呼吸 Fighting techniques
Demon Slayer breathing styles: every breathing style explained
In short. In Demon Slayer, a breathing style is a sword fighting style based on a breathing technique that multiplies the strength and speed of the human body. They all descend from Sun Breathing, created by Yoriichi Tsugikuni nearly five centuries before Tanjiro’s story. From it he drew five basic breathing styles, Water, Flame, Wind, Stone and Thunder, which later gave birth to the breathing styles of the Hashira and the heroes. Fourteen breathing styles are known, from the Sun to Kokushibo’s Moon.
- Fourteen known breathing styles
- Five basic styles
- A single origin
一 The principle
What is a breathing style in Demon Slayer
Demon slayers have no supernatural powers. Their strength comes from a breathing technique, Total Concentration Breathing, which deeply oxygenates the blood and lets the human body exceed its limits for the length of a fight. A breathing style is the combination of this breathing and a style of swordsmanship.
Each breathing style is made up of numbered forms. When a demon slayer performs them, they visualise the element that inspires their style: Tanjiro sees waves when he wields Water, Rengoku sees flames. The anime shows these images on screen, which gives the impression of magic, when in fact it is the way the fighter pictures their own movement.
The best demon slayers end up maintaining this breathing at all times, day and night, even while asleep.
This is Total Concentration Constant, which every Hashira practises and which Tanjiro, Zenitsu and Inosuke learn during their recovery at the Butterfly Mansion.
二 Lineage
The breathing style tree
The history of the breathing styles goes back to the Sengoku era. Yoriichi Tsugikuni, the greatest swordsman the Demon Slayer Corps has ever known, creates Sun Breathing but finds no one able to master it. So he teaches versions adapted to each student’s strengths: this is the birth of the five basic breathing styles. Later generations derive others from them, often tailored to a single fighter.
-
Water
- Flower
- Insect (derived from Flower)
- Serpent
-
Flame
- Love
-
Wind
- Mist
- Beast
-
Stone
- no known offshoot
-
Thunder
- Sound
-
Moon
- drawn from the Sun by Kokushibo
| Breathing style | Derived from | Known forms | Main users |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | the first breathing style | 13 | Yoriichi Tsugikuni, the Kamado family, Tanjiro |
| Water | Sun | 11 | Sakonji Urokodaki, Giyu Tomioka, Sabito, Makomo, Tanjiro |
| Flame | Sun | 9 | Shinjuro and Kyojuro Rengoku |
| Wind | Sun | 9 | Sanemi Shinazugawa |
| Stone | Sun | 5 | Gyomei Himejima |
| Thunder | Sun | 7 | Jigoro Kuwajima, Kaigaku, Zenitsu Agatsuma |
| Flower | Water | 7 | Kanae Kocho, Kanao Tsuyuri |
| Insect | Flower | 4 | Shinobu Kocho |
| Serpent | Water | 5 | Obanai Iguro |
| Mist | Wind | 7 | Muichiro Tokito |
| Beast | Wind | 11 | Inosuke Hashibira |
| Love | Flame | 6 | Mitsuri Kanroji |
| Sound | Thunder | 5 | Tengen Uzui |
| Moon | Sun | 16 | Kokushibo |
Number of forms listed by the series wiki as of September 14, 2026. Not all of them appear on screen.
日 The source
Sun Breathing, the origin of every breathing style
Created by Yoriichi Tsugikuni, Sun Breathing has thirteen forms. It is with this style that Yoriichi cornered Muzan Kibutsuji, centuries before the start of the story, to the point that the first demon only survived by fleeing.
After Yoriichi, Sun Breathing disappears from the ranks of the Corps. Yet it survives in another form: a ritual dance, the Dance of the Fire God, which the Kamado family has passed down ever since Yoriichi showed it to their ancestor Sumiyoshi, along with the hanafuda earrings. Tanjiro learned it from his father Tanjuro, without knowing it was a fighting style.
The memory of this dance comes back to him on Mount Natagumo, in the middle of the fight against Rui. Much later he understands that the twelve forms of the dance link together in a loop to form the thirteenth. This whole evolution is traced on our page about Tanjiro Kamado.
三 The five pillars of the teaching
The five basic breathing styles
Passed down from generation to generation, they remain the foundation of the teaching in Kimetsu no Yaiba. Four of them gave birth to derived breathing styles; only Stone has no known offshoot.
