10 Times Demon Slayer's Heroes Proved They Are Anything But Human
Warning: The following contains spoilers for the manga Demon Slayer.Demon Slayer has been dominating the airwaves for years now as one of shonen's most popular series, delivering the story of siblings, Tanjiro and Nezuko. The latter has been turned into a demon, but she's yet to cross that line of killing and eating humans. While there's still hope for Nezuko, Tanjiro joins the Demon Slayer Corps, who plan to stop Muzan, the demonic leader, and his forces at any cost. While the members of the Demon Slayer Corps are all humans, they can come off as superhuman at times with the feats they achieve.
What's expected of the Demon Slayer Corps, especially the Hashira, is expert swordsmanship and their unique breathing styles. While the stunning visuals associated with Demon Slayer's breathing styles are not real, the impact their swordsmanship has is still impressive, and that is not the only near-superhuman ability some members of the Demon Slayer Corps have. In fact, some members, like Tanjiro, Mitsuri, and Zenitsu, are born with abilities that make them better Demon Slayers. Meanwhile, others, like Genya and Inosuke, have developed unique skills over time. It's not just their strength and swordsmanship that makes some Demon Slayers superhuman.
10 Tanjiro's Sense Of Smell
Tanjiro Is The First Demon Slayer To Meet Muzan And Live Because Of His Nose
As the lead of Demon Slayer, it is no wonder that Tanjiro has more than a few tricks up his sleeve that make him stand out from the other Demon Slayer Corps members. Of course, there is his Water Breathing style, as well as his use of Hinokami Kagura. He's also proven time and time again to be an incredibly strong and agile swordsman, aiding in the deaths of Two Upper Moons before the "Hashira Training Arc" began. If any new Demon Slayer deserves to rise to the tanks of Hashira, it's Tanjiro.
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Along with all of this, one of Tanjiro's more unique abilities is his sense of smell, which can not only alert him when there is blood in the area, but he can also distinguish the smell of demon blood from human blood. It's this sense of smell that allowed him to find Muzan, something no other Demon Slayer Corps member has done before. All the more impressive, Tanjiro realized who Muzan was despite him hiding among the public and passing by as an average citizen in the eyes of everyone else.
9 Zenitsu's Hearing
Zenitsu Knew Nezuko Was A Demon Before Seeing Her
Fighting alongside Tanjiro through most of Season 1, Mugen Train, and Season 2 is Zenitsu, who is much more reluctant to be a member of the Demon Slayer Corps. Despite being trained by a former Hashira, Zenitsu is hesitant and terrified to fight demons himself. However, he does have one skill that gives him a major edge over other Demon Slayers, and that is his enhanced hearing. Despite being one of the loudest characters in the show, Zenitsu's hearing is some of the best in the Demon Slayer Corps.
His hearing is so good that he knew Tanjiro was carrying around a demon with him before ever meeting Nezuko. He knew this based on the sounds coming from the box and nothing more. Despite this and his fears of demons, Zenitsu trusted Tanjiro's judgement. Along with that, Zenitsu's hearing has come in handy many times while fighting because he often sleeps when engaged in battle. As a result, he cannot see what is going on, primarily relying on his enhanced hearing to determine what is happening.
8 Zenitsu's Sleeping State
Demon Slayer's Biggest Coward Is Fearless When Sleeping
As mentioned above, Zenitsu primarily fights while asleep. This is because he is too terrified to fight when conscious. However, if he faints -- like when fighting Season 1's spider demons -- or falls asleep -- like he does in Mugen Train -- then all his fears wash away. Zenitsu becomes his ideal self while asleep, and his fears no longer get in the way of him fighting demons and protecting others. What's even more impressive is how dangerous and skilled Zenitsu is in an unconscious state.
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While Zenitsu knows only one form of Thunder Breathing, he has perfected it to be Hashira-level, making Zenitsu one of the deadliest Demon Slayers. Even in a poisoned state, Zenitsu delivers critical damage to the spider demon he faces. Later, in Mugen Train, he saves Nezuko and keeps dozens of passengers safe while asleep. One of Zenitsu's best moments in the Demon Slayer anime so far, though, is how he gives Daki -- one half of Upper Moon Six -- a run for her money, eventually severing her head with Inosuke's help.
