Demon Slayer: All Thunder Breathing Techniques, Explained

Highlights

• Thunder Breathing in Demon Slayer showcases awe-inspiring techniques like Thunderclap And Flash, showing the power of Zenitsu’s skills in combat.
• The varied forms of Thunder Breathing include techniques like Heat Lightning and Rumble And Flash, each designed to be lethal and powerful in battle.
• Kaigaku’s mastery of Thunder Breathing leads to intense battles, culminating in Zenitsu’s unique Seventh Form, Honoikazuchi no Kami, as he defeats his opponent.

Most shonen anime have amazing combat techniques and styles that are common in their universe. In the case of Demon Slayer, this appears in the form of breathing styles that are absolutely beautiful to witness. The grace and poise present in these styles are so striking that most people forget that their purpose is to behead powerful demons and cleanse the world of their horrors. It’s the allure of these breathing styles that makes each and every battle in Demon Slayer feel like poetry in motion, with combatants giving it their all to augment their swordsmanship skills and take out tough enemies by whipping out every powerful technique they can employ in a battle.

Thunder Breathing is one such technique that Zenitsu has used to great effect in the series. Of course, Zenitsu is only the master of the first form, but it goes without saying that the other techniques of Thunder Breathing will also be awe-inspiring to witness in Demon Slayer. Given how powerful the first form already is, the wait to see the rest of Thunder Breathing’s arsenal is positively agonizing. To satiate the curiosity of fans when it comes to this breathing style, here are all the techniques from Thunder Breathing and what they accomplish. All these moves are extremely damaging, look quite dazzling, and prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Thunder Breathing is easily one of the best breathing styles to come out of the imaginative mind of Koyoharu Gotouge.

Updated on April 8, 2024, by Ritwik Mitra: Thunder Breathing is certainly one of the most unique styles shown in Demon Slayer. By all accounts, it should be the second-strongest breathing style in the series, given how Zenitsu has managed to take out some of the strongest demons around after just mastering the first style. The fact that he can use this technique over and over again with greater focus and strength to wipe out the strongest foes around when he’s barely conscious is a huge reason why fans are so fond of this unique character. The rest of the Thunder Breathing styles won’t be shown until the final arc, so people who want to know more about Thunder Breathing should keep in mind that spoilers run rampant after this point.

7 First Form

Thunderclap And Flash

• A single fast-paced cut that involves the user unsheathing their katana in record time. Variations include sixfold, eightfold, and Godspeed (Zenitsu’s original creation)

The first form of Thunder Breathing is easily the most recognizable and legendary move on this list. After all, the manner in which Zenitsu absolutely bodies any demon who’s unfortunate enough to face his unconscious self makes for one of the best parts of the show.

Zenitsu has practiced this form time and time again in the series, to the point where he can pull it off unconsciously due to how embedded this technique is in his brain. Watching him behead demons using this technique makes for one of the most memorable parts of the series.

This technique can have even more power added to it, as seen thrice in the anime when Zenitsu amplifies the effectiveness of this technique in a truly spectacular fashion. It’s clear that big things are planned for this character, who can possibly become one of the most powerful demon slayers of all time.

6 Second Form

Rice Spirit

• Successive attacks that involve five slashes accompanied by damaging bolts of lightning

Keep in mind that the techniques that are about to be discussed are used by a character who is yet to be introduced in the anime. Spoilers are inbound past this point! If fans don’t want to know a lot about the final arc of the series and the most important fight of Zenitsu’s life, then they should wait until Infinity Castle is adapted.

During the events of Demon Slayer, a person that Zenitsu used to train with, Kaigaku, ends up losing and rendering his services over to the Upper Rank One, Kokushibo. As a result, he was turned into a demon who could use Thunder Breathing to such a level that he even generated black lightning from his own body.

As a result, all his attacks gained this lethal lightning that could defeat extremely powerful opponents without facing too many issues. His second form is no exception, with Rice Spirit being a succession of five slashes that are accompanied by his black lightning. It’s fatal to most opponents, although Zenitsu had the constitution and awareness required to avoid any major damage from this attack.

5 Third Form

Thunder Swarm

• A stream of lightning surrounds the target, leaving them vulnerable to attacks from all directions that are hard to block or evade

The third form of Thunder Breathing involves an attack that swarms an opponent from all directions and gives them little to no room to escape. This makes Thunder Swarm a highly damaging technique that can completely decimate anyone who isn’t ready to deal with its consequences. It’s one of the many techniques that display why Kaigaku is such a force to be reckoned with, even if he was unable to master the first form of Thunder Breathing and was too impatient to master the other styles.