Water Breathing
Supple and versatile, it is the style taught by Sakonji Urokodaki, a former Water Hashira, on Mount Sagiri. Tanjiro learns it first, guided by the spirits of Sabito and Makomo. Giyu Tomioka, the current Water Hashira, created an eleventh form that only he has mastered, Dead Calm: a defence that neutralises every attack entering its radius.
Flame Breathing
All about power, it has been passed down in the Rengoku family for generations. Kyojuro Rengoku explains it to Tanjiro himself: the Corps has always had a Flame Hashira and a Water Hashira. His Ninth Form, Rengoku, bears the very name of his family, which means purgatory.
Wind Breathing
Offensive and made of fast spins, it is the breathing style of Sanemi Shinazugawa, the Wind Hashira, whose attacks look like gusts of wind. It has nine forms.
Stone Breathing
It draws on the ground to strike hard and absorb blows. Gyomei Himejima, the Stone Hashira, practises it with a weapon unique in the Corps: an axe and a spiked flail, linked by a chain. Its five forms are all about impact.
Thunder Breathing
It concentrates strength in the legs to reach blinding speed. Zenitsu Agatsuma only ever managed to learn the First Form, Thunderclap and Flash, which he pushes to the extreme and splits into six or eight strikes. He eventually creates his own Seventh Form, Flaming Thunder God.
His master Jigoro Kuwajima was the Thunder Hashira; Kaigaku, his other disciple, on the contrary mastered every form except the first.
四 Personal styles
The derived breathing styles
Starting from the five basic styles, the demon slayers of Kimetsu no Yaiba invented more personal styles, designed for a body, a weapon or a temperament. Most have only one or two known users.
Flower Breathing
It was the breathing style of Kanae Kocho, a former Flower Hashira, who passed it on to Kanao Tsuyuri. It is one of the few derived breathing styles to have spanned several generations of demon slayers.
Insect Breathing
Too slight to cut through a demon’s neck, Shinobu Kocho invented a style of her own: very fast thrusts, delivered with a thin blade, that inject a wisteria-based poison. A breathing style designed to kill without beheading.
Serpent Breathing
Obanai Iguro developed it from Water. His sinuous attacks slip around the opponent’s guard, delivered with a wavy blade, while the white snake Kaburamaru stays coiled around his shoulders.
Mist Breathing
It relies on elusive movements that blur the opponent’s perception. Muichiro Tokito, who became a Hashira only two months after picking up the sword, created its Seventh Form, Obscuring Clouds.
Beast Breathing
Inosuke Hashibira, raised by boars, invented it alone, without a master. His techniques are called fangs, from the First Fang, Pierce, to the Tenth, and he performs them with two blades he chipped himself. His very sensitive skin lets him perceive the slightest movement in the air.
Love Breathing
Mitsuri Kanroji drew it from Flame Breathing, learned from Kyojuro Rengoku. Her extraordinary musculature and flexibility let her wield a blade as thin and flexible as a whip.
Sound Breathing
It is the style of Tengen Uzui, a former shinobi. He fights with two blades linked by a chain and explosive beads, and reads the rhythm of enemy attacks like a musical score to find the opening.
月 The demon’s path
Moon Breathing, Kokushibo’s path
Born from a demon slayer turned demon, it is one of the most formidable breathing styles in Demon Slayer. Kokushibo, Upper Moon One, was once Michikatsu Tsugikuni, Yoriichi’s twin brother. Unable to match Sun Breathing, he drew his own version from it.
As a demon, he strikes with a sword made of his own flesh, bristling with eyes, and each of his blows comes with a swarm of small crescent-moon blades. Sixteen forms are known, more than any other breathing style. Kokushibo and the other Moons are presented on our page about Muzan and the demon Moons.
五 Two styles in one
Combining breathing styles: the example of Tanjiro
No breathing style is set in stone. Tanjiro, whose body adapts poorly to Water and tires quickly with the Dance of the Fire God, learns to blend the two.
Water alone
Supple but too light
His master’s style, which his body cannot carry at full power.
The dance alone
Powerful but exhausting
His father’s legacy, which drains his strength within a few forms at first.
During the fight against Gyutaro, in the Entertainment District arc, this blend lets him strike harder than with Water alone and last longer than with the dance alone. He comes back to it in the Infinity Castle to overcome dozens of demons.
This flexibility also explains why so many styles were born: most derived breathing styles come from a fighter who did not find what they needed in the teaching they received. The key stages of these fights are summarised on our page covering every arc of Demon Slayer.
The strength of a breathing style depends above all on the one who wields it.
六 The verdict
What is the most powerful breathing style
On paper, Sun Breathing dominates: it is the origin of all the others, and it is with this style that Yoriichi almost killed Muzan. Moon Breathing follows closely, carried by a demon who has been training for centuries.
