Inosuke Hashibira

Inosuke Hashibira is one of the main protagonists of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba and along with Zenitsu Agatsuma, a traveling companion of Tanjiro Kamado and Nezuko Kamado. He is also a Demon Slayer in the Demon Slayer Corps.

Appearance
Inosuke is a young man of average height and pale complexion with an extremely toned and muscular build for his age, possessing large, defined muscles most notably over his stomach and arms. In sharp contrast to this, he has an incredibly pretty and feminine face, with large, wide eyes that are framed by an array of long eyelashes, their irises a dark to soft pale green, thin eyebrows and what could be a small, well-mannered mouth. His thick, black hair reaches just past his shoulders, fading into blue at the tips and forming an unruly and uneven fringe that falls just above his eyes, puffing out before curving and thinning towards his forehead.

Inosuke wears his altered version of the standard Demon Slayer uniform, which consists only of the baggy hakama pants, his tinted a dark gray-blue, which he fastens around his hips with a thick belt of fluffy brown animal fur. Unlike his travelling companions, Inosuke does not wear a haori. The usual cloth leg-wraps are replaced with what appears to be knee-high socks of a furry hide which expose his heels and toes, which also appear to be what fastens the sandal-bases he wears on his feet. His most defining feature is the gray, hollowed-out boar's head he wears as to mask his own, the eyes of which he has tampered with to allow himself vision while wearing it, which has been revealed to have belonged to his late adoptive boar mother.

Personality
Inosuke is an extremely short-tempered and proud young man who always likes to think he is the strongest fighter in a situation, constantly challenging most people he comes across and wanting others to respect and praise him for his skill. This often leads him into unnecessary danger, since he tends to overestimate his abilities in comparison to who he's fighting and refuses to accept when he's been defeated, which can be seen when Giyu Tomioka has to tie him up after his fight with the Father Spider Demon to prevent him challenging the Hashira to a fight while still severely injured from his previous battle. This constant wanting to be the best can also cause Inosuke to be very provocative, as he often tries to goad others, most prominently Tanjiro Kamado, into fighting him, although in the case of the latter he usually fails due to Tanjiro's obliviously kind nature.

Due to him having been raised by boars, Inosuke has also been shown to possess little understanding of normal human interaction, at least at the time of his debut, as he seems to frequently assume that people who approach him want to attack him and doesn't appear to understand the kindness others show him.

He can't read or write, and struggles to say peoples names right, saying Monchiro instead of Tanjiro, or Monitsu instead of Zenitsu. He can be very rude, without the intention, and treating everyone as an enemy at first. But overall he is a very funny and entertaining character, doing very funny things at least once per episode or chapter.

However, as the story goes on, Inosuke is influenced more and more by Tanjiro's ways and becomes more accustomed to affection and generosity, learning to also acknowledge the strength of people besides himself and develop feelings of friendship towards him and Zenitsu Agatsuma, although he does still retain his proud nature and constant want for praise. He also begins to think more strategically when engaging in combat, using smarter tactics he has picked up from more experienced Demon Slayers and not just rushing into fights head-on without thinking.

Inosuke's sense of camaraderie drastically improves, best evidenced when he lunged at Muzan Kibutsuji, while mourning the scores of Demon Slayers killed and maimed by the Demon Lord and demanding he returns everything he took from them, or else to die as retribution for his crimes.

Abilities
Overall Abilities: Despite being only two ranks from the bottom, Inosuke is a Hashira-level swordsman with incredible abilities and attributes. He has shown to be able to hold his own and contribute in fights against Upper Rank demons and being more than capable of disposing demons by himself. He is also incredibly gifted, possessing inhuman senses and flexibility, as well as the skills necessary to make his own breathing style and use it to great effect.

Animalistic Combat: Due to growing up with boars in the mountains, Inosuke adopted their habits. Both his hand-to-hand combat style and swordsmanship are very reminiscent of animals and beasts. Tanjiro Kamado noted that his unnatural fighting style which resembles that of a "four legged beast" due to how his attacks come from an extremely low angle while also being very ferocious and incorporating other unorthodox movements, thus making him very unpredictable and very vicious.

Animal Imitation: Due to living and growing up with wild boars, Inosuke has learnt to imitate many of their behaviors, which contributed to his proficiency in his Beast Breathing.