If this wasn’t bad enough as is, Kaigaku’s electrokinesis also allows him to use his black lightning to add even more damage. The idea of being surrounded by black lightning while getting peppered by sword strikes sounds like an absolutely horrific way to die. Only an expert swordsman would be able to bear the brunt of this blow, and Zenitsu managed to do just that. Unfortunately, it was clear that Kaigaku had many more tricks up his sleeve, which he was more than keen to show.

4 Fourth Form

Distant Thunder

• A ball of lightning that generates lightning bolts to distract, impede, and kill enemies

Another technique that is tailored for Kaigaku’s attacks is the Fourth Form of Thunder Breathing, which allows him to display just how powerful and destructive his electrokinetic powers really are. His Distant Thunder technique involves generating a ball of lightning, which can be fatal if used against lesser demon slayers.

This lightning ball independently unleashes a bevy of lightning strikes against its opponent in a bid to seriously injure them, if not kill them outright. It takes every ounce of speed and strength that Zenitsu has to avoid these lightning strikers and prevent any serious damage from debilitating him during battle. This was a must since this lengthy battle required both Thunder Breathing users to be at the top of their game to secure victory. Too much damage would’ve taken Zenitsu out of the picture and sent him to an early grave — something that would’ve drawn the ire of many fans who love this goofy yet powerful character.

3 Fifth Form

Heat Lightning

• A powerful sword slash that swings upward and is accompanied by a bolt of lightning that can slice through most targets with ease

All the techniques that Kaigaku can unleash with his Thunder Breathing should make it evident that the majority of his attacks can be converted into ranged strikes that can seriously injure his opponent. His Heat Lightning is no exception, adding another powerful, highly damaging move to an arsenal that would already lay waste to lesser opponents. Thankfully, Zenitsu is cut from a different cloth and wasn’t going to be taken down by this technique.

The fifth form of Thunder Breathing allows Kaigaku to strike upwards with his sword, generating a lightning bolt that rises to attack any opponent that might be above him. Given the sheer speed of this technique, only the most attuned reflexes around can block or avoid this attack. Even then, it’s still possible to incur some damage regardless. After all, any demon who has the power of these Breathing Techniques is a force to be reckoned with, with Kokushibo being another great example

2 Sixth Form

Rumble And Flash

• A long-ranged series of lightning attacks that are quite effective if the opponent is at a distance

The majority of techniques discussed in this list are one-off attacks that end with a single move. This isn’t the case with Rumble and Flash, which incorporates a bunch of strikes and lightning attacks to wear the opponent down with sheer pressure. It’s the most powerful technique in Kaigaku’s arsenal and is bound to spell instant doom for any enemies who think that they have the power to fight such a powerful demon. Thankfully, Zenitsu’s speed and perseverance allowed him to weather this storm before unleashing an amazing attack of his own.

While Zenitsu did get damaged by this attack, he didn’t falter and set his sights on the end goal, which was to behead Kaigaku and take care of this ambitious ex-demon slayer once and for all. He managed to do so by whipping out the most powerful Thunder Breathing attack in Demon Slayer.

1 Seventh Form

Honoikazuchi No Kami

• The user augments their speed to immense heights before landing a powerful hit that completely and utterly obliterates any opponent unlucky enough to be caught by this blow

While Kaigaku had certainly mastered his fair share of techniques, he could never get a grip on the First Form of Thunder Breathing, which meant that he would never be a true master of Thunder Breathing. This wasn’t the case with Zenitsu, whose mastery of Thunderclap and Flash is clear for everyone to see.

This mastery allowed Zenitsu to form a Seventh Form of Thunder Breathing that is unique only to him: Honoikazuchi no Kami. While this move might seem similar to Thunder Breathing’s First Form, the speed and power of this technique are on a whole new level. As is the case with most ultimate techniques in Demon Slayer, Zenitsu’s battle aura also takes on the form of a Lightning Dragon as well.

It took this Herculean technique to finally defeat Kaigaku and send him to the afterlife once and for all, capping one of the best battles in the show. Fans can’t wait to see how Ufotable will do justice to this amazing battle in the anime, although there’s still quite some time left before the Infinity Castle arc is adapted. Given how epic this moment is going to be, manga readers can’t wait to see Zenitsu whip out a technique that finally takes out the brat who never respected his sensei and bullied him every step of the way.