Demon Slayer: Zenitsu's Sword Abilities & Powers Explained
Zenitsu Agatsuma is one of the most (surprisingly) formidable fighters in Demon Slayer – here’s his swordsmanship and powers explained. Created by Koyoharu Gotouge, Demon Slayer is a dark fantasy manga and anime series set in Taisho-era Japan. It tells the tale of a teenage boy named Tanjiro Kamada who finds that most of his family have been slaughtered by demons and his surviving sister Nezuko has also been turned into one. To avenge his family’s deaths and find a cure for his sister, Tanjiro joins the Demon Slayer Corps – an age-old organization that protects the people of Japan from demons.
Tanjiro is joined on many of his Demon Slayer Corps missions by fellow teenage boy Zenitsu Agatsuma. He is a rather reluctant member of the Corps and only joined the organization to pay off a large debut he had accrued. He comes across as a cowardly character at first and lives in constant fear of being killed, often letting his anxieties get the better of him. However, it soon becomes clear Zenitsu Agatsuma - voiced by Hiro Shimono - suffers from low self-esteem and is a lot stronger and more capable than he gives himself credit for.
Demon Slayer's Zenitsu is courageous when the situation calls for it – especially when it comes to protecting his friends. And, despite his lack of confidence, he’s a worthy opponent in battle who has slain several demons during his time with the Demon Slayer Corps thanks to his expert swordsmanship and impressive range of powers and abilities. Like his fellow demon slayers, Zenitsu has a sword – specifically, a katana called a “Nichirin Blade” – that is forged from an ore that constantly absorbs sunlight which handily happens to be a major weakness of the demons they battle.
In Demon Slayer, Zenitsu’s swordsmanship style is known as “Thunder Breathing” which once mastered allows its user to wield their katana in such a speedy fashion it mimics lightning. Equipped with his sword and Thunder Breathing technique, Zenitsu can dash towards any demon he’s battling at a blindingly fast speed and decapitate them before they can chance to react. In Demon Slayer, Zenitsu’s sword abilities are complemented by a number of special powers. For example, he’s shown immense stamina and endurance in battle even after sustaining several injuries and has an impressive tactical intellect that allows him to deduce his opponents’ weaknesses and decide on the best way to eliminate them.
While not Demon Slayer's most powerful character Zenitsu also has a superhuman sense of hearing which means he can sense danger from even the tiniest of sounds and – stemming from this – he possesses extrasensory perception which allows him to detect a person’s thoughts and emotions based solely on the sounds they make. Perhaps Zenitsu’s most impressive power in Demon Slayer is his ability to go head-to-head in combat even when he’s sleeping or unconscious. This ability came about due to his tendency to pass out when his fears overwhelm him but being asleep doesn’t dull his other abilities at all; in fact, he’s sometimes more efficient in battle when he isn’t even awake. These abilities combined with Zenitsu Agutsuma’s expert sword skills make him one of the most formidable characters in Demon Slayer – even if he often has trouble believing in himself.