The Demon Slayer Corps and The Hashira bring unique styles to protecting humanity, but which breathing form is the most effective of the lot?
If you're a fan of the anime series Demon Slayer, then you already know just how important breathing techniques can be. But did you know that there are 13 breathing forms in the universe of Demon Slayer, each with its unique properties and abilities? As a dedicated fan of Demon Slayer, you surely understand the value of mastering each of these 13 breathing forms. Not only do these forms allow the characters to defeat powerful demons, but they also serve as a testament to the sheer creativity and ingenuity of their creators. And let's not forget the stunning visuals of each breathing form in action - truly a sight to behold.
The Anime Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba showcased a few breathing techniques that demon slayers use to protect humanity, but they only scratched the surface of their abilities. Each breathing pattern has multiple variations, but the techniques as a whole differ in capabilities and lethality.
The Nine Hashirama are the highest-ranking assassins in the Legion, and each member possesses unique breathing techniques. Each breathing style also contains forms that the demon slayer developed or learned himself, making them stronger and more diverse.
13: Flower Breathing
As the name suggests, Flower Breathing is a breathing style that creates attacks, movements, and techniques based on flowers and fruits. It is one of the two methods derived from water breathing, along with snake breathing.
In this series, there are two known users of Flower Breathing, Kanae Kocho, and Kanao Tsuyuri. While it creates agile moves and attacks that can deal significant damage to enemies, it does have some drawbacks. The user is given the ability to see the world in slow motion while using the breathing technique, at the cost of long-term damage to their eyes. Since it can be harmful to the user, there are other better breathing techniques to master.
12: Love Breathing
There's a lot of loveable Hashira in Demon Slayer, but it's hard not to be in love with Hashira Mitsuri Kanroji. As the Pillar of Love, she had developed a breathing technique called Love Breathing, which was derived from Flame Breathing.
Through Love Breathing, Mitsuri can obtain superhuman strength without having to alter her muscle mass and maintain her shapely figure. Because of this, Mitsuri can deliver quick, impactful blows that can damage opponents and greatly surprise them, since her body is no match for the power she delivers. Unfortunately, only Mitsuri can use Love Breathing so far in the series, as it is specifically suited to her body configuration.
11: Serpent Breathing
Another breathing technique that can only be used by one member of the Demon Slayer Corps is snake breathing. One of the most powerful clans, Obanai Iguro, perfected and refined water breathing to create the snake breathing system. The breathing technique mimics snakes, allowing the user to access attacks and techniques that are similar to how snakes slide around.
Partnered with a twisting blade, Serpent Breathing can easily slice through enemies in a zigzag pattern. The breathing technique also allows Obani to quickly circle their opponent, decapitating them. Because of the agility and complex movement associated with snake breathing, it is a breathing technique that every lowly demon should fear.
10: Sound Breathing
Anime viewers haven't been able to witness Tengen Uzui's healthy breathing yet, but as one of Hashira's, it goes without saying that his technique must be powerful to earn him a place among the elite demon slayers. Tengen, as an individual, brings more power to his breathing technique due to his sound analysis of his enemies' movements.
Proper Breath is derived from Thunder Breath and is intended to confuse the enemy by making the user's movements louder. She has five techniques, but only three are revealed in Demon Slayer, those are First Form: Bombardment, Fourth Form: Static Thunderous Slashes, and Fifth Form: Chain Performance. All of them are useful and exclusive to Tengen and Nichiren's massive explosive Katanas. Until he fought an upper-rank Six-Six Tengen [demon], no one had survived a fight against Proper Breathing Technique.
9: Wind Breathing
Sanemi Shinazugawa is the current Wind Hashira who specializes in another direct derivative of Solar Breath. Beast Breathing comes from wind breathing, making this the core technique of what Insuke Hashibira eventually develops with a subtle sense of touch.
There are nine variations ranging from the simplest dash and slash to one of the most powerful moves, Gale - Sudden Gusts. Wind breath mimics tornadoes and other whirlwinds most often than not offensive techniques.
8: Insect Breathing
Derived from the breath of water and flowers, Shinobu Kocho uses insect breath. Shinobu created this technique to mimic the deadly stings and motions of insects. Her sword is known to be slender with a needle tip to replicate the stinging function of injecting wisteria poison into demons.
There are four techniques called butterfly dance, bee sting dance, dragonfly dance, and centipede dance. Shinobu matches the moves of a butterfly, dragonfly, and centipede, as well as the sting and speed of a bee, to decapitate her demon opponents.
