Breathing Styles

Breathing Styles (呼 (こ) 吸 (きゅう) 法 (ほう) , Kokyū Hō^?) are swordsmanship styles practiced and taught by members of the Demon Slayer Corps.

Overview

A Breathing Style being used against a Demon.

Breathing Styles are swordsmanship styles that makes use of an esoteric breathing technique known as Total Concentration Breathing (全 (ぜん) 集 (しゅう) 中 (ちゅう) の呼 (こ) 吸 (きゅう) , Zen Shūchū no Kokyū^?) practiced and taught by members of the Demon Slayer Corps and are used in combat by Demon Slayers (later passed on as traditional dances post-time skip).

All known Breathing Style currently taught within the Demon Slayer Corps is derived from Sun Breathing, the first one ever created. The majority of known Breathing Styles mimic a certain element of nature (i.e. Flame, Water and Wind) and replicates it with the user's movements, techniques and abilities. The weapon attacks of Demon Slayers who use Breathing Styles are also longer ranged, possibly due to shockwaves or air pressure generated from their weapon itself when swinging and striking.

New Breathing Styles are always being created to suit a Demon Slayer's combat needs,^[1] which results in new weapons being utilized in demon hunting (i.e. Flails and Whips). Such Breathing Styles embody a bigger variety of concepts, like animals, plants and emotions (i.e. Serpents, Flowers and Love). When utilizing a Breathing Style, users automatically visualize themselves manipulating the subject behind their style, making it seem as if they were using magic, though those that are less apt and proficient in their style will visualize less than one who is.

Total Concentration Breathing

Total Concentration Breathing (全 (ぜん) 集 (しゅう) 中 (ちゅう) の呼 (こ) 吸 (きゅう) , Zen Shūchū no Kokyū^?) is an advanced and esoteric breathing technique where a user inhales the maximum amount of oxygen within a specific breath pattern to raise their physical and mental prowess to their utmost limits. The effects include a plethora of enhanced physical and mental abilities, like superhuman physical characteristics (i.e. Strength, Speed, Stamina, Durability and Agility), faster thought processes, maximizing concentration and hyper-information processing. At a more advanced level, Total Concentration is also capable of clotting wounds from severe injuries and slowing down the circulation of poison in the bloodstream.

Blowing into a special gourd to rupture it.

Total Concentration: Constant (全 (ぜん) 集 (しゅう) 中 (ちゅう) ・常 (じょう) 中 (ちゅう) , Zen Shūchū Jōchū^?) is a Total Concentration Breathing state during the morning, noon, and night, and even while asleep that Advanced Demon Slayers, such as Hashira, can constantly maintain. There is an immense difference in strength, speed, and stamina between someone who can maintain Total Concentration Breathing at all times and someone who cannot.

Learning to maintain a constant state of Total Concentration Breathing requires tremendous effort, though, the skill itself is noted to be quite elementary despite the required effort.

The training process involves blowing into a special type of super durable gourd. The objective is to blow into the gourd with enough strength to make the gourd break apart. As training progresses, the gourd is replaced by larger and larger variations of the same type of gourd. The largest known gourd is about the size of a chair.

Known Breathing Styles and Users

Flower
# of Known Techniques: 7

Love
# of Known Techniques: 6

Flame
# of Known Techniques: 9

Sun
# of Known Techniques: 13

Sound
# of Known Techniques: 5

Thunder
# of Known Techniques: 7

Wind
# of Known Techniques: 9

Mist
# of Known Techniques: 7

Water
# of Known Techniques: 11

Water
# of Known Techniques: 11

Insect
# of Known Techniques: 4

Serpent
# of Known Techniques: 5

Moon
# of Known Techniques: 16

Stone
# of Known Techniques: 5

Beast
# of Known Techniques: 11

Inosuke
Hashibira

Note: The colors used to represent the Breath Styles above are not necessarily based off of the color associated with each style's Nichirin Blade. For Nichirin Blade colors, see this page.