Did Inosuke Get the Demon Slayer Mark & What Does It Look Like?
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Inosuke Hashibara is one of the most intriguing Demon Slayer characters. Not only is he a self-taught Demon Slayer, but he also has a very quirky personality. Despite his unrefined behavior, he is also one of the most beloved characters in the series. Inosuke has several trademarks that make him stand out among other Demon Slayer characters, and his mask is one of the most striking. And while this article is not going to focus on these aspects, it is still going to be dedicated to Inosuke and one aspect of his story. It is a known fact that a powerful Demon Slayer can, under certain conditions, activate the Demon Slayer Mark, which gives them a significant power boost under certain conditions. In this article, we are going to tell you whether Inosuke activated his Mark and, if so, what it looks like.
No, Inosuke Hashibara did not activate his Demon Slayer Mark in the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba series. He is one of a few protagonists (a notable counterpart is Zenitsu) who never activated their Demon Slayer Marks, although he deserved it. This is a shame because Inosuke definitely had more than one epic battle, and he has certainly met the conditions at one point, but it remains unknown why he never activated it.
The rest of this article will focus on Inosuke’s story and why he never received his Demon Slayer Mark in the world of Demon Slayer. We have now provided you with the answer to the question you were looking for, but we will expand on it by talking a bit about the Demon Slayer Mark and why Inosuke never got the chance to activate it in the series. This article has spoilers, but only for those who haven’t seen or read any Demon Slayer episode or chapter.
Activating the Demon Slayer Mark is not easy
The Demon Slayer Mark is a mysterious mark that can be obtained and appear on the body of a powerful Demon Slayer, most usually his head, but it can also appear on other body parts. The Mark itself resembles a tattoo, scar, or birthmark. Almost every Demon Slayer has a unique pattern, probably connected to the Breathing Style they use (the Tsugikuni brothers and Tanjirō had the same marks, but this was intentional and had a symbolic value); because it resembles symbols seen on Demons, it has often been compared to them.
It remains unknown how and why such a Mark appears on the body. Still, the first recorded possessor was Yoriichi Tsugikuni, who was also the first Demon Slayer and the creator of the Sun Breathing Style, the first Breathing Style in history. It was relatively common during the Sengoku Era. Most records detailing it were lost. After the Golden Age of Demon Slayers, it became very rare, both because it was difficult to activate and because Muzan managed to decimate the Corps over the centuries. It appeared once again during the main timeline when Tanjirō and some other characters managed to activate it.
To activate it, a user must have survived a life-threatening state, including a heart rate above 200 bpm and a body temperature above 39° Celsius. Such conditions usually kill a person, but if a user manages to survive it, it means they are worthy of the Mark, as Muichirō explained.
But, the activation supposedly comes at a cost. Maintaining the Demon Slayer Mark is a complex process that requires a lot of energy, and prolonged use seems to drain the body. This is why many Demon Slayers with the Mark died young, which gave birth to a theory that the Mark is actually cursed and that each possessor will die when they reach the age of 25. We have already talked about this curse in a previous article, so we won’t be repeating ourselves here – we just thought you needed to know about the Demon Slayer Mark.
So, as we have said, Yoriichi was the first person with the Demon Slayer Mark and was also the only known possessor of the Mark who was born with it. All the other possessors of the Demon Slayer Mark activated it by meeting the conditions we have discussed above, and that’s just how it is usually activated. Yoriichi was special in so many ways, so this fact is just another addition to how special he is as a character. So, now that we have explained what the Demon Slayer Mark is and how it is activated, we can actually discuss Inosuke.
Inosuke could’ve easily activated his Mark, so it remains unknown as to how and why he never did
Now, not every Demon Slayer activates their Demon Slayer Mark, which is logical once you consider that certain conditions have to be met. As for Inosuke, he never actually activated his Demon Slayer Mark, and we will now analyze why. So, as we have said above, the conditions that have to be met cumulatively, are:
- surviving a life-threatening state
- a heart rate above 200 bpm
- a body temperature above 39° Celsius
As we’ve said, these conditions have to be met, and if a person survives them, since, normally, they would be enough to kill a person, they are worth the Mark. As for Inosuke, he has been in a series of life-threatening situations, and due to his specific nature, he definitely pushed himself to his limit on several occasions, even during the initial arcs, when he was much weaker and less refined as a Demon Slayer, Inosuke would push himself and claim he wanted to become the strongest.
Both during his fight in the Entertainment District against Daki, as well as during his fight against Dōma, the Upper Rank Two, Inosuke – we’re sure of it, despite it never being confirmed – met the conditions for the activation of his Demon Slayer Mark, but that never happened. Why? Well, it could be that Inosuke never received any formal training, so he never reached a certain level, but this theory doesn’t make much sense as it was never implied that formal training had anything to do with the Mark itself.
To us, it simply looks like the author either forgot to do it or did not want to do it for some reason, probably because the focus was always on Tanjirō, which means that he did not want the two protagonists to have the same ability. Be that as it may, while Zenitsu not having activated the Mark was explained relatively well from a plot-wise standpoint, Inosuke’s story was not, and that is a shame because, as we are going to see soon, he certainly deserved it.
As we did with Zen’itsu, we will quickly analyze Inosuke’s powers to show you that he certainly deserved his Mark. As a result of living in the mountains practically all his life, Inosuke developed a rather acute sense of touch. Thanks to this highly developed sense, he could feel even the slightest vibration in the air, thus managing to detect both enemies and allies.
Inosuke had complete control of his own body and could even dislocate the joints of his limbs to execute more effective attacks at a greater distance. As well as being able to move between small spaces. He also could move his organs inside his body however he wanted (similar to Muzan, but not identical). This ability allowed him to move his vital organs through his body, preventing them from being damaged by any external physical attack.
As a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, Inosuke was a very powerful and talented swordsman. His fighting style consisted of the Beast Breathing Style. Throughout his active time as a Demon Slayer, he faced numerous powerful enemies and the Twelve Demon Moons members.
He possessed a high level in using his two nichirin swords, being one of the most powerful swordsmen of his generation. He was even capable of using two swords in combat; these were splintered on the blade’s edge, allowing him to tear the flesh of his opponents very easily. His skills as a swordsman allowed him to face and defeat Upper Moon Two, Dōma, and Kanao Tsuyuri. He was also capable of cutting off the head of the former Moon Upper Six, Daki.
His Beast Breathing Style was a style of breathing directly derived from the Wind Breathing, but he managed to create it by himself, without any formal or informal training (as he was living with wild boars in the woods), using as references various beasts and animals with which he lived during his days in the mountain.
His style consisted of using swords whose edges had several saw-like intersections that served to rip and tear at the opponent’s vital points, combining it with his natural abilities, which were necessary to execute the 11 Fangs (forms, as they are usually called) of this Breathing Style to perfection.
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