Summary
- Demon Slayer's Water Breathing techniques showcase the impressive sword skills of Tanjiro and Giyu, adding excitement to battles.
- Water Breathing forms like Whirlpool and Striking Tide require precision and mastery, highlighting the complexities of this unique style.
- The upcoming Infinity Castle trilogy promises to showcase even more powerful Water Breathing forms, leaving fans excited for the future.
Demon Slayer is one of the most popular shonen series right now, and it's easy to see why this is the case. The combination of excellent storytelling in the manga coupled with the anime's stellar animation has helped Demon Slayer become the hottest shonen property around, and fans can't seem to get enough of it. The fact that Demon Slayer: Mugen Train became the highest-grossing movie ever released in Japan is a testament to how much of a massive phenomenon this series is, and one can only imagine the records that Infinity Castle will break when this trilogy comes out in theaters.
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Watching Tanjiro and Giyu utilize their Water Breathing techniques is quite a blast, and many fans can't wait to see how this amazing sword-wielding technique will evolve over time. All forms of Water Breathing in Demon Slayer are powerful in the right hands, taking out most lesser demons without a fuss.
Updated on July 25, 2024, by Ritwik Mitra: Demon Slayer drew many fans in after Tanjiro managed to learn Water Breathing just enough to take out the many heinous demons that stood in his way. This breathing style was an introduction to the many techniques that powerful demon slayers and the legendary Hashira would use to take out their foes. While Tanjiro was a decent practitioner of this style, Giyu's abilities as the Water Hashira made it clear that this breathing style had way more to offer. In the right hands, all forms of Water Breathing will give the strongest demons a run for their money, and fans can't wait to see Giyu shine using this beautiful style during the Infinity Castle film trilogy.
Water Breathing 101
Most people consider Sakonji Urokodaki to be the master of the Water Breathing technique, having taught many notable students, including Tanjiro and the current Water Hashira, Giyu Tomioka. The technique is the most beginner-friendly, which is perhaps why Tanjiro was able to pick up this breathing style without having any knowledge of fighting beforehand.
Tanjiro relies almost exclusively on Water Breathing for the majority of Demon Slayer's first season, allowing him to take care of most tough demons by remembering his teachings and understanding when to pull off the techniques he's learned. While Water Breathing does help Tanjiro out in the early stages, he reaches his limit with this style during his fight against Rui, where the Lower Rank Four demon shows just how hopelessly outclassed the protagonist is.
While this was indicative of the fact that Tanjiro would eventually shift to his natural Hinokami Kagura style sooner rather than later, it in no way proves that Water Breathing is going to become an obsolete breathing technique. If anything, Giyu Tomioka's imposing presence in the series has made it clear that this Demon Slayer will be utilizing the full potential of all Water Breathing forms when things take a turn for the worse.
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|
Form |
Name |
Summary |
|---|---|---|
|
First Form |
Water Surface Slash |
A powerful concentrated slash |
|
Second Form |
Water Wheel |
A spinning vertical sword slash in midair. It was improved by Tanjiro by incorporating a horizontal sword slash |
|
Third Form |
Flowing Dance |
The user moves and bends their body like a dancer while attacking with their sword in one fluid motion |
|
Fourth Form |
Striking Tide |
A move similar to the first one with multiple consecutive slices. It was improved by Tanjiro by unleashing more strikes with greater accuracy |
|
Fifth Form |
Blessed Rain After the Drought |
A painless attack meant to decapitate enemies, giving them a graceful death |
|
Sixth Form |
Whirlpool |
A twirling strike where the user spins their entire body like a whirlpool. It was improved by Tanjiro by combining the movements of Flowing Dance with this technique |
|
Seventh Form |
Drop Ripple Thrust |
A quick and accurate stab meant to slow down the momentum of anyone or anything. It was improved by Tanjiro by tilting the angle of the stab and completely halting said momentum |
|
Eighth Form |
Waterfall Basin |
A downward slash that is more effective with the appropriate momentum |
|
Ninth Form |
Splashing Water Flow, Turbulent |
A footwork technique that allows users to land and launch off surfaces without taking too much time or effort |
|
Tenth Form |
Constant Flux |
A continuous flowing attack that becomes deadlier by generating more speed and momentum |
|
Eleventh Form |
Dead Calm |
The user becomes calm as water while countering any attack with incredible speed and finesse |
11 First Form: Water Surface Slash
A Powerful Concentrated Slash
- Manga Debut: Chapter 7
- Anime Debut: Episode 4
The first form of Water Breathing is also the most simple of the lot. This is the case with most breathing techniques, whose first forms tend to be simple attacks meant to kickstart a tidal wave of onslaughts.
First Form: Water Surface Slash is a simple yet powerful move that can serve as a great opener in battle. The user puts all their power into a single concentrated slash that easily decapitates most lesser enemies.
10 Second Form: Water Wheel
A Spinning Vertical Sword Slash Midair, Improved By Incorporating A Horizontal Sword Slash
- Manga Debut: Chapter 6
- Anime Debut: Episode 4
The second form of Water Breathing is a pretty smooth and devastating attack that is a perfect tool against a powerful demon. It involves the user jumping and spinning in the air, carrying out a vertical sword slash in the process.
Not only is this move quite effective, but it also looks pretty dazzling in execution. It offers a taste of how graceful and amazing Water Breathing really is.
Second Form: Improved, Lateral Water Wheel
Tanjiro expanded on this move to make it more usable in battle. Instead of a vertical slash, Tanjiro uses a horizontal one to attack an enemy from a different angle.
It's indicative of how talented Tanjiro is and displays his latent potential. If he's already this adept at using Water Breathing, then he can shine even brighter with a breathing style that comes naturally to him.
