Kotoha Hashibira (2023)

Kotoha Hashibira (嘴 (はし) 平 (びら) 琴 (こと) 葉 (は) Hashibira Kotoha^?) was the mother of Inosuke Hashibira.

Appearance

Kotoha was described to be a beautiful, young woman, similar in appearance to her son, though Doma stated that she had a softer appearance compared to Inosuke.^[1] She wore her long, black hair tied up at the end as a bun and had emerald green eyes.

Personality

Kotoha was a kind and loving woman, always showing appreciation to those around her. She treasured Inosuke dearly and would always sing lullabies to him when he was a baby, promising to always protect him no matter what. When meeting Doma, she found a fond liking in him due to him helping her escape the abuse she was facing from her family.

According to Doma, she was naive and not very smart. Doma describes her as a "beautiful" but innocent person.

History

Kotoha gave birth to Inosuke at the age of 17 or 18 and was in an abusive relationship with Inosuke's father, as well as with her mother-in-law who bullied her on a daily basis.^[2] One day, during one of his outbursts, she bit her husband's hand, grabbed Inosuke then ran away from the abusive household, fleeing barefoot through the snow. Since she didn't have parents or any siblings to go to, she was running ahead until she reached the Paradise Faith cult, taking shelter as one of the worshipers of Doma - a leader of the cult. Her husband and his mother chased her there but were soon killed by Doma, who found them to be too noisy, abandoning their corpses in the mountains.^[3]

She lived there happily with her son until she suspected that the worshipers were being eaten by Doma. After accusing him of lying to his followers, she ran from the temple with Inosuke in her arms and tried to go through the forest, but was trapped by a cliff. In her final moments, she apologized to Inosuke for failing to protect him and tosses him into the river as an attempt to save his life. She was ultimately killed and eaten by Doma, who claimed to have devoured her to the bone.^[4]

Relationships

Inosuke Hashibira

She loved her son immensely and raised him by herself, often singing songs and promising to protect him. In her final moments, she was apologetic to Inosuke for failing him as his mother and guardian.^[5]

Doma

At the beginning, Kotoha thought that Doma was nice and trustworthy, since he gave her and her baby a shelter when she was in need. However, this changed when she discovered his true identity as a demon, and how manipulative he was by eating his worshipers. Though she was killed and later eaten by him while she tried to escape with Inosuke, Doma stated that he never intended to eat her in the first place and was planning to have her by his side until her death, since he enjoyed her company.

Abilities

Kotoha was an ordinary human, without any special powers or abilities. Doma stated that she possessed a great talent in singing.

Trivia

• Kotoha's given name contains the Kun'yomi reading of the kanji for the "Japanese Harp" (琴 koto^?) and "leaf, plane" (葉 ha^?).

Quotes

• (To Inosuke Hashibira when he was a toddler) "I'm sorry Inosuke. I'm sorry your mother is so foolish. I always fail. I always go to someone bad. I'm sorry, I'm sorry... I'm your mother but...I must take good care of you..."^[6]
• (To Inosuke Hashibira when he was a toddler) "Your small hands are so cute, Inosuke. You're so warm, Inosuke. You're everything to me. I'm so happy I can be with you."^[7]

References

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