Water Breathing

**Water Breathing** (水の呼吸, *Mizu no Kokyū*?) is one of the five main Breathing Styles directly derived from Sun Breathing.

## Overview

Water Breathing is a Breathing Style that mimics water, specifically the flow, flexibility and adaptability of the liquid and replicates it with the user's movements, techniques and abilities. Most, if not all, known techniques involve the user bending their body, arm and weapon in a fluid motion to match the movements of rushing or flowing water. Users also visualize themselves seemingly creating and manipulating water when unleashing its techniques.

This Breathing Style was originally created by Yusuke Mizuhara, one of Yoriichi Tsugikuni's students who attempted to learn Sun Breathing. However, Kaito was unable to master it, so Yoriichi taught him a modified style that focused on bending their body, arm, and weapon in a fluid motion to match the movements of rushing or flowing water. This fitted perfectly with Kaito's ability to adapt to any situation. He named this style after this feature and himself (the 'Mizu' in his surname means 'Water'). Thus, Water Breathing was born.

It is said to be the most common Breathing Style among Demon Slayers due to being the easiest to learn for beginners. A known Cultivator of Water Breathing in the Demon Slayer Corps is Sakonji Urokodaki, though there are other Cultivators as well.

After the death of Muzan Kibutsuji, Water Breathing, like Sun Breathing and the other Breathing Styles, became a ritual dance known as the **Mizunokami Kagura** (水の神 神楽, *Mizunokami Kagura*?, lit. "Dance of the Water God") offered to the water god of Shinto religion, Suijin.

## Weaponry used with this Breathing Style

Most known users of the Water Breathing have wielded Nichirin swords whose blade is blue in color.

## Known Users

* Water Breathing Users
* Mizunokami Kagura Users

## Techniques

Water Breathing has 10 techniques, with an eleventh one created and exclusively used by the Taisho Era Water Hashira, Giyu Tomioka along with numerous modified versions of pre-existing forms created by multiple users of the Breathing Style across the years.

