Most Underused Breathing Styles In Demon Slayer 2026

What are the most underused breathing styles in Demon Slayer? The most criminally underused breathing styles in Demon Slayer are Flame, Moon, Flower, Sound, Serpent, and Love Breathing, each limited by character deaths, retirements, or minimal screen time despite having incredible potential for storytelling and battle sequences.

After watching Demon Slayer multiple times and diving deep into the manga, I’ve become increasingly frustrated with how many fascinating breathing styles got sidelined throughout the series. With Demon Slayer’s historic gaming return bringing renewed interest to the franchise in March 2026, I’m sharing my comprehensive analysis of these underutilized techniques that deserved so much more attention.

Breathing Style	Why It’s Underused	Potential Impact
Flame Breathing	Rengoku’s early death	Could rival Sun Breathing
Moon Breathing	Exclusive to demon Kokushibo	Most powerful after Sun
Flower Breathing	Kanae died pre-series	Beautiful visual techniques
Sound Breathing	Tengen’s retirement	Unique explosive combat
Serpent Breathing	Limited showcase	Distinctive sword mechanics
Love Breathing	Mitsuri sidelined	Acrobatic flexibility

Understanding Breathing Styles and Their Wasted Potential

Before I dive into the specific underused styles, let me address something that’s bothered me and countless fans since learning the truth about breathing techniques. According to creator Koyoharu Gotouge’s official statement in Volume 17, the visual effects we see – the water, flames, and lightning – aren’t actually real. As someone who’s played countless anime games where these effects deal actual elemental damage, this revelation felt like a massive missed opportunity.

The community’s reaction has been overwhelmingly negative to this explanation. I’ve seen hundreds of Reddit discussions where fans argue, quite reasonably, that in a world with demons, magical swords, and superhuman abilities, making the breathing style effects real wouldn’t break immersion – it would enhance the battles significantly. This creative decision particularly impacts how we view underused styles, as their visual spectacle becomes their only distinguishing feature rather than unique elemental properties.

The Hierarchy Problem

My biggest issue with Demon Slayer’s breathing style system is how it creates an inherent hierarchy that sidelines most techniques. Sun Breathing sits at the apex as the original form, with five main derivatives: Water, Flame, Thunder, Stone, and Wind. Everything else branches from these, creating a perception that derivative styles are inherently inferior. This hierarchy, combined with the single-user limitation for many styles, guarantees that most breathing techniques will remain underexplored.

Flame Breathing – The Tragedy of Lost Potential

Flame Breathing represents the most heartbreaking case of wasted potential in the entire series. As one of the five original breathing styles derived directly from Sun Breathing, it should have been a cornerstone technique throughout Demon Slayer’s narrative. Instead, I watched it vanish after the Mugen Train arc, taking with it nine distinct forms that we barely got to witness.

Rengoku’s Limited Showcase

Kyojuro Rengoku demonstrated only five of Flame Breathing’s nine forms during his battle with Akaza, and even then, we saw most techniques just once. The forms we witnessed included:

• First Form: Unknowing Fire – A singular horizontal slash with devastating power
• Second Form: Rising Scorching Sun – An upward arcing slash creating a flame trail
• Fourth Form: Blooming Flame Undulation – A circular defensive technique
• Fifth Form: Flame Tiger – Creates a flaming tiger projection during combat
• Ninth Form: Rengoku – The ultimate technique creating a dragon-shaped flame devastation

What frustrates me most is that we never saw Forms Three, Six, Seven, or Eight. These missing techniques represent lost storytelling opportunities and combat variety that could have enriched the series significantly. In the gaming world, particularly in titles like Slayers Unleashed, Flame Breathing techniques are among the most sought-after abilities, showing how much the fanbase craves more content around this style.

