Demon Slayer: Mitsuri Kanroji’s Love Breathing Style Explained

Demon Slayer‘s story heavily focuses on Breathing Techniques, as they allow demon slayers to kill demons, especially stronger ones.

In the upcoming Demon Slayer: Swordsmith Village arc which is season 3 of the anime, we will see Hashira Mitsuri Kanroji and her Love Breathing in action.

So if you want to be well-equipped with Mitsuri’s breathing style then this article is for you.

Note: This article contains spoilers for those who are not caught up with the manga.

About the Love Hashira Mitsuri Kanroji

Before we get into learning the specifics of her technique, we must know about Mitsuri herself.

She is one of the nine Hashira, the highest-ranking members of the Demon Slayer Corps. Mitsuri’s appearance is striking, with long pink hair styled in pigtails and a revealing uniform that shows off her curves.

Mitsuri is known for her kind and gentle personality, which is rare among the Hashira. She has a strong sense of empathy and is deeply affected by the suffering of others.

She is also somewhat of a romantic, with her Love Breathing technique being based on the emotion of love.

Despite her gentle demeanour, Mitsuri is a skilled warrior and a formidable opponent. She wields a whip-like Nichirin Sword and is adept at using her Love Breathing techniques in battle. She also possesses enhanced strength and agility, as well as the ability to sense the presence of demons.

Mitsuri was formally introduced in episode 22 of the first season when she and the other Hashira were summoned to decide what to do with Tanjiro, who had been travelling with a demon, his sister Nezuko.

The other Hashira were in favour of executing Tanjiro, but Mitsuri was the first to demonstrate compassion towards him. She was deeply saddened and distressed by the idea of killing “such an adorable child.” which set her apart from the other Hashira.

Mitsuri quickly became a fan favourite due to her unique personality and striking appearance.

What is Love Breathing?

Love breathing is a breathing style based on the emotion of love. This breathing style was created by Mitsuri Kanroji who is the only known user of it.

Love Breathing is derivative of Fire Breathing, which is based on the primary style of Sun Breathing.

In Chapter 178 of the manga, it is stated that Yoriichi tried to teach his Sun Breathing Style to others, but his students were not able to match his level of expertise. Therefore, Yoriichi adapted his teaching approach to suit his students’ abilities, which gave rise to various variations of Sun Breathing, including Flame and eventually, Love Breathing, amongst others.

How did Love Breathing get derived from Fire breathing?

As Kyojuro’s tsuguko (successor), Mitsuri was instructed in the Flame Breathing Style. However, she modified it to develop her own unique version, named Love Breathing.

This style is based on the feeling of love, and its Forms are named after romantic and emotional terms. Mitsuri’s personal history revolves around love, encompassing both joyous and painful experiences.

It’s almost like a poetic irony that this emotion serves as the foundation of her Breathing Style, serving as a form of protection.

Different Forms Of Love Breathing

Love Breathing has at least six forms and only five have been revealed, leaving the fourth form unknown. All these forms debuted in the Swordsmith Village arc.

Now let’s learn about the other five forms.

First Form: Shivers of First Love

In this form, the Mitsuri dashes forwards with a series of whip-slashes that winds around and through the enemy. This makes it extremely difficult to avoid the attack.

We see Mitsuri use it against the fish demon to rescue Tecchin.

Second Form: Love Pangs

In this form, the Mitsuri unleashes multiple powerful whip-slashes around herself.

This provides excellent defence against enemies’ attacks and also prevents the enemy to approach close her. Mitsuri used it against Zohakuten.

Third Form: Catlove Shower

This form allows Mitsuri to make aerial attacks. The Hashira leaps upwards and unleashes a series of ranged arced attacks in quick succession.

Any demon above Mitsuri gets slashed into ribbons with only the most skilled demons standing a chance of getting through it unscathed. We see Mitsuri used to defend against Zohakuten’s attack Crazed Cry of Thunder Death.

Fifth Form: Swaying Love Wildclaw

In this form, The hashira somersaults backwards through the space creating a long whip-like string of attacks. This allows her to evade enemy attacks while countering them with powerful attacks.

Mitsuri uses it to counter Zohakuten’s Blod Demon Art: Countless Striking Trees.

Sixth Form: Cat-Legged Winds of Love

In this form, Mitsuri twirls upside-down and releases multiple long-range slashing attacks before retracting the blade and extending it again.

This all is down within a very short amount of time causing some serious damage to the enemy. Mitsuri first used it against Zhikuten in Swordsmith village arc.

We also see her use it against Muzan in the infinity castle arc, though Muzan is unscathed by it.

What happened to Fourth Form?

In Demon Slayer, most Breathing Styles have been fully displayed in both anime and manga. However, some characters have skipped certain techniques to showcase more powerful attacks, and Love Breathing was no different.

Mitsuri has demonstrated the strength of this style with five impressive moves that can easily defeat most weaker demons.

Although she has utilized a technique from the Sixth Form, she never revealed her Fourth Form in the manga. This omission has left some fans frustrated as they were eager to learn everything about this technique.

We hope you were able to learn about Mitsuri Kanroji’s Love Breathing.