

(Disclaimer: when I say kinning I mean heavily relating to the character, I don't actually think I am physically and mentally Nezuko Kamado)

I remember watching Demon Slayer probably a few months after the first season of the anime finished. It was definitely an anime that left me in awe between the story and the insane animation, I thought Nezuko was a very cute character and probably just my favorite at that point but my attachment to her grew overtime. I think it just dawned on me the more I got into Demon Slayer and learning about her in the manga (without spoiling myself too much) that I was like "she's kinda like me for real", I don't think I ever properly written and thought out why I kin this character so it feels kind of hard to explain haha.

I'd say I just saw a lot of things in common between me and her, from how she is an older sibling and her empathy to want to protect her siblings and everybody she cares about. I relate to that a lot because I am a very empathetic person whether I like it or not and have the tendency to be overprotective of my own brother and also my friends and family. I think there is also some metaphor between me and her in her demon form, how she can shrink into a child and also typically has a child-like blank personality as a demon. I felt it feels like my inner child and how even though I tend to have a very tough persona and put my emotions behind thick walls, internally is my inner child who is very curious and blank just like Nezuko is. So I felt that connection very deeply. I can connect her shifting through forms like her child like, fun, and emotional, form to her big demon form that is angry and uncontrollable like me shifting through my own emotions and how I perceive myself in similar "forms".

I even see her bamboo muzzle as a metaphor mostly for how I grew up very shy for most of my life and didn't talk that much, I feel like it is also a metaphor again of me walling off my true emotions to most people, almost like biting a lip on what I truly want to say. I will probably add more here when I think of it but I hope that what I said is somewhat understandable haha. She just makes me really happy and when I got to cosplay her in 2023 for the first time at a convention, despite the itchy long wig and the hot June weather, I felt so euphoric and had so much fun getting so many pictures with people while cosplaying a character I love and relate to.