The Rengoku Family Legacy

The true tragedy extends beyond Kyojuro’s death. The Rengoku family held centuries of Flame Breathing knowledge, documented in detailed texts that Tanjiro briefly studied. Shinjuro Rengoku, Kyojuro’s father, possessed mastery over all nine forms but abandoned his position as Flame Hashira after learning about Sun Breathing’s superiority. This abandonment meant two generations of Flame Breathing masters effectively removed from active duty, leaving the style without any practitioners.

I find it particularly frustrating that Senjuro, Kyojuro’s younger brother, lacked the physical capabilities to master Flame Breathing despite his determination. This plot point ensures Flame Breathing dies with the Rengoku family, making it the only original breathing style to completely vanish from the Demon Slayer Corps’ active roster.

Moon Breathing – The Forbidden Ultimate Technique

Moon Breathing stands as perhaps the most powerful breathing style we never truly got to appreciate, primarily because its sole user, Kokushibo, had been transformed into a demon for centuries. As Michikatsu Tsugikuni, Yoriichi’s twin brother, he developed Moon Breathing as a direct attempt to replicate Sun Breathing, making it technically the strongest derivative style in existence.

The Sixteen Forms We Barely Witnessed

What makes Moon Breathing’s underutilization particularly painful is that it contains sixteen forms – more than any other breathing style in the series. During Kokushibo’s battle in the Infinity Castle arc, I noticed how each technique created crescent moon blades that could change trajectory mid-flight, a unique mechanic that no other breathing style replicated. The forms we glimpsed included:

• First Form: Dark Moon, Evening Palace – Horizontal crescent slashes
• Fifth Form: Moon Spirit Calamitous Eddy – Layered crescent blade storm
• Sixth Form: Perpetual Night, Lonely Moon – Ground-traveling slashes
• Fourteenth Form: Catastrophe, Tenman Crescent Moon – Omnidirectional crescent assault
• Sixteenth Form: Moonbow, Half Moon – Six-strike downward barrage

The sheer complexity and visual spectacle of Moon Breathing makes its limitation to a single demon user feel like a massive waste. In my opinion, this style could have supported an entire arc exploring its techniques and the tragic rivalry between the Tsugikuni brothers. Games like Aether Adventure have attempted to capture this complexity, but even they can only scratch the surface of what we missed.

The Demon Enhancement Factor

What’s particularly interesting about Moon Breathing is how Kokushibo’s demon physiology enhanced the style beyond its original design. His ability to generate crescent blades from his flesh and weaponize his blood created combinations impossible for human practitioners. This raises fascinating questions about what Moon Breathing looked like in its pure, human-usable form – questions the series never answers.

Flower Breathing – Beauty Cut Short

Flower Breathing represents one of the most visually stunning yet tragically underexplored breathing styles in Demon Slayer. Derived from Water Breathing, this graceful technique emphasizes fluid movements that mimic blooming flowers, creating some of the most beautiful combat choreography I’ve seen in anime.

Kanae’s Lost Legacy

The previous Flower Hashira, Kanae Kocho, died before the series even began, taking with her the full mastery of this breathing style. Her death at Doma’s hands meant we never got to see Flower Breathing at its peak potential. From what I’ve gathered through flashbacks and brief mentions, Kanae had developed the style to incorporate aspects of agility and observation that made it uniquely suited for combat against Upper Rank demons.

Kanao Tsuyuri inherited Flower Breathing but struggled with its execution due to her emotional suppression early in the series. Even when she finally mastered the technique, we only saw a handful of forms:

• Second Form: Honorable Shadow Plum – Defensive rotating slashes
• Fourth Form: Crimson Hanagoromo – Curved sword slash creating flower petals
• Fifth Form: Peonies of Futility – Nine consecutive attacks targeting vital points
• Sixth Form: Whirling Peach – Evasive spinning technique
• Final Form: Equinoctial Vermillion Eye – Dangerous perception enhancement

The Visual Spectacle We Missed

What frustrates me most about Flower Breathing’s underutilization is the missed opportunity for visual storytelling. The anime’s brief showcases of this style created some of the most memorable scenes, with pink petals flowing through combat sequences. Imagine if we’d gotten a full arc exploring all seven forms, showing how this graceful style could stand toe-to-toe with the more aggressive breathing techniques.