7 Inosuke's Anatomy
Inosuke Rearranged His Organs To Get To Those In Need
Also fighting alongside Tanjiro for most of Demon Slayer is Inosuke, a character who deserves so much more than what life had in store for him. Inosuke who was raised in the woods after his mother abandoned him as a baby, hoping to spare him from her own dark fate. As a result, Inosuke's breathing style and anatomy are adapted to best suit someone living a life like this. Numerous things make Inosuke's anatomy superhuman, with one of them being his flexibility.
Of course, there are other Demon Slayers with great flexibility, with Mitsuri having the best among the Hashira. However, Inosuke's flexibility goes beyond stretching. In the "Entertainment District Arc," for instance, he is able to dislocate his limbs to crawl through impossibly tight spots no average human could access. Along with that, he fully shifts his vital organs to avoid what would have been a critical hit from Gyutaro, the second half of Upper Moon 6. If Inosuke had not done this, he would likely have died; although, he does have another near-impossible skill up his sleeve that helped in that instance.
6 Inosuke's Poison Tolerance
Inosuke Survives Upper Moon Six's Poison
When fighting Gyutaro, his demonic poison, which almost kills Tengen, does not take full effect on Inosuke until much later on. In fact, he is able to help Zenitsu take down Daki despite being subject to lethal levels of poison. Eventually, it does seem to get the better of him combined with his blood loss and other injuries, but he lasted much longer than anyone else in that state should have. Plus, Nezuko, with her Blood Demon Art, did cure him of the poison before anyone could confirm how immune he was to this demon's poison.
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It's not just poison that Inosuke is immune to -- or mostly immune to. For Shinobu, a Hashira and pharmaceutical expert, Inosuke is an enigma. He is also a thorn in her side in a loving way. Because of his high tolerance to poison, he is immune to Shinobu's medicines, making him particularly difficult to tend to and heal. If he were to be exposed to a demonic poison stronger than Gyutaro's, there is a chance it would be game over since other medicines won't take -- that is unless Nezuko is nearby and uses her Blood Demon Art.
5 Inosuke's "Echolocation"
Inosuke Can Sense Threats Before They Appear Thanks To Vibrations
Another impressive and inhuman feat of Inosuke's is his superior sense of touch. Not only does he have a tougher skin than most because of his time in the wild, but he also senses a shift in the environment or in someone's aura from the vibrations in the air. For instance, after Tanjiro and Inosuke witness several Demon Slayers murdered in cold-blood, he instantly picks up on a dark change in Tanjiro's aura, despite Tanjiro carrying himself in his usual manner.
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Another way Inosuke uses this skill is through a means similar to echolocation. He can sense the vibrations in the air, pinpointing where certain targets are in battle. He can also figure out if someone or something is looking at him without making eye contact, a critical skill that came in handy during Mugen Train. While the demon could not make eye contact with Inosuke and put him under a spell, Inosuke was able to fight like his usual self.
4 Mitsuri's Muscle Density
Mitsuri Is Strong Enough To Hold Her Own Against An Upper Moon
Along with being one of the most flexible Hashira, Mitsuri has a ridiculous amount of strength. That should be expected of any Hashira -- aside from Shinobu, who may be the weakest Hashira, but she deserves more credit. However, Mitsuri is naturally built in a way that makes her a lot stronger than she appears. In fact, she was stronger than most people even before going through her Demon Slayer training and even more intense Hashira training under Rengoku.
This is due to her abnormal muscular constitution. Thanks to this, her muscles are eight times denser than most people's. This is a major reason why she was able to survive Zohakuten's sound attack, which would have destroyed anyone else in its path. Not only does she survive, but Mitsuri continues to fight Zohakuten for some time after that, while Tanjiro pursues his other self --- the one that needs to be beheaded to bring an end to Zohakuten once and for all. Mitsuri is a Hashira who deserves an immense amount of love and respect as someone who can hold her own against some of the toughest demons from the anime so far.
