An extremely short-tempered young boy with a beautiful face, Hashibira Inosuke is a member of the Demon Slayer Corps and a close ally of Tanjiro. He is an absolute beast, and when he wears his iconic Boar head mask, it’s hard to tell the difference between him and a wild boar.
Inosuke always fights in high spirits but he went quiet once when he faced a heavy defeat while battling with Gyutaro, (a member of the upper moon six) This incident raised many questions,
What happened to him in the Entertainment District arc? Did Inosuke actually die?
(Warning! Major Spoilers!)
Inosuke’s natural powers and his sword’s abilities
Inosuke might seem rowdy but it’s no doubt that he is one of the most talented swordsmen working for the Demon Slayer Corps. His limitless energy paired with unique abilities is noteworthy in combat.
He learned Total Concentration Breathing completely by himself and created his own Breathing Style known as Beast Breathing. To achieve this, he went through some harsh training in the mountains.
He also developed inhuman strength and instincts through training and passed the Final Selection of Demon Slayer exam without breaking a sweat. The wild boar guy’s powers just don’t end here,
Inosuke possesses some unique abilities, let’s take a look at some of his greatest abilities;
- Animal Imitation
- Indomitable Will
- Extrasensory Perception
- Immense Stamina & Endurance
- Poison Resistance
Animal Imitation
Ever wondered why Inosuke always acts like an animal?
Because he grew up in the mountains with wild boars.
That’s why his hand-to-hand combat and his swordsman style resemble wild boars. Even Tanjiro noticed how much his style resembled a “four-legged beast”. Inosuke’s superhuman strength and flexibility are also a gift of his upbringing.
Indomitable Will
Inosuke might be a careless person, but his will is unshakeable. Unlike other characters, he simply doesn’t give up. No matter how critical his health is; the guy will still try to yell and slash the enemy in half.
It’s crazy how he never runs out of the ‘never-give-up’ attitude.
Extrasensory Perception
Inosuke can sense where the enemies are, and what they are doing, and predict their moves!
Tanjiro and Zenitsu were saved many times, thanks to his sensing ability.
He even saved them during the battle with the upper moon six, in the Entertainment District Arc. He predicted when Daki would run out of stamina, and did an opening attack which turned out crucial for team Tanjiro.
Inosuke can even sense a person’s intent and malice to kill even if that person is out of his sight. With such ability he can do both defensive and offensive attacks, it is one of the essential abilities of Inosuke, imagine if he could train this ability and sense every incoming attack, he would simply have been immortal.
Immense Stamina & Endurance
Much like his never-ending willpower, his stamina and endurance are on another level. We have never seen Inosuke tired or even taking a break while training.
With the harsh training he went through in his past to become a demon slayer; his stamina and endurance surpassed normal levels. His extraordinary stamina is displayed in multiple battles like his duel with Muzan, Daki, and even with the demon king himself!
Even when he got poisoned by the upper-class demon, he impressively lasted long enough and endured almost countless slashes from the demon.
Poison Resistance
Another weapon in Inosuke’s arsenal is poison resistance.
His body resisted the poisonous effects of an Upper-Rank Six demon. He fought and survived AND even attacked that demon, this was an incredible experience for Inosuke himself and a breathing space for the fans.
Interestingly, Gyutaro’s (Upper Moon Six Demon) poison was so powerful that even Hashira Uzui faced a hard time dealing with it. This proves that Inosuke is almost immune to poison and lives another day to pronounce Tanjiro’s name as Kamaboko Gonpachiro.
These are some of his iconic powers, but what about his sword? Let’s look at the techniques his swords can use:
- First Fang: Pierce
- Second Fang: Slice
- Third Fang: Devour
- Fourth Fang: Slice ‘n’ Dice
- Fifth Fang: Crazy Cutting
- Sixth Fang: Palisade Bite
- Seventh Form: Spatial Awareness
- Eighth Fang: Explosive Rush
- Ninth Fang: Extending Bendy Slash
- Tenth Fang: Whirling Fangs
- Sudden Throwing Strike
What happened to Inosuke in the Entertainment District arc?
Tanjiro and the Ninja Hashira, Tengen Uzui, were in between a ferocious battle with the Daki’s elder brother Gyutaro. Meanwhile, Inosuke and Jenitsu are having a death battle with Daki.
Team Demon Slayers (Tanjiro, Inosuke, Zenitsu, and Tengen) VS The Demonic Siblings (Daki and Gyutaro), the war had begun. but as they were starting to stand up from the battleground, the Slayers lost their upper hand again.
Daki and Gyotaro make their attacks with full cooperation, giving the Demon Slayers a tough time. Tanjiro joins Zenitsu and Inosuke to help them fight with Daki. Suddenly they hear a voice, the voice of Hinatsuru, one of Tengen’s wives.
She warns the boys to be careful and quickly hides from the sight of Daki. Tanjiro, Inosuke, and sleeping Zenitsu prepare a plan to defeat Daki. As they prepare, Inosuke senses that Daki is out of stamina and her attacks are getting slower than before. Taking that opportunity, Inosuke decides to attack her while Zenitsu and Tanjiro give him cover.
Inosuke moves forward avoiding her slow slashes, and uses his Beast Breathing Technique Eighth Fang: Explosive Rush, while Tanjiro and Zenitsu make a synchronizing attack, Zenitsu with Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash and Tanjiro with Water Breathing, Third Form: Flowing Dance.
This attack gave chills to almost all of the fans! It was simply incredible!
As Daki falls to her knees; Inosuke puts his blades on either side of her neck and then uses the Beast Breathing, Sixth Fang: Palisade Bite and cuts her head off.
He knows that the threat is still on though he has separated her head from her body. He runs with her head to prevent her from connecting with her body and becoming one again.
Just when the boys were seeing a small ray of hope, Gyutaro appears behind him and stabs Inosuke in the chest.
The Demonic Siblings dominate the Demon Slayers and just when they are about to lose hope and close their eyes, Inosuke comes screaming at them revealing that he is immune to poison and has protected his heart by rearranging his organs.
Their ray of hope starts to shine brighter, Inosuke, Zenitsu, and Tanjiro come together and make their final attempt to cut the demon’s neck. The wait finally ends, and Inosuke and Zenitsu manage to decapitate Daki. On the other hand, Tanjiro beheads Gyutaro.
They all live once again to see another day.
In summary, Inosuke doesn’t die, he lives to scream at Gonpachiro once again, but the main question is, till when?
Will Inosuke Die in Demon Slayer?
Unlike Demons, Demon Slayers aren’t actually immortal and even if they don’t die in battle, they will eventually die due to old age. The same theory appears in the case of Inosuke Hashibara, he might not die in fierce battles with the Higher Rank Demons, but no one can change his fate except Koyoharu Gotouge (author of Demon Slayer).
If Kyoharu decides to go Super Saiyan mode and makes Inosuke a demon then that’s a completely different story, so unless he decides to go nuts in between, Inosuke will eventually die, but it’s not boring as you might be thinking right now.
But what about in manga, does he die there?
Don’t worry folks, Inosuke is still alive, kicking and shouting at Tanjiro in the manga. Although Inosuke will have to go through some tough moments in the battle, he will live.
He will survive the ferocious battle with Muzan Kibutsuji and this battle will be the last in Demon Slayer’s Manga. So, Inosuke will not die in a ferocious battle, but he will die because of his old age after Muzan’s demise.
Will Inosuke be back in Demon Slayer?
Inosuke will return to Demon Slayer, and we will see more action from him in the new incoming arc, the Swordsmith Village Arc. He is one of the important characters in the anime, so it’s no doubt that we will see him again.