Enhanced Flexibility: Inosuke is extremely flexible to the point where he can bend backwards so far that his head reaches between his feet. He later displays the ability to dislocate his arm to extend his reach and dislocate any of the joints in his body at will. This flexibility additionally extends to his internal organs, as he was able to shift his heart and avoid it being pierced in the fight against Daki and Gyutaro.

Enhanced Touch: After growing up in the mountains, Inosuke developed a sharp and incredibly sensitive sense of touch. He can even feel small vibrations in the air. By using this ability, he can tell if anyone is looking at him, especially if they have any hostile intentions. He can even pinpoint the exact location they are looking at, which gives him an edge in combat.

Extrasensory Perception: Inosuke's senses are honed to such extremes that he possesses a form of extrasensory perception that allows him to detect things humans are completely ignorant to. Inosuke can sense how serious his opponent's are, seen when we sensed that Daki's sash attacks were relaxing a little bit, which gave him an opening to attack and how strong Akaza and Kyojuro Rengoku were. He was also able to sense a person's malice and intent to kill even when they are outside his range of sight, which prevented him from getting killed by Gyutaro's scythe attack. Inosuke was also able to sense that Daki's obi had living people trapped inside it, which prevented him from accidentally harming them when fighting.

Immense Speed & Reflexes: Inosuke is an incredibly fast individual, being able to keep up with the movements of Doma and later on, a weakened Muzan Kibutsuji.

Immense Stamina & Endurance: During the Sunrise Countdown Arc, he lasted around half an hour exerting himself to the peak of his physical and mental condition, despite sustaining wounds all over his body.

Immense Strength: Inosuke possesses amazing arm strength, being able to dual wield two katanas as opposed to one, even swinging them at super speeds. He was able to slice up the parts of Enmu's body that had engulfed one of the train cabins. During the Hashira Training Arc, he even managed to move a boulder nearly twice his size with his bare hands. He was able to damage Doma's neck and throw his swords with such strength, the force on impact was enough to help Kanao kill Doma. He is also able to use precision in his strikes, as he was able to cut Daki's obi easily, while not harming the people trapped inside.

Indomitable Will: Inosuke possesses an incredible and undaunted will and spirit, never faltering and remaining steadfast and courageous in the face of any foe, to the point where it endangers himself. His will was best displayed during his battle against Upper Rank Two, Doma, where despite sustaining dozens of injuries, he refused to give up and continued to fight the Demon despite his overwhelming power.

Poison Resistance: Inosuke was able to resist and survive the effect of Upper Rank Six's poison although it was considered incredibly deadly, which suggests that he may have complete immunity to some poisonous substances. However, as stated by Aoi Kanzaki, this also means that none of Shinobu Kocho's medicines will work on him, so if he is exposed to a stronger poison than that of Gyutaro or one that he has not developed a resistance to, they cannot be used as a remedy and he is in greater danger of death.

Repetitive Action: A technique practiced by few members in the Corps, it allow a person to achieve the same effects as Total Concentration Breathing by using repeating pre-set movements or remembering intense feelings to open the five senses and raise their concentration, drawing out the physical powers of the body for an long extended period. It is possible to use both Repetitive Action and Breathing simultaneously, granting the user immense strength able to rival Upper Demon Moons. Inosuke quickly mastered this technique after watching Tanjiro and likes to rephrase "Pig Assault" while doing so.

Fighting Style
Master Swordsman: Nearing the Infinity Castle Arc, Inosuke has polished his swordsmanship to the level of a Hashira, allowing him to keep up with Upper Rank Two, Doma.

Swordsmanship
Beast Breathing (の): A Breathing Style distantly derived from Wind Breathing and the personal creation of Inosuke Hashibira himself after living in the mountains and fighting for survival.


 * First Fang: Pierce (ノ　ちき) - The user stabs the target's neck with both blades.


 * Second Fang: Slice (ノ　りき) - The user unleashes a double slash with his two blades in an X-shaped cut.


 * Third Fang: Devour (ノ　いき) - The user releases simultaneous horizontal slashes towards the target's throat.


 * Fourth Fang: Slice 'n' Dice (ノ　き) - The user delivers multiple diagonal double slashes with both swords.


 * Fifth Fang: Crazy Cutting (ノ　いき) - The user slices everything in all directions.


 * Sixth Fang: Palisade Bite (ノ　み) - The user releases simultaneous slashes with two swords from both directions.


 * Seventh Form: Spatial Awareness (ノ) - The user utilizes their sense of touch to identify the position of enemies and their weaknesses by feeling small disturbances in the air. This technique was so strong that Inosuke Hashibira could sense all the demons spread out through a whole mountain.