Sound Breathing – Explosive Potential Retired Too Soon

Tengen Uzui’s Sound Breathing might be the most unique breathing style in the entire series, and its early retirement after the Entertainment District arc feels like a creative crime. As someone who’s analyzed countless anime fighting styles, I’ve rarely seen a technique that combines swordsmanship with literal explosive combat and musical rhythm theory.

The Musical Combat System

What sets Sound Breathing apart is its foundation in musical theory and explosive ninjutsu. Tengen developed this style by combining his shinobi training with Thunder Breathing principles, creating something entirely unprecedented. The style uses explosive beads attached to his dual Nichirin cleavers, creating shockwaves that disorient demons while dealing massive area damage.

We only witnessed three of Sound Breathing’s five forms:

• First Form: Roar – Explosive ground slam creating thunder-like echoes
• Fourth Form: Constant Resounding Slashes – Rapid explosive strikes in succession
• Fifth Form: String Performance – Spinning technique with chained explosions

The fact that we never saw the Second and Third Forms drives me crazy. Based on the pattern of the techniques we did see, these missing forms likely contained unique applications of sound and explosive combinations that could have expanded our understanding of creative breathing style development. Fighting games have tried to fill this gap by creating theoretical movesets, but it’s not the same as official content.

The Score Technique Mystery

Tengen’s unique “Musical Score” technique, which allowed him to read opponent’s movements like sheet music and find openings in their rhythm, barely got explored. After analyzing countless battle systems in games, I recognize this as one of the most innovative combat mechanics in shonen anime. The premature retirement of Sound Breathing meant this fascinating concept never reached its full potential.

Serpent Breathing – The Twisted Blade Style

Obanai Iguro’s Serpent Breathing showcases perhaps the most unusual swordsmanship in Demon Slayer, yet it remains criminally underexplored. Using a twisted blade that resembles a snake’s movement, this style creates unpredictable attack patterns that should have revolutionized how we think about sword combat in anime.

The Unique Weapon Factor

What makes Serpent Breathing fascinating is its reliance on a specially designed serpentine blade. Unlike standard Nichirin swords, Obanai’s weapon features wave-like indentations that create unique cutting angles impossible with straight blades. In my experience with weapon-based combat systems in games like Rogue Demon, unconventional weapons often provide the most interesting gameplay mechanics – something Serpent Breathing could have exemplified.

The five forms we witnessed include:

• First Form: Winding Serpent Slash – Rotating horizontal slash
• Second Form: Venom Fangs of the Narrow Head – Straight thrust from unusual angles
• Third Form: Coil Choke – Constricting curved slashes
• Fourth Form: Twin-Headed Reptile – Dual directional attack
• Fifth Form: Slithering Serpent – Ground-level curved dash

Kaburamaru’s Untapped Potential

One aspect that particularly bothers me is how Obanai’s snake companion, Kaburamaru, never truly integrated into the breathing style’s combat applications. The potential for synchronized attacks between swordsman and serpent could have created unprecedented combination techniques. Instead, Kaburamaru mainly served as Obanai’s vision aid, a massive waste of narrative potential.

Love Breathing – Flexibility and Power Sidelined

Mitsuri Kanroji’s Love Breathing represents one of the most creative adaptations of a breathing style, yet it suffered from severe underutilization throughout the series. Derived from Flame Breathing, Love Breathing transforms the rigid, powerful movements into flowing, whip-like techniques that take advantage of Mitsuri’s unique muscle density and flexibility.

The Whip-Sword Innovation

Love Breathing’s signature weapon – a whip-like Nichirin sword – should have revolutionized combat in Demon Slayer. The blade’s ability to extend and curve mid-strike creates attack ranges and angles that no demon could properly defend against. From my analysis of weapon variety in anime fighters, this kind of unique weapon design typically becomes a fan favorite, yet Love Breathing barely got its moment to shine.

