Suiryu Ichimizu

## Portrayal

**Suiryu Ichimizu** is a minor character in Demon Slayer: Blade of the Night. He was a close acquaintance of Yoriichi Tsugikuni and the creator of the Water Breathing Style.

## **Appearance:**

Suiryu was a tall man with long, straight black hair, which he kept in a high ponytail, and descended all the way down to his mid-back, with two strands framing his face, each reached about to his chest, all with straight edges. Suiryu was pale, and had a generally skinny completion.

Suiryu wore a black kimono with matching hakama pants, and a cerulean blue haori atop it all, marked with wave-like patterns all throughout.

## **Personality:**

Suiryu's brief appearance displays that he was quite centered around justice, and the concept of retribution. Despite his almost dogmatic belief in 'justice', whose meaning remains unclear given his lack of appearances without a clouded judgement, Suiryu has displayed to be at least merciful, as he assured Taro a painless death, despite being under a demonic mind control, and furthermore, the fact he created a Form entirely designed to be a painless decapitation only goes to show that while a stern follower of justice, he himself carries no sadism.

Suiryu is quite polite, and showed an interest in other Breathing Styles, such as Taro's Mist Breathing. It remains a testament to his good will that he, despite being mind controlled, was well mannered against a foe.

His concept of justice seemed to be shaken by Michikatsu Tsugikuni's betrayal, as he insisted in knowing if his techniques were carried on, and if his early death was indeed pointless like the man had apparently once claimed, and he was visibly elated after discovering that he was indeed correct.

## **Synopsis:**

Not much is known about Suiryu's backstory, but it is known that he met Yoriichi Tsugikuni at an unknown period, and went on to develop the Water Breathing to his own molds.

## **Abilities:**

**Immense Strength:** Suiryu lacks feats in strength, but his "Whirlpool" technique is powerful enough so that even out of water, he was able to displace Taro Tokito and even bring him closer to the center.

**Immense Speed:** Suiryu, while weakened, was able to contend with Taro Tokito, who is known for being particularly swift and agile.

**Immense Durability:** Suiryu can be surmised to be at least fairly resistant, but he currently lacks feats.

**Total Concentration Breathing:** Suiryu, as the creator of the Water Breathing, trained with it to mastery, having unlocked Total Concentration Breathing, and with it, developing beyond the regular capabilities of a human

**Demon Slayer Mark:** As a Slayer from the Golden Age, Suiryu has already achieved a Demon Slayer Mark, which is composed of two cloud shapes, one spawning from the right side of his forehead, and the other one on his left cheek

## **Fighting Style:**

**Master Swordsman:** Despite being severely weakened, Suiryu was still quite impressive of a fighter, to the point where Taro claimed his techniques were refined to a degree that they were muted with time, rather than strengthened.

### **Breathing Style:**

**Water Breathing** *(Mizu no Kokyu)*: Suiryu is the creator of the Water Breathing, molding the Style to fit him the most, to the point where he was for a long time the strongest user of his techniques of all time, up until Giyu Tomioka surpassed him during the events of the Battle of the Infinite Castle.

#### **Techniques:**

* **Water Surface Slash** *(Minamo Giri)* - The user generates enough momentum to create a powerful single concentrated slash, usually aimed at the neck.

* **Water Wheel** *(Mizu Guruma)* - The user leaps and vertically spins forward in the air while releasing a flowing attack in a circular motion. One alteration of this form is to perform it horizontally.

* **Flowing Dance** *(Ryuryu 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.

* **Striking Tide** *(Uchishio)* - The user makes multiple consecutive slashes while twisting their body and sword in a flowing fashion to deliver multiple blows simultaneously. The user may increase the quantity of consecutive strikes and slashes in order to contact a specific target during a chaotic situation.

* **Blessed Rain After The Drought** *(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.

* **Whirlpool** *(Nejire Uzu)* - The user fiercely twists their upper and lower body, creating a whirlpool of air that cuts anything caught in it. Its effect and efficiently is enhanced underwater, where the user can draw water around their weapon to enhance their slashes.

## **Equipment:**

**Standard Nichirin Katana:** Suiryu wielded a regular sized and shaped Nichirin Katana, with a cerulean blue blade as expected from a master of the Water Breathing. His hanguard was composed of a silver ring surrounding a black wooden circle, and the ring itself extended into wave-like formations reaching for the blade.

## **Trivia:**

* Suiryu's name can be broken down into the following: [Sui], meaning "Kingfisher", a type of fishing bird, and [Ryu], which can mean both "Dragon" and "Current". Strangely, he wasn't the creator of the Tenth Form. His surname quite literally translates to "First Water"
* It is implied he was the biggest advocate for Yoriichi's removal of the Demon Slayer Core.