3 Genya's Demonic Powers
Genya Consumes Demon Flesh To Get A Leg Up
While Mitsuri plays a massive role in the "Swordsmith Village Arc," another key member to Demon Slayer's main plot finally gets more time to shine here as well. Genya Shinazugawa, brother of the Wind Hashira, was introduced as a rude and cold Demon Slayer at first, one who passed the Final Selection with Zenitsu, Tanjiro, and Kanao. However, there is a lot more heart to this character than he initially led on, as well as a dark past and issues performing basic Demon Slayer duties.
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While most Demon Slayers know a breathing style to help with their sword fighting, Genya has been unable to master any breathing style up to this point. In place of a sword, he uses a gun, but it does not have the same efficiency when fighting demons. Genya, in turn, has turned to a more unsavory means of fighting demons -- consuming their flesh. By eating demons, Genya -- for a moment of time -- gains physical attributes like demons, including enhanced strength, fangs, and even regeneration. While this helps Genya in battle, this has led to even more tension with his older brother.
2 Total Concentration Breathing
A Skilled Demon Slayer Can Slow Down Their Blood Loss
Nearly every Demon Slayer knows a breathing style. Currently, there are 14 breathing styles in Demon Slayer, with Sun Breathing being the original. From there, Water Breathing, Moon Breathing, Flame Breathing, Thunder Breathing, Stone Breathing, and Wind Breathing would be born, and several other styles would be born from those. While each Demon Slayer and Hashira follow one breathing style, they can also be trained to learn Total Concentration Breathing. Total Concentration Breathing is not married to a singular breathing style, so anyone can learn it; although, it takes a lot of time and incredible lung capacity.
Breathing Style | What It Is Derived From |
|---|---|
Sun | Original Form |
Water | Sun |
Moon | Sun |
Flame | Sun |
Thunder | Sun |
Stone | Sun |
Wind | Sun |
Serpent | Water |
Flower | Water |
Insect | Flower |
Love | Flame |
Sound | Thunder |
Beast | Wind |
Mist | Wind |
By inhaling more air, the Demon Slayer should be able to accelerate their blood flow and increase their body temperature. This creates something akin to a simulated adrenaline rush, but it is a bit more extreme than that, as the Demon Slayer will have superhuman levels of strength, speed, stamina, and more. In some cases, this will even aid in advanced recovery, as was the case for Tanjiro toward the end of Mugen Train. While Total Concentration Breathing would not heal Tanjiro, it would stop the bleeding so he could get medical attention later on.
1 Demon Slayer Mark
Demon Slayer's Can Push Past Their Limits At Great Cost
In the anime, one of the mysteries Demon Slayer still needs to answer is what the marks that appeared on Tanjiro, Mitsuri, and Muichiro are. From what Mitsuri and Muichiro reported, these marks appeared when they were in extreme states of physical duress with their temperatures and heart rates increased to what should have been critical levels. With how Total Concentration Breathing works, it appears this is the next step in reaching even more superhuman levels of physicality. In fact, for Tanjiro, Mitsuri, and Muichiro, it was in these extreme states of physical duress when they combated their respective Upper Moon demons and survived; but that may have come at a grave cost.
In the manga, it is revealed what these Demon Slayer Marks are, as well as the physical toll they take on those who develop them. Anyone who awakens this mark will most likely die before they are 25-years-old. Such inhuman physicality, as well as the extreme conditions needed for these marks, undoubtedly takes a massive toll on the body in the long run. However, while it is expected no one with the mark will survive past 25, the first Demon Slayer who was born with the mark, Yoriichi, lived on for decades after this. Meanwhile, the manga series does not reveal when the surviving members of the Demon Slayer Corps who unlocked this mark die, let alone how.
- Created by
- Koyoharu Gotouge
- First Film
- Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train
- First TV Show
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
