Demon Slayer: The 23 Best Breathing Techniques (& Who Can Use Them) (2024)

Demon Slayer is easily one of the biggest and most popular shonen series of all time, which is certainly surprising given how short the series has been. The amazing adaptation of this series by Ufotable has certainly lit the spark for this series' popularity, with the movie Demon Slayer: Mugen Train establishing itself as the highest-grossing Japanese movie of all time.

A big part of what makes the combat in Demon Slayer so enthralling to watch is its various breathing techniques, with each notable Demon Slayer specializing in a particular breathing technique that allows them to pull off some truly fantastic and amazing moves. The strongest breathing styles in Demon Slayer feature a wealth of powerful techniques that, when executed correctly, can bring the fight to the toughest demons and give them a run for their money.

Updated on June 15, 2024 by Ritwik Mitra: With Demon Slayer's Hashira Training arc drawing to a close with one of the most tantalizing cliffhangers in anime history, fans can't wait to check out the trilogy of films that will do justice to the Infinity Castle arc and help Demon Slayer end on a strong note. This series has captured the mainstream in a way no one could've imagined, with Ufotable's stellar animation work going a long way in ensuring that people get to enjoy some fabulous fight sequences as the titular demon slayers put everything on the line to ensure that humanity doesn't need to be afraid of these heinous demons that have tormented them time and time again. There are numerous abilities that stem from some of the strongest breathing styles in Demon Slayer and can give fans a run for their money.

23 *Water Breathing - Ninth Form: Splashing Water Flow, Turbulent

Sakonji Urokodaki, Giyu Tomioka, Tanjiro Kamado

Water Breathing is one of the most beautiful and strongest breathing styles in Demon Slayer, with Tanjiro relying on a style that didn't naturally suit him to somehow defeat a suite of powerful demons, including a former Lower Rank who did everything possible to take him out. Kyogai was no joke, and Tanjiro had to whip out some of his toughest techniques to ensure that this demon could be stopped for good.

With the revolving room making it hard for him to maintain his footing, Tanjiro decided to use the Ninth Form of Water Breathing which emphasized constant movement and helped him use the lack of footing to his advantage. He closed the distance to Kyogai and avoided his attacks before landing a finishing blow and stopping this demon in his tracks once and for all.

22 *Moon Breathing - Ninth Form: Waning Moonswaths

Kokushibo/Michikatsu Tsugikuni

Watching Kokushibo use his Moon Breathing style in Demon Slayer is going to be an absolute treat for fans, especially given the fact that he was originally Yoriichi's sibling who couldn't fathom the gulf of power between him and his sickly brother. It pushed him down a dark path where he became a demon for the sole purpose of eclipsing his brother's strength and legacy.

Kokushibo boasts one of the strongest breathing styles in Demon Slayer, with the addition of demon powers adding actual crescent moon blades to his attacks that make them even harder to deal with. Such is the case with this technique's Ninth Form, which unleashes multiple sword slashes that can be a pain for any fighter to deal with.

21 *Hinokami Kagura - Fake Rainbow

Yoriichi Tsugikuni, Tanjiro Kamado

Hinokami Kagura is easily one of the strongest breathing styles in Demon Slayer, and the proof can be seen in Muzan's reaction to Tanjiro's mere existence. The Demon King had never felt true fear until Yoriichi almost managed to take out his five hearts in one fell swoop despite his aging body. This makes it clear that each and every technique in the Sun Breathing style will be a treat to witness for fans of the series.

Even something as simple as the Fake Rainbow is diabolical in the right hands, with the user leaving an afterimage of themselves that bamboozles enemies. Given how split-second reactions can make or break a fight in Demon Slayer, it's easy to see why catching a powerful demon unawares with this technique can leave them open for a quick counterattack that can leave them headless in record time.

20 Moon Breathing — Fourteenth Form: Catastrophe, Tenman Crescent Moon

Kokushibo/Michikatsu Tsugikuni

Kokushibo is one of the most heinous villains in the series, and it's clear that his power is off the charts. This can be seen in his Moon Breathing technique, which is quite powerful and is further enhanced by his abilities as a demon.

The Fourteenth Form of this technique is quite powerful in its own right, creating a damaging vortex using the larger version of his dangerous blade. This technique has a wide range that can absolutely decimate anything in its path.

