In adapting the manga's "Entertainment District" arc, Season 2 of the Demon Slayer anime has been nothing if not flashy. The "Mugen Train" arc that rehashed the blockbuster film gave the spotlight to the Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku, and this season continues to showcase just how powerful the Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps are. Tengen Uzui, the Sound Hashira and phenom with a flair for the dramatic, is the star this time around as he fights alongside Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Zenitsu against the Upper Moon 6 duo.
Zenitsu and Inosuke also get a chance to show off how they've since grown stronger following the events of Mugen Train, and it's hard not to notice how some of their skills resemble Uzui's. Here's how the Sound Hashira takes their best traits to the next level.
To be in the Demon Slayer Corps requires copious amounts of dedication, skill and resilience. Some members, however, are also gifted with unique abilities that, when honed, can become truly death defying. One such ability is the super-hearing that Uzui and Zenitsu both employ. Paralleling Tanjiro's superhuman sense of smell, Zenitsu's hearing surpasses ranges discernible to humans, allowing him to pick up on details like emotional vibrations.
This level of hearing can help reveal someone's character, and in more dire situations, determine an opponent's magnitude of strength. Zenitsu's mastery of Thunder Breathing may be unconventional, but he's nevertheless capable of moving with ridiculous speed and intensity.
Sound Breathing is an extension of the Thunder Breathing style, and Uzui's mastery of it allows him to channel his super hearing and speed into blindingly quick attacks with concussive force. He uses his hearing to read an opponent's patterns of movement, turning their rhythm against them with each strike. So far, Uzui is the only Sound Breathing user in Demon Slayer, which is a testament to his abilities to be able to elevate an already stunningly potent style to such a destructive level.
Another of Uzui's most distinguishable traits is his physical strength and agility, especially in spite of his size. Similarly, Inosuke is shown to have excellent physical control of his body through his flexibility and rapid, animalistic movements as he dodges and attacks. Both Inosuke and Uzui have honed their bodies to peak physical form as a result of their upbringings. Inosuke's physical strength is shaped by his need to survive in the wilds of the mountains, whereas Uzui had to contend with the rigors of being a shinobi.
Uzui moving at the speed of sound requires an incredible amount of stamina, as does being able to effectively wield two Nichirin blades. Inosuke's Beast Breathing may be an extension of Wind Breathing, but his Seventh Form: Spatial Awareness technique isn't far off from how Uzui reads an opponent's natural rhythms to discern the best moment to strike. Neither will hesitate to announce their commendable physical abilities -- which, given how they've literally trained their bodies to such a degree as to move internal organs to avoid injury and combat poison, is totally understandable. Uzui, however, has a greater cognizance of his physical limitations, while Inosuke takes a generally more tenacious approach at the cost of sustaining damage -- though he quickly becomes more strategic as Demon Slayer progresses.
The trajectory of growth for the young demon slayers is apparent in every arc, and even every episode. With Tengen Uzui leading the battle against Daki and Gyutaro, fans get a peek at what new heights Zenitsu and Inosuke might achieve, as well as a stunning show of the Sound Hashira's incredible strengths.
