Flame Breathing

Flame Breathing
Name
Japanese	炎の呼吸
Rōmaji	Honō no kokyū
Characteristics
Creator(s)	Rengoku ancestor from Sengoku period
User(s)	Shinjuro Rengoku, Kyojuro Rengoku, Mitsuri Kanroji (formerly)
Debut
Manga	Chapter 54
Anime	Episode 27 (Anime) Episode 28 (Movie)

Flame Breathing (炎 (ほのお) の呼 (こ) 吸 (きゅう) , Honō no kokyū^?) is one of the five main Breathing Styles directly derived from Sun Breathing.

Overview

Flame Breathing is a Breathing Style that mimics flames and replicates it with the user's movements, techniques and abilities. Most, if not all, known techniques and forms involve extremely powerful singular strikes which 'burn' their opponents, with most attacks being initiated from a high stance. Users of Flame Breathing also visualize themselves seemingly creating and manipulating fire when unleashing its techniques.

This Breathing Style was created by one of the Demon Slayers during the Sengoku period, who was the head of the Rengoku family. Yoriichi Tsugikuni attempted to teach him and the other Demon Slayers Sun Breathing, but due to them not being as innately powerful as Yoriichi, they were instead taught an alternated personalized Breathing Style that focused on their individual strengths and weaknesses. In the case of the Rengoku ancestor, the technique evolved into Flame Breathing.

From then onwards, the Breathing Style has been passed down for generations and the Flame Hashira position was always fulfilled by someone from their lineage. Kyojuro Rengoku carried the tradition forward in the footsteps of his father and former Flame Hashira, Shinjuro Rengoku. However, after Kyojuro's death, the Rengoku family's long-standing tradition of passing down the Flame Breathing technique has come to an end.

Breathing Style Relationship Chart

Sun

Flame

Love

Known Users

Known Users
Shinjuro Rengoku	Kyojuro Rengoku	Mitsuri Kanroji (Formerly)

Known Techniques

Flame Breathing has 9 known techniques in total, of which only 6 were demonstrated. Among these, the Ninth Form: Rengoku is an "Esoteric Art" exclusive to the Rengoku family.

• First Form: Unknowing Fire (壱 (いち) ノ型 (かた) 　不知火 (しらぬい) , Ichi no kata: Shiranui^?) - The user dashes towards the target at tremendous speeds, before unleashing a singular horizontal slash directed at the target’s neck for a decapitation.

• Second Form: Rising Scorching Sun (弐 (に) ノ型 (かた) 　昇 (のぼ) り炎 (えん) 天 (てん) , Ni no kata: Nobori En Ten^?) - The user unleashes an arcing vertical slash in an upwards motion, often brought up from a tail guard.

• Third Form: Blazing Universe (参 (さん) ノ型 (かた) 　気 (き) 炎 (えん) 万 (ばん) 象 (しょう) , San no kata: Kien Banshō^?) - The user performs an arcing downwards vertical slash, often brought down from a high guard.

• Fourth Form: Blooming Flame Undulation (肆 (し) ノ型 (かた) 　盛 (せい) 炎 (えん) のうねり, Shi no kata: Sei En no Uneri^?) - The user performs a singular slash or multiple if needed, in a fluid circular motion to defend from incoming attacks and decapitate multiple targets.

• Fifth Form: Flame Tiger (伍 (ご) ノ型 (かた) 　炎 (えん) 虎 (こ) , Go no kata: Enko^?) - The user dashes forth, bringing their blade into a high guard before performing a series of sword slashes which take the form of a flaming tiger enveloping the user.

• Ninth Form: Rengoku (玖 (く) ノ型 (かた) 　煉 (れん) 獄 (ごく) , Ku no kata: Rengoku^?, lit. "Ninth Form: Purgatory") - The most powerful Flame Breathing technique. The user assumes a high stance before performing an extremely high-speed dash towards the target and unleashing a singular, devastating slash, powerful enough to create a massive fiery tornado that consumed the entire area. The technique is powerful enough to completely carve out the ground in its wake. In the movie and anime adaptation, this technique seemingly took the form of a flaming Japanese dragon that envelopes the user as they are charging towards the target.

Game Exclusive Techniques

• Fifth Form: Flame Tiger, Fiery Roar (伍 (ご) ノ型 (かた) 　炎 (えん) 虎 (こ) ・咆 (ほう) , Go no kata: Enko - Hō^?) - A slightly longer version of Flame Tiger. The user rushes forward and delivers a horizontal slash across the opponent’s back, similar to First Form: Unknowing Fire, to knock them away. They then charge toward their target, slashing several times in rapid succession before unleashing a relentless flurry of blows that drives the enemy back even further. Finally, the user executes Fifth Form: Flame Tiger, powerful enough to engulf the foe completely. While the opponent is consumed within the fiery onslaught, the user finishes them with a devastating upward right slash, its force great enough to hurl the target skyward.