7: Beast Breathing
Inosuke Hashibira, an irregular character voiced by Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, created Beast Breathing from Wind Breathing and is the only character to use it. This technique replicates how wild animals move in nature, and is meant to be primitive and unpredictable. It has 10 "fangs", also known as figures, which help Inosuke depict various styles of slanted, claw-like lines.
Inosuke created the Beast Breathing technique while living in isolation with the pigs in the mountains. He looks like an anomalous character who used this technique of savagery when fighting demons, but he also had to maintain an incredible sense of touch to be attuned to animal senses. This is evident in his fight against Enmu in Demon Slayer.
6: Mist Breathing
Moichiro Tokito is the youngest Hashira and a descendant of the First Order demon Kokoshibo. He attained the rank of Hashira after only two months of training.
Mist Breathing replicates how it blocks fog and allows quick strikes after creating a cloud of confusion. There are six forms of Mist Breathing, in addition to the seventh form developed by Muichiro. Haze breathing is a sub-style of wind breathing. The seventh form, Blocking Clouds, is the most powerful use of mist breath as it confuses, defends with a shroud of mist, and delivers blows in the blink of an eye.
5: Thunder Breathing
Another one of the main breathing patterns that descended directly from solar breathing, thunder breathing mimics the speed of lightning. Zenitsu Agatsuma, voiced by Hiro Shimono, describes it as a force that runs through the muscles and blood vessels in the legs.
While Thunder Breathing consists of seven forms in total, fans have only seen how Zenitsu manages to make it his own by perfecting the first form: Thunderclap and Flash. He has developed three different forms, Six Fold, Eight Fold, and God Speed, and the seventh form only seen in the manga is called Honoikazuchi no Kami which allows him to lunge forward with a single strike in the form of a yellow, dragon-shaped lightning bolt.
4: Water Breathing
Not only is water breathing directly derived from solar breathing, but it has three types of its own—flower, insect, and snake breath—all forms used by Jyo's colleague Tomioka Hashira. It is one of the most popular breathing techniques, cultivated by Sakonji Urukodaki and used by Tomioka, Murata, Sabito, Makomo, Tanjiro, and Aoi Kanzaki.
Water Breath contains 10 techniques plus the 11th form, Dead Calm, which is developed and used exclusively by Tomioka. Like other breathing techniques, water breathing has been proven to be one of the most powerful techniques based on how users develop it. Fans have been lucky enough to witness every form used in the anime already as Tanjirou heads towards his family's Sun Breathing Style.
3: Flame Breathing
One of Hashira's most popular characters and fan favorite Demon Slayer, Kyojuro Rengoku, was the primary user of Flame Breathing. Fans got to see just how skilled he is in the latest Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: Mugen Train.
Flame Breathing contains nine techniques, and the ninth is a specialty of the Rengoku Family of Demon Slayers. Flame Breathing uses the movement of flames and the user's abilities to deliver intense, scorching blows. The key to flame breathing is to visualize the manipulation of the flame. Flame Breathing allowed the formation of Breath of Love, which another Hashira, Mitsuri Kanroji, developed to better use her unique muscles.
2: Stone Breathing
A form only seen in the manga so far, Stone Breathing is one of the five original styles derived from Sun Breathing. It has five known forms, perfected by Hashira Gyomei Himejima's stone, though they were not developed by him. Gyomei is often referred to by fellow Hashira Tanjiro and Inosuke as the strongest Hashira. Being blind from birth allowed him to develop a connection with the earth and master stone breathing in just a couple of months.
Stone Breathing contains five techniques that mimic Earth and Stone by using the Earth below the user to launch stronger attacks. The form itself wouldn't be as powerful without a user like Gyomei, but it's one of the most unique forms, which makes it even more difficult to master and an unpredictable technique.
1: Breath of the Sun
Voiced by Natsuki Hanai, the main protagonist Tanjiro Kamado will soon harness what is known as Hinokami Kagura, or Sun Breathing. It is the oldest and most powerful breathing technique that was used to develop the flame, water, moon, thunder, stone, and wind techniques used by demon slayers to this day. It mimics the sun's intensity and versatility, lowering the demon's ability to regenerate.
This form of breathing remains a well-kept secret of the Kamado family. It has 13 techniques, and unlike the other styles, it is not listed as 'First Form', etc., it is simply named for its movement like, 'Sun Dragon Aura Head Dance'. Tanjirou hasn't mastered it yet, but he started using it with water breath as a basis, and when he directed it, he said it increased his abilities even more than water breath ever.