"Being afraid is not a bad thing.
It's my fear that brought me this far"

- Eisen the Warrior

oh my god
the idea of having zenitsu closing his eyes to block out the fear and relying on his hearing makes too much sense
that should've absolutely been what the writer went with instead of needing him to be passed out

I think another interesting thing about Stark is that other characters in the story ADORE him. Every town they stop in, he's just speed running side-quests and winning over the hearts of all the locals without even trying. He's got these ginormous shoes to fill, taking Eizen's place in Frieren's party, but in many ways I think hes taken on Himmel's as well, at least when it comes to being the party face. I think its another, really neat way to explore a character with very little self-confidence, who just happens to charm everyone he meets, not by being conniving or deceitful, but just by genuinely being a sweetheart.

The fact that Zenitsu has his "Lock In" moment when he falls asleep, only to wake up without remembering it basically means that he learned nothing from it.

Even without better character writing, Zenitsu would be significantly more bearable if he didn't spend so much time screaming in our faces

And that's why I've lost my mind when my friend said that meh "Stark is just copy of Zenitsu and Frieren as anime is one of those appealing to male fantasies" HOW CULTURALLY ILLITERATE CAN YOU BE?!

Stark's intro is SUCH a good representation of fear.  Not exactly cowardice, but REAL fear.  The dragon is POWERFUL, and TERRIFYING.  And no matter how powerful Stark becomes, he can't SEE himself overcoming that power and fear.  Even when he's finally convinced to face it, it's only because he's tricked, told he has to hold it off for a bit so Frieren can prep a spell.

There was no spell.  Frieren knew Stark could kill it, even if Stark didn't.  She knew Stark would go all-out, because of his fear, thinking he had to just to survive.  And the dragon wouldn't survive that.  It's not until the dragon is already dead, at Stark's hand, that Stark REALIZES he did it.  And he was TRICKED into it.

I pray for the vocal chords of every single person who ever voices Zenitsu

Bravery can not exist without fear. 'Bravery' without fear is recklessness.

"Can a man be brave if he is afraid?" Bran asked Ned Stark.

Ned replied "That's the only time a man can be brave"

I would also point out that Frieren also doesn't treat overcoming fear as an on/off switch. Stark still showing fear, as well as flashback with Eizen shaking, points out they will always be cowards, but they do not succumb or indulge in fear. Further reinforces that form of Heroism where triumph and action despite fear is bravery, rather than bravery through absence of fear.

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.”

- Franklin Delano Roosevelt

i really love your idea of zenitsu progressing to a point where he just closes his eyes to avoid facing his, but remains awake. it retains his character while still allowing for growth, and it would do a lot to make him less annoying

The "drawback" point is SO IMPORTANT, I remember thinking when seeing Zenitsu being a badass while unconscious "If literally everything about you is better when you're not conscious with no drawbacks, why would I ever want you conscious again?"

Another key part of Stark's fear is how it echoes Eisen's. Literally both having fear tremors before battle. Which goes to show that fear isn't something you get rid of. Overcome your fear and then you never get scared again. You are literally fighting against your instinct for preservation.

There is also a contrast between Zenitsu and Inosuke with regard to motivation. So many of the demon slayers,  including most of the Hashira, are there for revenge, they are demon slayers to cope with the reality of what demons have personally done to them. Tanjiro too. Not Zenitsu and Inosuke. But Inosuke has reason to stay because he wants to fight, he has no fear. But Zenitsu is terrified of everything, of demons, of medicine, of training, of the Hashira. He is only there because 'Gramps' paid off his debt.

I would argue that Stark is not a coward at all. Sure he gets scared but that's a totality  normal response to danger. What matters is what you choose to do with/inspite of that fear and Stark as repeated proven himself to be quite brave even though he thinks he's not. 0:20

In before Zenitsu apologists say not only he isn’t a coward but also  he is normal and not weird around women

Even worse, zenitsu protecting the box is partially just set up for his other annoying trope where he chases Nezuko around.

The problem with zenitsu is that his fighting capability when unconscious never being addressed or properly talk about by the in universe characters.

It's make zenitsu uniqueness feels like a deus ex machina.

Broooo to this day I wish they gave us some sort of mini chapter where it shows Zenitsu trying to hunt demons without “being unconscious” after finding out Kaigaku became a demon, which would’ve shown us his growth being with tanjiro and as a slayer. But unfortunately that never happened.