Inosuke Hashibira is one of the strongest characters in Demon Slayer despite not being a Hashira, the highest rank in the Corps. With his Beast Breathing, he’s one of the most unique fighters they have both on and off the battlefield. While he is a bit of a hothead, Inosuke is a lot more perceptive than most give him credit for. Some of his attacks make it seem like he’s attacking recklessly, but he’s always in control.
Being a creator of his own Breathing style, Inosuke has a lot to offer to his comrades in fights. His moves aren’t flashy and bright like Tanjiro’s and Zenitsu’s, but they are very effective and display his brute strength. If that doesn’t make Inosuke sound like a force to be reckoned with, he even has some abilities outside his Breathing attacks that make him a fearsome opponent for anyone in Demon Slayer.
10 Great Flexibility
One thing that makes Inosuke stand out from his comrades is his insane flexibility. Able to dislocate his joints at will, Inosuke has used this ability on and off the battlefield, and it doesn’t stop at this. He’s also able to shift his internal organs if he needs to and is able to avoid hits to vital parts. Thankfully, his quick reactions are fast enough that he was able to shift his heart’s position before Gyutaro stabbed it.
This flexibility also pairs perfectly with his fighting style. Because Inosuke is a little more bestial and unorthodox when fighting, he’s able to attack at a low angle with no issues. Even Tanjiro, who’s able to quickly come up with strategies, had trouble trying to figure him out because Inosuke was able to attack at weird angles.
9 Enhanced Sense Of Touch
Similar to Zenitsu’s higher sense of hearing and Tanjiro’s enhanced sense of smell, Inosuke’s sense of touch is far greater than a normal person’s. Thanks to growing up in the mountains, Inosuke can feel even the tiniest of vibrations in the air. He incorporated this into his Beast Breathing style, giving him a slight edge in fights. He’s able to locate demons and people that are miles away from him and can even tell if they’re friendly or not.
He was able to locate the Spider Mother and Spider Father by using his Beast Breathing: Seventh Form: Spatial Awareness technique during the Mount Natagumo Arc with no problem. Inosuke also used this during his fight with Douma and was able to avoid his ice powder with relative ease.
8 Poison Resistance
Probably the best ability Inosuke has, Poison Resistance was responsible for keeping him alive after the fight with Gyutaro and Daki. After getting stabbed by Gyutaro’s scythe, which holds a deadly poison, Inosuke was still able to fight. It did take some time for him to get back up because he’d been stabbed in the chest but was okay thanks to his resistance and flexibility.
However, this resistance comes at a price. As he’s resistant to poisons, this means he’s also resistant to medicines even those made by Shinobu Kocho. The only person that’s able to heal him should he get poisoned by a demon is Nezuko and her pyrokinesis.
7 Beast Breathing: Second Fang - Slice
This simple attack does what it says it’s going to do: slice. Inosuke simply does an X-shaped cut on his target and it’ll cut through them. Nothing fancy, but fans see this move as a great display of Inosuke’s strength. He’s able to cut through just about anything with this move.
During the Mugen Train arc, he was able to cut through the train that protected Enmu’s, the Lower One Kizuki, vertebrae. Considering that he was cutting through the train’s engine, this was a simple but amazing display of Inosuke’s raw strength.
6 Beast Breathing: Third Fang - Devour
Inosuke may not have flashy moves like Tanjiro and Zenitsu, but his attacks are some of the strongest in the series. Third Fang - Devour is just Inosuke doing simultaneous horizontal slashes from opposite sides. It’s meant to be a clean (or as clean as it can get considering his chipped blades) cut to behead his enemies.
However, this attack will take out any other body parts that are close by. When the Horned Demon tried to protect itself against him, Inosuke was able to cut through their arms with ease and still managed to hit its neck, killing it.
5 Beast Breathing: Fourth Fang - Slice 'n' Dice
Using this technique, Inosuke quickly strikes with multiple diagonal slashes seemingly at once. It’s a pretty deadly technique that can hit multiple targets at once. Much like the rest of his Breathing techniques, this is a pretty straightforward attack that shows off his raw strength.
This specific move came in handy when fighting against Enmu as Inosuke used it to slice away all the flesh protecting his neck bone. Thanks to him, Tanjiro was able to deliver the final blow and kill the Lower One Kizuki once and for all.
4 Beast Breathing: Fifth Fang - Crazy Cutting
Despite the name, Inosuke is very much in control of where he’s slashing when doing this move. It only seems like he’s slashing mindlessly but during the Mugen Train Arc, he avoided hitting all the passengers. Inosuke might be a hotheaded individual, but he knows his mission as a Demon Slayer is to protect innocents from demons. He made sure to not harm any of them when attacking Enmu’s tendrils even when they were really close.
Even when he’s in mid-air, Inosuke is still in complete control when performing this move. It just goes to show that Inosuke is not as reckless as some might not think.
3 Beast Breathing: Sixth Fang - Palisade Bite
With his chipped Nichirin Katanas on full display, Inosuke puts them on either side of his opponents and moves them in a saw-like manner. This easily rips into his opponents and tears whatever is unfortunate to be caught in between them apart. After Tanjiro and Zenitsu gave him an opening, Inosuke was able to easily decapitate Daki even though she was as strong as an Upper-Rank Kizuki.
This is one attack no one wants to get caught in. Not only is there a chance that demons will lose their heads, but it’s not going to be the cleanest or quickest cut.
2 Beast Breathing: Ninth Fang - Extending Bendy Slash
This crazy attack puts Inosuke’s insane flexibility on full display. Should Inosuke ever need to extend his reach, he dislocates all the joints in his arm to do so. It’s freaky that he can do this and not be in any pain (or is very good at ignoring it), but it’s more impressive that he doesn’t lose any power when attacking in this state.
He is able to use Ninth Fang at fast speeds and insane strength, making it possible to behead demons. To make this attack even deadlier, it’s extremely hard to predict what angle he’ll attack from because of all the ways he can move his arm.
1 Beast Breathing: Tenth Fang - Whirling Fangs
Inosuke is known for his aggressive and impulsive fighting style that mostly focuses on offense. Most of the time his defense leaves little to be desired, but this form shows that he knows when it’s time to defend himself. Inosuke spins his blades in quick circular motions that deflect enemy attacks and projectiles.
It’s a good balance of offense and defense as Inosuke is able to protect himself while simultaneously damaging anything that gets too close to him. It’s not the perfect defensive technique, but it’s better than nothing as Inosuke usually likes to just attack.