19 Hinokami Kagura — Flame Dance

Yoriichi Tsugikuni, Tanjiro Kamado

Hinokami Kagura, also known as Sun Breathing, is easily one of the strongest Breathing Styles in the series by a wide margin. It's the Breathing Style that served as the base for every other style in the series, which is no mean feat.

Flame Dance is one of the many useful and powerful moves that Tanjiro can pull off while using this Breathing Style. It's a simple attack that combines a vertical and horizontal slash to great effect.

18 Thunder Breathing — First Form: Thunderclap and Flash - Godspeed

Jigoro Kuwajima, Zenitsu Agatsuma

Zenitsu is one of the most beloved characters in the series. Despite seeming like a character who exists solely for comic relief, he's actually a prodigy who mastered the first form of Thunder Breathing and can use it effectively to tackle even the strongest enemies around.

This First Form is something that Zenitsu has worked on quite a bit, allowing him to build up on this technique and completely obliterate most opponents in the blink of an eye. The variation of this technique, Godspeed, is even faster and more deadly.

17 Beast Breathing — Tenth Fang: Whirling Fangs

Inosuke Hashibira

Inosuke is another entertaining character who hides his face at all times despite looking quite pretty. He uses Beast Breathing, a crazy and erratic Breathing Style that turns Inosuke into a beast-like swordsman who slices and dices anything in his path.

The forms of this style are called Fangs, with each one of them being quite effective in its own right. The Tenth Fang: Whirling Fangs serves as an attack that is both offensive and defensive in nature, with Inosuke spinning rapidly to deflect any ranged projectiles while also cutting up any demon unlucky enough to get in his way.

16 Moon Breathing — Tenth Form: Drilling Slashes, Moon Through Bamboo Leaves

Kokushibo/Michikatsu Tsugikuni

Fans can't wait to see Moon Breathing in the anime, given how awe-inspiring its techniques look in action. No other move personifies this best than the Tenth Form: Drilling Slashes, Moon Through Bamboo Leaves.

Kokushibo's sword can increase in size to make his attacks more potent, allowing him to use this form that involves a massive triple-layered slash. It covers a ton of range and can easily obliterate anyone caught in its way.

15 Love Breathing — Sixth Form: Cat-Legged Winds of Love

Mitsuri Kanroji

The Love Hashira is easily one of the most unique characters in the show. After all, what person isn't confused about the mechanics of Love Breathing and how it would aid someone in battle?

In the manga, Mitsuri has already shown the power of Love Breathing to full effect. Her sixth form is the most powerful of the lot, featuring an extended slashing attack that happens in the blink of an eye and deals massive damage.

14 Serpent Breathing — Fifth Form: Slithering Serpent

Obanai Iguro

Given how flexible a snake is, it's only a given that Serpent Breathing would incorporate this movement as well. This is precisely what Obanai Iguro manages to accomplish with his unique blade.

The Fifth Form of Serpent Breathing that he uses is great for both crowd control and solitary enemies. It curves the user's sword and lets them attack multiple targets at once with ease.

13 Stone Breathing — Fifth Form: Arcs of Justice

Gyomei Himejima

Stone Breathing is considered to be the strongest Breathing Style in Demon Slayer. However, its techniques are not as impressive as the raw power behind them.

The strongest Fifth Form of this Breathing Technique uses the flail and axe used in this fighting style to great effect. The user starts off with a powerful axe attack that is followed up by a subsequent flail smash that can easily decimate most opponents.

12 Hinokami Kagura — Dragon Sun Halo Head Dance

Yoriichi Tsugikuni, Tanjiro Kamado

Main character Tanjiro's Sun Breathing is poised to change the entire dynamic of Demon Slayer, allowing him to finally stand toe-to-toe with the strongest demons in the series. The taste of Sun Breathing that fans have enjoyed in the show has been a blast, and manga readers can't wait to see some of the most powerful moves in this breathing technique finally see the light of day.

The Dragon Sun Halo Head Dance is one such move that will be quite amazing to witness. This continuous attack takes on the shape of a dragon and absolutely destroys most enemies in its path.

11 Water Breathing — Tenth Form: Constant Flux

Tanjiro Kamado, Giyu Tomioka

Water Breathing is one of the most visually striking breathing styles in Demon Slayer. Watching Tanjiro whip out various techniques from this breathing style to beat down powerful opponents made for some of the best moments in the first season.