 * Eighth Fang: Explosive Rush (ノ) - The user charges towards their opponent at blinding speeds while swinging both their swords.


 * Ninth Fang: Extending Bendy Slash (ノ　・うねりき) - The user dislocates the joints of their arm to increase the range of their attack and unleashes a single strike.


 * Tenth Fang: Whirling Fangs (ノ) - The user rapidly spins their swords in a circular motion, deflecting enemy attacks.


 * Sudden Throwing Strike (いつきのげき) - The user throws both of their blades at an enemy.

Equipment
Dual Nichirin Katana: Like all Demon Slayers, Inosuke harbors a Nichirin Blade, but instead of one, he has two, both of which he shaped a jagged edge like a beast's teeth and jaws, perfect for tearing through flesh, which is more to his liking. He doesn't have a hilt or scabbard, but rather uses bandages to tie his katanas, unlike his fellow Demon Slayers. His dual blades are indigo-gray in color.

Trivia

 * Inosuke's surname contains the kanji for "beak, bill" (嘴) and "broad, flat" (平), and his first name contains the Man'yōgana for the letter "I" (伊), and the Man'yōgana of "no" (之) and the regular kanji for "assistance, help" (助).
 * The "ino" in his first name sounds similar to the first part of the Japanese word for "boar" (猪). This is further proved with the kanji for his name as a courtesan Inoko.
 * Inosuke's rankings in the popularity polls are as follows:
 * Inosuke ranked 5th place in the first popularity poll with 1,977 votes.
 * Inosuke ranked 6th place in the second popularity poll with 8,750 votes.
 * Inosuke doesn't care to remember other people's names and usually gets it right every seven attempts (referring to Tanjiro as Gonpachiro, Kentaro, Monjiro, Santaro, etc.) and referring Zenitsu as (Monitsu, Chuitsu (チュウ), etc.).
 * Further into the series, however, Inosuke has worked his way up into correctly pronouncing the name of his closest friends at last; by the Infinity Castle Arc arc he has been able to call Tanjiro, Zenitsu, Kanao and Shinobu by their correct names consistently without fail.
 * Both of Inosuke's voice actors, Yoshisugu Matsuoka and Bryce Papenbrook, also share the role of Kirito from Sword Art Online.
 * Inosuke appears to enjoy eating tempura, as shown when he rests at the Wisteria mansion and when he uses it as motivation during training.
 * His swords are different from the other Demon Slayers in that he purposefully chips them himself to give them jagged edges.
 * Inosuke used boars, bears and wolves as references when creating the Beast Breathing.
 * He is hated by the uniform-makers and the swordsmiths (Hotaru Haganezuka) of the Demon Slayer Corps because he always tears apart the top part of his uniform as well as chipping the swords the swordsmiths gave him with a rock, right in front of their eyes too.
 * Inosuke is a member of "Stylish Scruffy Democracy" band together with Tanjiro (Vocals), Zenitsu (Shamizen and Song writer), and Tengen (Harmonica). Inosuke is the Taiko Drummer of the band. "Exploding skin and the melancholy of modern smell" is their debut song that made everyone who heard it feel dizzy and vomit non-stop.
 * Inosuke is tone deaf, along with Tanjiro.

Quotes

 * (First on-screen words) "(Maniacal laughter) Better watch out! Cause' ready or not, HERE I COME!!"
 * (To Doma) "Fate bringing us together really is a miracle. After all, the demon who killed... my mother and my friend... is right before my eyes!! You have my gratitude for making me remember. Just cutting off your head won't be enough!! I'm gonna send you to hell!!"
 * (To Doma) "If Hell doesn't exist, I'll create it for you!! That's enough of your crap!! Don't say my mother was miserable, you bastard!!"
 * (To Muzan) "You've really done it now! And I won't stand up for it! They protected us! The old guy with the rosary lost his leg! And the guy with the half-and-half haori lost his arm! All the bodies lying around here belonged to comrades I shared my meals with! Give them back! Their leg and arms! Their lives! Everything! Give them back! If you can't do that... Then you'll pay for it with a million deaths!!"
 * (About Tanjiro Kamado) "We're comrades... And like brothers... So if someone starts to stray from the path, we all stop him. No matter how hard or painful it is... We walk the right path... I'll strike him down and stop him. I'll... I can't go through. It's no use, Tanjiro. I can't do it."

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