The Demon Slayer officially sets up a new breathing form

From modern anime series, if there is one series that has dominated the world, this is it Demon Slayer. Produced by Ufotable and adapted from Koyoharu Gotuge's Weekly Shonen Jump manga, Demon Slayer is a masterpiece that has turned up the heat, especially in its final arc. It is as large as it is today, in large part due to its visually stunning power system called Breathing Forms.

The breathing forms were originally invented by Yorichi, and they became the basis with which the demon slayers battled the demons created by Muzan. The forms of breath in Demon Slayer are incredibly varied. With Demon Slayer setting up the release of Infinity Castle Part 2, we finally get to see a new breathing form in the anime that manga fans have been enjoying for a long time, and that is Moon Breathing. Moon Breathing is used by Kokushibo, and after Sun Breathing, it may be the strongest around, with unmatched power when used in conjunction with Upper Rank One's Blood Demon Art.

Demon Slayer Infinity Castle is ready to welcome Part 2 Moon Breathing

Demon Slayer In 2025 it made its grand return with a brand-new movie titled Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Part 1 – Akaja's Return. The movie flew into theaters and became the biggest project for the series to date, but it's only the entry point to the grand finale of the entire franchise. We are expecting more big hits to come around soon. The second and third installments of the ongoing trilogy, currently called Infinity Castle Part 2 and Part 3, are next. We still don't have a release date for part 2, it is expected to be released in 2027 – 2 years after the first.

We are especially excited about the upcoming movie due to the heated battles that are about to unfold. While we know that the Doma War continues, Hashira and the Demon Slayers are about to face an even bigger threat: the Upper Rank 1 Demon, Kokushibo. When facing him, a new breathing form will appear. This breathing form is known as Moon Breathing, and was invented by Kokushibo himself.

The moon is very powerful in breathing. Kokushibo himself was first introduced in Demon Slayer chapter 98, Moon Breathing only debuted in Demon Slayer chapter 165, published in Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump issue #32 on July 8th, 2019. Moon Breathing allows the user to use the mimonship of their momonship.

In the case of Kokushibo, for Moon Breathing, it is used in conjunction with the Blood Demon Art, and because of this, unlike the normal breathing forms used by Demon Slayers, which are not actual elemental abilities, Moon Breathing is completely real and not just for show. There are 16 known forms of Moon Breathing, and of those, only 11 have been demonstrated. Basically, Moon Breathing allows its user to create crescent moon attacks that dismember anything that stands in their way. These are the forms of moon breathing that we know of:

• First Appearance: Dark Moon, Evening Palace

• Second Form: Pearl Flower Mungazing

• Third Form: Abominable Moon, Chain

• Fifth Form: Moon Spirit Calamitus Eddie

• Sixth Form: Constant Night, Lonely Moon – Continuous

• Seventh Form: Mirror of Misfortune, Moon

• Eighth Form: Moon-Dragon Ringtail

• Ninth Form: Waning Moons

• Tenth Form: Drilling slashes, moonlight through bamboo leaves

• Fourteenth Form: Catastrophe, Tenman Crescent Moon

• Sixteenth Form: Moon, Half Moon

The fourth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, and fifteenth forms have never been used, but we know they exist. Most likely, we will never see them or know their names, unless Gotouge reveals more information about them.

Why Kokushibo's moon breath is the second strongest breath

Moon breathing is definitely not a normal breathing style. As already stated, it was invented by Kokushibo at an unknown time. Specifically, it was invented by him before his demon days, when he was still known as Michikatsu Sugikuni.

More interestingly, Kokushibo remains the only user of Moon Breathing throughout the story. It seems unlikely that he ever taught his breathing style to anyone else and instead kept it as his own major strength. This makes it the strangest breathing form in the Demon Slayer and one that will pose a huge problem to Hashira in Infinity Castle Part 2.

In Infinity Castle Part 2, Kokushibo prepares to fight three Hashira and a Demon Slayer, namely: Muichiro, Gyomi, Sanemi, and Zenya. These three are the strongest Hasira around, and yet, even with their armies combined, they are constantly overwhelmed by this fearsome enemy.

“I can't stop getting goosebumps at this guy's skills. Each of his slashes is surrounded by these tiny chaotic blades. And they're always changing in length and shape. There's no set form. I'm not surprised that Muichiro lost. I wanted to stop this attack completely, but it's so strange and distorted. If I could experience failure myself. Me and his speed!! And this guy is using breath with unnaturally high regenerative and physical ability. – Sanemi about Kokushibo in Demon Slayer Chapter 167

The power of Moon Breath is such that at the end of the battle, Muchiro and Zenya die from it. Muichiro is cut in half and eventually dies of his wounds, and Zenya is also cut in two when Kokushibo breathes the moon. Gyomei and Sanemi make it, but not without the grave sacrifice of their fallen friends. If Muichiro hadn't awakened the bright red Nichirin, Kokushibo's resurrection would have overtaken the demon slayers. After the Muzan battle, his moon breath definitely posed the most difficult challenge.

Relationship between moon breathing and sun breathing

Moon Breathing is undoubtedly unique in the world of Demon Slayer, and Kokushibo is fully prepared to show off his abilities in Infinity Castle Part 2. That being said, fans can't help but notice the overlay connections between Moon Breath and Sun Breath. Of course, the thematic contrast is intended by the author Gotuge to reflect the difference between Yorichi and his brother Michikatsu Sugikuni. Michikatsu Sugikuni eventually became Kokushibo, as he was extremely jealous of his brother, who surpassed him at every possible turn. He spent his entire life in his brother's shadow, and it definitely affected him and led him to join hands with Muzan to gain new demonic powers.

“In the end, I couldn't use Sun Breathing. I only used a derivative, which I later named Moon Breathing. I thought that if I trained myself some more, I could reach Yorichi, but as I was troubled by those painful thoughts, the Marked people began to die horribly. They paid for the Mark with their lives, and this will not be the end of the Golden Age for me soon. There is still time for me.” — Michikatsu Tsugikuni in Demon Slayer Chapter 178

While Yorichi invented Sun Breathing, the power to mimic the sun, Michikatsu Sugikuni invented Moon Breathing because he couldn't learn his brother's breathing style. The two are supposed to mirror each other, but despite all of Kokushibo's best efforts, he and his breathing style have never been able to overcome Yorichi. We would have loved to see these two breathing styles clash; However, Tanjiro never met Kokushibo, making the encounter a lost opportunity. We can't wait for Kokushibo to make his terrifying entrance and make his impact as the second strongest enemy in the Demon Slayer. New information about the release date of Infinity Castle Part 2 will be revealed later this year.

Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Part 1 is set to be available to stream on Crunchyroll starting July 28, 2026.