• Hearts Ablaze (心 (こころ) を燃 (も) やせ, Kokoro o Moyase^?) - A collaboration between a Flame Breathing user and a Sun Breathing user. Both coordinate their attacks to simultaneously strike their opponent with arc-shaped slashes from their respective Breathing Styles from opposite sides. The Flame Breather then readies his stance to use Rengoku and the Sun Breather takes a similar stance to use Sun Halo Dragon Head Dance. The result is both charging at the opponent in an attack that takes the form of a flaming Japanese dragon composed of flames from both styles. Both users yell "Set your heart ablaze!", and their attack ends with an X-shaped slash and a fiery tornado.

• Fervent Fulmination (爆 (ばく) 炎 (えん) 響 (きょう) 動 (どう) , Bakuen Kyōdō^?) - A collaboration between a Flame Breathing user and a Sound Breathing user. Both charge at their opponent and knock them back, and when they catch up, both coordinate their attacks to send their opponent in each other's direction. The Sound Breather then hurls explosive beads at their opponent after they are sent airborne, and is then joined by the Flame Breather who executes Flame Tiger as they jump upward. When they make contact with the target, the result is them being attacked by the blades of both Flame and Sound Breathing users, as well as being caught in the explosions from the latter's beads. The attack culminates with large fireworks as the users land on the ground.

• Enthusiastic Educator (熱 (ねっ) 血 (けつ) 授 (じゅぎ) 業 (ょう) , Nekketsu Jugyō^?) - A technique exclusive to the Kimetsu Academy version of Kyojuro. The passionate History teacher gives his opponent a lecture only to be disappointed when they are disinterested after some time. Kyojuro then rapidly and determinedly writes on the chalkboard so furiously that it causes flames to appear and burn the opponent. Alternatively, if the opponent is actually paying attention, Kyojuro compliments them before offering extra credit, also burning the opponent by writing with his chalk, talking about how interesting history is.

Demonstrations

• Anime
• Manga
• Games

— Flame Breathing — First Form Second Form Third Form Fourth Form Fifth Form Ninth Form

— Flame Breathing — First Form Second Form Fourth Form Fifth Form Ninth Form

— Flame Breathing — Hinokami Chronicles First Form Second Form Third Form Fifth Form Fifth Form, Fiery Roar Ninth Form Hearts Ablaze Fervent Fulmination Jumputi Heroes Fifth Form Ninth Form

Trivia

• It is implied that the reason Flame Breathing (炎 (ほのお) の呼 (こ) 吸 (きゅう) , Honō no kokyū^?) should never be referred to as Fire Breathing (火 (ひ) の呼 (こ) 吸 (きゅう) , Hi no kokyū^?) is because its pronunciation is exactly the same as Sun Breathing (日 (ひ) の呼 (こ) 吸 (きゅう) , Hi no kokyū^?).
• It is implied that Ninth Form: Rengoku can only be performed by members of the Rengoku family, as it was referred to as an "esoteric art" by Kyojuro.
• Third Form: Blazing Universe is an anime-original form, as it was never mentioned nor shown in the manga. This makes Flame Breathing the first Breathing Style to gain at least one anime-original form.
• Whenever the Flame Breathing user performs their techniques, they visualize themselves creating and manipulating orange-and-goldish yellow flames on their weapons, or themselves.
  • Flame Breathing also manifests different styles of fire for each technique: Unknowing Fire forms a long, wide, curved horizontal flame slash; Rising Scorching Sun forms a vertical, circular flaming wheel; Blazing Universe surrounds the sword with massive flames; and Blooming Flame Undulation forms a large, spiraling wall of fire ahead. It is also shown that users can shape their flames into animals, such as a tiger or a Japanese dragon.
• The progenitor of Flame Breathing did not seem to have worn the Kaen-pattern haori, most likely an heirloom of the Rengoku family, that marked the line of Flame Hashira.
• The latest edition of the Flame Hashira Chronicles owned by Shinjuro Rengoku hint at there being 21 Flame Hashira before Shinjuro, with the latest being his direct predecessor.
  • Although the Flame Hashira position has always been occupied by a member of the Rengoku family, it is unknown whether the family had monopolized the title and barred any non-Rengoku Demon Slayer from holding the title or used another means to maintain the unbroken lineage.
• Demons' opinion on being slayed by Flame Breathing and Kyojuro is as follows:
  • "That guy's cool!" - Demon A
  • "Yeah, cool. Like, of course he killed me!" - Demon B
  • "I felt a burden lift." - Demon C
  • "It was refreshing... ...Like a blue sky in summer." - Hakuji (Note: Akaza was not killed by Flame Breathing, but rather committed suicide by attacking himself and refusing to regenerate)
  • "Yup!" - Demon D

The Flame hashira of the Sengoku Era (at the rear right) can be seen to have the same colour hair like the Rengoku Family

• It is heavily implied that as tradition, Flame Breathers, or at least the Rengoku family, all donned a flame-shaped orange, red, and yellow tsuba for their katanas. Both Shinjuro and Kyojuro used the same flame tsuba, the latter donning it since he was a Kinoe. In addition, Senjuro's dud katana and the family's Sengoku era ancestor are also shown to have donned the tsuba.