9 Third Form: Flowing Dance
The User Moves And Bends Their Body Like A Dancer While Attacking With Their Sword In One Fluid Motion
- Manga Debut: Chapter 16
- Anime Debut: Episode 9
From the third form onwards, fans will notice just how smooth and beautiful this Water Breathing technique is. It's fittingly called the Flowing Dance and looks breathtaking when in motion.
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In this form, the user twists and bends their body like a dancer while unleashing a powerful attack with their weapon. If executed properly, it can slice and dice through most enemies with relative ease while also looking fairly graceful to boot.
8 Fourth Form: Striking Tide
Multiple Consecutive Slices, Improved By Unleashing More Strikes With Greater Accuracy
- Manga Debut: Chapter 6
- Anime Debut: Episode 4
The fourth form of the Water Breathing technique can be considered to be an extension of the Flowing Dance. However, instead of a solitary attack, the fourth form involves a multitude of blows instead.
Unleashing consecutive attacks in this motion requires immense mastery of Water Breathing as a whole. Tanjiro put in a lot of work to hone his swordsmanship skills so he could fight against the demons who took his family from him, preventing other innocents from sharing the same fate.
Striking Tide, Turbulent
There's an improved version of this attack that sees the user increase the number of slashes while simultaneously maintaining a greater degree of accuracy. This technique is perfect for fighting in a chaotic battle.
A ton of focus is involved while increasing the ferocity of this attack. A single lapse in judgment can lead to users getting lost in the chaos, leaving themselves wide open for a fatal hit.
7 Fifth Form: Blessed Rain After The Drought
A Painless Attack Meant To Decapitate Enemies, Giving Them A Graceful Death
- Manga Debut: Chapter 31
- Anime Debut: Episode 16
The Water Breathing technique is known for being elegant and graceful. This extends to its moves and the mercy that can be given with the same.
The fifth form accomplished exactly that. Called the Blessed Rain After the Drought, it's an attack meant to decapitate enemies without causing any pain, which allows enemies who have surrendered to die a graceful death without feeling any unnecessary pain.
6 Sixth Form: Whirlpool
A Twirling Strike Where The User Spins Their Entire Body Like A Whirlpool
- Manga Debut: Chapter 12
- Anime Debut: Episode 7
Given the name of Water Breathing's sixth form, its function should be obvious. The user of this move twists their body around and creates a whirlpool that will lacerate anyone within range.
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The efficiency of this move is further enhanced if the user is underwater. It's one of the most thematically fitting moves in this Breathing Style.
Whirlpool, Flow
Just like the Water Wheel, this move was also innovated and improved upon by Tanjiro. He combined the footwork of Flowing Dance along with the twists and turns required to execute the Whirlpool technique in order to perform a devastating attack.
This move is so powerful that it can even deflect projectiles. Only the most skilled Water Breathing users have the faintest chance of pulling this advanced technique off, which makes it quite impressive that Tanjiro was able to pull off such a complex technique even though Water Breathing wasn't his natural style.
5 Seventh Form: Drop Ripple Thrust
A Quick And Accurate Stab Meant To Slow Down The Momentum Of Anyone Or Anything
- Manga Debut: Chapter 16
- Anime Debut: Episode 9
Given all the fancy move sets that have been discussed above, the seventh form of Water Breathing seems rather tame in comparison. It's a quick and accurate stab that is able to reduce anyone's — or anything's — momentum if they're hit by it.
There's another upgraded version of this form called Drop Ripple Thrust, Curve. Here, the user must nail the angle of the stab so that they can completely stop the momentum of a moving object.
4 Eighth Form: Waterfall Basin
A Downward Slash That Is More Effective With The Appropriate Momentum
- Manga Debut: Chapter 10
- Anime Debut: Episode 6
The eighth form of Water Breathing uses an opponent's momentum against them. It releases a downward slash that can easily decapitate enemies if executed properly.
Waterfall Basin is particularly effective when the user is falling downwards. This allows them to generate maximum force behind their attacks for a devastating slash.
3 Ninth Form: Splashing Water Flow, Turbulent
A Footwork Technique That Allows Users To Land And Launch Off Surfaces Without Taking Too Much Time Or Effort
- Manga Debut: Chapter 25
- Anime Debut: Episode 13
During his fight against Kyogai, Tanjiro found himself at a disadvantage due to the revolving room where he had to fight this powerful demon. However, in a bid to work around this lack of footholds, Tanjiro unleashed a devastating attack that took advantage of Kyogai's power.
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He unleashed the Splashing Water Flow, Turbulent technique, which allowed him to deliver powerful slashes without having to stay still on the ground for too long. This complex footwork is hard to execute, but Tanjiro's zeal allowed him to get the better of his foe and deliver a fatal slash that decided the victor of the battle once and for all.
2 Tenth Form: Constant Flux
A Continuous Flowing Attack That Becomes Deadlier By Generating More Speed And Momentum
- Manga Debut: Chapter 39
- Anime Debut: Episode 19
One of the coolest Water Breathing techniques was pulled off by Tanjiro in his fight against the psychotic Rui. After being pushed to his limits, Tanjiro unveiled his powerful Constant Flux technique. This tenth form allows users to execute a continuous flowing attack, taking on the form of a water dragon as they do so. Each consecutive sword slice became more and more powerful due to the force of the momentum that increased with each rotation.
However, even this technique wasn't enough for Tanjiro to tackle Rui, and it was only after he remembered his father's Hinokami Kagura dance that he channeled enough power into this movement and cut Rui's blood-powered threads and left him open for a finishing blow. He may not have landed this attack, but this display of power showed Tanjiro's potential as one of the most powerful demon slayers of all time.