The six forms of Love Breathing we saw were:

• First Form: Shivers of First Love – Extended whip slash
• Second Form: Love Pangs – Prolonged whipping barrage
• Third Form: Catlove Shower – Leaping downward strikes
• Fifth Form: Swaying Love, Wildclaw – Somersaulting attack without sword use
• Sixth Form: Cat-Legged Winds of Love – Defensive spiral slashing

Notice that we never saw the Fourth Form? This missing technique haunts me because, based on the progression of other forms, it likely contained a crucial mid-range combat application that would have completed Love Breathing’s tactical arsenal.

Physical Requirements and Limitations

What makes Love Breathing’s underuse particularly frustrating is its unique physical requirements. Mitsuri’s muscle density – eight times that of a normal human – made her the only person capable of wielding this style effectively. This exclusivity meant Love Breathing would die with her, making its limited showcase even more tragic. The series never explored whether modified versions could work for normal humans or if the style could inspire new derivative techniques.

Community Perspectives and Gaming Applications

After spending countless hours in Demon Slayer community discussions and playing various game adaptations, I’ve noticed overwhelming frustration about these underused breathing styles. The community consistently expresses disappointment that techniques with such visual appeal and combat potential got sidelined for narrative convenience.

The Gaming Renaissance

Interestingly, video games have started addressing this gap. Titles in the Demon Slayer gaming universe are expanding on these underused styles, giving players chances to explore techniques the anime and manga barely touched. This gaming expansion proves there’s massive demand for deeper breathing style content.

In games like the upcoming Demon Slayer titles and Roblox adaptations, I’ve seen developers creating expanded movesets for underused breathing styles. These games often invent the missing forms (like Flame Breathing’s Third Form or Love Breathing’s Fourth Form) based on logical progression from existing techniques. While not canon, these interpretations show what we could have had if the series properly explored each style.

Fan Theories and Expansions

The community has developed elaborate theories about the unseen forms and potential evolution of underused breathing styles. I’ve read fascinating discussions about how Flame Breathing’s missing forms might have contained long-range fire projectiles or area-denial techniques. Similarly, fans theorize that Serpent Breathing could have included poison-mimicking techniques or forms that utilize Kaburamaru directly.

These fan expansions demonstrate the creative potential these underused styles possessed. When your community is this invested in expanding lore around techniques that barely appeared, it’s clear the source material missed significant opportunities. The same passion drives players to seek out multiplayer gaming experiences where they can finally explore these concepts.

The Lasting Impact of Underutilization

Looking back at Demon Slayer’s complete narrative, the underutilization of these breathing styles represents more than just missed action sequences – it’s a fundamental storytelling weakness that limited the series’ world-building potential. Each breathing style could have supported entire character arcs, training sequences, and philosophical explorations about the nature of combat and human potential.

The decision to limit most breathing styles to single users created an artificial scarcity that hurt the narrative. Imagine if Flame Breathing had multiple practitioners with different interpretations, or if Moon Breathing techniques had been partially preserved and studied by the Demon Slayer Corps. These possibilities could have enriched the world tremendously.

As someone deeply invested in both anime storytelling and gaming adaptations, I see the underuse of these breathing styles as Demon Slayer’s biggest missed opportunity. The visual spectacle, combat variety, and character development potential locked within Flame, Moon, Flower, Sound, Serpent, and Love Breathing could have elevated an already excellent series to legendary status.

With Demon Slayer’s continued popularity and expansion into gaming, I hope future content – whether games, spin-offs, or additional materials – will finally give these underused breathing styles the attention they deserve. Until then, we’re left imagining what could have been if these beautiful, unique combat forms had received proper exploration in the source material.

The tragedy isn’t just that these breathing styles were underused – it’s that their brief appearances showed us glimpses of incredible potential that will never be fully realized. As the Demon Slayer franchise continues to grow, particularly in gaming spaces, perhaps these underutilized techniques will finally get their moment to truly shine.