All 14 Demon Slayer Breathing Styles Explained

Please be aware that this article contains spoilers from the Demon Slayer manga! The popular manga and anime series, Demon Slayer, features a fascinating power system. Demons are incredibly strong, can quickly heal from injuries, and each has a unique ability called Blood Demon Art. Demon Slayers, on the other hand, use a technique called Total Concentration Breathing. This involves deeply expanding their lungs to increase blood flow and heart rate, temporarily boosting their physical strength, speed, and stamina to superhuman levels, allowing them to fight demons effectively. They also combine this breathing technique with specialized fighting styles.

Breathing Styles are a core part of swordsmanship in the series, with each Demon Slayer mastering a unique approach to fighting. It all began with Yoriichi Tsugikuni, a legendary Demon Slayer from the Sengoku period, who created the very first style. Over time, other members of the Corps developed five basic styles – Water, Thunder, Flame, Stone, and Wind. These techniques have been passed down and adapted for centuries, with many Slayers creating their own styles to suit their individual skills. So far, the series has shown us 14 different styles, including the original and the five fundamentals. However, it’s impossible to say which style is the strongest, as a Slayer’s power comes from their own skill, not the technique itself.

14) Beast Breathing

Inosuke Hashibira is different from most Demon Slayers because he was raised in the mountains and didn’t learn traditional techniques. He developed his own unique fighting style, called Beast Breathing, which is loosely based on Wind Breathing. This style copies the instincts and power of wild animals and includes 11 different forms. These forms are simple and direct, suiting Inosuke’s impulsive, head-first approach to battle. He fights with two uniquely shaped katanas that complement his Beast Breathing style.

13) Mist Breathing

Mist Breathing is a sword fighting style used by Muichiro Tokito, and it originally came from an older style called Wind Breathing. The creator of Wind Breathing is unknown. Mist Breathing is designed to be like mist – elusive and hard to see – and Muichiro uses quick, confusing movements to achieve this. It has seven different techniques, most of which focus on stealth and misdirection. He even wears loose clothing to hide his movements and make it harder for opponents to predict what he’ll do.

12) Sound Breathing

Tengen Uzui developed Sound Breathing, a unique style based on Thunder Breathing, that uses powerful, disorienting movements similar to loud noises. Tengen relies on his incredibly sharp hearing – which he refers to as his Musical Score – and combines it with his skill in wielding two swords. While the style has five different forms, only three were shown during his battle against Gyutaro, an Upper Moon demon, in the Entertainment District. Most other Breathing Styles used by Demon Corps members were fully revealed during the final battle in the Infinity Castle, a battle Tengen didn’t participate in.

11) Love Breathing

Love Breathing is a fighting style created by Mitsuri Kanroji, building upon the Flame Breathing techniques she learned from Kyojuro Rengoku. It’s unique because she combines her feelings with incredibly flexible movements. She uses a special katana that’s more like a whip, further enhancing her already superhuman agility and dexterity. The style consists of six different forms, though only five have been shown so far.

10) Serpent Breathing

Obanai Iguro developed a special sword fighting style based on Water Breathing, imitating the fluid, twisting movements of snakes. His style only has five forms, but allows for incredible flexibility, letting him bend his sword and strike in confined spaces where others can’t. He uses a uniquely curved blade that perfectly complements his technique. Interestingly, the series showed that Obanai can even make wooden swords move as if they were his curved blade, demonstrating his mastery of the style’s core principles.

9) Insect Breathing

Shinobu Kocho’s Insect Breathing style developed from her sister Kanae’s Flower Breathing. It consists of just five forms, all based on the actions and stings of insects. Because Shinobu lacks the physical strength to cut off a demon’s head, she relies on her incredible speed and precise strikes with her sword, mimicking the way an insect stings. Her sword is uniquely sharpened only at the tip and coated with a potent poison that can kill most demons, though defeating a particularly strong demon, like Doma, is a much greater challenge.

8) Flower Breathing

Flower Breathing is a fighting style based on Water Breathing, and it’s been used for generations. Kanae Kocho mastered it, becoming a powerful Hashira, and later taught it to her adopted sister, Kanao Tsuyuri, whose skills we’ll see more of in the upcoming battles at Infinity Castle. The style has six different forms, though so far only four have been revealed. These forms are inspired by flowers and rely on the Demon Slayers’ sharp vision to deliver effective attacks.

7) Moon Breathing

Kokushibo, originally named Michikatsu Tsugukuni, was Yoriichi’s twin brother. Unlike his brother, Kokushibo developed the Moon Breathing Style, a reflection of their contrasting natures. While the Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle film briefly showed Kokushibo’s immense power, the full story will reveal why he holds the rank of Upper Rank One. Moon Breathing boasts 16 different forms – more than any other style – and emphasizes fast, strong attacks combined with solid defense.

6) Wind Breathing

Wind Breathing is a fighting style that copies the strength of strong winds and whirlwinds. When used by a skilled fighter like Sanemi Shinazugawa, it can defeat enemies incredibly quickly. The style has nine different techniques, most of which are focused on attacking, fitting Sanemi’s aggressive personality. It uses fast strikes and swirling attacks to cover a large area, allowing the user to take down several opponents simultaneously.

5) Water Breathing

Water Breathing has ten traditional forms, but Giyu Tomioka developed an eleventh form that can deflect a demon’s attacks. This technique mimics the natural movement of water, making the user fluid and adaptable. It’s generally considered the simplest style to learn, which explains its popularity among Demon Slayers. Still, only skilled users like Giyu and Tanjiro can master it to the point where Water Breathing becomes a powerful offensive technique.

4) Flame Breathing

Flame Breathing, developed by an ancestor of Kyojuro Rengoku, is similar to Sun Breathing, leading to a long-standing rule against misnaming the techniques. The style has nine forms, all centered around single, powerful attacks with fiery energy. These forms begin with high stances and quick movements, creating the illusion of a flaming blade and attacks that feel intensely burning.

3) Thunder Breathing

This Breathing Style typically includes six forms, but Zenitsu Agatsuma developed a seventh to match Kaigaku’s skill. Zenitsu only mastered the first form, while Kaigaku could perform all of them expertly except for that initial one. The style is designed to replicate the speed and force of lightning with incredibly quick, strong attacks. It heavily relies on powerful legs to achieve amazing speed, and each movement creates a loud, thunderous sound and vibration.

2) Stone Breathing

Stone Breathing, a technique used by the most powerful Hashira, has just five forms. These attacks are incredibly strong and reliable, using the surrounding environment and ground to be both offensive and defensive. While it seems best suited for weapons like a chained flail and an axe, Gyomei Himejima has only hinted at the full extent of his power so far. The upcoming second part of the Infinity Castle arc in Demon Slayer will finally reveal why he’s considered the strongest member of the Corps.

1) Sun Breathing

Over the centuries, many different sword-fighting styles developed because the original Sun Breathing technique is incredibly challenging. Even highly skilled swordsmen struggle with its thirteen forms, which require immense strength, speed, and precision – qualities only Yoriichi possessed at the time. What Yoriichi didn’t realize was that someone from Tanjiro’s family was watching and learning his techniques, ensuring they would be passed down through generations and his legacy would endure.

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2025-11-03 02:11