Water Breathing

Water Breathing (の) is one of the five main Breathing Styles directly derived from Sun Breathing.

Overview
Water Breathing is a Breathing Style that mimics water, specifically the flow, flexibility and adaptability of the liquid and replicates it with the user's movements, techniques and abilities. Most, if not all, known techniques involve the user bending their body, arm and weapon in a fluid motion to match the movements of rushing or flowing water. Users also visualize themselves seemingly creating and manipulating water when unleashing its techniques.

This Breathing Style was originally created by one of Yoriichi Tsugikuni's students who attempted to learn Sun Breathing, but due to not being as innately talented as Yoriichi, they were instead taught and trained an alternative personalized Breathing Style that focused on their strengths and weaknesses, eventually becoming Water Breathing.

It is said to be the most common Breathing Style among Demon Slayers due to being the easiest to learn for beginners. A known Cultivator of Water Breathing in the Demon Slayer Corps is Sakonji Urokodaki, though there are other Cultivators as well.

Known Techniques
Water Breathing has 10 techniques, with an eleventh one created and exclusively used by the current Water Hashira, Giyu Tomioka along with numerous modified versions of pre-existing forms.


 * First Form: Water Surface Slash (ノ　り) - The user releases a singular, horizontal slash aiming to decapitate their target.


 * Second Form: Water Wheel (ノ) - The user leaps forward into the air and performs a front flip, releasing a singular vertical slash in a circular motion.
 * Second Form: Improved, Lateral Water Wheel (ノ・) - An alternate variation of Second Form: Water Wheel created by Tanjiro Kamado that unleashes a horizontal spin instead of a vertical one.


 * Third Form: Flowing Dance (ノ　い) - The user swings and bends their blade in a winding motion along with their body and dances in a flowing pattern, slicing everything in its path.


 * Fourth Form: Striking Tide (ノ　ち) - The user performs a multitude of slashes in a flowing fashion to release multiple consecutive slashes.
 * Striking Tide, Turbulent (ち・) - An improved version of the Fourth Form: Striking Tide. The user increases the quantity of consecutive strikes and slashes along with improving its accuracy in order to contact a specific target during a chaotic situation.


 * Fifth Form: Blessed Rain After the Drought (ノ　の) - The user changes the grip on their sword and decapitates the opponent in a single flowing strike that causes little to no pain. It is a “sword strike of kindness” used when the enemy willingly surrenders.


 * Sixth Form: Whirlpool (ノ　ねじれ) - The user twists their body, using their blade to perform a fierce whirling motion which generates a whirlpool of air to shred apart anything caught within its current like a giant sharp blade. Its effect and efficiency is enhanced underwater, where the user can draw water around their weapon to create whirling currents that enhance their slashes.
 * Whirlpool, Flow (ねじれ・) - A combination of Third Form: Flowing Dance and Sixth Form: Whirlpool created by Tanjiro Kamado. The user combines the footwork from Flowing Dance and the twisting movements of Whirlpool, performing an attack around the user that conjures a twisting, swirling, vicious flow of water to redirect projectiles from multiple angles.


 * Seventh Form: Drop Ripple Thrust (ノ　き) - The user performs a precise, fast and accurate thrust with their blade.
 * Drop Ripple Thrust, Curve (き・) - A modified strike that hits from a specific angle corresponding to the sword's structure which nearly nullifies the impact and momentum of a moving object.


 * Eighth Form: Waterfall Basin (ノ) - The user cuts the target vertically in a flowing motion which is most effective when they are falling downward.


 * Ninth Form: Splashing Water Flow, Turbulent (ノ　・) - The user changes their footwork in a way that minimizes the landing time and surface needed when landing, allowing the user to move without limits. Ideal when fighting in a place with no solid foothold.


 * Tenth Form: Constant Flux (ノ) - The user charges toward the target whilst performing a continuous flowing attack with their blade which increases in strength and speed over time using momentum.


 * Eleventh Form: Dead Calm (ノ) - The personal creation of the current Water Hashira, Giyu Tomioka. The user ceases all body movements and enters a state of complete tranquility, deflecting, blocking and cutting any incoming attacks with imperceptible speed with their blade. However, its effectiveness is limited as fast and numerous attacks can break through.

Game Exclusive Techniques

 * Third Form: Flowing Dance, Shadows of Dawn (ノ　い・) - The user covers their blade in water before unleashing a series of circular rising slashes in a flowing motion from multiple directions before delivering a powerful downward slash.


 * Eighth Form: Waterfall Basin, Destruction (ノ　・) - The user leaps forwards towards their enemy in a spinning motion and slashes them as they past. They then turn around and leap behind the enemy to slash them with a curved strike, before uppercutting them while leaping high into the air and then falling down with great force in a overhead strike, smashing the enemy to the ground and unleashing multiple gargantuan waterfalls that pulverize their opponent.


 * Ninth Form: Splashing Water Flow (ノ) - The user rushes around their opponent discombobulating them in multiple circles forming a vortex-like flow of water. They subsequently leap over their opponent delivering an overhead slash summoning a large wave crushing them afterwards.
 * Ninth Form: Splashing Water Flow, Flash (ノ　・) - The user rushes towards their opponent seemingly appearing like teleportation and unleashes a powerful uppercut-like slash.
 * Ninth Form: Splashing Water Flow, Turbulent Effervescence (ノ　・) - The user rushes forward turbulently and unleashes numerous flowing water slashes from all directions while creating levitating bubbles all around their enemy. Afterwards, they leap away from them and cause all the bubbles to pop, releasing a heavy pressured burst of water spewing in all directions, dealing massive damage to their opponent.


 * Eleventh Form: Dead Calm, Tidal Waves (ノ　・り) - An offensive variation of Dead Calm. The user initiates Dead Calm, before suddenly appearing behind their opponent, having already moved and unleashed a delayed-barrage of sharp water sword slashes that completely lacerates them before summoning multiple towering tidal waves and causing them to slam downwards on their enemy with tremendous force.

Demonstrations

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Trivia

 * The water that users of Water Breathing visualize themselves manipulating is reminiscent to that of water or oceanic waves being depicted in classical ukiyo-e-styled Japanese paintings, ex: The Great Wave off Kanagawa.
 * Besides Sakonji Urokodaki, there are other trainers who teach Water Breathing. Water Breathing is easy for beginners, so more swordsmen use it than any other Breathing Style.
 * The term and technique Constant Flux is based on the Yojijukugo "Seisei/Shōjō Ruten", a term explaining the endless transmigration cycle of everything in the universe.

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