The most powerful Water Breathing form he knew was whipped out in a battle against Rui, where he used the movements of Constant Flux to cut through Rui's attacks and maintain a balance of offense and defense. It was an amazing move that Tomioka has also showcased in the manga.

10 Flower Breathing — Final Form: Equinoctial Vermilion Eye

Kanao Tsuyuri

Kanao has yet to show her power in the anime, but this powerful Demon Slayer has already proved her worth and more with her Flower Breathing technique, which is equal parts beautiful and powerful.

The final form of her Flower Breathing technique — the Equinoctial Vermilion Eye — is truly in a class of its own, allowing the user to pretty much slow down the flow of time by pushing their eyes to the max. However, overusing this technique can cause massive strain on one's eyes, with Kanao being rendered blind in her right eye after the fight against Doma.

9 Flame Breathing — Ninth Form: Rengoku

Kyojuro Rengoku

Kyojuro Rengoku was one of the most powerful Demon Slayers of all time and a person worthy of the title, the Flame Hashira. It's his buoyant and cheerful personality that made his demise at the hands of Akaza all the more painful to watch.

His Flame Breathing technique was truly a spectacle to see in action, with his ninth form, Rengoku — a specialty of the Rengoku family — standing out in particular. Unfortunately, his power wasn't enough to defeat Akaza, who ended up getting the better of him during their all-out battle.

8 Thunder Breathing — Seventh Form: Honoikazuchi No Kami

Zenitsu Agatsuma

Zenitsu is a character who seems destined for failure - that is until his unconscious self ends up taking over. This allows him to utilize an extremely powerful version of the Thunder Breathing's first form that obliterates any enemy in his path.

His most useful technique is Honoikazuchi no Kami — a technique created by Zenitsu himself that is incredibly powerful and requires so much speed that Zenitsu's haori is completely ripped to shreds during its execution.

7 Mist Breathing — Seventh Form: Obscuring Clouds

Muichiro Tokito

A move that ends up forming an illusion that can be truly deadly in battle, Obscuring Clouds is a move devised by the Mist Hashira, Muichiro Tokito himself. This ultimate Mist Breathing technique can completely bamboozle and decimate enemies when executed correctly.

With this move, Muichiro pretty much disappears in a cloud of mist that's created by his own movements. His speed is deceptively fast, with the Mist Hashira being able to fool enemies into thinking that he's moving slowly... when, in reality, he's just moving so fast that their eyes can't even perceive his movements.

6 Water Breathing — Eleventh Form: Dead Calm

Giyu Tomioka

Watching Giyu pull off his self-made ultimate Water Breathing technique against Rui in the anime was a breathtaking moment that showcased the power of Water Hashira for everyone to see.

The idea of instilling the calmness of a body of water in one's being sounds like the hardest thing in the world. Even so, it's the manner in which Giyu manages to pull off this technique with an incredible level of finesse that makes him such a powerful Demon Slayer.

5 Insect Breathing — Dance of the Centipede: Hundred-Legged Zigzag

Shinobu Kocho

Shinobu Kocho is easily one of the most powerful Hashira in Demon Slayer, and the fact that her techniques look so beautiful during their execution makes her even more of a daunting figure in the series.

Her ultimate attack, Dance of the Centipede: Hundred-Legged Zigzag, is truly a sight to behold. It has Shinobu launching herself at full force to confuse the enemy with her erratic running before putting all her effort into a stab that is so powerful that it could even destroy a wooden bridge, as per Doma's observations.

4 Moon Breathing — Sixteenth Form: Moonbow - Half Moon

Kokushibo/Michikatsu Tsugikuni

Kokushibo is one of the most powerful Demons around. But what makes his power all the more immense is the fact that he makes use of the Moon Breathing technique during his fights. This makes it so that the highest-ranking member of the Twelve Kizuki into an absolute nightmare to fight in battle.

His Moon Breathing's sixteenth form, Moonbow - Half Moon, is especially lethal. Downward crescent slashes along with the power of his Blood Demon Art end up causing damage around a wide area to the point where full-blown craters are formed at the point of impact. A truly terrifying ability that sets him apart from most in the series.