Insect Breathing

**Insect Breathing** (蟲 (むし) の呼 (こ) 吸 (きゅう) , *Mushi no kokyū*?) is a Breathing Style derived from Flower Breathing.

## Overview

Insect Breathing is a Breathing Style that mimics insects, specifically their lethal stings and movements, and replicates it with user's movements, techniques and abilities. Most, if not all, known techniques and forms include stabbing, thrusting, and making shallow cuts with a specially coated/made sword to inflict multiple wounds onto the intended target in order to inject various lethal wisteria-based poisons into them. Users of Insect Breathing also visualize themselves seemingly manifesting insects (mainly butterflies) when unleashing its techniques.

This Breathing Style is the personal creation of Shinobu Kocho, who designed it to compensate for her lack of physical strength to behead a demon. Hence, this sword style can only be utilized by her and only using a unique katana with a needle-like tip, resembling an insect's stinger in appearance and function. The "stinger" is designed for injection of Wisteria poison into demons. As noted by Doma, the blade sheath was also designed as a portable poison mixer, allowing Shinobu to change the poison that coats her blade at a moment's notice.

## Known Techniques

Insect Breathing has 4 known techniques and forms at minimum.

* **Butterfly Dance: Caprice** (蝶 (ちょう) ノ舞 (まい) 　戯 (たわむ) れ, *Chō no mai: Tawamure*?) - The user leaps into the air and charges towards the opponent, stinging them multiple times with their blade to inject poison in just seemingly one strike.

* **Dance of the Bee Sting: True Flutter** (蜂 (ほう) 牙 (が) ノ舞 (まい) 　真 (ま) 靡 (なび) き, *Hōga no mai: Manabiki*?) - The user dashes at their target at blinding speeds and uses the momentum of their speed to then strengthen a single thrust into their opponent and inject poison into them.

* **Dance of the Dragonfly: Compound Eye Hexagon** (蜻 (せい) 蛉 (れい) ノ舞 (まい) 　複 (ふく) 眼 (がん) 六 (ろっ) 角 (かく) , *Seirei no mai: Fukugan Rokkaku*?) - A six strike attack with which the user aims to strike and inject their target with multiple doses of poison at the target's weak spots (such as the neck, heart, torso, etc.) in order to kill them with a large dose of poison.

* **Dance of the Centipede: Hundred-Legged Zigzag** (蜈 (ご) 蚣 (こう) ノ舞 (まい) 　百 (ひゃく) 足 (そく) 蛇 (じゃ) 腹 (ばら) , *Gokō no mai: Hyakusoku Jabara*?) - An attack with which the user uses their full speed to run a zigzag pattern that confuses their opponent in order to create an opening for them to directly stab their opponent's neck and inject poison to kill them, with the stab's force and power being further enhanced by the momentum of their speed. Doma noted that the sheer speed of this technique is strong enough to destroy an entire wooden bridge.

### Game Exclusive Techniques

* **Swift Thrust** (速 (はや) 足 (あし) 突 (づ) き, *Haya'ashi Tsuki*?) - The user spins before kicking off the ground and quickly dashing towards their opponent with enough speed to simulate teleportation, then does a powerful, singular thrust that hits twice.

* **Rising Thrust** (昇 (のぼ) り突 (づ) き, *Nobori Tsuki*?) - The user launches a thrust towards their opponent and then releases an upwards thrust that launches their opponent high up into the air.

* **Sixfold Thrust** (六 (ろく) 連 (れん) 突 (づ) き, *Rokuren Tsuki*?) - The user unleashes five short but very quick thrusts towards their opponent, before briefly pausing and then unleashing a sixth, more powerful thrust.

* **Butterfly Dance: Caprice, Illusory Light** (蝶 (ちょう) ノ舞 (まい) 　戯 (たわむ) れ・幻 (げん) 光 (こう) , *Chō no mai: Tawamure - Genkō*?) - The user lunges at their opponent before unleashing a barrage of straight short thrusts with their sword, ended with one powerful thrust that launches their opponent away and onto their back. The user then leaps into the air while transforming into a gigantic butterfly of light, before diving from it and stabbing their blade straight through their opponent and into the ground, cracking the surrounding terrain and creating a massive crater in its wake.

## Demonstrations

* Anime
* Manga

## Trivia

* Insect Breathing is the only known Breathing Style that is derived from another Breathing Style who itself is derived from Water Breathing, one of the five fundamental Breathing Styles.

## References

1. ↑ *Kimetsu no Yaiba* Manga: Chapter 41 (Page 16).
2. ↑ *Kimetsu no Yaiba* Manga: Chapter 41.
3. ↑ *Kimetsu no Yaiba* Manga: Chapter 141 (Page 14).
4. ↑ *Kimetsu no Yaiba* Manga: Chapter 142 (Pages 6-7).
5. ↑ *Kimetsu no Yaiba* Manga: Chapter 142 (Pages 15-16).
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 *Kimetsu no Yaiba* Game: *The Hinokami Chronicles*.