Demon Slayer's use of reincarnation could explain why Sun Breathing perseveres across centuries of storyline

Modified Jul 21, 2024 11:30 GMT

Possible ways of preserving the Sun Breathing technique across hundreds of years (Image via Ufotable)

The Sun Breathing in Demon Slayer is one of the most important elements in the overall story. The reason for its importance lies in the technique’s origins, its purpose, and its history. Yoriichi Tsukiguni, the legendary swordsman was the one who created this technique. He was also the only demon hunter strong enough to take on Muzan single-handedly.

Yoriichi gave Muzan a taste of despair, and ever since the latter has tracked down and killed anyone who practiced this technique. This was also the reason why Tanjiro’s family was killed. With that said, how was the Sun Breathing preserved for hundreds of years?

There are some hints regarding the preservation of the Sun Breathing in the manga series. Netizens have also crafted fan theories that utilize the concept of reincarnation and connected it to the preservation of the Sun Breathing Technique.

Disclaimer: This article may contain spoilers from the Demon Slayer manga chapters.

Demon Slayer: Fan theory gives netizens insight into the preservation of the Sun Breathing

The reason why the sun breathing technique is not lost byu/Wild-Secretary2653 inKimetsuNoYaiba

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The manga stated that the Sun Breathing was first created by Yoriichi and every other technique branched out from this. We also know that Tanjiro Kamado’s ancestor, Sumiyoshi, met Yoriichi and learned the technique. The manga states that Sumiyoshi copied the moves and they were passed down for generations until Tanjuro and Tanjiro managed to utilize these techniques.

However, fans have reason to believe that the series used the concept of reincarnation to preserve this incredibly important technique. This particular fan theory posed on r/KimetsuNoYaiba on Reddit states that Sumiyoshi and Yoriichi reincarnated in the Kamado bloodline.

Tanjuro Kamado as seen in the anime series (Image via Ufotable)

Since Sumiyoshi merely observed and mimicked the moves, there were a lot of wasted movements. This in turn was pointed out by Tanjuro Kamado. Despite being frail, he had incredible endurance since he would perform Hinokami Kagura for hours on end.

He was also able to kill an extremely powerful bear with little to no difficulty. His demeanor and appearance resemble Yoriichi slightly, leading netizens to speculate the possibility of Tanjuro being Yoriichi’s reincarnation. Reincarnation would be an extremely efficient way of preserving the Sun Breathing technique since the Yoriichi reincarnate would be able to clear out the wasted movements.

Yoriichi Tsukiguni, the legendary swordsman as seen in the anime series (Image via Ufotable)

Reincarnation as a concept is not unique to this particular anime and manga series. Many shonen titles utilize this concept since it is prevalent in religions such as Buddhism, whose elements are often borrowed in the medium of manga.

The Yoriichi reincarnate, upon learning the dance, had likely weeded out the inefficient movements. What this does is preserve the technique. If this wasn’t the case, the technique’s accuracy would have dropped substantially with every generation that passes by.

This is why some fans believe that the animanga series utilized reincarnation to not only preserve the Sun Breathing technique but also to preserve it without losing out on the accuracy of the movements.

Stay tuned for more anime and manga news as 2024 progresses.

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Edited by Tiasha