Demon Slayer vs. Bleach: Whose Fighting Style is Better?

Bleach and Demon Slayer are two of the most iconic, sword-abundant anime and manga around. Fans love the intricate, detailed after-life of Bleach and all its accompanying Soul Reapers. Demon Slayer fans can’t get enough of the stellar art style and demon battles of the Demon Corps. Fanbases of both stories note the similar, elemental forces incorporated into each world’s sword fights, Japanese cultural influence, and all-around spooky atmospheres. So, which fighting style is better? Bleach’s famous Bankai or Demon Slayer’s equally recognizable Breathing Styles?

In Bleach, Shinigami are the caretakers of human souls in the afterlife. When souls corrupt, they transform into a beastly Hallow, a monstrous form that can only be saved with the slice of a Shinigami Zanpakuto blade and a tap of its hilt. These Japanese-inspired swords host two additional forms that their user must unlock by training their internal, spiritual powers to align with their individual Zanpakuto. The second, final form–the strongest of the Zanpakuto forms–is called ‘Bankai’. Shinigami who reach this level need only mutter ‘Bankai’ to awaken their sword’s new state, and voila; a crazy, over-powered sword is born and no two Bankai is the same. In order to make a fair comparison to Demon Slayer, we’ll focus on the elemental Bankai. First, let’s explain Demon Slayer’s Breathing Styles.

Like the Shinigami of Soul Society, the Demon Slayer Corps are the only fighters equipped to ward off or kill demons. Each fighter of the corps trains in different types of Breathing Styles. This is loosely based on real-world sword fighting techniques, wherein focused breathing allows for optimal strikes and agility. Unlike Bankai, Breathing Styles aren’t limited. Some techniques may be more difficult for fighters to master than others, but protagonists Tanjiro Kamado shows how characters can utilize multiple Breathing Styles. Bankai users can only use their own Bankai, and additional spiritually powered boosts, but not two Shinigami can use the same Bankai.

Water – Tanjiro vs. Histugaya

While Both Tanjiro and Histugaya form elemental dragons with their attacks, it’s how they’re used that makes the difference between Water Breathing and Bankai. Tanjiro’s tenth form attack -constant flux – grows stronger with each strike, but can only develop into a powerful dragon-like manifestation if allowed to build up the momentum. Hitsugaya’s Bankai, however, forms into an ice dragon, which he then wears. This gives Histugaya wings, an extra dragon head, razor-like talon feet, and a deadly arsenal of ice projectiles. Hitsugaya’s Bankai also allows him to control atmospheric pressure and water elements. He can even steal water and ice from an enemy attack, and there’s no requirement for Histugaya’s Bankai to build up enough momentum to maintain its form. A Water Bankai beats Water Breathing. That’s 1+ for Bleach.

Poison – Shinobu vs. Kurotsuchi

Demon Slayer’s Shinobu Kocho develops Insect Breathing, a form of Flower Breathing. The Wisteria flower’s poison is not only laced into her rapid-fire attacks, but in her body as well. Her Insect Breathing allows her a swift advantage over enemies, giving her a fighting-chance against strong demons. Her poisons and blade are deadly, but only if she can get close enough to enact damage. Bleach’s Mayuri Kurotsuchi, however, prefers to work at a distance. His Bankai releases into a caterpillar-like creature, from which noxious fumes spray. Like Shinobu, Kurotsuchi crafts this poisonous gas from his own blood. As his Bankai has a range of 200ft., Kurotsuchi doesn’t need to get his hands dirty unless it’s an absolute necessity. From a tactical stand-point, we’ll say Kurotsuchi just barely beats out Insect Breathing with his wide-range Bankai.

Fire – Tanjiro vs. Yamamoto

Sun Breathing is limited to the Kamado family line, and can only be taught by a Kamado. Luckily, Tanjiro’s father taught him the blazing tradition, so Tanjiro can fight with a fiery sword. While Sun Breathing is limited, Flame Breathing is derived from Sun Breathing, and is more accessible to other Demon Corps members. Like the other techniques, it provides multiple, flame-filled additions to swift strikes. Bleach’s Yamamoto, however, hosts a fire Bankai that crafts a literal hell-fire storm. Yamamoto must warn allies to clear an area before he uses it, and he once nearly burnt Soul Society to a crisp. The longer Yamamoto’s Bankai is released, the stronger the roaring flames grow. So, while Tanjiro’s fire attacks are impressive, Yamamoto’s destructive Bankai wins by a mile.

Flower – Kanao vs. Byakuya

Demon Slayer’s Kanao Tsuyuri uses Flower Breathing to boost her evasion and spin attacks. One attack allows her to make nine strikes in a seamless, floral flow as she enacts the final strike. The most dangerous use of Flower Breathing allows the user to view their battle in slow motion, but this puts immense strain on the users eyes and causes blindness. Bleach’s Byakuya invokes flower petals as a stunning aesthetic to his deadly Bankai form. Byakuya’s Zanpakuto blade beautifully drifts into millions of pink petals to transfix the enemy, then envelopes his prey in an inescapable storm of swords. But this isn’t the only display his Bankai can take. A wall of swords, a whirlwind of blades, or a hallway of cherry-blossom metal bits are all manifestations Byakuya’s floral Bankai has formed. This gives him a similar advantage to Kurotsuchi’s poisonous Bankai in that Byakuya can keep his distance. Due to its deadly, versatile nature, we’ll say Bleach’s floral Bankai beats Demon Slayer’s Flower Breathing technique.

Lightning – Zenitsu vs. Sasakibe

Thunder Breathing adds strength to a fighter’s agility, leaps, and jumps. It allows for attacks in which a fighter pin-balls around their enemy and flies up into sky-scraping heights before enacting the final blow. Lightning – like Water and Flame Breathing – is harnessed into swift blade attacks, making for electrifying strikes. Bleach’s Sasakibe hosts a Bankai similar to Hitsugaya. However, while he also controls atmospheric elements, Sasakibe is much stronger than Histugaya and even once left a mark on the all-powerful Yamamoto. His favorite element to harness is lightning, in which he generates a massive thunder-dome surrounding by deadly pillars of lightning. Sasakibe’s Bankai even allows him to control lightning with his hands, effectively granting him powers similar to Marvel’s Storm. Considering Sasakibe’s Bankai can control the weather and entrap his enemies in a literal lightning cage, we’ll say that Bleach’s lightning Bankai beats Demon Slayer’s Thunder Breathing.

Overall, it seems that Bleach’s Bankai all share a common factor in their wins over Demons Slayer’s Breathing Styles. Elemental Bankai offers more tactical advantages, the most obvious being a distance advantage during battle. Bankai users can keep their distance, and often don’t need to rely on consistent strike build-ups to maintain their manifestations.

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