All Breathing Styles and Their Users, Explained
Breathing Styles are the foundation of every Demon Slayer's combat technique — a way of controlling one's breath to unlock strength far beyond a normal human. Here is a rundown of every major style shown in the anime and the characters who use it.
Practice what you learn in Technique Guessr
Play now →The Origin: Sun Breathing
Every Breathing Style used by the Demon Slayer Corps ultimately descends from Sun Breathing, developed over a thousand years ago by Yoriichi Tsugikuni, widely regarded as the strongest Demon Slayer in history. Sun Breathing is uniquely capable of inflicting lasting damage on Muzan Kibutsuji himself, which is why Muzan has spent centuries trying to erase every trace of it.
Tanjiro Kamado inherits a descendant of Sun Breathing through his family's Hinokami Kagura, a dance passed down through the Kamado household that turns out to share its exact movements with Yoriichi's original style.
Water Breathing and Its Derivatives
Water Breathing, taught to Tanjiro by his mentor Sakonji Urokodaki, emphasises fluid, adaptable forms suited to a wide range of situations, making it the style most commonly taught to new Demon Slayer Corps recruits. Giyu Tomioka, the Water Hashira, represents the style at its most refined.
Several derivative styles branch from Water Breathing, most notably Insect Breathing, developed by Shinobu Kocho specifically to compensate for her inability to physically decapitate a demon — trading raw cutting power for poison-based precision.
Flame, Sound, Wind, and Stone
Flame Breathing, used by Kyojuro Rengoku and his father Shinjuro before him, channels aggressive, high-heat sword forms passed down through the Rengoku family for generations. Sound Breathing, developed by Tengen Uzui from his family's ninjutsu background, translates rhythm and explosive timing into devastating strikes.
Wind Breathing, wielded by Sanemi Shinazugawa, favours relentless, overwhelming offence, while Stone Breathing, used by Gyomei Himejima, is built around defensive power and sheer physical mass — a style suited to the single strongest Hashira in the anime.
Mist, Love, Serpent, and Beast
Mist Breathing, used by Muichiro Tokito, emphasises misdirection and precision cuts that are difficult for an opponent to track. Love Breathing, Mitsuri Kanroji's own derivative style, is built to make full use of her unique physiology, favouring flexible, whip-like sword movements.
Serpent Breathing, used by Obanai Iguro, incorporates constricting, coiling motions inspired by his snake companion Kaburamaru. Beast Breathing, self-taught by Inosuke Hashibira in the wild without any formal instruction, is unusually intuitive and adaptive, built around dual swords and an instinct-driven fighting sense.
Thunder Breathing and Moon Breathing
Thunder Breathing, taught to Zenitsu Agatsuma by Jigoro Kuwajima, is famous for its First Form, Thunderclap and Flash — a single, blindingly fast strike that Zenitsu perfects to the exclusion of every other form in the style.
Moon Breathing sits apart from the rest: it is the corrupted demon counterpart to Sun Breathing, developed and used exclusively by Kokushibo, Upper Moon One, drawing on the swordsmanship he never abandoned even after becoming a demon.