In practice, Gyomei Himejima is recognised as the strongest Hashira of his era with Stone, a basic breathing style with no spectacular effect. The portraits and the ranking of the nine swordsmen can be found in our complete guide to the Hashira.
読 On the blog
Blog articles about the breathing styles
Every Breathing Style in Demon Slayer has its own article, from Water to Moon: its forms, those who master it and the style it descends from. The legacy of Sun Breathing, the marks and the masters of the great styles have theirs too.
The Dance of the Fire God, Hinokami Kagura explainedRead the article
Who is Yoriichi Tsugikuni, the first demon slayer?Read the article
How does the Hashira mark awaken, and at what cost?Read the article
Tanjiro’s mark, origin and evolutionRead the article
Sakonji Urokodaki, the former Water Hashira and Tanjiro’s masterRead the article
Who is Jigoro Kuwajima, Zenitsu’s master?Read the article
Giyu Tomioka, the Water HashiraRead the article
Kyojuro Rengoku, the Flame HashiraRead the article
The Hashira Training, stage by stageRead the article
Who is Genya Shinazugawa, the demon slayer without a breathing style?Read the article
Water Breathing: the eleven forms and those who master themRead the article
Flame Breathing: the Rengoku family’s formsRead the article
Wind Breathing: Sanemi’s nine formsRead the article
Stone Breathing: Gyomei’s five formsRead the article
Thunder Breathing: the forms of Zenitsu and KaigakuRead the article
Flower Breathing: from Kanae to KanaoRead the article
Insect Breathing: Shinobu’s poisoned dancesRead the article
Mist Breathing: Muichiro’s seven formsRead the article
Love Breathing: Mitsuri’s formsRead the article
Serpent Breathing: Obanai’s five formsRead the article
Sound Breathing: Tengen’s forms and musical scoreRead the article
Beast Breathing: Inosuke’s fangsRead the article
Moon Breathing: Kokushibo’s sixteen formsRead the article
Total Concentration Breathing, the foundation of all breathing stylesRead the article
The breathing tree: which comes from whichRead the article
Which is the most powerful breathing style?Read the article
七 In the shop
Breathing styles in the shop
The breathing styles of Demon Slayer appear on many products, starting with Tanjiro’s Water, with the Water Breathing pattern cap. The Dance of the Fire God has its figure of Tanjiro mid-dance, and the Ninth Form of Flame its figure of Rengoku with the fire dragon.
Tanjiro Water Breathing throwView the product
Tanjiro Water Breathing rugView the product
Fire dance figureView the product
Rengoku dragon figureView the product
Zenitsu lightning figureView the product
Muichiro 25 cm figureView the product
Mitsuri LED steam katanaView the product
Shinobu LED steam katanaView the product
The swords of each breathing style are gathered in the katana section of the universe, and their masters’ outfits among the cosplays of the nine Hashira. To find out what the colour of each blade means, see our page on Nichirin sword colours, and for everything else, every Demon Slayer collection.
問 Your questions
Frequently asked questions
How many breathing styles are there in Demon Slayer?
Fourteen breathing styles are known: the Sun, its five basic breathing styles (Water, Flame, Wind, Stone, Thunder), seven derived breathing styles (Flower, Insect, Serpent, Mist, Beast, Love, Sound) and Kokushibo’s Moon. The series makes clear that new styles are born with each fighter.
Which breathing style does Tanjiro use?
He starts with Water Breathing, taught by Sakonji Urokodaki, then moves on to the Dance of the Fire God inherited from his father, which is none other than Sun Breathing. He often combines the two.
Why does Zenitsu master only one form?
Despite years of training with Jigoro Kuwajima, he never managed to learn the others. He chose to perfect the first to the extreme, then invent a seventh form that is his alone.
Who created the first breathing style?
Yoriichi Tsugikuni, a demon slayer of the Sengoku era. Lacking a student able to learn the Sun, he taught adapted versions of it, which became the five basic breathing styles.
Can a demon use a breathing style?
Yes, if they mastered one before their transformation. Kokushibo wields Moon Breathing, and Kaigaku, a former disciple of Jigoro Kuwajima, keeps Thunder Breathing after becoming a demon.
Do the breathing styles appear in the video games?
Yes, they are at the heart of the fights in the Hinokami Chronicles, where each playable character uses the forms of their breathing style. All the games are presented on our page about Demon Slayer video games.
道 The road ahead
To explore more of the Demon Slayer universe