* **First Form: Water Surface Slash** (壱ノ型: 水面斬り, *Ichi no kata: Minamo Giri*?) - The user crosses their arms and generates enough momentum to release a singular, concentrated slash which is often horizontal.
	+ **First Form, Improved: Water Surface Slash, Ocean Ripple** (壱ノ型・改: 水面斬り・海漣, *Ichi no kata kai: Minamo Giri - Umi Sazanami*?) - A variation of **First Form: Water Surface Slash**. The user unleashes a defensive variation of the **First Form: Water Surface Slash** by spinning their blade, similar to the **Sixth Form: Whirlpool**, to form a ring of water around themselves that can cut opponents or defend from incoming attacks.
* **Second Form: Water Wheel** (弐ノ型: 水車, *Ni no kata: Mizu Guruma*?) - The user leaps forward into the air and performs a front flip, releasing a singular vertical slash in a circular motion.
	+ **Second Form, Improved: Lateral Water Wheel** (弐ノ型・改: 横水車, *Ni no kata kai: Yoko Mizu Guruma*?) - An alternate variation of **Second Form: Water Wheel** created by Tanjiro Kamado that unleashes a horizontal spin instead of a vertical one.
	+ **Second Form, Improved: Ripple Wheel** (弐ノ型・改: 漣車, *Ni no kata kai: Sazanami-sha*?) - A variation of the **Second Form: Water Wheel** that uses a horizontal spin and slash to send forth a seemingly thin wave of water that can cut through thick solid objects.
* **Third Form: Flowing Dance** (参ノ型: 流流舞い, *San no kata: Ryūryū Mai*?) - The user swings and bends their blade in a winding motion along with their body and dances in a flowing pattern, slicing everything in its path.
	+ **Flowing Dance, Shadows of Dawn** (流流り舞い・朝影, *Ryūryū Mai - Asakage*?) - A variation of **Third Form: Flowing Dance** created by Sabito. The user unleashes a series of circular rising slashes in a flowing motion from multiple directions before delivering a powerful downward slash.
	+ **Flowing Dance, Great Wave Ripple** (流流り舞い・大波紋, *Ryūryū Mai - Dai Hamon*?) - A variation of **Third Form: Flowing Dance**. The user unleashes flowing slashes to the opponent from all sides before leaping horizontally and slashing through their neck and rolling along the ground as a finishing movement.
* **Fourth Form: Striking Tide** (肆ノ型: 打ち潮, *Shi no kata: Uchishio*?) - The user performs a multitude of slashes in a flowing fashion to release multiple consecutive slashes.
	+ **Striking Tide, Turbulent** (打ち潮・乱, *Uchishio - Ran*?) - An improved version of the **Fourth Form: Striking Tide**. The user increases the quantity of consecutive strikes and slashes along with improving its accuracy in order to contact a specific target during a chaotic situation.
* **Fifth Form: Blessed Rain After the Drought** (伍ノ型: 干天の慈雨, *Go no kata: Kanten no Jiu*?) - The user changes the grip on their sword and decapitates the opponent in a single flowing strike that causes little to no pain. It is a "sword strike of kindness" used when the enemy willingly surrenders.
	+ **Blessed Rain After the Drought, Drizzle** (干天の慈雨・霧雨, *Kanten no Jiu - Kirisame*?) - A variation of **Fifth Form: Blessed Rain After the Drought**. The user unleashes the **Fifth Form: Blessed Rain After the Drought** in a different way, which causes hallucinations of a gentle drizzle in summer rather than a normal rain in spring.
* **Sixth Form: Whirlpool** (陸ノ型: ねじれ渦, *Roku no kata: Nejire Uzu*?) - The user twists their body, using their blade to perform a fierce whirling motion which generates a whirlpool of air to shred apart anything caught within its current like a giant sharp blade. Its effect and efficiency is enhanced underwater, where the user can draw water around their weapon to create whirling currents that enhance their slashes.
	+ **Twisting Whirlpool, Flowing Water** (ねじれ渦・流流, *Nejire Uzu - Ryūryū*?) - A combination of **Third Form: Flowing Dance** and **Sixth Form: Whirlpool** created by Tanjiro Kamado. The user combines the footwork from **Flowing Dance** and the twisting movements of **Whirlpool**, performing an attack around the user that conjures a twisting, swirling, vicious attack meant to redirect projectiles from multiple angles.
	+ **Reversal Flow, Ripping Whirlpool** (逆轉・渦裂き, *Gyakuten - Uzuzaki*?) - A variation of **Sixth Form: Whirlpool**, in which the user performs **Sixth Form: Twisting Whirlpool, Flowing Water**, but in the opposite direction, causing a whirlwind of air that forms to have a kind of suction and grasp to it, tearing apart anything that gets sucked into it apart due to turbulence.
	+ **Whirlpool, Vicious Current** (ねじれ渦・粘性流, *Nejire Uzu - Nensei-ryū*?) - A variation of **Sixth Form: Whirlpool**. The user performs an improved version of **Sixth Form: Whirlpool** that seemingly creates a miniature tornado of water, more tightly condensed than the original **Sixth Form: Whirlpool** that is capable of more shredding.
* **Seventh Form: Drop Ripple Thrust** (漆ノ型: 雫波紋突き, *Shichi no kata: Shizuku Hamon Tsuki*?) - The user performs a precise, fast and accurate thrust with their blade.
	+ **Drop Ripple Thrust, Curve** (雫波紋突き・曲, *Shizuku Hamon Tsuki - Kyoku*?) - A modified strike that hits from a specific angle corresponding to the sword's structure which nearly nullifies the impact and momentum of a moving object.
	+ **Drop Ripple Thrust, Rebound** (雫波紋突き・勢, *Shizuku Hamon Tsuki - Zei*?) - An variation of **Seventh Form: Drop Ripple Thrust - Curve**. The user unleashes a two-handed thrust attack that is accompanied by pounding "droplets" that blast the opponent back with great force.
	+ **Drop Ripple Thrust, Vibrance** (雫波紋突き・活氣, *Shizuku Hamon Tsuki - Kakki*?) - An improved version of **Seventh Form: Drop Ripple Thrust**. The user does a sudden jolt with their blade, thrusting it into their opponent. This jolt sends intense vibrations in the form of ripples across the skin through the body that causes disruptions in the muscles and nervous system, resulting in temporary paralysis.
* **Eighth Form: Waterfall Basin** (捌ノ型: 滝壼, *Hachi no kata: Takitsubo*?) - The user cuts the target vertically in a flowing motion which is most effective when they are falling downward.
	+ **Waterfall Basin, Destruction** (滝壼・壊, *Takitsubo - Kai*?) - A variation of **Eighth Form: Waterfall Basin** created by Sakonji Urokodaki. The user leaps forwards towards their enemy in a spinning motion and slashes them as they past. They then turn around and leap behind the enemy to slash them with a curved strike, before uppercutting them while leaping high into the air and then falling down with great force in a overhead strike, smashing the enemy to the ground and unleashing multiple slashes that pulverize their opponent.
