WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Season 2, Episode 17, "Never Give Up," now streaming on Funimation, Hulu and Crunchyroll.
With the hype surrounding the current Entertainment District Arc of Demon Slayer at an all-time high, it's easy to miss some pretty crucial details. One thing that would be impossible to miss though would be the apparent survival of Demon Slayer's favorite boar-headed boy, Inosuke Hashibira. But just how does someone survive being stabbed through the heart by a poison blade?
In the most recent episodes of the anime, the Demon Slayers have been in the heat of battle with Gyutaro and Daki, the former being the true Sixth Upper Moon. Much to their misfortune, their fight has been nothing short of an uphill battle with the demon and his sister frequently gaining the upper hand. After finally managing to behead Daki, Inosuke was mercilessly stabbed through the chest by Gyutaro and his poisonous sickle, seemingly killing him.
Thankfully, in this past Sunday's episode, viewers were delightfully surprised by finding out that Inosuke survived by shifting his organs, including his heart, out of the way of the attack. While always shown to be beyond-flexible and have a body that works unlike anyone else's, this is the first time viewers have seen just how far he's able to push his body's unique ability.
Coincidentally this isn't too dissimilar from the classic X-Men foe Mystique, who's capable of the very same feat. For those uninitiated with the X-Men, Mystique is a blue-skinned mutant with the ability to shape-shift her body however she wants, whether it is copying a person's identity, healing herself, or even giving herself wings and talons. Thanks to her powers as a metamorph, she is also capable of shifting her organs around however she wants. As useful as a healing factor is, the user will still feel the pain and at least temporarily need to survive the damage of the fatal injury, so being able to move vital organs around away from the attack is a very useful ability to have.
Unfortunately for Inosuke, this is where the similarities cease. Contrary to popular opinion, Demon Slayers don't actually have powers. Their breathing abilities might increase their physical abilities way beyond the normal level, but they don't have powers the way most shonen anime characters do. They are stronger but still all too human, which is why Inosuke's super sensitive skin and flexible body are so unique and special.
Mystique on the other hand would be much closer to an actual demon from the show. Mutant abilities are literal powers, not the results of training, making her all the more dangerous. In fact, Muzan Kibutsuji, the chief antagonist of the series is himself a metamorph, meaning she and him have way more in common than her and Inosuke.
Inosuke might not have powers per se, but he has still proven throughout the series, especially in this arc that he is more than capable of taking down those that do. Frequently fighting and beating semi-immortal creatures has made him stronger than the average human, and while there is no way of knowing for sure, maybe even stronger than Mystique.