	+ **Waterfall Basin, Heavenly Drop** (滝壼・天の雫, *Takitsubo - Ten'noshizuku*?) - A variation of **Eighth Form: Waterfall Basin**. The user leaps extremely high into the air and unleashes an extremely powerful downwards slash seemingly accompanied by powerful water. This form is delivered while in a horizontal position during and prior to the attack.
	+ **Waterfall Basin, Flux** (滝壼・熔劑, *Takitsubo - Yōzai*?) - A variation of **Eighth Form: Waterfall Basin** that combines the flowing vertical slash of **Waterfall Basin** with the forward charge and continuous flowing attack of **Tenth Form: Constant Flux**. The user makes numerous rotations as they spring into the sky, gaining more and more force with each rotation due to the sudden gain in momentum, this stacking onto the rise in velocity as the user then plummets towards the ground to deliver a high powered vertical slash. The resulting impact of this skill is capable of leaving a large sized crater on the ground, and in some cases, cause a large shockwave capable of rupturing the surrounding wind.
* **Ninth Form: Splashing Water Flow** (玖ノ型: 水流飛沫, *Ku no kata: Suiryū Shibuki*?) - The user changes their footwork in a way that minimizes the landing time and surface needed when landing, allowing the user to move without limits. Ideal when fighting in a place with no solid foothold.
	+ **Splashing Water Flow, Turbulent** (水流飛沫・乱, *Suiryū Shibuki - Ran*?) - A variation of **Ninth Form: Splashing Water Flow**. The user rushes around their opponent discombobulating them in multiple circles. They subsequently leap over their opponent delivering an overhead slash to decapitate them.
	+ **Splashing Water Flow, Vortex** (水流飛沫・渦, *Suiryū Shibuki - Uzu*?) - A combination of **Ninth Form: Splashing Water Flow** and **Sixth Form: Whirlpool**. The user begins to move around the opposing target with immense speed while simutaneously making numerous rotaing slashing motions with their hand held weapon, seemingly creating numerous vortexs of pressurized water that work in tandem to contain and hack apart numerous enemies at once.
	+ **Splashing Water Flow, Flash** (水流飛沫・瞬, *Suiryū Shibuki - Matataki*?) - A variation of **Ninth Form: Splashing Water Flow** created by Makomo. The user rushes towards their opponent seemingly appearing like teleportation and unleashes a powerful uppercut-like slash.
	+ **Splashing Water Flow, Turbulent Effervescence** (水流飛沫・乱 泡沫, *Suiryū Shibuki - Ran Utakata*?) - A variation of **Ninth Form: Splashing Water Flow**. The user rushes forward turbulently and unleashes numerous flowing slashes from all directions all around their enemy. Afterwards, they leap away from their opponent as the slashes deal massive damage to their opponent.
* **Tenth Form: Constant Flux** (拾ノ型: 生生流転, *Jū no kata: Seisei Ruten*?) - The user charges toward the target whilst performing a continuous flowing attack with their blade which increases in strength and speed over time using momentum.
	+ **Splashing Water Fluctuating Constant, Maintained** (飛沫水変動生生・維持, *Shibuki Mizu Hendō Seisei - Iji*?) - A combination of the **Ninth Form: Splashing Water Flow** and the **Tenth Form: Constant Flux**. The user utilizes the **Ninth Form: Splashing Water Flow** to gain more rotations because of the easy-to-perform spins and rotations which therefore generates more momentum.
	+ **Constant Flux, Aquatic Rupture** (生生流転・水生破裂, *Seisei Ruten - Suisei Haretsu*?) - A variation of **Tenth Form: Constant Flux**. The user preforms the **Tenth Form: Constant Flux** before finally winding their sword backwards once more, appearing to go for another slash. Once winded back, if the enemy is at a distance, the user then unleashes their flowing attack towards them with a single, high-powered slash backed up with all of the users strength and gathered power from the rotations at once. The form is strong enough that it was stated to be capable of demolishing a piece of a large stadium.
* **Eleventh Form: Dead Calm** (拾壱ノ型: 凪, *Jū Ichi no kata: Nagi*?) - The personal creation of the Taisho Era Water Hashira, Giyu Tomioka. The user ceases all body movements and enters a state of complete tranquility, deflecting, blocking and cutting any incoming attacks with imperceptible speed with their blade. However, its effectiveness is limited as fast and numerous attacks can break through.
	+ **Dead Calm, Tidal Waves** (凪・波折り波濤, *Nagi - Naori Hatō*?) - An offensive variation of **Dead Calm**. The user initiates **Dead Calm**, before suddenly appearing behind their opponent, having already moved and unleashed a delayed-barrage of sharp water sword slashes that completely lacerates them.
	+ **Dead Calm, Stranded in the Ocean** (凪・座礁海, *Nagi - Zashō Umi*?) - An improved version of **Dead Calm** and **Dead Calm - Tidal Waves**, which combines both the defense of **Dead Calm** with the offense of **Dead Calm - Tidal Waves**, creating a form in which the user strikes the opponent from all sides at once faster than imperceptible. Due to this, the form is both offensive and defensive with no opening and is also invulnerable to rapid spread out attacks, unlike **Dead Calm** is. The form also unleashes rapid spread out attacks while defending from all incoming attacks. This form is one of, if not the, strongest breathing style attack in existence, rivaled only by Sun Breathing, **Thirteenth Form: Hinokami Kagura** and Star Breathing, **Eleventh Form: Honorable Stellars, Endless Dragon Constellations**.

## **Trivia**

* The water that users of Water Breathing visualize themselves manipulating is reminiscent to that of water or oceanic waves being depicted in classical ukiyo-e (浮世繪, *ukiyo-e*?)-styled Japanese paintings, ex: The Great Wave off Kanagawa.
* Besides Sakonji Urokodaki, there are other trainers who teach Water Breathing.
	+ Water Breathing is easy for beginners, so more swordsmen use it than any other Breathing Style.
* The term and technique Constant Flux is based on the Yojijukugo **"Seisei/Shōjō Ruten"** (生生流轉, *Seisei/Shōjō Ruten*?), a term explaining the endless transmigration cycle of everything in the universe.